Chapter 29: Multiple Cracks

Alijah sat on the couch with Gale as the older woman told her about another charity event she had planned for Valentine's Day the following month and asked if Alijah would participate. They were going to be auctioning dates with a few of the women from her circle, and she wanted Alijah to be one of them. However, Alijah wasn't so sure.

"Come on. It'll be fun. Besides, you know Kieran isn't going to let anyone outbid him,” she finished with a small laugh.

Alijah smiled at her. "You have a point there. I suppose it would be alright. I want to run it by Kieran first, though."

Gale nodded, understanding. "Absolutely."

They continued talking about where the event would be held and the number of women Gale was hoping to get to participate. She already had six. Seven if Alijah was able to help her out. She told Alijah she was even planning on asking Layla and Gemma. The money she raised at this event was going to Domestic Violence Prevention.

"Oh, that reminds me. I saw you on the cover of a magazine." Gale stated.

It took Alijah a moment to realize that she must have seen the spread that she'd done with Erin. "Yeah, the tattoo artist on the cover is my best friend. She's done all of my tattoos and asked me to model for her."

"You both looked gorgeous. The cover photo was magnificent. I bought the magazine and flipped through all of the pictures in the spread. The photographer who took them is very talented. I have a job position for one at my magazine. You wouldn't happen to know the photographer or have their contact information, would you?" Gale questioned.

Alijah thought for a moment. This could be an excellent opportunity for Chayse. However, she didn't want to tell Gale that Chayse was her cousin. If Chayse was to get the job, she wanted her to do it on her own merit; because she was talented and not because they were related, and Alijah and Gale had become friends. So, instead of giving Gale Chayse's number, she opted for something else.

"Her name is Chayse Moret. She has a website. I'll write it down for you."

"Just text it to me. I may lose it if you write it down."

"Of course."

Alijah rose from her seat and headed into the kitchen. She and Gale had gone out to lunch and did a bit of shopping before heading back to the condo. It was a little after four, and Alijah decided to pour them a glass of wine. Once she had done so, she headed back into the living room and handed one to Gale. Only to have the older woman sit it on a coaster on the table.

"I'm sorry. I should have asked if you like red wine." Alijah stated, resuming her seat.

"Oh no. I love it. I just won't be drinking it for a while." Gale pulled something from her purse and handed it to Alijah.

Taking it, Alijah looked down and saw that it was a sonogram. She placed her wine glass on the table before moving over to hug Gale with a smile on her face as she congratulated her. She was happy for her. She knew from Layla, who sometimes had trouble holding water, that Gale and Corey had been trying to have a baby for years with no luck and that Gale was very close to giving up. She had told Layla that she would give up and possibly adopt if she weren't pregnant by her fortieth birthday. Considering that she would be turning forty over the summer, Alijah was glad that she'd been blessed.

"Does Corey know?" Alijah questioned, pulling away and handing the sonogram back.

Gale shook her head. "No. His birthday is next week, and I plan on surprising him and telling him then."

"I'm sure he's going to be excited."

For the next hour, Gale talked to Alijah about how excited she was. Alijah was the third person she told. Her parents were the first two. It didn't take much to see how excited Gale was. She had even asked Alijah to do a painting of her and Corey when she started showing. Agreeing to it, Alijah told her that whenever she was ready, she would be available for her.

After talking for a bit longer, Alijah walked Gale to the door before going into her bedroom. She was in the mood to paint. She set up her new easel and took out all her materials before opening the window. The cold January air filtered in, but she didn't mind. The weather was calling for snow in the next few days, and she was more than excited for it to start. She had plans on painting after it had blanketed the city as well.

For the next two hours, Alijah painted before looking over at the clock on the bedside table. She saw it was a little after seven and jumped up. Going into the bathroom, she started the shower. She went back into the bedroom and to her closet as it ran. She had made dinner plans with Lawrence, and since Kieran was working, she wasn't going to cook even though it was a Saturday.

Once she had decided on a pair of cream-colored skinny jeans, a mint light sweater, and her black boots, she took out her underwear and laid it on the bed before going back into the bathroom. Stripping out of her clothes, she stepped into the shower to clean herself and rid her hands of paint.

When she finished her shower, Alijah got dressed before taming her wild curls. She grabbed her coat and headed out of her bedroom. She got on her Uber app and arranged one before ensuring she had everything and going down to the lobby to wait.

