It was Alvin.
“Naomi,” he said, his voice shaky, “we need to talk.”
“Talk about what?” My voice was flat, refusing to give him any power.
“About Tiana,” he said, and I felt my stomach drop. “There’s something you don’t know.”
His words hung in the air, heavy with an unspoken weight. “What do you mean?”
“I—I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Please. Just meet me. I’ll tell you everything.”
As I hung up the phone, my mind raced—a million thoughts colliding together. I wasn’t ready to face him again, but something inside me urged me to go. Maybe this was the end of the line. Maybe I could finally get the truth.
The Reckoning
The next day, I met Alvin at a small diner on the outskirts of town. The same place we used to go for pancakes on lazy Sundays, back when everything felt right. As I walked in, the familiar scent of greasy food stirred memories I would rather forget.
Alvin was already seated in a booth, looking older, more worn. His hands trembled slightly as I approached. The anger within me surged, but I forced myself to sit down, my gaze fixed on his face.
“Naomi, I’m sorry,” he started, his voice breaking. “I didn’t know what to do. Tiana threatened me…”
“Threatened you?” I scoffed, the bitterness spilling out before I could stop it. “You chose her over me. You didn’t think about me when you were building a life with her.”
He shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting around as if searching for an escape. “I thought—she made me feel alive again, after everything that happened. I thought I could save both of us.”
“Save you? Or save yourself from the mess you created?” The fire in my chest blazed hotter. I leaned in closer, my voice low and steady. “What don’t I know, Alvin?”
“Tiana was working with someone,” he finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “She helped set you up. They promised me—”
