Read Imagined Love for Free Online Page B

I had in the world. You were my superhero and I was more than grateful to be rescued by you. But that’s not me anymore, Miles. I’m not the helpless little girl who couldn’t survive without you. I’ve worked hard not to ever be her again and I can’t pretend to be just so you feel important in my life. I’m not happy and I don’t believe you are either. We wouldn’t keep hurting each other if we were. And we aren’t happy because we want very different things. We don’t belong together, Miles. Maybe we did at one point in our lives but that’s not the case now,” she said, wiping tears from her face. “Why can’t you just admit that?”
    “I don’t want to give up on us, Willa.”
    “It’s time, though, Miles. Even Jade knows that mommies and daddies who really love each other don’t act like we do. I just wanna be happy. And believe it or not, I want you to be happy too,” Willa said, as she grabbed his hand. “We just can’t be that together, Miles. We can’t. And if you would be honest with yourself you’ll have to admit that I’m right. Just because we have a past together doesn’t mean we have a future.”
    Miles stood up to pull Willa into his arms and cried harder than he ever had before. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
    “Don’t be sad, Daddy,” Jade said, startling them both. “I’ll visit you so you won’t be lonely, okay? Maybe I can come when the man that really loves Mommy shows up on his horse!”
    Willa wanted to strangle Jade! Ugh, you stupid little girl, she thought, staring hatefully at her daughter. Why can’t you ever just shut up?
    “Go to your room,” Miles demanded. “So that’s what all this has been about? You want me to just roll over while you go riding off in the sunset with some other man?”
    “No, Miles, it’s not like that. She overheard me talking to . . .”
    “Yeah, I see what’s going on! I knew you was out there screwing around and now you trying to play with my head! ‘And believe it or not, I want you to be happy too’,” he mimicked her. “You oughtta get some kind of award for that performance.”
    “Miles, please just listen to me. I’m not . . .”
    “Shut up, liar! You almost fooled me with that little speech but I get it now. Just don’t think you gone take my daughter and shack up with some chump! That ain’t never gonna happen!”
    “You know what, Miles? Believe what you want! I’m tired of trying to talk to you because it doesn’t matter. I’m not spending another day of my life being with somebody I hate!”
    “Oh, so you hate me, huh? After all the years I took care of you even when your own mama didn’t want nothing to do with you,” he screamed, moving towards Willa. “But I guess that’s my fault for not listening. She told me I could do better than you but somewhere in my stupid mind I thought I could change you into something respectable. But you ain’t never gonna be nothing more than the useless tramp you are right now!”
    Willa spat in his face! “You son of a . . .”
    Miles snatched her by the neck and rammed her into the refrigerator. Willa kicked and scratched at him but he was too strong and he continued to slam and choke her.
    “Daddy, stop it!” Jade screamed, as she tried to push Miles away from her mother. “You’re gonna hurt the baby!”
    “Get outta here, Jade! This is . . . wait, what you say?”
    “Baby girl, just go to your room, okay? Please,” Willa cried.
    Jade ran into her parents’ bedroom and dialed 9-1-1 the way “Officer Friendly” had told the students at her school to do in case of an emergency. She probably saved her mother’s life by doing so!
     
    Cicely was shocked to see Willa and Jade standing at her front door holding their bags.
    “I’m sorry to just drop in unannounced like this but I couldn’t find your number and . . .”
    “Girl, please, I told you y’all welcome here anytime,” she said, holding the screen door open for them. “And I know three little