It wasn't long before the car pulled up, and she told them where she wanted to go. She paid the young woman, tipped her, and headed inside the restaurant when they arrived. She immediately saw Lawrence sitting by the window and made her way over to him.

"Hey,” she greeted, taking the seat across from him.

"Hey, Lioness." Lawrence returned, and Alijah rolled her eyes at him. "I already ordered drinks." He then informed her.

"Thanks. So..." Alijah trailed off.

"So what?"

"Don't play with me. Did you get the promotion?" Alijah questioned.

Lawrence had informed her that he was up for a promotion at the end of December. It was between him and a woman that worked in his department. Alijah had told him she was sure he would get it, but he hadn't been so sure. So, being the good friend that she was, she had given him a pep talk.

"You are looking at the new Assistant Director of Sales for Global Technologies!" He responded with a smile.

"Congratulations!" Alijah stated, genuinely excited for her friend. "I told you, you would get the job."

The waitress came at that moment and delivered their drinks. The two then placed their orders, having visited the restaurant so much that they didn't need to look at the menu.

Once their orders were placed, Alijah inquired about his new job. Lawrence gave her the rundown and told her that he made a nice commission for each patent or product he was personally involved in selling. As she listened to him list a few of the upcoming things they were going to be pushing soon, she made a mental note of a few that she thought Kieran might be interested in.

When the waitress brought out their food, they ordered another round of drinks and continued to talk as they ate. She told him about the event Gale was planning, and he asked her where it was and what time because he wanted to come and bid on a date as well. However, when Alijah told him that no men were being auctioned off, he scrunched his face and retracted his interest.

When they finished their food, they had one more round of drinks as Alijah asked him if he was seeing anybody. The look he gave her said it all.

"We can't all be dicked down by a Greek god every night. Who happens to be rich."

"Aww." Alijah started sympathetically. "Your boyfriend's not rich?" She joked playfully.

"Shut up, Lioness."

After they finished their drinks, they played rock paper scissors to see who would pay. It was something they came up with back in college when they would argue about who was picking up the tab. Lawrence lost, and Alijah watched him put down enough cash to pay the waitress and leave a tip. They then put on their coats and headed for the door.

"Did you drive here?" Lawrence questioned.

Alijah shook her head. "No, I took an Uber."

He nodded. "Come on. I'll drop you off."

When they were in the car headed to the condo, "Children's Story" by Slick Rick came on, and Alijah began rapping along with it.

"Once upon a time, not long ago, when people wore pajamas and lived life slow."

Lawrence joined in. "When laws were stern, and justice stood, and people were behaving like they ought to should."

"There lived a little boy who was misled by another little boy, and this is what he said,"

They continued singing along with the song and then the next three that came on the radio before they pulled up to the condo. Alijah turned to Lawrence and thanked him for the ride.

"You want me to walk you up?" He questioned.

"No, I'll be fine. Text me when you make it home,” she told him. "Goodnight."

"Night, Lioness."

Alijah rolled her eyes as she got out of the car closing the door. She walked into the building and waved to the man sitting at the front desk. It was almost eleven, but she knew he would be there until midnight.

She slipped her key card into the slot to access the top floor, getting onto the elevator. She took the ride up, and for some reason, it seemed longer than usual, but she chalked it up to the fact that she'd had a few drinks and was tired.

Once off the elevator, she put her key into the lock and opened the door, walking inside. She turned, closing the door behind her, and when she turned back around, she was met with Kieran's cold hazel eyes. Something was wrong.

"Baby, what's-"

"Don't fucking 'baby' me, Alijah." He snapped at her, and she clenched her jaw, trying her best not to lose it. Both of them pissed wouldn't solve whatever the hell was wrong. She was about to ask him what that was when he threw something at her feet. "What the fuck is that?" He questioned.

Reaching down, she picked it up and saw that it was Gale's sonogram. She must have forgotten it after she had shown it to Alijah. However, she didn't know why Kieran was so mad. Unless...unless he thought it was hers.

Kieran stood in front of the heavy mahogany door staring at it. It was the same thing he had been doing for the past five minutes. He had thought about turning around and leaving several times, but he'd already come this far, and he had never been a quitter in his life. So, he wasn't about to start now. But you could, his subconscious told him. Kieran shook his head before raising his hand and ringing the doorbell before he talked himself out of it.

