My Time in the Sun by Naleighna Kai

Author:Naleighna Kai [Kai, Naleighna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781732622586
Publisher: Macro Publishing Group

Chapter Fifteen

Aridell gripped the edge of her balcony, trying to keep her anger at bay. The panoramic view of Lake Michigan and downtown Chicago swam in and out of focus. She had listened to Tee’s story as she told in brutal detail, the things Aridelle always suspected had transpired, but wasn’t allowed to protect that little girl to keep them from happening.

“It hurt. It always hurt,” Tee had whispered.

Once the meeting at Pastor Baltimore’s house was done, Tee surprised her mother and Aunt Leesa by making a beeline to Aridell and asking if she could speak with her—alone. Aridell witnessed the anxious expressions on the faces of the two women who had given her grief for as long as she could remember and knew that having a neutral place to hold a private conversation was key.

“He said that’s the way sex was supposed to feel. I told Mama and she said that I just had to keep him happy. She said that since he was paying the bills, he could do whatever he wanted.”

Right now, she wanted to take a strap to Cathy’s hide and keep it there until the woman met her maker. How could a woman put her own needs before the welfare of her child? What kind of monster had Cathy become? And had she done the same with her other daughters? Aridell hadn’t been around to know for certain. The minute she’d called the police to inform them of that unholy relationship between Tee and that grown man, no one in the family would have anything to do with Aridell for fear she’d uncover their dirt, bring it to the light of day and put their lives on display as well. Then when she showed up at the hospital that day, hoping to bridge the gap between her and Tee, and she saw an opportunity for the nurse to do what her job entailed, she did what needed to be done. Consequences be damned.

Aridell left the balcony, steeled the emotions warring within and absorbed all of the sordid things Tee had told her. knowing she couldn’t do anything about it now. The regret for slinking away under the weight of the family’s swift retribution for what she’d done, hit Aridell full force. She should have kept some pressure on the police and CPS to at least make sure Tee was safe. Instead, after they’d managed to slide through those first accusations with no consequences, and the family alienated her, all while Tee kept gravitating to that man and his money, Aridell stayed away. Guilt filled her like no time she could remember. But she would do what she could now to give the young woman and her children a better life.

“I’ll keep the babies,” she said, giving Tee’s hand a gentle pat. “I want you to connect with your cousins. You need time to hear what they’ve been up to. Let them tell you the things they’ve made it through. You’re going to need to play catch up, love, but I know you can do it.

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