“Flights have been canceled from New York. How the hell am I going to get back to LA?”
“Not my problem.”
She wiped away more tears. “Just. . .could you just. . .”
“What?” I growled.
“Just give me a month, please. I can call my father and ask for help.” She shuddered in terror. “Please, don’t put me out on the streets while there’s this virus.”
Even after what she did, I hated to see her look so scared.
I turned away.
“Please, Kamal.” Her voice went low. “I’m. . .going to be stranded. . .or worse. . .I try and leave and maybe get infected and die.”
Fury fogged my head. I could barely think as I kept my back to her.
“Kamal, I know that you hate me now, but please don’t put me in harm’s way or—”
“Call the guy you were just fucking to help you.”
“He’s married, and after you beat him so bad he’ll be too scared to answer—”
“Again, not my problem.”
“J-just give me a month.”
“No. You’re fucking crazy, Amber.” I fisted my hands and then headed away. “I can’t even listen to your voice right now.”
“Wait, Kamal—”
“I have to get out of here.” I headed to the door. “If I don’t, I might—”
“P-please, I’m stuck in New York. I. . .I have nowhere to go or—”
“Just shut up for a minute.” I picked up the bags and laptop by the door.
“Okay. Not a month, but what about a week?” She jumped in front of me but kept her mouth closed.
She was still naked and not one inch of that body turned me on. Every part of me now despised her. The faster she was out of my sight the better.
What should I do?
I thought of my mother back in Los Angeles and even my sister Zora. Neither woman would do something as disgusting as cheat. If they did, I still would want them to be treated properly.
I glared at her. “One fucking week, Amber. After that, I don’t care where you go, but you have to be out of here. If you must live on the street, then it won’t be my problem. When I come back in seven days, you better be gone. If I see you or your stuff, when I return, the cops will be involved.”
Her bottom lip quivered. “W-where are you going?”
“Far from you.” I picked up my laptop and the rest of the bags, not willing to give her the wine or extra sandwich.
“Where will you sleep? We’re on lockdown.”
“I’m surprised you even know that. I figured you were sucking his little dick during the governor’s conference. Did you two watch it together in our fucking bed?!”
“Kamal, I need—”
“Don’t answer.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“How long?”
She widened her eyes. “W-what?”
“How long have you been fucking him?”
She backed up. “Since February.”
From that response, I almost threw her out in the streets. Surely, she deserved no kindness.
No. I don’t need any bad karma right now.
Amber raised her shaking hands to her chest. “Kamal, could you just. . .stay. . .Let’s talk this through.”
“Talk?” A dark laugh left my lips. “Talk where? In the room that stinks of your sex with another man?”
“I could clean it up.”
“Nothing could clean it up. I may burn that damn bed.” I stormed off.
She hurried after me. “Wait. Please. Just stay the night. I’ll be worried. Where are you going?”
“At this point, I would rather be anywhere than next to you, even if that means possibly getting sick.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I mean that with every inch of my heart.” Thank God, the elevator opened without me pushing the button. It was like the universe knew I had to get away soon or things could turn horrible.
Holding the laptop and bags, I stepped on and faced her.
She covered her bare breasts. “Kamal—”
“Seven fucking days.”
The doors closed.
Adrenaline burned through me. Hours ago my biggest problem had been fear for a deadly virus. Now all I could think about was how my life had turned to ruin.
Idiot. How did I not figure it out? Fucking idiot.
My phone rang. I shouldn’t have answered, but I did. “Yes?”
Tyler’s voice boomed on the phone. “Yo, where you at? The whole state is about to go on lockdown. Let’s meet at the basketball court.”
“I can’t right now.”
Tyler grumbled, “Why not, man? Don’t make me go home to my wife.”
“I caught Amber cheating.”
“Oh shit! Fuck that. I’m coming over there. Let’s beat that motherfucker’s ass.”
“Too late. I already did.”
“Okay. So, what now?”
“I don’t know.” I frowned. “I’ll call you back.”
“Kamal—”
I hung up and headed to my car.Chapter 1
JadeDoomscrolling
This morning, I learned a new term called doomscrolling. It was when a person scrolled through their phone for the latest posts on social media, knowing that each one would deal with death, doom, and gloom.
Besides a funny meme or two, most posts talked about the coronavirus and sad news of deaths. If not that, then people argued about whether the pandemic was fake or not. Nervousness tightened my stomach. Endless angst plagued my mind.