Chapter 51 CHAPTER 51

Chapter 51 CHAPTER 51
State your mission
The house was quieter than Ares expected. He had stood outside for nearly a full minute, staring at the pale curtains drawn tight across the front windows, trying to gauge whether anyone was home. The street hummed with the lazy noise of late afternoon—children playing soccer barefoot on the asphalt, a woman balancing a basket of yams on her head as she passed, the distant blare of a car horn. But behind the walls of Tessa’s and Ayisha’s duplex, everything seemed still.
Still, but not lifeless.
Ares tightened his jaw, then knocked—firm, deliberate, three times. His heart thudded in his chest. He hated that it was nervousness that fueled the rhythm, hated that after everything, the thought of seeing Tessa again could stir him this much.
Footsteps answered. Light, careful, then sharper as they approached. The door cracked open, revealing Ayisha’s sharp eyes peering through the gap.
The moment she saw him, her expression hardened.
“You.”
“Ayisha.” He inclined his head. His voice was calm, but he kept his tone measured, almost careful. “May I come in?”
Her hand tightened on the doorframe. “She’s not here.”
“I figured.” He sighed, glancing past her shoulder into the dim hallway beyond. The scent of spices drifted faintly from the kitchen, mingled with the sharpness of detergent. A lived in house. A safe place. A world Tessa had built apart from him. “That’s fine. I came to speak with you.”
Ayisha arched a brow, suspicion flickering across her face. “With me? And why exactly would I entertain that?”
“Because you care about her.” His eyes met hers, unwavering. “And because whether you trust me or not, you want what’s best for her. Don’t you?”
For a moment, neither spoke. The distant laughter of children outside floated between them, and Ares thought he saw something flicker in Ayisha’s gaze, hesitation, maybe curiosity but it vanished quickly.
She pulled the door wider. “Five minutes,” she said curtly, stepping aside. “No more.”
Inside, the house smelled of home. The faint scent of fried plantains lingered, books lay stacked neatly on a side table.
Ayisha led him into the living room and gestured stiffly toward the couch. She remained standing, arms folded, as though refusing to grant him the courtesy of comfort.
“Say what you came to say.”
Ares sat, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. His voice, when it came, was softer than he’d planned. “I want to see her. Tessa. That’s all. I just want to ask her what really happened. I think she’s caught in something bigger than what she’s showing you or me.”
Ayisha’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “That’s rich, coming from you. Do you even hear yourself? You think she owes you explanations now, after all the ways you’ve treated her? After tearing her apart in front of the world? Like it not, you took advantage of her the day she to birth!”
“I know,” Ares admitted quietly. “I know I wouldn’t have involved her that day. I won’t deny it. But people can change, Ayisha. I have changed. I am grown and more mature now.”
She scoffed, pacing toward the window. Her voice cut sharp across the room. “Men always say that when they want something back. You talk about change, but Tessa’s the one left to rebuild herself after every storm you brought into her life.”
Ares’s hands clenched into fists, then relaxed slowly. He couldn’t meet her with anger, it would only prove her point. Instead, he let the silence stretch until Ayisha finally turned back to face him.
“I’m not here to take from her anymore,” he said. “I want to give her something I should have long ago—a chance. A chance. Not just for her, but for the children too.”
Her eyes narrowed. “The children.”
“Yes.” His voice grew firmer. “Jamal. Kamal. Beauty. Pretty. They deserve better than this chaos, Ayisha. They deserve both parents willing to fight for them, not against each other. Tessa loves them, and so do I. But what they see right now is division. That’s poison. I don’t want that for them.”
Ayisha crossed her arms tighter, but he noticed the faintest flicker of emotion ripple across her face.
“You think you can just walk back in,” she said, quieter this time, “after everything Chloe has done? After you let that woman trample Tessa over and over again? And you want me to believe you’re suddenly ready to put her first?”
“I’m ready to put them first,” he corrected softly. “Tessa. The kids. I don’t expect her to forgive me overnight. I don’t even expect her to trust me yet. But I need the chance to show her that I’m not the same man I was.”
Ayisha studied him for a long time, her gaze searching his face for cracks. He let her. Let her see the lines of exhaustion, the weight pressing on his shoulders, the sincerity etched into his eyes.
Finally, she spoke. “And what exactly do you want from me?”
Ares leaned back slightly, his voice low. “Help me reach her. You’re the one she trusts. If you tell her I only came here to manipulate her, she’ll believe you. If you tell her I mean what I say, maybe she’ll hear me out.”
Ayisha’s laugh was short, disbelieving. “You want me to vouch for you? After everything? After watching her cry herself to sleep, after watching her scrape herself back together piece by piece while you lived your luxury life with Chloe?”
Her words hit him like blows, each one tearing at wounds he thought had already scarred.
“I can’t erase that,” he admitted. “And I won’t insult you by pretending I can. But I can choose differently now. If you’d just let me see her…”
Ayisha cut him off, her voice suddenly sharp. “What’s in this for you, Ares? Is it really about the kids? Or is it about easing your guilt?”
The question hung heavy in the air.
Ares rose slowly to his feet. He didn’t approach her, didn’t want her to feel cornered but his voice was steady, anchored by a conviction he hadn’t felt in years.
“I loved her,” he said. “Still do. Maybe that’s why I stayed away so long. I didn’t know how to face the wreckage I left behind. But guilt alone wouldn’t bring me here. Not to this house. Not to you. This is about them. Jamal, Kamal, Beauty, Pretty. This is about giving them a father they can look at without shame. And giving Tessa, if she’ll allow it, a man who will finally stand beside her instead of against her.”
Ayisha’s jaw tightened, but she said nothing.
“I’ll wait,” Ares added quietly. “For as long as it takes. Just tell her I came by. Tell her I’m not here to fight, but to listen. To try again.”
For a long while, the only sound was the ticking of the small wall clock and the distant chatter from outside. Ayisha’s face was unreadable, her eyes narrowed slightly as though weighing every word he’d spoken.
Finally, she exhaled sharply and moved toward the door. “Your five minutes are up.”
Ares nodded once. He didn’t push, didn’t plead further. He walked past her, pausing briefly by the doorway to glance at the tiny shoes still waiting by the wall. His chest ached.
As he stepped outside, the air felt heavier than before, pressing against his lungs. He had no idea whether Ayisha would pass on his words or bury them in silence. But one thing he knew, he couldn’t stop now.
He had opened a door, however small, and he would keep pushing until Tessa looked him in the eye again.
And when she did, he would be ready.