LOGINMADEAI didn't make it to the door. I felt her hand catch the fabric of my sleeve, a sharp tug that spun me around to face the storm. Cassendra’s face was contorted, her eyes wide with a manic kind of triumph. She wasn't just angry; she was enjoying the hunt."Don't you dare walk away from me when I’m speaking to you!" she hissed, her breath warm and smelling of bitter tea. "You think silence makes you superior? It just makes you a coward. You’re a ghost in this house, Madea. A ghost haunting a man who stopped loving you a long time ago."I felt the last thread of my restraint snap. It wasn't a loud break—it was silent and cold. "Is that what this is about?" I whispered, my voice finally finding a lethal edge. I stepped closer, forcing her to either recoil or stand her ground. "You’ve spent years whispering in his ear, trying to carve me out of his life like I’m a cancer. Tell me, Cassendra, does it keep you up at night? Knowing that even if he leaves me tomorrow, he’ll still never
MADEA "I know, Madea. I know you deserve better." I raised my head, the movement feeling heavy, as if my neck could barely support the weight of my own grief. I stared at him, my vision blurring for a split second before I hardened my gaze. "What do you know about what I deserve?" I asked. My voice didn't shake, but it felt hollow, like an echo in an empty room. I let out a sharp, jagged scoff. "Really? You don’t know the first thing about me. So, please... excuse me." "Madea, don’t go," he pleaded. The sound of my name on his lips felt like a bruise. I ignored him, turning on my heel and walking out into the humid air. Every step felt like I was wading through deep water. As the taxi hummed toward home, my mind was a chaotic loop of paranoia. *Who told him?* The humiliation tasted like copper in the back of my throat. Was our misery that loud? Was the rot in my marriage so visible that a man could fly across the ocean from Africa and smell the decay the moment he landed? I
MADEA "What are you saying, Matt?" My voice came out quieter than I intended. I hated that. I cleared my throat and tried again. "What do you know?" He didn't flinch. He just looked at me the way someone looks at you when they've already made up their mind and are simply waiting for you to catch up. The patience of it made my skin crawl. "Have you been following me?" The suspicion was out before I could stop it. "Answer me. Have you been following me?" "I—" He started, then something stopped him. His jaw tightened. He glanced away, then back, and let out a slow breath. "Madea." His voice had dropped into something careful, something almost tender. "I want you. That's enough." The room didn't change. People were still moving around us, glasses still clinking somewhere behind me, conversation still humming low in the air. Everything exactly as it had been thirty seconds ago. Like the ground hadn't just shifted under my feet. I stared at him. "I am married, Matt." "I know." Some
MADEA "Emmh—" I swallowed, taking his hands off me and reaching for my bag. "I think I should go." Matt set down his fork. "You just got here," he said, his voice low, careful. "I was here before you," I stated, already looking around for the waiter. I really should go. I really, really should. "But you haven't finished your meal." He gestured toward my plate, his eyes not leaving my face. "I know that too." I pushed my plate slightly forward like it was the problem. Like the food was what was making it hard to breathe in this restaurant. "I just need to go, Matt." "Madea—" He reached across the table. "Please don't." I pulled my hand back before he could reach it. Then I tried to stand, but my body wasn't cooperating — my legs felt like they belonged to someone else. He was already on his feet, reaching out to steady me, and somehow I fell right into his hands. Warm. He was still so warm. My eyes fixed on his and something in my chest did a terrible, treacherous thing. *What
MONALISA "Jealous?" Jason said, sliding his arm around my waist with the particular smugness of a man who knew exactly what he was doing. Aaron's expression didn't change but his eyes did. Just slightly. "Of what exactly?" "Oh don't," I said quickly, already seeing where Jason was taking it. But Jason was already warming up. "Of this," he gestured loosely between us. "Of love. Of what we have. Of the fact that some people in this room are deeply, spiritually, and romantically fulfilled and others are—" "Jason," I said. He looked at me. Relaxed. Almost entertained. "I'm just painting a picture." I stared at him for a moment. Something moved through me — not the explosive kind of anger that makes you raise your voice and say things you regret. No. This was quieter than that. Colder. The kind that starts in your stomach and rises slowly until it settles right behind your eyes. "Put the brush down." He tilted his head slightly, like he was considering whether I was
MONALISA "Aaron?" I blinked. "What are you doing here?" Aaron stood there with that signature grin of his, hands in his pockets, completely at ease. that was the way he always was, like he had never been caught off guard a day in his life. He was Jason best buddy and never like Madea for him so he supported our relationship from the start. More reason I liked him. " Don't worry I will make sure Jason stays with only you." He has assured me one time we hang out together. Him, Jason and I. And till now he had somehow managed to kept to the promise. I turned to Jason, who had the decency to look at least slightly guilty, his eyes sliding away from mine just a second too late. "You knew he was coming?" "I called him," Jason admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. I stared at him for a moment then looked back at Aaron. Something clicked. "How is that possible?" I said, my eyes fixed on Jason. "I have been with you all along.". Jason held my gaze without blinking. "Yes."
MADEA Was I hallucinating, or had I finally lost my mind? No. This was real. Every word, every movement, every mark on her skin was real, and it left me standing frozen, trapped between my certainty and the evidence that screamed otherwise. “Jason… she hurt me,” Monalisa’s voice quivered, f
MADEA “I will appreciate it if you left my house,” I said, forcing the words through clenched teeth. My voice sounded calm—too calm—but inside, my heart pounded violently against my ribs, each beat a drum of panic and fury. “I know you want to see Jason, but like you said, you left him in your
MADEA I stood in the sitting room, waiting for Jason to grab his keys, my hands loosely clasped in front of me as a quiet tension settled into the space between us. The silence felt unnatural—too heavy, too stretched—as though something unspoken was slowly suffocating the room. My phone buzze
MADEA I stood frozen, unsure how to react. My stomach twisted, my chest tight, and my fingers stiff at my sides. What did you expect, Madea? The thought echoed bitterly in my mind. I let out a hollow laugh—sharp, dry, tasting faintly of regret. It trembled in my throat, betraying the anger an







