Purify My Heart (Chicago Love Series Book 3)

Chapter XII (Middle of August)

Monica laid between the satin sheets of the bed they'd shared together numerous times slowly dragging the pads of her finger tips over her body. Trailing one long finger nail across the tips of her breast and the other along the curve of her belly. In her mind she replayed their lovemaking over and over taking her hands and caressing the places that Asia had left her own imprint on. She dreamed of her lips, the sweet cinnamony taste of her tongue, the plump mound that was her behind, and the swell of her breast. In her mind she drank her in over and over, thirsting for another drop, but knowing in her mind that the time would never come again. She would never know love like that again, never know what it meant to love and be loved again.

She rolled over on her side, sighed, and drank in the sight that was he...her new conquest. She never thought she'd take him, never thought she'd try to manipulate him into being a pawn in her game. Yet, he was easy to grab and easy to go along with every sob story she gave to him. She knew that he his heart was hurting, knew that the world around him, the one he'd created for himself was sinking. Yet, she didn't and couldn't care...

"Good morning," he fluttered his long eyelashes open, the same gorgeous eyelashes that graced Chase's sweet innoncent face.

"Morning, are you hungry? I can make you something to eat before Aniyah arrives," she said allowing the sheet to drape from her body and her ample breast to be exposed. She watched him rise to attention and he developled a deep growl that seem to come from deep within his belly.

"I"m starved, but I don't think that will be necessary. Maybe you can take the day off, go visit some friends, or some family," he replied lowering his gaze and moving to clothe himself. 

"Is that because Asia is also coming back?" she said laughing and pulling her braids into a bun on the top of her head.

"Monica, I don't need anymore stress. Chase is slowly recovering, and we still have this investigation looming over our heads. I think it would be better if we just kept things peaceful until this whole thing goes away,"

"Sevyn it will never go away! Don't you realize your son isn't even progressing the way the doctor's thought he would. He's a fucking vegetable Sevyn, you all are just being cruel by keeping him hooked to those machines day in and out. You all need to let him go and be at peace with the decision. It's time to start the next chapter of your lives and keep pushing baby. I'm not trying to be cruel, but something has to be done and someone needs to tell you," she said walking out of the bedroom and slamming the door behind her.

Sevyn didn't want to believe her, but he knew deep down inside that pieces of it were true. After seemingly making a strong recovery, Chase was beginning to slip day by day. He was just too young for the operation the doctors had attempted to use to save his life, and the longer it went on that he wasn't responding to treatment, the more likely hood that their child would have mental and physical challenges in the future. He couldn't bare putting his only child, his life, throught the whole ordeal. He hoped that perhaps Aniyah would agree with this decision and let their sons' soul fly free. Finishing dressing and preparing for her arrival, he said a silent prayer for peace and descended down the stairs for her to wait.

"Call me when you've made a decision," Monica yelled as he caught the back of her walking out the door as Aniyah was walking through it.

"Well, I see you've found something to keep you busy," she said to him placing a bag of cinnamon rolls on the breakfast nook.

"I'm not in the mood Aniyah,"

"Sevyn I don't care what the hell you're in the mood for. You're not being in the mood lately is one of the prime reasons our son is still laid up in the hospital barely hanging on, neither of us have custody over him, and all hell is breaking loose! Sometimes I regret the day that I ever met you and your twisted ass wife, but then I remember had I not, I wouldn't have the blessing that is my son. Where is Asia while I'm at it?"

"Her and Jay had an emergency to handle back in Chicago,"

"So the business is more important still?"

"NO ANIYAH! We all handle things differently, some of us can't just drop our lives like you,"

"What is that suppose to mean, because my life is laid up in that hospital," she said throwing anger back at him while trying to fight her own tears. Adrian had returned to Chicago, but she and Ella vowed they weren't leaving New York until Chase was leaving with them. Ms. Jordan had taken him into the custody of the state, but was kind enough to be lenient with how Sev and she would be handled concerning him. The detectives were still investigating the abuse allegations, but no new information was turning up and the case was growing cold.

"And mine isn't?? He's OUR SON, MINE AND YOURS!!! Yet, I know that the time has come for us to stop holding on to hope and let him free Aniyah. We have to let him move on, we can't keep allowing him to suffer," he said grabbing her hands and starting into her eyes.

"So you want me to pull the plug on my son? Until my God tells me it's time I'm not listening to you or anyone else. Besides what do you know? You're too busy fucking the maid to do anything about OUR SONS' current situtation,"

"You just don't understand,"

"Understand what? Since that snotty little heifer has been around everything has turnt to shit! Nothing around this house gets done, your marriage is falling apart, and now your doubting the faith we have in our heavenly Father to help our child. Where is the man that at one point in time I loved, the man who led his family to new heights of success, I'm disgusted by the man standing here in front of me," she spewed back at him and walking out of the kitchen. Until the Lord poured into her heart that it was time to walk away and let things be, she wasn't giving up hope. She was going to continue to pray, fast, and make any sacrifice necessary so that her son knew in his heart and mind that she gave her all.

"Mrs. Perkins it's great to see you again, how can I help you?" Ms. Jordan asked surprised to see the woman that had been so indifferent towards her now sitting in her office.

"I have something to tell those officers, something that might help their case," Asia had thought long and hard about the conversation she'd had with Jay two weeks ago. It was beginning to become clearer and clearer everyday that Monica definitely had something to do with Chase's current situation and after replaying key days and events the past few months she knew she had to tell someone soon, before even worse was going to happen.

"Lucky for both of us they are just across the hall, we were chatting about a few things. I'll call them over," she said reaching for the door. Asia was scared and knew that whatever she had to say would change her entire world, but it was no longer about her, it was about her child.

"Mrs. Perkins, we were told by Ms. Jordan here that you have something for us?"

"Yes, I believe that my housekeeper had something to do with the abuse of my son,"

"Do  you?"

"Yes....see I was having an affair with her, that was beginning to turn ugly because I refused to leave her. She's a very jealous woman and we fought often, I never thought she'd turn to hurting my child, but she was adamant about me leaving my entire life. Especially him, there was no room for a child like him in her life. He was into too many things, he was too full of life, and she wasn't ready to be a mother to anybody, hell she's still practically a child herself in so many ways,"

"Okay, but what does that have to do with our investigation,"

"I hired a private detective and I discovered she has numerous charges against her for child abuse and neglect," and with that she laid her head in her lap and wept.