The devastation he saw in her eyes made him feel like shit. Seconds felt like an eternity as he memorized her in this moment. Such a beautiful fucking girl. The outside was obvious. The inside of her, the most magnificent part, was so opulent it beamed through, reaching the darkest places. Touching the pits, the shadows, the heartless … men like Messiah. Men like him. They gravitated to Morgan because after being in the dark for their whole lives, the light felt miraculous. He fucking loved this girl. He would have taken good care of her. Ahmeek would have given it his all to try to be what she needed. Her only crime was allowing others to lead her instead of following her heart. He sniffed and flicked his nose as Morgan turned, walking right past Livi, who stood smirking at the door. Morgan may not have been able to end it, but Ahmeek certainly was capable, and he had. It destroyed them both.

“You always wanted to wrap a ball and chain around a nigga leg?” Isa asked. Aria paused mid-stroke, turning to him with the paintbrush in her hand.

“Is that what I’m doing?” Aria asked, chuckling.

“I mean, yeah. Dealing with one woman for the rest of my life sound a little bit like prison. Same four walls for the rest of my life. That’s a life sentence for my dick,” Isa stated.

Aria laughed from her soul. “You make it sound horrible!” she exclaimed. “Why would you ask me to marry you if this is how you feel about it?”

Isa kicked one foot up on the coffee table in front of him as one hand went behind his head and the other hand brought a lit blunt to his lips. He took his time answering her. Brows bent. Deep in thought.

“That was the price of admission, and I wanted in,” Isa answered.

Aria bent down and dipped her paintbrush into the red paint. She turned to the wall. She didn’t know how she felt about him marrying her for such shallow reasons. “So love had nothing to do with it. Wow. Doesn’t seem like a good reason to choose someone forever.”