Just like that, I can feel a fight brewing between us. Trevor is a master manipulator. It’s why he’s so damn great at running his real estate brokerage. Thankfully, I’ve gotten great at walking away from his bullshit.
“He seems to do just fine when we work on homework together. Maybe he needs someone else to help him. Perhaps a tutor.”
“Fuck that.” Trevor wrinkles his face like he thinks I’m an idiot. “He’s not falling behind because he needs a tutor. He’s falling behind because he zones out during the lessons in class.”
“Maybe he’s having trouble following along. We can—”
“No,” Trevor snaps. “He misses his parents being together.”
The moment the words leave his mouth, everything goes quiet. So that’s what this is about. Then again, isn’t that what all our arguments are about lately? He just can’t let me go.
Little does Trevor know, Brayden has no desire for us to still be together. His hopes and dreams of the three of us being a family crumbled right along with mine last year when he witnessed Trevor at his absolute worst.
Trevor had been severely stressed out from work. He hadn’t been sleeping, and he was drinking heavily. This was during the summer, so I was keeping busy with Brayden, taking him to swim lessons, to the park, and on playdates with his friends. But on one particular night when I knew Trevor would be working late, I took Brayden out to dinner too.
I’ll never forget walking back into the house and spotting Trevor glaring back at us from the couch, a cold bottle of beer in his hand. My entire body went cold. I’d never seen him like that before, but I knew it wasn’t good. Brayden apparently sensed the same. He clung to my leg at the precise moment Trevor raised his voice and began to spew a barrage of cruel words at me.
It took one verbal lashing, one time, and I was gone. Done. And if I’d had any say in the matter, Brayden would have come with me.
“It’s a big adjustment for all of us, Trevor. Especially for Brayden. Let’s give him some time. If he needs a tutor to help him through the transition, then I think we should get him one.”
Trevor lets out a disgusted laugh, and I already know the insults are soon to follow. “With whose money? Yours? You can barely afford that shithole you call an apartment.”
Now, it’s me who’s disgusted. The disrespect Trevor has always had for me comes out in a heated argument every time. “Yet you still happily take my fifty dollars a month I’m forced to pay you for child support.”
“The state appointed that, not me.”
“The least you could have done was refuse the money, considering I refused to take your spousal support.”
He glares. “You didn’t refuse spousal support, Vi. We agreed that money should go into a college fund for Brayden.”
I wave away his retort. “I just wanted us to have a clean break. Instead, you turned around and demanded for majority custody, knowing that I was in no position to fight for more and knowing that I would be forced to pay you. You got exactly what you want while I—” I halt my angry words and take a deep breath, steadying my emotions. I vowed to stop feeding into Trevor’s anger with my own. It never gets us anywhere.
“While you what?” he pushes.
I shake my head. “Brayden deserves to be with both of his parents an equal amount of time.”
“Which is why you should move back in. Be a mother to him here, full-time. You’re the one who tore this family apart. And you’re the one with the power to put it back together.”
My eyes bulge because there are times when I can’t help believe that my ex-husband is borderline insane. The untamed fire in my chest begins to blow smoke out my ears. I can feel them heat as I suck in a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself.
“Absolutely not.” I shake my head and hold up my palms. “I’m not doing this. If you refuse to get our son the help he needs, then I’ll figure out a way to do it myself.” I move around him to get into my car.
“Wait, Vi. We’re not done here. Don’t you get that I just want to fix us? We can be a family again.”
He reaches for my hand, and I yank it away so hard it slams into my car door behind me. While I’m no longer afraid of the man, I certainly don’t have to play his game. I won’t dare show Trevor the pain I’m in, not even with a wince. “We are done. I need to get to work, and you need to go spend time with your son.” I sink into my seat and shut the door, looking back over at Trevor through the open window. “Brayden is a smart kid. He also loves you very much. You should know, he notices the way you ignore him when you two are together. Maybe you should focus on mending that bond instead of our broken marriage.”
Before he can say another word, I roll up my window, start my car, and make my way down the long, winding drive toward the street. Away from Trevor. Away from my past. At least, in a physical sense. Unfortunately for me, my past will forever haunt me. My mistakes, a burden I’ll bear for the rest of my existence. But I’m determined to make a new life for myself and Brayden. One that no man can own and hold over my head like a bargaining chip.
From now on, I’m doing things my way, no matter what it takes.
The club parking lot is packed by the time I arrive. Pulling around to the back entrance, I locate an empty spot reserved for staff and park. Dance music booms from the main room. Even in the long hallway, I can feel it vibrating off the walls. I push open the first door on the right, enter the staff room, and make my way to the main office. I don’t stop to chat or make small talk with the girls parading around in their G-strings and tassels. I don’t have time for any of that.
Malik’s door is wide open while he sits behind the desk thumbing through a stack of papers, probably headshots. He seems to always be looking for new talent, with the turnover being what it has been lately. It seems a new hire is on the pole every week. He looks up as I approach, his grin widening.
“Just the woman I wanted to see.” He sets the stack down and eyes me up and down. “Want to pick up a shift?” he asks, referencing the bar I work at next door to the gentlemen’s club. “Jules called out, and I’m in no fucking mood to make drinks for customers tonight.”
I shake my head, my emotions still rattled from the conversation with my ex. “No can do. Not tonight.”
“I’ll pay double.”
His offer gives me a slight pause before I remember my mission. “If it weren’t the last day of the month, I’d take you up on that, but I really can’t. I’ve got rent to pay, and the office closes any minute now.” I lean over and pluck my check from the corner of the desk where they’re all lined up. “Can’t afford to lose my apartment on top of everything else.” I flash a smile to let Malik know I’m alright.
He narrows his eyes and leans back in his chair. “My offer stands, Violet. You’re welcome to dance for the club any time you want. Any night, whenever you need the extra cash. It pays a hell of a lot more than bartending.”
I cringe at the thought of performing at the club. Malik has been more than complimentary of my work during our private events, but that’s different. At least, when I’m dancing for wealthy clients at the locations of their choosing, my identity is hidden. The mask is necessary while I’m living on the same island where I grew up, with my childhood friends still making their way through and popping up wherever I go.