Page 34 of Til Death
“Good. That’s the last thing I needed to happen.”
My mom wasn’t tech savvy. She was able to do the basics, but phishing scams weren’t something she was familiar with.
“Is your wife gonna be in attendance tomorrow?” Dad asked after a while.
I paused for a second before nodding. “She is.”
“Mhm, I assume it wouldn’t look good for you to be there alone,” Mom interjected.
“How are things going between you two?” Dad asked.
For the most part, he had stayed out of my marriage. I believed the guilt of the marriage caused him to keep whatever opinions he had to himself. My mom, on the other hand, was more vocal about her dislike for my wife’s bratty, stuck-up attitude.
“Same as they’ve always been. We’ve learned to live together and that’s it.”
Last night after dinner, Xylina was surprisingly quiet. I wasn’t expecting the wives to bring her into conversation, and even after inquiring about her social media and styling help, they kept the conversation going. Most of the time during dinners she was hardly acknowledged, but last night she seemed pleased to be brought into the conversation. When we got home, she grabbed a pickle and a bottle of water from the kitchen and went straight upstairs without saying anything else to me. This morning, she was already gone with Princess by the time I leftfor the office. It made me wonder if she had something up her sleeve.
When I got home yesterday evening, it wasn’t uncommon to see her sleeping on the couch. What caught me off guard was how puffy and red her eyes were. My mind was on securing the deal last night so I didn’t give it a second thought. Afterwards, I’d planned on asking what was wrong, but it was clear she wasn’t in the mood for any more conversation, so I let her be.
“You know I’m surprised you two didn’t grow closer over the years. It’s amazing that two people living together for as long as you’ve been, have stayed so distant, but you are your mother’s son; so I guess it makes sense.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Mom turned toward him, lifting a brow in the process.
“You two are stubborn is all. You’re also not the most welcoming people.”
“Well, considering how we got together, can you blame me?” I gave him a blank stare.
Dad cleared his throat and loosened his tie. “Regardless, that girl’s gonna have a tough time going forward. Her dad’s created quite a mess for himself and it’s only a matter a time before those around him are affected too. Makes me feel sorry for the girl.”
Mom scoffed. “It may be good for her to be knocked down to reality.”
Dad chuckled. “Just as mean as can be.”
“Anyone that plays with my son for their own personal gain is an enemy of mine.” She narrowed her eyes. “You should remember that.”
I shook my head but kept quiet. I had forgiven my dad a while ago for his role in my marriage. I understood his back was against the wall and he wouldn’t have forced my hand if he had another choice. It was water under the bridge between us now. Since then, his business has been thriving too. My mom was alittle slower to let him off the hook. She felt more betrayed by his secrecy more than anything.
Dad pulled my mom down on his lap, kissing her in the process. “Trust me, the last thing I want to do is be in the doghouse with you again. I learned my lesson.”
“Good.” She smiled, kissing him back.
Stifling a laugh, I finished the work I needed to do on my mom’s computer before preparing to leave. My parents had overcome a lot in their marriage, including my mom’s infertility issues. Their love was the pillar I based my example of marriage on.
Ichecked my Rolex to see how we were doing on time. The car I’d ordered for tonight should be arriving at any moment. My foot tapped rapidly and my eyes darted to the top of the steps as I waited for Xylina to come down. It always amazed me how much time it took her to get ready.
Pulling my phone out, I was getting ready to call her when she appeared at the top of the steps. I froze briefly as I took her in. Her tall, gold heels clicked as she slowly walked down the steps. They wrapped around her visible ankles, a gold diamond anklet right above the left one. I couldn’t lie and say it didn’t make her legs stand out more than normal. What caught my attention more than anything was her dress. It was black, wrapped around her neck with a slit down the middle showing off the center of her chest in a modest way. Tonight I could honestly say I appreciated her breast implants. The waist hugged her hips then flared into a mermaid style once it got closer to the bottom. There was a long slit that stopped just at the top of her thigh, and from what I could tell, her back was out.
Once at the bottom of the steps, she stopped in front of me, grinning. The smell of caramel cake, and maybe amber, filled my noses in a pleasant way. Xylina kept her jewelry simple with gold dangling earrings in her second hole and diamond studs in the front. On her right wrist, she had two tennis bracelets, one that matched the anklet and a narrow, wired one right under it. In her hand was a black, boxy purse with a gold handle.
Her hair was pulled up in a loose, braided ponytail, parted down the middle with a few stray hairs pulled out in front of her ears and curled. It gave a clear view of her sharp cheekbones, heart-shaped face, and perfectly arched brows. She had an ombre lip with nude on the inside brownish-black surrounding it.
This wasn’t the first time I’d seen her done up, but for some reason it caught my eyes more than it normally would.
“No, no, no. Absolutely not.” She balled her face up and shook her head. She eyed me from head to toe. “You’re not really wearing that, are you?”
I glanced down. “What’s wrong with what I have on? It’s a suit.”
Again, her face balled up. “It’s boring, for one, and that tie doesn’t match.”