A moment later, he heard footsteps on the other side. The door opened, and a woman who seemed to be a few years older than him stood before him. She looked at him for a moment when what he thought was recognition flashed in her eyes before moving aside and letting him in.

He mildly wondered if this was something she did often. He could be a murderer there to kill everyone for all she knew. Regardless of whether or not she seemed to recognize him, he was sure he had never seen this woman a day in his life. He was about to tell her why he was there when a voice floated over to him.

"Kieran?" They questioned, puzzled.

Looking over to where the voice originated from, he saw him standing at the opening of the hallway. "Bronson,” he returned.

The two men stared at each other for a moment, and Kieran was only slightly aware that the woman was leaving the room. Yet, still, when they were utterly alone, neither one of them spoke.

Several minutes had ticked by, and Kieran started to regret coming if all they were going to do was stare at each other. He had come with a purpose. He needed answers, and he knew that Bronson was the only person that could give them to him.

"Come on. We can go to my office and talk." Bronson stated as if reading his mind.

Nodding curtly, Kieran followed him down the hallway and into his office. He took a seat in front of the desk as Bronson closed the door behind them before sitting on the opposite side. Again, they lapsed into silence as they stared at one another.

"Forgive me. It's just that I never thought you would come here." Bronson told him.

"Well, I wouldn't have, but Charles decided there were some things I needed to know, and now I need some answers." Kieran bit out, still pissed by the video he had received almost a month ago now on Christmas Day.

Bronson sighed. "I apologize that you had to find any of that out. Especially the way you did. Charles had no right." Bronson told him. Kieran was silent. "I didn't want you to know. I didn't want to taint your image of your father as deeply as I thought that video would. I just wanted you to know he wasn't the saint you made him out to be. I wanted to get past that to have a relationship with my only grandchild, the only connection I had left to my little girl."

Still, Kieran remained silent. He wasn't sure if he should believe him or not, but when he had calmed down enough about a week later, he'd asked Alijah about her conversation with Charles, and she had told him that he said Bronson didn't want Kieran to know, that he wasn't going to tell him. However, he was going to give him the benefit of the doubt at the moment.

"I have some questions. I want honest answers,” he told the older man.

"I'll answer whatever I can."

"Did my dad kidnap my mom?"

"If you're asking if he was the one who grabbed her, I don't know, but yes. He was a part of the group that kidnapped her.

"Why?"

"For money. At the end of the day, that's what it boiled down to."

"If he kidnapped her, then why...how did they fall in love?"

Bronson sighed. "I don't know. All I know is that Kira told me that he was kind to her. She saw something in his eyes that told her he was much more than what he was doing. She felt like there was another person in him."

Kieran took those words in and let them marinate. He could understand what his mother was talking about. It was, essentially, the same thing with him and Alijah. He was an asshole to the entire world, but she saw a different side of him. She got to see him with his guard down, when he was vulnerable. He was sure she had seen it even before he let her in.

"If you knew she loved him and you saw him doing better for her, for them, then..."

"It's hard to accept someone that had a hand in almost harming the most precious thing in the world to you. Yes, I suppose I could have tolerated Maverick, but every time I looked at him, all I saw was one of the men that held my daughter hostage. That's a hard slight to get over."

Though Kieran could understand that, his loyalty to his father ran deep. While he knew it was him in the video, he had watched it several times to make sure he was having a hard time accepting it. Just like Bronson couldn't get past what his father had done to his mother, Kieran couldn't get past the fact that he had worked hard to give Kieran the best life he could.

What he needed were more answers. Then he remembered that he often saw his mother write in journals as he was growing up. He had packed their things into storage after they had passed and made a mental note to go and dig out her old journals. He hoped that maybe she would have written anything in there to shed some more light on the situation.

"I know this isn't going to be easy, and many years have passed, but I hope this can be a tipping point for us in the right direction," Bronson spoke, pulling Kieran from his thoughts.

He looked at the old man who had contributed his sperm for his mother's creation — in turn, making it possible for Kieran to be born. Because had it not been for the man sitting in front of him, he may not have had the life he was currently living. He may not have had the woman who captured his heart and held it tightly. However, he was forever the hardass.

"Perhaps,” he stated, rising from his seat and leaving out of the office. He needed to process.

Showing himself out, Kieran got in his car and headed back to the condo. It was a little after eight. He had gotten up and went into the office to do some work. Usually, he would have done it from home, but there were a few documents that had been left at the office.

