stared at the screen like it burned me. The texts were clear. Too clear.
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Jahlil… my Jahlil… wasn’t the man I thought he was.
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He wasn’t just my husband.
He was someone else’s secret.
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All those nights I stayed up waiting on him—wondering if something was off, or if I was just crazy. All the times I begged myself to trust the man I loved more than life itself… and he was out here living a lie.
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I slammed the phone on the couch, the tears coming hard and fast now.
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Tasha looked at me, eyes wide but steady. She knew. She always knew something was wrong, but she never said a damn word because she knew I wasn’t ready.
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“Sarai…” she said soft, stepping closer. “Baby, I’m so sorry.”
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I shook my head. “How do you even move on from this? From him? From the man I married? The man I lost?”
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She grabbed my hands, squeezed tight like she was holding me together. “You don’t have to move on alone. You got me. And we gon’ get through this, one day at a time.”
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I swallowed hard, my voice breaking. “I keep thinking about the baby. What kind of world am I bringing him into? How do I tell him his father… wasn’t who we thought he was?”
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Tasha didn’t hesitate. “You tell him the truth when the time’s right. But for now? You need to breathe. Heal. Find your peace before you teach that baby anything.”
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I looked at her, my best friend, the one who’s been there through every laugh, every heartbreak.
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“I don’t even know if I can do that,” I whispered.
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She smiled—small but fierce. “You can. And you will. But you ain’t gotta do it here, in this apartment, drowning in memories and pain.”
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I blinked, confused.
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“What you mean?”
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She grabbed her phone, scrolling. “I booked us a little getaway. Just me and you. A baby moon. Somewhere warm, quiet, where you can breathe and not feel like the past is choking you.”
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I laughed—a bitter, shaky laugh.
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“You serious? Right now? With everything?”
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She nodded. “Especially now. You need to step out that door, even if it’s just for a few days. Get some sun, some salt air. Remember who Sarai is—without Jahlil, without pain.”
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I looked down at my belly, tracing the curve like it was a lifeline.
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“Maybe… maybe I need that. Maybe I do.”
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Tasha pulled me into a hug, holding me tight like she was the only thing keeping me from falling apart.
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“We gon’ do this together. One step at a time. You’re not alone.”
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For the first time in months, I let myself believe it.
