9 9

Friday night

Janaya was in the process of packing two suitcases with clothes and shoes. In a week, she would be in Hawaii, enjoying a much-needed vacation. It would be the perfect opportunity to rekindle their broken relationship.

As she moved across the room, a vibrating sound caught her attention. She walked to the nightstand and picked up her cell phone. It wasn't ringing. She was certain that Elliott took his phone in the bathroom but she still heard the constant vibrating noise.

So, she followed the noise into the closet where Elliott disregarded his uniform. The vibrating stopped momentarily before it began again. The noise was coming from up under a pile of folded clothes. Janaya retrieved the phone in utter confusion. Before Elliott greeted her properly, he went to take a shower with his phone in his hand.

"Hello," Janaya answered the phone.

"Good evening Mrs. Johnson! I apologize for calling so late, but my husband and I were hoping to view the house tomorrow morning. We saw the ad online and fell in love with your house. Is that okay?"

"I'm sorry but there is no one here by the name Mrs. Johnson."

"I'm sure I have the right number, it's listed on the real-estate website for Northwest Atlanta. Maybe I dialed the number wrong. I'm sorry, dear." The woman hung up the phone.

Janaya wanted to delete the recent call but couldn't. The phone was locked. As she heard the showerhead cut off, she rushed to put the phone back in the same position she found it in.

Elliott walked out of the bathroom and noticed Janaya still packing for their trip.

"So you're going to work, huh?" Janaya questioned.

"It was a blessing having some me-time this morning but the money bag calling my name."

Janaya plastered a fake smile on her face. "Have a good night at work, baby." She walked out of the room, not sparing Elliott a second glance. She waited in the living room, watching her husband's every move. When he left, he simply said "goodbye" over his shoulder.

Janaya returned to their bedroom and walked into the closet. The cell phone was gone. She quickly went to the kitchen to prepare food. The packed dinner box would only serve as an excuse if her assumptions turned out to be wrong.

She hopped in her car and drove to the hospital. She circled around the parking lot, praying that she spotted Elliott's car. When she couldn't find his car, she found a parking spot and entered the entrance closer to where his office was. She slyly walked to his office in hopes of snooping. Janaya frowned when she couldn't open his office door.

"Are you lost?" A female nurse asked.

"Uh, no. I'm looking for my husband, Mr. Watson."

"Dr. Elliott Watson? I had no clue he was married! It's really nice to meet you but Elliott is away on vacation. He didn't tell you?"

Janaya chuckled. "Silly me. He told me earlier that he was going to swing past his office for something I left. I was hoping to still catch him. Do you mind if I check and see if he grabbed that item for me?"

"I wish I could but the only person that has keys to that office is Elliott. I'm sorry."

"No worries!" Janaya smiled and bid her farewells.

She called Elliott once again but the call went straight to his voicemail. Her heart was racing and her hand began to shake. The poor woman felt a mixture of feelings and didn't know what to do.

A fool is what she felt like.

Sometime after driving, she pulled up to Kyla's and Issacs home. She got out of her vehicle and rang the doorbell. Issac greeted her and told her to come in.

"Hey, Is Kyla home yet? I really need to have a girls talk." Said Janaya.

"Nope, she's out running a few errands. I'm not familiar with this girl's talk of yours, but I'm sure I can keep up. That is if you want to confide in me."

"I'm afraid I'll bore you to death." Janaya waved her hand. She turned to leave.

"That's too bad. I guess I'll eat these double fudge brownies by myself."

Janaya stopped midway to the door and grinned. "Add a bottle of wine and I'm in."

"California Zinfandel, fresh out the fridge."

Janaya took off her shoes and made herself comfortable on the couch. She then proceeded to vent out her frustrations while stuffing her face with brownies.

"Say what now?" Issac teased in a feminine voice. "But for real, you really think Elliott is on that bullshit?"

"I think Elliott is back to his old ways. Telling me one thing and doing the next. Like tonight for an example. He told me he had to work the late shift, but when I went to the hospital, a nurse told me he has already taken his vacation leave."

"Now that you have this little bit of information, what's your next move?"

"I don't know. Apart of me wants to go snooping around and the other part of me wants to fight for my marriage without finding the truth. I feel so lost and naive."

Issac handed her a glass of red wine and his laptop. He could give her all the advice in the world but nothing would change reality. Janaya needed to find out the truth for the sake of her marriage. More importantly, she.

He let her vent about her insecurities about her marriage. After debating with herself, she decided to login into their joint bank account. There hasn't been a deposit for some time and the amount of money that was being withdrawn was little to nothing. Everything seemed normal but the feeling in her gut was telling her to dig deeper.

Janaya decided to use Elliott's social security number to create an account on a credit bureau website. Unfortunately, she was unable to create an account due to the fact that she got some of the questions wrong to verify his identity. Janaya knew all the places he previously lived prior to them moving in together, yet there was a certain question she got wrong.

"What if I'm the other woman? It just doesn't make sense. I sacrificed so much for this relationship and what has he done? I do the cooking, the cleaning, the money management...me! The support system that keeps him going. What of me?! Is it too hard to ask for a loyal man?!"

Nothing has been confirmed as yet. So don't overthink it. Issac wanted to tell her but the words never left his mouth. Instead, he sat closer to her, comforting her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, gently rubbing his hand up and down in a soothing manner.

Janaya let Issac pull her close to his frame.

"I told you this years ago and I'll tell you again. You are a queen that deserves nothing but the best as well as a loyal king by your side. Whether it's Elliott or another man, you will find your happiness."