Chapter 4

• KELILAH’S POV
• I gripped my bag tightly as I walked down the bustling sidewalk, each step heavy with heartbreak. The day was still bright, but it felt like dusk in my mind. I could sense curious stares from people passing by, perhaps noticing my swollen eyes and tear-streaked face, but I kept my gaze fixed on the ground, unwilling to meet anyone’s eyes.
• My phone vibrated again, a persistent buzz from inside my bag, but I ignored it. I wasn’t ready to face anyone—not yet. Today, everything that once made sense had fallen apart in a single blow. My life, my happiness, my sense of peace—all of it shattered by a revelation I could never have prepared for.
• For two years, I’d believed I was living a fairytale. Although, in the last few months, doubts had begun to fester. The late-night phone calls, the excuses, the unexpected disappearances… my instincts had been screaming at me that something was wrong. But each time, I’d silenced them, convincing myself I was paranoid. I’d wanted so desperately to believe in Jackson, in us. Now, it felt like I’d been living in a fool’s paradise.
• I could feel the weight of strangers’ gazes on me, so I hurried into a nearby restaurant, scanning the tables until I spotted an empty one tucked into a quiet corner. I sank into the seat, resting my bag beside me, and pulled out my phone. Tyra’s name flashed on the screen. I hesitated, but finally pressed ‘accept.’
• “Hello?” I managed, my voice breaking as I spoke.
• “Oh my God, Kelilah! Where have you been? I’ve been calling you for hours!” Tyra’s voice was laced with worry, but all I could do was choke back another wave of tears.
• “I… I’m sorry,” I stammered. My throat tightened as tears threatened to spill again. How could I explain this nightmare to her? How could I even begin?
• “Are you okay?” Her tone softened instantly, but I couldn’t answer, so I nodded before realizing she couldn’t see me.
• “Yes,” I whispered, though we both knew it was a lie.
• “Kelilah, you know I can tell you’re not okay. Where are you? I’m coming to you right now.”
• “I’m… at La Brise, the café we like,” I replied, my voice barely a whisper.
• “Stay there. I’m on my way,” she said before hanging up.
• A waitress approached just as I ended the call, her eyes kind as she asked, “Would you like to order something, ma’am?”
• “Just water, please,” I replied, forcing a weak smile.
• She gave me a look that told me she saw through my attempt to appear fine, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she returned a few moments later with a bottle of water and a glass, setting them down with a gentle nod.
• “Thank you,” I muttered, turning my attention back to my phone. Another message from Jackson lit up the screen, and I couldn’t help but read it once more. He wanted to talk. Of course, he did—he probably realized I’d discovered everything.
• Sighing, I powered off my phone and pushed it back into my bag. No more distractions. All I needed right now was Tyra, and thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long. Not ten minutes later, she walked in, scanning the room before spotting me and rushing over.
• “Oh, honey,” she breathed, pulling me into a hug the moment she reached me. “You look terrible.”
• Despite everything, I let out a bitter laugh. “Trust me, I feel worse than I look.”
• “What happened?” she asked, settling into the seat across from me, her eyes filled with worry.
• I took a deep, trembling breath. “I was right all along, Tyra. Jackson… he’s been lying to me. He has another woman”
• Her expression shifted from shock to anger in an instant. “That bastard! I always had a bad feeling about him. How did you find out?”
• I swallowed, feeling the sting of fresh tears. “I went to his house this morning. I thought I’d make it up to him for not visiting him all this while. He even gave me a late birthday gift, and for a moment, I thought maybe my doubts were just my insecurities. But when I went to his room to drop off the gift, I found…”
• My voice cracked, and Tyra reached across the table to squeeze my hand, her touch grounding me. “Take your time,” she urged.
• I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself.
• “I had once found women’s clothing… makeup… things that weren’t mine. I wanted to believe there was some explanation, something that made sense. But deep down, I knew.”
• Tyra’s eyes flashed with fury. “Kelilah, I’m so sorry. And you never thought to tell me what you were feeling before?”
• “I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. I thought I was just being insecure. I didn’t want to seem paranoid.” The words tumbled out, each one bringing with it another pang of regret.
• “But you had every right to question it! You already had enough evidence,” she insisted.
• My tears were flowing freely now. “I didn’t want to believe it, Tyra. I loved him too much. I thought maybe if I ignored it, it would go away.”
• She shook her head, exasperated yet gentle. “Kelilah, love should never make you feel like you have to turn a blind eye to the truth.”
• I took a long sip of water, trying to compose myself. “Last week, I found a message on his phone—from a gynecologist. I think he was… he was trying to have a baby with her.” I choked on the last word, my entire body trembling as the weight of that betrayal sank in.
• Tyra’s jaw clenched. “Wait, so he was planning a family… with someone else?”
• I nodded slowly, wiping away a tear. “And I was still holding onto some shred of hope that it wasn’t what it looked like.”
• “Kelilah, you should have confronted him the moment you saw those messages,” she said, her voice low with anger.
• “I know. But I didn’t want to see the truth.”
• She let out a sigh, her grip on my hand tightening. “So, what finally made you believe he had another woman?”
• I hesitated, feeling my stomach churn as I remembered. “A woman called me Five days ago. She said she wanted to meet. I almost didn’t go, thinking it might be dangerous. But… I was curious.”
• Tyra’s eyes widened. “And? Did you meet her?”
• I nodded. “She told me everything. She said Jackson belonged to her, Tyra. I was sharing Jackson with another woman.” The word left a bitter taste in my mouth. “I was so blind, Tyra. I convinced myself he was my future, my happily ever after. When I met with her, she kept saying things that seemed unreal to me, so I concluded that she must be one of the ladies that has a crush on Jackson”,
• Tears streamed down my face again. My whole world had crumbled this morning.
• “Are you serious?!” Lisa’s voice was laced with fury.
• “So if you didn’t believe all the signs and evidences that was presented to you. What now suddenly made you believe that he had another side chick by his corner?”
• Hearing the word side chick, I couldn’t help the mirth laughter that escaped my lips.
• “Theirs no side Chick, Tyra. But there is a mistress. I, princess Kelilah was the mistress flirting with a married man”, I said in a whisper and let the oceans build up in my eyes all over again.
• Her eyes went wide.
• “Jackson is married!!?”, She asked and I nodded weakly, already tired of crying.
• She pulled me into another hug, her voice choked as she whispered,
• “I’m so sorry, Kelilah. You are not to blame. He deceived you. He’s the one at fault.”
• I finally let the tears come, no longer fighting them. In Tyra’s arms, I allowed myself to grieve not just for the loss of him, but for the years of trust I had invested, for the dreams I’d built, and the woman I had been before I met him.