Intertwined

Chapter Eighteen

Carmine tried to keep herself together but she really was ready to lose her shit. Things were going well up until last night when Bryce decided not to come home. Carmine even drove by the office to see if he was there and he wasn't. She wasn't a fool she knew he was cheating. It was clear. She could tell by the way he had been a little down the last few weeks as if he was going through changes with his side piece.

Carmine took herself on a splurge day. He wanted her to stop working and focus on having a healthy pregnancy and he was out being a hoe. She wasn't going to allow it to stress her out. She had moved into his home. He proposed to her in front of their family and friends. She was in there and wasn't no side chick gonna run her away. That was the mistake Ruby made. She let Carmine force her out of her castle. She wasn't going to nag or argue. She wasn't even gonna let him know that she knew. She was gonna be happy on her own and let him come around.

She decided to pick him up from work looking spectacular. Her hair was freshly blown and flowing around her shoulders with a slight red tint to it. She was wearing a flowing maxi dress with a cardigan over her shoulders and a pair of sparkling flats. She stepped out of the town car to see that the office was shut down already. She called Bryce phone and it went straight to voicemail. She smiled hopped back in the town car and went home. She hadn't heard from him all day. She wasn't sure if she should worry or be pissed. She sent a text saying she was worried and hoped everything was okay.

Saturday morning Bryce finally decided to come home. He was in a bad mood with her as if she did something to him. "What's going on honey? All of this attitude for nothing isn't necessary. You can just talk to me about whatever and we can handle it." She wondered if this is how it was with Rod and Ruby when he was with her. Rod never stayed the night out though. He may stay late but before the sun rose he was gone home to his wife and family. "It's nothing Carmine. I just had a rough week and need some space. Soon as I walk through the door you are in my face with a thousand questions." He walked out the room Carmine followed behind him. "Well we live together. We are having a child together. We are engaged. You haven't come home or even called or text almost all week. You should have come through the door with a story to tell. Some kind of explanation. Something." Carmine crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot trying to regain her composure. She was getting baited into the exact situation she planned to avoid. She was becoming the nagging girlfriend men loved to blame for why they were cheating.

"I just need some space. Everything happened between us so fast. I didn't foresee that I would start to feel suffocated." He turned on some music and hopped in the shower. Carmine decided to give him just what he wanted, some space. She grabbed her PINK duffel bag and quickly tossed some items into the bag. She grabbed her wallet and put it in her purse. She grabbed her phone, the charger and her keys and headed out the door. She was so glad she hadn't rented out her condo yet. Niggas aint shit.

Carmine called Rod wanting to vent but he didn't answer. Things had been pretty cool between them since the big talk. She called Scar but she didn't answer either. She imagined whatever was keeping them busy they were doing it together. It was a Saturday morning after all. After a couple hours of boredom and no call from Bryce she decided to book herself a little trip. Maybe he needed to miss her and she needed to stop waiting for him to stop being an asshole.

Carmine surfed the web looking for somewhere to go. She really wanted to go home and lay up with her man but his side chick had him acting funny. She finally decided on Jamaica. She used the credit card that Bryce had given her and booked herself on a trip to Jamaica. She went back to the house to pack for her trip. When she walked in she wasn't surprised to see Bryce sleeping. She moved about making as much noise as she saw fit until she was done. He had to be woke pretending to be sleep with the amount of noise she was making. "Two can play that game." Carmine left back out not bothering to attempt to talk to him.