Chapter 8

The silence whipped around them like the wind at a graveyard. Mia tapped her heels into the lawn and waited for Taylor to say something, her patience thread-like and that thread was quickly unravelling.

“If you are just going to stare at me, I suggest you get off my property.” Mia was ready to go inside and forget she ever laid eyes on Taylor. This day had started of perfectly for her. Gabriel left home before she was awake, she was able to spare herself that interaction and she spent the day with people she loved. She really wanted to enjoy her last few hours without any annoyances.

“Your property?” Taylor scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Gabriel bought this house six years ago, before you were even married.” Taylor folded her arms across her chest, her disdain for Mia evident in her auburn eyes.

“My name is on the Deed, Taylor.” Mia didn’t know why she was required to explain anything to this woman. After their friendship was torn apart, any loyalty they had towards each other evaporated. Both of them choosing to live as if the other didn’t exist.

“Impossible.” She spat, eying Mia from head to toe. There was no way Taylor was going to believe her.

“Gabriel did it as a sign of good-faith the first time I found out about your affair. He did it to show me that he wasn’t going to abandon me.” The irony wasn’t lost on Mia. His promise to never abandon her turned her into a captive in a marriage she desperately wanted to be released from.

“You are making this up.” Taylor shook her head in defiance.

“If you don’t believe me ask him. You spend enough time with him.” Mia gritted her teeth and squeezed the vein at her temple; the throbbing causing her vision to blur.

“Oh, and don’t be dumb enough to take his word as gospel, ask for a copy of the Deed.” Mia offered, her eyes rolling after a heavy sigh. Taylor glared at her. She was biding her time to respond without exploding. She needed to calm her temper.

“I am pretty sure you didn’t come here to drill me about my entitlement, which as his wife with or without my name on any legal documents, I hope you know that I am very much entitled to a lot.” Mia responded to fill the silence.
And for revenge. That little voice in her head chuckled slyly had no problem calling her out. It was true, she felt constantly humiliated by Gabriel and Taylor’s relationship. She did her best to ignore how it affected her and yet she found it bold for her husband’s mistress to show up in front of her house and her daughter. She thanked the God’s that Amiyah was too young to understand what was happening and Mia prayed that she could find some way to shed this marriage before her daughter grew up.

“Is that why you refuse to leave him? To ensure you have entitlement?” Taylor’s attempt to be calm was replaced by sharpness in her tongue that made everything in her sight turn red.

“What are you even saying?” Mia gestured her hands to match her question. Her confusion and frustration growing.

“You know, when we were in school everyone labelled you as the nice one. You always got what you wanted. If everyone could see how selfish you are now.” Taylor hissed and Mia could have sworn she’d just seen a tongue forked in two.

“We are remembering different versions of high school.” Mia was maddened by the roundabout conversation. The implication by Taylor provoking her to say the things that played in her mind three years ago. “I am selfish?” Mia threw her head back and laughed. “That’s rich isn’t it, seeing that I let you borrow my husband, the father of my child.” Mia hadn’t once confronted Taylor about the affair. When she saw it with her very own eyes the very first time, she deleted the numbers, pictures and all traces of their friendship. She said nothing and Taylor never reached out.
She knew then that no good would come out of it, also because she had no desire to fight another woman for a man who chooses to be unfaithful. However, no amount of enlightened thoughts she had could erase the anger and betrayal. There was no remorse from the person she considered her rock and best friend and in one fell swoop she’d lost both her husband and her friend.

“You need to leave him alone.” Taylor snapped, screaming like a banshee, her voice growing louder and shrill. The sound of her voice came off unnatural and disorienting to Mia’s unsuspecting ears. She had to blink several times to cease the banging on her eardrums.

“Leave him alone?” “I am not sure-“ Mia was cut off mid-sentence.

“He wants to leave. He wants me, not you. What’s the point in you keeping him tied to you?” She was screaming, Mia looked around and noted a few of her neighbours’ curtains shifting and shuffling.

“Do you even know what you’re talking about, Taylor?” she turned her attention to the clearly demented woman in front of her. In no circumstance did she ever attempt to keep Gabriel tied to her.

“Are you seriously about to play dumb?” Taylor threw her hands up in the air. “I should have known you weren’t going to admit it.” She walked a few steps closer.

“Give him his damned divorce and let us move on with our lives!” She screamed again. She couldn’t understand why Mia was staying is such a relationship when her husband wanted someone else. Mia was paralyzed at the words being hurled at her.
Where on earth did Taylor get her information?

“Don’t you want to be with someone who loves you?” she questioned in succession, not allowing any time for Mia to react or respond.

“I thought I found that person, I was wrong, I don’t have time for love.” Mia responded automatically. Her mind swirling.

“Then let him be free.” Taylor’s voice lowered, her eyes entreating Mia to right the wrongs.
Mia scoffed, threw her hands in the air and shook her head in bewilderment “Are you auditioning for a role on a lifetime movie or something?” She questioned, nothing the resurgence of anger in Taylor’s eyes, “I am not keeping Gabriel trapped in our marriage.” She pronounced each word slowly.

“Stop lying, your innocent act doesn’t work on me. I saw through it at school and I am seeing through it now.” Taylor and Mia were within touching distance now. Taylor had been taking tiny steps forward during the argument.

“Are you really this delusional over this one man?” Mia found this behaviour questionable and in some way she even felt pity for Taylor. How blind did one have to be?

“He never should have been with you.” Taylor hissed.

“I agree. You keep acting as if I want him!” Mia responded, that vein at the side of her head ready to burst. Conversations with her three year old didn’t come with such a huge communication barrier.

“Because you and your little brat keep trying to take away his freedom to be with who he loves.” Taylor felt no guilt at bringing their daughter into the conversation. When Gabriel is finally able to leave Mia, Taylor had no intentions of ever seeing that girl again.

“What did you just say?” Mia’s hands formed fists at her side, her teeth clenching forcibly.

“You keep using that brat of yours to trap him by having everyone feel sorry for you.” Taylor carried on, she didn’t care about offending Mia.
Mia dug her cell phone out of her back pocket and flung it. It hurdled towards Taylor, skimming past her face and crashing on the pavement behind her.

“Are you fucking crazy!” Taylor screamed, the phone was so close to hitting her in the face.

“Mention my daughter one more time and I will kill you.” Mia had turned serious. She wasn’t confrontational and preferred not to get involved in drama but when it came to her daughter, all bets were off.

“You really are crazy.” Taylor eyed every inch of her.

“What’s going on here?” The low baritone of his voice breaking Mia out of her murderous impulses. Gabriel was making his way towards them. Mia looked around and wondered how she hadn’t heard the sound of his car, but it was nowhere in sight.

“Where is your car?” she asked.

“Got some trouble on the way home, got a ride while it’s at the mechanic.” He looked at Taylor. “What are you doing here?”

“She just threw that at my face!” she pointed to the broken cell phone on the pavement.

“What?” Gabriel looked at the destroyed device and back at Mia.

“She’s lucky I didn’t have anything bigger at my disposal.” Mia scoffed.

“Alright,” Taylor inhaled deeply, her chest rising and falling as if she’d just ran a marathon. “I’ll see you get arrested for assaulting me.” She rummaged throw the purse at her side and pulled out her phone.