He knew Alijah wouldn't be there when he arrived. She had sent him a text telling him that she would be going out to dinner with her friend Lawrence. He made a mental note to have her introduce him to the man soon. He wanted to know who he was if he would be spending so much time with his woman, regardless of the fact that they had known each other a lot longer than Kieran had been in her life.

Pulling into a Chinese restaurant, Kieran ordered some food. Once he paid for it, he continued on his way. He figured it would be best to pick something up because he was sure there were no leftovers from the baked chicken Alijah had cooked the night before.

Whipping his car into his parking space in the garage, he grabbed his food, got out of the car, and stepped onto the elevator. He accessed his floor and rode it up. When he made it inside, he headed into the kitchen to get a plate. He fixed his food, grabbing a beer before heading down the hall to his office. He had a conference call with some potential clients in Australia at nine his time. Considering they were seventeen hours ahead of him, it was three p.m. Sunday afternoon there.

He waited for the phone to ring. He answered it on speaker and muted himself as he ate and listened to their proposal. It wasn't bad, but he wanted to see the product in person. He told them as much and stated that he would have his assistant call them when they found time in their schedule.

After hanging up, he made a mental note to have Alijah do that, wondering if she had ever been to Australia. If she hadn't, he would carve out an extra two days so she could see some sights since they were going to Sydney.

Taking his plate back into the kitchen along with the empty beer bottle, he placed it in the dishwasher before rinsing the bottle and putting it into the designated recycle bin that Alijah had gotten.

Going over to the couch, Kieran sat down after grabbing the remote from the table. He was about to turn it on when something on the couch caught his attention. It didn't take him but a moment to realize what it was, and he was pissed. What the fuck!

Kieran had been pacing for the last half hour, seething in his anger. He had tried to calm down, but he couldn't. He had never in his life felt so betrayed...so hurt. It was because of that, his anger seemed to be boiling. However, he was proud of himself because he hadn't destroyed anything around him, but he knew that was subject to change. He heard the sound of the elevator accessing his floor. Clenching his fist, he tried to get it together but knew it was a lost cause.

He saw Alijah closing the door with her back to him. She stopped dead in her tracks when she turned around, and Kieran knew his eyes were screaming murder. He needed them to because there was no way he would allow them to portray the hurt he felt.

"Baby, what's-"

But he cut her off. "Don't fucking 'baby' me, Alijah. What the fuck is that?" He questioned after tossing the picture at her feet.

He watched as she reached down and picked it up, examining it before looking back at him. He had expected to see shock in her eyes because he had found out or even remorse, but he saw neither of those. Instead, she placed it on the side table by the door.

"It's a sonogram, Kieran,” she informed him calmly.

"I know what the fuck it is, Alijah!" He snapped at her. "Why would you do that to me? You said you were taking your pills. I believed you."

"Kieran, I-"

"Rebecca was right, and I was so stupid." Kieran continued. "I told her you were better than that. I told her you wouldn't trap me like that, wouldn't do that to me."

"Rebecca?!" Alijah questioned, drawing his attention. "What the hell does that crazy bitch have to do with anything?"

"She may be crazy, but at least she didn't get pregnant on purpose to trap me."

"Trap you!" Alijah exclaimed, and Kieran saw the moment those green eyes sparked. They were about to go to war. "I'm not trying to trap you, Kieran. I have no reason to do that. Contrary to what you may believe, you are not the only man in the world, and I can walk into any room and pull one,” she told him. Kieran opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. "Shut up!" She snapped. "How dare you insinuate that I was only with you to trap you. If I wanted to do that, I had plenty of opportunities. That's not even mine. If you would have calmed down enough to look at it, really look at it, you would have seen Gale's name on it,” she finished.

Kieran was still as she stormed off past him, and a minute later, he heard a door slam. He replayed her words in his head before picking up the sonogram and looking at it. Sure enough, it had Gale Wexler's name on it. His heart sank. He was such a fucking idiot. He had been so enraged when he saw it. He hadn't even looked to see whose name was on it. He had just assumed it was Alijah's.

He sat it back on the table and ran his hand down his face. He had tried to let Rebecca's words a few months back leave his mind once he had reassured himself that Alijah wouldn't do that to him. However, it seemed that somewhere, they had lodged themselves there. Just waiting for the moment to spill from his lips as they just had.

