In Love With My Bully-Chapter 81: The Reckoning

"I understand." He said after a few moments of every kind of emotion flashing across his face. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Not necessarily immediately but we can talk about it after we lay mum to rest."

"Whatever news you need to give me, I want it now. There may not be another time." My father pushed.

"I need to go away for a little while. I wanted to know if you would consider handling the CEO position until I get back."

"How long?"

"A couple of years, maybe, or months. I don’t know. I just need to put some distance between myself and Nita," I explained.

"So, you won’t even consider honoring your mother’s last wishes? You still want to maintain your divorce."

"Dad, look around. Look at what is happening. Every time Nita has been threatened, every time her life has been in danger, it’s been because of me. If I don’t leave... I can’t lose her dad. I refuse to."

My father looked at me with understanding. He placed a hand on my shoulder before heading out of the room.

*****

The mansion was fuller than it had been in years. Friends came to offer their condolences; family members arrived to stay. Some faces were familiar, others were distant relatives I barely knew, all gathered under the weight of loss.

The house buzzed with hushed conversations and the quiet strength that grief brings when it is shared. Every now and then, laughter would break through when someone mentioned something funny my mother would do. One thing was obvious, though: my mother was loved.

Nita, my daughter, and her family were there too. Having them close gave me comfort, stopping me from drowning. But one absence was intentional. I had made the decision not to bring Chayara to honor my mother in the way I knew best. The conflict over her custody battle loomed over me. I felt guilt in abandoning her now but I had to protect my family. Tomorrow, I would let go of my hold on her. I would ask that I be granted visiting rights, but there was nothing more I could do.

That evening, we all gathered in the vast yard close to the garden.

Then, as if drawn by something greater than herself, Nita tilted her head up to the sky and started humming the soft melody of "Amazing Grace.".

One of my distant cousins joined in, singing the lyrics, his voice blending with hers and growing stronger. One by one, others followed, voices rising in unison. The harmony was unpracticed but powerful.

My mother had bound us together, though in grief but also in love. Even in death, she had managed to unite us, to remind us of who we were, of the love she had instilled in us.

I closed my eyes, imagining her there among us with her vibrant smile. And then, just as clearly, I pictured her smacking me upside the head for being a stubborn idiot.

Three days, and I missed her like hell.

Nita’s hand slipped into mine, her fingers cool against my skin. We sang and looked up at the night sky.

On Sunday, we would put my mother to rest. And we would do it in the most magnificent way possible.

As midnight approached, people began dispersing to their rooms. I walked Nita to her door, which was beside the nursery.

She turned to me. "Good night, Richard."

I nodded. "Yeah... good night."

She lingered for a second, then stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind her.

I didn’t move.

Instead, I stood there, waiting. Because I knew.

The past three days had been a blur of stolen moments and bodies colliding. In her room. In my room. In the nursery, though, thankfully, Queen had been with her grandparents at the time.

There were no promises, no expectations. It was a raw and urgent need to dull the pain we felt just for a while.

I started counting under my breath.

One. Two. Three. Four... five...

Maybe I was wrong.

Six...

Then the door clicked open.

Nita stood there in the doorway; she didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to.

She grabbed my shirt and pulled me inside, closing the door behind us.

Wherever you are, Mama, thank you.

Clothes melted away; we didn’t need slow tonight; we needed fire. We needed escape. We needed to drown in each other.

I barely had time to register the mattress beneath me before she was straddling my lap, her warmth around me. My hands found her hips, holding on tight.

We were taking advantage of the situation, using our grief as an excuse to fall into something reckless. When we were together, we hurt less.

Her body rocked against mine; sweat slicked our skin.

She was beautiful. I shouldn’t have her like this. I shouldn’t want her like this.

But I did, and it would be fucking damned hard to stop.

*****

We made our way up the courthouse steps to face the day. I knew I would be giving up Chayara today, but I hadn’t told anyone except my dad. Lilian approached us, blocking our path. The woman whose manipulations and actions had caused my mom’s heart attack. The woman who had been attacking from the shadows for years is now here to show off her fangs. She feigned a somber expression, but we all knew better.

"Richard," she began, "I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for your loss."

"Save it," he snapped, not even bothering to glance her way as he brushed past her and strode inside the building.

Nita stepped up to her. "Are you happy now?"

Lilian, of course, took the opportunity to twist the knife deeper.

"Hardly, darling. I haven’t been happy for almost thirty years." Her lips curled into a bitter smile. "But her death? Now that is good news for me. If I had known all it would take was finding her son being dragged away by the police, I would have made a move earlier."

The moment the words left her mouth, I saw Nita’s hand twitch.

She was going to hit her.

And honestly? I wouldn’t have stopped her.

But before her hand could make contact, another one shot out, catching her wrist midair.

"I taught you better than that, sweetie," Nita’s mother said with too much calm and composure, "You cannot hit a woman old enough to be your mother."

Nita turned, frustration flashing across her face. "But, Ma..."

She didn’t get to finish.

The crack of a slap echoed through the air before anyone could react.

Lilian stumbled back, clutching her face, eyes wide in shock.

And there stood Nita’s mother, her palm still raised, fire blazing in her eyes.

"Next time you want to talk shit about my friend, look around you and make sure I am not close by! You worthless whore."

Ooooooh snap! But really, I shouldn’t be surprised. How stupid can you be to tease a couple of grieving people?

"Shall we head inside?" Nita’s mother said casually as if she hadn’t just bitch-slapped someone.

Since I was going to give up custody of Chayara anyway, a little drama before court felt nice.

***** freeweɓnovel.cøm

In the courtroom, we were all seated. Everyone sat on the sides they had chosen.

Miss Kingston stood up as the judge called for closing arguments.

"Your Honor," she began, "we would like to inform the court that following my client’s recent loss of his mother, he has made the difficult decision to relinquish custody of his daughter, Chayara Numero. However, he respectfully requests to be granted visitation rights."

From the far right side of the room, I caught the slow curl of her lips into a wicked smile.

The judge let out a small sigh, "Well, you could have given me a heads-up earlier. I spent a week studying your case."

"Apologies, your honor. Before we conclude, I would like to make an important announcement to the court."

Lilian sat up a little straighter.

"The child’s grandfather, Mr. Richard Numero Sr., is officially suing for full custody of Chayara Numero."

Gasps came from everyone!

Lilian’s smile froze before it vanished entirely. Her face drained of color.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" The judge groaned, rubbing her temples. "So we’re going to start this all over again?"

"Yes, Your Honour," Miss Kingston replied smoothly. "But this time, with new evidence and witnesses who can testify that Miss Lilian Moore is not only an unfit parent but will be an even worse grandmother."

Lilian shot up from her chair, her breath coming fast and shallow. "Richard!" she shrieked, "You cannot do this to me again!"

Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward my father, but he didn’t react at all. He sat steel faced not acknowledging her tantrum.

Lilian wasn’t up against me anymore. She was up against the original Richard Numero. And she knew she was going to lose.