Chapter 2
2044 Words
The bar area of the Blackwell Gala was considerably quieter than the ballroom.
Mostly because nobody wanted to deal with Veronica's latest disaster.
Richie Blackwell sat alone at the polished marble counter.
One drink sat in front of him.
A second one was halfway finished.
A third was already being prepared.
The bartender had wisely stopped asking questions.
Richie looked like a man whose spirit had been dragged behind a truck for several miles.
He stared into his glass.
Then took another drink.
Then another.
Then another.
"Lord have mercy."
Tyrez's voice came from beside him.
Richie didn't even look up.
"Don't."
Tyrez slid onto the neighboring stool.
"I haven't even said anything yet."
"You don't need to."
Tyrez ordered a water.
Richie immediately pointed at him.
"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about. You're over there making healthy life decisions while I'm over here trying not to throw somebody overboard."
Tyrez snorted.
"That bad?"
Richie slowly turned toward him.
His expression answered the question before he even spoke.
"Tyrez, she was sitting on another man's lap."
Tyrez winced.
"Yeah."
"She called it a business lap."
Tyrez covered his mouth.
Richie pointed aggressively.
"Don't laugh."
"I'm trying not to."
"You are failing."
Tyrez looked away.
His shoulders immediately started shaking.
Richie stared.
"Are you laughing?"
"No."
"You absolutely are."
"No."
"Tyrez."
"I'm not."
Richie pointed toward him.
"Your shoulders are moving."
Tyrez finally broke.
A laugh escaped.
Richie groaned.
"See? This is why I can't come to you with serious problems."
Tyrez chuckled.
"I'm sorry."
"No you're not."
"Not really."
Richie rolled his eyes.
The two brothers sat quietly for a moment.
Eventually Tyrez sighed.
"I know it sucks."
Richie looked down.
"It does."
Tyrez nodded slowly.
"I know."
Richie stared at his glass.
The frustration that had been building for years seemed to spill out all at once.
"You know what the worst part is?"
"What?"
"I genuinely love that woman."
Tyrez's expression softened.
Richie continued.
"I know she's dramatic. I know she's loud. I know she starts s**t for absolutely no reason. I know she drives everybody crazy. Hell, I know she drives me crazy."
He took another drink.
"But every time I think about walking away, she does something stupid that somehow reminds me why I fell for her in the first place."
Tyrez nodded.
Richie laughed bitterly.
"And then five minutes later she's accusing a waiter of grand theft purse."
"Sounds about right."
"I'm serious."
"I know."
Richie rubbed his face.
"I'm tired, man."
Tyrez looked at him.
Really looked at him.
His little brother looked exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The kind of exhaustion that came from loving somebody complicated.
The kind that slowly wore a person down.
Tyrez understood that feeling more than anybody.
After all—
He had once loved Veronica too.
For years.
Longer than Richie ever had.
Tyrez leaned back.
"You know, after she left me at the altar, I thought I was losing my damn mind."
Richie looked over.
Tyrez rarely talked about it.
The wound still existed.
Even years later.
Tyrez sighed.
"The whole world was watching. The media was everywhere. Family members kept calling me. Investors kept asking questions. Everybody wanted to know what happened."
His jaw tightened.
"And the truth was that I didn't know."
Richie lowered his gaze.
Tyrez continued.
"I spent months trying to figure out what I did wrong. I kept replaying every conversation in my head. Every date. Every argument. Every damn thing."
Richie quietly listened.
Tyrez laughed softly.
"There were nights I couldn't sleep because I kept wondering why I wasn't enough."
Silence settled between them.
"I remember."
Richie finally spoke.
"You remember?"
Tyrez nodded.
"You were my best man."
Richie smiled faintly.
"Yeah."
"You stayed with me the entire night."
Richie chuckled.
"Somebody had to stop you from getting drunk enough to buy a yacht."
Tyrez laughed.
"I almost bought two."
"You absolutely almost bought two."
The brothers shared a smile.
For a moment things felt normal again.
Then Richie sighed.
"You know, I used to think marrying Veronica would somehow fix everything."
Tyrez immediately shook his head.
"Nah."
"I know that now."
"You can't fix people."
"I learned that the hard way."
Tyrez nodded.
"People gotta want to fix themselves."
Richie stared into his drink.
"And what if they don't?"
Tyrez didn't answer immediately.
