What He Won't Do

Chapter 9:The Weight of Truth

Sasha sat on the cold floor, her face buried in her hands, shaking as the weight of Tonya's words crashed over her. How could this be real? The love of her life, her uncle, of all people. They'd had a baby. They'd been married. And now he was gone.

Her chest tightened with a mix of betrayal and disbelief. How could I be so blind? Every memory, every laugh, every secret shared with her uncle now felt like a knife twisting in her heart. And Tonya... how could she do this to me?

"How could this happen? Why... why would you both do this to me?" Sasha's voice cracked as she screamed, the words echoing off the walls.

Tonya's shoulders shook as tears spilled down her cheeks. "I thought you didn't love me anymore, Sasha! You left, left me standing alone. He was there when I needed someone. When you shut me out, I was lost. I didn't know what else to do." Her voice trembled with raw pain, pleading for understanding.

Sasha lifted her head, eyes blazing with hurt. "You say that like it makes it okay. You say you needed help, but with my uncle? The last person I trusted? The one family I still had?" Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper, "That's unforgivable."

Tonya bit her lip, swallowing hard. She wanted to scream, to fight back, but the guilt crushed her. He was my anchor when everything fell apart. "I never wanted to hurt you. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. But I was lonely, so lonely, and you were gone. You left me in the dark."

Sasha's chest heaved, tears welling up again. "You don't get to play the victim here. You made your choice. You betrayed me, your friend." Her voice cracked, raw with anguish. "And you hid it. You lied."

The silence between them stretched, heavy and suffocating. The ticking clock on the wall was the only sound, counting down the moments of their shattered trust.

Finally, Sasha's voice softened, but the pain remained. "When did it start?" she asked, barely able to breathe.

Tonya swallowed and looked away, ashamed. "A week after you left. I was outside your house, sitting there like a fool, hoping you'd come back. I knocked. I called. Every day. He saw me... told me to cheer up, said you needed this."

Sasha shook her head, tears blurring her vision. "Why him? Why choose the one person who meant everything to me?" The betrayal felt like a fresh wound.

"Because he was close to you," Tonya whispered, voice breaking. "Because I missed you. I didn't know how else to feel close to you."

Sasha's hands clenched into fists. "Missed me? You destroyed what little family I had left." Her voice dropped to a bitter hiss. "You chose to sleep with my uncle. My uncle."

Tonya had no answer. The words cut deeper than any knife.

Sasha was hurt; she had missed Tonya, too. She did not want to leave, but it really was something she had to do. Her grandmother wanted better for her, and she wanted better for herself. She was convinced that this was not her fault. This was something she was not going to apologize for. Her life with Tonya was fun, but she had to grow up one day. With her grandmother gone, there was no reason to stay in that house. 

 "You will not blame me for this; you could have gotten a new pet. Found a hobby, even started learning to bake. Instead, you started fucking my uncle. My uncle!" yelled Sasha.

Tonya was speechless. Sasha was right. How could she have done such a cruel thing? But she had not done it alone; she had help. There was no way Sasha could be mad at just her. Her uncle had a part in this, too. 

Again, she was not blaming anyone else for her actions, but she loved him just as much as she had loved him. 

 "He's in my car" she said, interrupting Sasha's speech on betraying an old friend. 

 "What I thought you said he was dead?" Sasha said in a very confused voice. "How many lies are you going to tell?" 

Tonya got up slowly and walked to the front door. She felt her body slowly wanting to give up as she pulled the door open and walked out. As the trunk opened, she saw that Sasha was standing in the door. 

 "He's in the trunk, bitch you crazy, and you're about to get beat the fuck up." Laughed Sasha maniacally. 

 Tonya said nothing and pulled a black box with a gold plate on the top out of the trunk. The plate read 'Jodas T. Armon Sr.' on the front. She rubbed her hand over the plate and began to break down and cry. 

To Sasha, it felt like forever. She did not know how to feel. She walked toward Tonya and helped her up off the ground. They both walked into the house, and Sasha took the box and set it on the table. 

She sat there staring at it, it was all she could do, knowing that her uncle was in a box on the table was very nerve-wrecking and still very unbelievable.Sasha got up from the couch and walked over to the bar. She poured herself a cup of scotch, and before she knew it, the cup was gone. 

She poured herself two more cups, downed them both, and walked into her room. Sasha sat on her bed and began to cry. So many things were going through her head. How was it that he had not told her any of this? They were so close, or were they? 

She started thinking about everything. How could so many people be okay with keeping secrets from her? She lay there in her bed, frozen, tears running down her face. Today was not going to be a good day, and the day had just begun.