Purify My Heart (Chicago Love Series Book 3)

Chapter XIV (Middle of September)

Aniyah knew it was time to bring in everyone and have a discussion about Chase's future, especially Sev. Walking into the home she'd been sharing with him since Monica left had been difficult, but today there was so much purpose in their conversation. She thanked God that not only was Adrian and Andrew here with her, but that Ella had also arrived for the special occasion. She said a silent prayer before she raised from her seat and began to speak.

"I thank each and everyone of you for being here throughout this entire ordeal,"

"I do too," Asia said as she rounded the corner and joined them in the family room. She looked like a woman three times her age, and her was a mess. She'd look like she'd been through the fight of her life.

"Asia," Sev said grabbing her hands with concern.

"Let Aniyah speak,"

"Thank you Asia, as I was saying it means alot to me that you all have held my hand, dried my tears, and prayed for my baby. God truly favors me and his favor has increased a thousand fold. I talked to Dr. Moreaux earlier and he said that Chase is a fighter, he's going to pull through. It's going to take time and he'll need lots of physical therapy among other things, but he's going to make it. We have been blessed twice with having my baby here. Which leads me to my next point, a lot of things need to change around here immediately,"

"Such as?" Sev asked her with curiosity.

"I don't want that woman Monica around him at all when he is to return home, and I spoke to my lawyer. After he is fully recuperated, Chase will be returning to Chicago to live with me full-time. I'm seeking permanent custody and suing your little nanny for child endangerment. It's really sad that it took some misguided and lost woman for you all to see that things weren't right not only in your marriage, but in the concern of what was suppose to be our child. For that, I don't know when or how I could ever forgive either of you,"

"Aniyah, as his mother I can't understand how you feel, I never will. As his father, I won't and cannot allow you to take my child away from the only home he has ever known. Above all of that you are not one to speak on our marriage or anything in our home because you have not been here! You were a part time mother whose entire existence beyond birth has been afforded to you because of my wife! The same wife you tried to take away from me all those years ago; you are not innocent in any of this and you will have blame placed upon you as well. Try and take my child from me and I promise I will crush you in every sense of the word," Sev said rising and walking out of the room.

"Let her have him," Asia said.

"Excuse me?" Sev said turning on his heels, seeing if he heard her correctly.

"Let Aniyah have him, he deserves to be with her. I'm not any type of mother and I don't believe that I was cut out for the role anyways. I was being selfish and although I love him with everything in me, I know he'd be better with her...I've always known that," she said turning to Aniyah and squeezing her hand.

"Thank you Asia," she said squeezing back.

"I won't allow it!"

"Oh Sevyn shut the hell up, when they needed you to be a man and stand your ground you folded. Now you want to call some fucking shots, please," Ella said taking a sip of her drink, she was getting tired of his dramatics quickly.

"This has nothing to do with you Ella,"

"Oh it very much does seeing how we're speaking about my child and my grandchild. As long as there is breath in my body, Chase will always be my concern. I will never forgive myself for letting you two sick fools have my child, but I will beat your ass myself you try to take my grandchild and twist his life apart for the second time," she said walking over to Sev and digging her stiletto nail deep into where his heart lie. She would kill him if he ever thought he had a chance of hurting her family again.

"Old bitch if you don't back up,"

"Don't even start playa, you will not disrespect any of the women in this room in front me!" Adrian said grabbing him and dragging him out of the room.

Tempers were flaring and this conversation was going down hill fast. Aniyah dismissed everyone out the room and Sev went to search for Monica. He needed someone to take his mind off of the recent events, he thanked God Chase would be okay, but he knew that what Aniyah was asking was too much for him. All of Chase's life he'd been his fathers' shadow, and now Chase would only see him when....in summer? Never! He would hire the best lawyers, private investigators and anyone else that would help him build a case against her so strong that the courts would have no choice, but to grant him custody.

"What made you have a change of heart," Aniyah asked Asia as she undressed in her room.

"I saw the monster I'd become, and then I learned to listen. I began to see how Monica not only destroyed my family, but showed me how I had destroyed us long before she even came into the picture. I can't even stand to look at myself knowing I allowed a psychopath to hurt our child, I was ignorant. Trying to forget and move on from you, I'd forgotten what was imporant...Chase," she said as she grabbing Aniyah from the back and kissed her sweetly on the cheek, moving around and finally lightly kissing her on the lips.

Aniyah was taken aback, but knew that this moment wasn't one of lust, but a mixture of love and defeat. She watched as Asia dropped the last of her clothes and retreated to the bath, she was beautiful. Aniyah felt like her feet were glued to floor, she was unable to move, unable to think...all she could do was watch as Asia laid her body in the tub, closing her eyes, shutting the world out. All she could do was watch as the tub began to overflow and Asia began to sink deeper and deeper until her head disappearead below the water, and bubble of air stopped rising to the top. She was rooted in place as she watched Asia allow herself to drown, and when she finally realized what happened she exhaled.

"Oh my God!" she screamed loudly realizing she had been so transfixed she hadn't acted. Running over to the tub she tried unsuccessfully to pull Asia's body up, and it wasn't until she felt Adrian lift Asia out of the tub did she fully come back to reality. She watched as he frantically tried to perform CPR on her seemingly lifeless body and Andrew called 911. She watched them move as she wrapped her arms around body rocking. Asia and her had a rocky relationship, but this wasn't anything she'd wish on the lost soul...she still loved her in a way. She watched even as Ella dragged her out the room and paramedics took Asia away from the scene still trying to revive her, but Aniyah knew she wasn't coming back.

"How is she," Adrian asked Ella the next morning.

"Sleeping, the doctor gave her something for sleep. I don't know what happened between those two in the final moments, but I don't think Aniyah will ever be the same. She loved and hated Asia at the same time, but this was too much for her,"

"Did she make it?"

"No, I spoke to the hospital this morning. They ran a toxicology report on her,  Asia didn't die from drowning. She died from a drug overdose...she'd taken too many sleeping pills and fell asleep as soon as her body hit the water. She knew what she was doing to herself, and I think she planned all of it,"

"Why is that?"

"A couple of days ago I heard her talking to Jay and their lawyer. She named Aniyah her power of attorney and the head of her estate. So all of this will go her and Chase,"

"Your point is?"

"Aniyah not only owns half of Maddox, but she also owns everything that Sev didn't build for himself. She also now has all the resources to fight him in court to gain custody of Chase. Asia gave her life so that the two people she loved more than anything could have a new one," she said looking at Adrian and seeing he finally understood. Asia could never undo her wrongs, and she believed that giving up her life meant a fresh start for all.