Morgan recoiled. He didn’t even mean for the insult to land so viciously. He hadn’t even meant to say it. It wasn’t how he felt. Wasn’t how he looked at her, but somewhere in her soul, Morgan connected those words with her self-worth. He saw the injury his words caused, and he immediately wanted to take them back. It wasn’t like him to speak without thinking. Especially with her. His anger had gotten the best of him. Only Morgan could make him lose control this way.

“Wow,” she uttered in disbelief.

A knock at the door made Morgan turn, and her gut hollowed when Livi peeked in.

“Hey, Meek, I got your text. I—”

Morgan turned tear-filled eyes back to him. Livi. He had invited Livi to his loft. Her loft. Their motherfucking loft. He had never brought a girl home before. That’s what Ms. Marilyn had said, yet here Livi stood. Morgan knew it was a double standard, but she couldn’t help feeling betrayed. Her feelings were on the shiny hardwood floors they were so hurt.

“Am I interrupting something?” Livi asked.

“Nah, you not interrupting anything, sis. He’s all yours. Thanks for letting me know how you feel. I’m done.” Morgan’s voice quivered as she looked at Ahmeek.

“I been done.” He hated that his pride offered up the response. There was a hint of regret in his eyes, and he bit his bottom lip before looking away from her. He knew if she walked out that door, it was over, and the throbbing in his chest was begging him to stop her. The pit in his stomach was screaming for her. The girl he loved had hurt him, and he was purposefully trying to hurt her back. His ego was bigger than every emotion in the room. So much so that even the prickling of Morgan’s eyes didn’t force him to back down. He was on some bullshit, and he knew it and he didn’t stop it. He was destroying her simply to break the connection they shared. Her eyes pleaded with him, but Ahmeek couldn’t take more nights of lying in bed without her by his side. He could barely get through his days without killing anyone because she had him trapped in an emotional well so deep that he was drowning. When he was here and she was there, life felt like a prison sentence, and he needed to break free. He knew it hurt her because it made a grown man feel like crying, but if she wasn’t going to stay for good, then he had to end it.