Chapter 11

UNEDITED


Baylee spent all night thinking about Niko's statements. He was right, she was comparing everything to Desmond and Vivian's marriage and the ugliness that was within. She really didn't know much else. She had witnessed the turbulence of her parent's marriage, the complete chaos of her brother's marriage, then the dissolve of her sister's marriage. Not to mention a few friends and other family members breakups.

Today was Sunday, and after much circling around her thoughts, she decides that she needed to be in a different atmosphere. A place of love and happiness.

Her drive to Nathan and Sabrina's was long and traffic-filled not that she noticed. Security let her on the property, and her sister-in-law opened the front door.
"Hey...Everything okay?"

Baylee didn't visit so it wasn't a surprise when immediately her sister-in-law thinks something is wrong. "Everything is fine." She responds. "Though I'd come by on this sunny Sunday to spend time with you guys.

"Oh." Sabrina couldn't hide her surprise. "Well, come in. Your niece is sleeping. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

Baylee follows her into the kitchen and opens the fridge freely. "I'll take this." She pulls out a blueberry yogurt cup. Then she grabs a spoon from the drawer and drops her butt on a stool near the kitchen island.

Sabrina joins her. "So what's going on?"

"Nothing, I just came to visit."

"Don't lie." Nathan comes into the room wearing only a white towel around his waist and drying his hair with another.

"Please put a shirt on. I don't want to see this."


He goes nearer Sabrina, circles her waist from behind and drops a light kiss in her neck "In my own house? When it's supposed to be just my wife and daughter home. Why don't you just cut to the chase and tell us why you're here. Is it because of your ex-husband drama?"

The yogurt suddenly turned sour in her mouth. She drops the spoon in the container and pushes it away. "Can I ask you both a question?"

"Sure," Sabrina answers straight away.

Nathan on the other hand groans. This is valuable time with jasmine asleep that he wanted to spend with his wife alone. "Make it quick."

"Is everything you've been through, every hurt and struggle worth being together right now?"

"That's a stupid question." Her brother didn't hesitate to share his opinion.

"Nathan." Sabrina scolds and turns to her sister-in-law. "What is it you're trying to ask Baylee?"

"I don't think I can be independent, strong, and lonely, anymore. I thought that I could, I thought that's what I wanted. Save myself the heartache, but I'm weak. I want to be with Niko. But I'm so afraid of becoming my parents."

"That won't happen," Sabrina reassures.

"Nathan, were you afraid?" She turns to her big brother with pleading eyes.

"No." He answers bluntly. "I didn't think past how much I wanted her."

"But you were worse than me. You swore up and down that you would never get married."

"I didn't care about my past, I didn't think about the future. I had tunnel vision. I knew I wanted her, and she wanted me. Dad didn't want mom, and mom wanted money."

"But... what if it didn't work out?"

"I already told you, Baylee, I didn't care. I just wanted her, I didn't think about any of that. All I knew was how good it was to be with her." He pauses. "Ask yourself, do you know him? Because I know my wife... and one of the many reasons why I fell in love with her is because she is nothing like our bloodline. We will never be like them. It isn't in her, nor I." He clears his throat and gives his wife a kiss on the cheek before excusing himself.

Sabrina continues. "Even if Nathan and I, for some reason divorce, I would never regret any of our time together. I would cherish all the memories."

"Even though there are some not so pretty ones?"

"Yes. Baylee, People die. Should I spend my life alone because I don't want to feel the pain when that happens?

Baylee stares off into nothing. The more she thought about her situation the more she realized that fear was controlling her whole life. She's afraid of getting hit by a car, does that mean she shouldn't cross the street? She was pushing away a good man and letting Melissa have him because she was scared of fighting with him. How much sense does that make? "You and Nathan argue all the time right?"

"I wouldn't say all the time but yes. And you know what Baylee, it makes us stronger somehow. We argue because we want to resolve the issue. Your parent's marriage became the way that it was because they let it happen. They were never in love, and that's the biggest difference between their marriage and most others."

That's when the new door opened in Baylee's head. It was like a place where things she knew but never thought of rested. Her mind expanded, exploded even.

"What you allow to happen is what will happen."

Baylee's suddenly laughs. She had control over her own happiness. She could be happy. "Thank you my brilliant sis-in-law. She gives Sabrina a tight hug. "How you put up with my brother I have no idea." She happily grabs her yogurt for the go and heads to her car.


Later, she called Lola like 20 times. Believe it or not, it was her, not Niko that she wanted to share the news with first. She wasn't going to run anymore.

Lola however, wasn't answering her calls, so she drove to her luxury apartment building. She walks right passed the front desk and rings the doorbell to Lola's door.

The door opens right away. Lola's expression was not what she was expecting. She seemed upset, angry maybe.

Baylee's smiles. "Hey, I've been calling you most of the day."

"Come in." Lola gestures her inside.

As soon as she enters, she notices, that her friend had company. Conner, Nikolai, Lola's parents, and three other brothers were sitting in her joint living and dining room. "Hi." She mumbles. "I guess this is a bad time. I can come back later."

"No...Stay." Lola folds her arms. Stay and explain to me what you were doing at my husband's apartment my bachelorette night."

Someone slap her. This had to be a nightmare. She almost pinched herself but she knew she wasn't dreaming. She didn't know what to say, which way to turn or to look. This was like walking into an intervention. The whole family staring at her quietly thinking what they were thinking. She felt embarrassed and ashamed. She swallows. "Lola...I had a lot to drink that night."

Niko shakes his head in disgust.

"Is that your excuse for going after my husband?"

"I'm so sorry. I really wasn't thinking clearly."

"The only thing you're sorry about is getting caught. Did you really think I wasn't going to find out? My father owns the building and it's full of security and cameras. How could you be so stupid Baylee?"

"I.." What was the right thing to say?"

"This is why you've been distant and always sad isn't it? You want to be with Conner."

"No."

"Yes! Don't lie. I've seen you looking at us sometimes, I never understood the look on your face but I do now.

"Lola." Conner comes to her side and tries to touch her shoulder.
She flinches away. "Don't touch me!"

"He didn't cheat on you," Baylee announces. "Nothing happened."

Niko's fist clenched. His teeth began to grind together in an effort to release bubbling rage.

"How could you Baylee? You were like a sister to me."

"I am a sister to you. Lola, I'm so sorry."

"No you're not, and you never were. You were jealous of what Conner and I had. You wanted to destroy it. Well, you can have him now. I want the two of you to get out of my apartment now."

Conner grabs on to Lola's shoulders. No baby. You can't do this. I love you. I would never cheat on you.

"Then why didn't you tell me that she came on to you?"

"I knew it would hurt you."

Tears fill Baylee's eyes. Her blurry vision drops to the ground. She was so stupid. What was she thinking? What must Niko be thinking? She turns around and scurries out of the apartment. She gets in front of the elevator and starts pressing the button repeatedly with urgency. She had to get the hell out of there.

Within the minute the doors open, like fresh air in a stifling room, and just as she takes a step inside her forearm is manhandled. She gasps as she is hauled back onto the floor and made to meet Nikolai's angry eyes.

"That was the same night wasn't it? The same night you came crawling into my bed." He was so angry he spoke only through his teeth.

She was silent, unable to answer from the severe feeling of shame she felt. Her eyes leaked tears uncontrollably.

"Damn it Baylee answer me." He growls.

She couldn't, she just couldn't.

The forearm he held onto so tightly suddenly released. "You never loved me did you?"

"Niko." She protested.

"Don't. Don't even say my name." He turns his back and walks away.

This had to be one of the worst days of her life. She lost her best friend and the love of her life.
~~~~~~

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