You Before Me [dave east]

| forty

I punched in the numbers to unlock Dave's safe. I was glad that my husband trusted me enough with the code to his valuables but now, I was starting to see why that was a mistake.

I retrieved the gun and felt the weight of the cold metal in my hand. I stared at it for a moment. The suppressor was already attached. To me, that was a sign. It was more a reason why I should take this gun in my hand and get it over with.

Of course in the back of my head, I considered my irrationality. It wasn't often that your husband sleeping with your best friend warranted a murder. In this case, I felt that it did.

Pushing any second guesses to the back of my mind, I placed the gun in my purse with a trembling hand before leaving the house and driving to meet José and his crew outside Paris' apartment.

I pulled up behind his car and got out, going to sit in his passenger's seat. I didn't say a word as I stared out of the windshield but I could feel him staring at me, waiting for me to back out.

Honestly, I knew this wasn't a good idea. I wasn't sure I really wanted to go through with it. I just knew I had to.

Paris had crossed a line. Not only had she intentionally jeopardized my marriage which meant the world to me, she betrayed me when she was supposed to be my friend.

Honestly, there were people who killed for less.

"You sure you wanna do this?" José finally voiced, rubbing his hands up and down his pants. He was casual about this whole ordeal seeing as it was nothing short of his norm. "This the second person we killed over yo' lil esposo. You sure you ain't getting carried away with this shit?"

I sighed as I remembered Latrelle and how I had set him up to die. Because of Dave. I did the worst things in loving Dave. He brought the worst out of me.

Sniffling and wiping my tears, "José, I love him, okay?"

"Yeah I know. But don't you think you needa have the same energy for yo' husband as you do for this puta? Look, I'ma hot head. I get how you feeling. But still, I think you gotta think this shit through a little more and that's coming from me, the hot head."

"I'm not killing the father of my child, José." I said seriously as I turned to glare at him.

He raised his hands in defense. I knew he had to be mad at Dave for putting me through this.

"Look, I know I always said I would get a divorce if a man ever did me wrong but... I just can't. It's easier said than done, you know? Because when you fall in love, and I mean really fall in love, that person becomes your whole world. So when somebody tries to jeopardize that shit, it puts fear in your heart."

"I feel you."

"And I don't want Maya to grow up in a broken home just because a trifling bitch wanted to fuck my husband." My head shook at the thought. "She needs to go, José. I need to leave my mark. A deterrent so he knows not to cross me again."

He chuckled in disbelief. "You are one crazy chica, Xiomara."

I nodded. "Sadly, I am."

But when I saw the way Paris was begging for Dave not to leave her, I knew that she was insane too, just not as insane as me. If she had managed to convince herself that Dave loved her, who knew what else she was capable of?