Going down the hall into his bedroom, Kieran went straight into his bathroom and started the water in the tub. He added some bubbles before lighting some candles. Kieran placed his phone on the dock by the sink and began to play some soft music. He knew he needed to apologize, and this was the best way for him to start.

Once the tub was filled, he headed out of the bathroom, intending to knock on Alijah's door and coax her out. However, when he got to the opening of his bedroom, he saw her wheeling a suitcase toward the door. His heartbeat escalated as he quickly walked down the hall towards her.

"Baby-"

"Don't 'baby' me, Kieran,” she stated, turning his words against him.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving,” she stated simply.

Kieran felt as if there was a weight pressing down on his chest. For a second, he forgot how to breathe. He reached out and grabbed her arm, only for her to snatch it away.

"I'm sorr-"

"No!" Alijah snapped, cutting him off. "You don't get to be sorry. This isn't something that can be fixed with an apology. You accused me of trying to trap you, called my character and my integrity into question, Kieran. It's like you don't know me at all. We've spent all this time together and shared so many things, yet you honestly thought I would do that to you. What makes it worse is that you let that bitch convince you that it was something I would do. You shouldn't have even entertained a conversation about us with her."

"Baby, I didn't-"

"You did, and you allowed her into our relationship when you let her taint your image of me because that's exactly what you did. You allowed her to win. She achieved one of her goals, and that was tearing us apart. I could have almost forgiven you for your assumptions because I understand you may have had to deal with that before, but I'm not going to do this with you. Any misgivings you should have brought to me. You should have talked to me when she planted those seeds of doubt in your mind. The same way I did when she showed up at your office. The same way I did when I told you I had a conversation with Charles. This shows that I was far too trusting and more invested in what we had than you."

Kieran couldn't speak. There were so many things he could have told her. So many things he could have said. One, in particular, he could have confessed, but his throat was thick, and his chest felt as if it was cracking. A feeling he hadn't felt since the day he was informed of his parent's accident. He was unable to move, and all he could do was watch her walk out of the door.

"I'll email you my resignation,” she informed him before closing the door.

Kieran stood there looking at the door she had just left out, then it hit him. That final blow felt almost physical, and it sent him stumbling backward. She had gutted him and left him to bleed out on a battlefield he had created with his assumptions. He placed his hand over his heart, but he was sure he wouldn't feel it beating. His chest was void because the woman he loved had ripped it from him and walked out of the door with it.

It was after midnight as Alijah banged on the apartment door. It swung open, and Lawrence stood there in a pair of sweatpants.

"Lioness, what's wrong?" He questioned. Then he noticed the suitcase she rolled behind her and allowed her in. "What happened?" He asked, closing the door behind her.

"I really don't want to talk about it tonight,” she told him as she turned to look at him. She could see that he wanted to protest but instead nodded.

Turning, she headed down the hall to the room she occupied when she had first moved in with him. She rolled her suitcase over to the closet placing it inside. She had only grabbed a few things for the week but decided she would go back one day while he was at work and get the rest of her things.

She saw Lawrence standing at the door when she sat down on her bed. He didn't say anything, just stared at her for several seconds before wishing her goodnight and closing her door.

Standing up, Alijah undressed and changed into a tank top and some sleeping shorts. She was hurt, and all she wanted to do was feel numb. She couldn't believe that he would accuse her of something like that. She'd never given him any reason to doubt her honesty, yet he'd let that bitch get inside his head. Worst still, he hadn't even talked to her about it.

Instead, he'd kept it from her. Let it simmer in the back of his mind, and at the first opportunity, he had accused her. It was like he didn't know her at all. She had no reason to want to trap him. Hell, she already had him, and he wasn't the only man in the world. If she was the type of woman to merely want a man with money, she could date several men from his company who gave her the eye before finding out that she and Kieran were dating. Hell, and those that still did after they knew.

She had wanted to break something and throw things at him, but that had never been her style. She had never let a man push her to the point of doing something like that. Hell, she had even wanted to hit him, but she had remembered what happened when she slapped him after whooping Becky's ass and opted against it.

Slipping into bed, Alijah slid under the covers and curled into a ball, wrapping her arms around herself. Her heart was heavy, and she could have sworn she heard it cracking. Closing her eyes, she took deep, steadying breaths. She wasn't going to let this affect her. She wasn't going to cry over him. Then why is there liquid streaming down my face? She questioned herself as her heart snapped in two.