Because honestly?
He didn't know.
After several moments Richie looked over.
"Enough about me."
Tyrez raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Richie pointed.
"I got a question."
"Oh boy."
Richie smirked.
"How are things with Ellauna?"
Tyrez immediately smiled.
Without thinking.
Without hesitation.
Without even realizing it.
Richie noticed.
Immediately.
His eyes widened.
"Hold on."
Tyrez frowned.
"What?"
"Look at your face."
"What about it?"
"You smiled."
Tyrez rolled his eyes.
Richie sat upright.
"Oh my God."
"What?"
"You actually like your wife."
Tyrez groaned.
"Shut up."
Richie started laughing.
"No seriously. I've never seen you smile that fast."
Tyrez shook his head.
Richie continued.
"So?"
Tyrez sighed.
Then smiled again.
Smaller this time.
More genuine.
Things with Ellauna were easy.
Simple.
Peaceful.
And he liked that.
A lot.
"We're doing good."
Richie stared.
"Good?"
Tyrez nodded.
"Really good."
"Damn."
Tyrez smiled.
"Things are peaceful."
"I don't think I've ever heard anybody describe a marriage as peaceful before."
Tyrez chuckled.
"That's because most marriages in this family are disasters."
"Fair."
Tyrez leaned back.
"We waited almost two years before trying for a baby."
Richie nodded.
"I remember."
"We wanted time together first."
"Smart."
Tyrez's smile softened.
"Now we're expecting our first child."
Richie's expression brightened.
"How's Ellauna doing?"
"Good."
Tyrez's voice immediately warmed.
"She's tired. Hungry all the time. She's been eating enough fruit to bankrupt several grocery stores."
Richie laughed.
"Sounds about right."
"But she's happy."
Richie nodded.
"That's good."
Tyrez smiled.
"Yeah."
A gentle hand suddenly tapped his shoulder.
Tyrez turned.
Ellauna stood behind him.
Looking elegant as always.
One hand rested on her belly.
The other held her purse.
A small smile rested on her face.
"Hey."
Tyrez immediately softened.
"Hey, baby."
"The driver is ready."
Tyrez checked his watch.
"Damn."
"The gala's ending."
Tyrez nodded.
"Already?"
Ellauna laughed.
"You've been talking for almost an hour."
Tyrez blinked.
"No way."
"Yes way."
Richie laughed.
"Damn, old man."
Tyrez rolled his eyes.
Ellauna smiled.
"We should get going."
Tyrez stood.
Immediately moving beside her.
Instinctively placing a hand on her back.
Richie noticed.
And smiled to himself.
Tyrez looked back.
"You gonna be alright?"
Richie sighed.
"Probably."
"You sure?"
"No."
"Fair enough."
The brothers shared one final laugh.
Then Tyrez nodded.
"Call me if you need anything."
"I will."
Tyrez turned toward Ellauna.
She slipped her arm through his.
Naturally.
Comfortably.
Like she'd done it a thousand times before.
And together they began walking toward the exit.
Leaving behind the noise.
The arguments.
The drama.
And one very exhausted Richie Blackwell.
Who watched them leave and couldn't help thinking one thing.
For all the chaos surrounding them...
Tyrez and Ellauna actually looked happy.
And that was becoming harder and harder to ignore.
The drive home was quiet.
Not awkward quiet.
Comfortable quiet.
The kind of quiet that came from two people who genuinely enjoyed each other's company.
The city lights stretched across the highway as Tyrez drove.
One hand rested on the steering wheel.
The other occasionally reached over to squeeze Ellauna's hand.
Soft music played through the speakers.
For once—
No Veronica.
No family arguments.
No billionaire drama.
No screaming.
Just peace.
Ellauna sat in the passenger seat looking out the window.
One hand rested on her belly.
The baby kicked.
She smiled softly.
"Hey little bean."
Another kick.
Tyrez glanced over.
"You talking to my child?"
"Our child."
"My child too."
Ellauna laughed.
"Possessive much?"
"Very."
"Good to know."
Tyrez smirked.
The baby kicked again.
"See?"
Tyrez nodded.
"Already taking my side."
"Delusional."
"Accurate."
For several moments they simply enjoyed the drive.
Then—
Something shifted.
Ellauna couldn't explain it.
Couldn't name it.
Couldn't understand it.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Like a storm cloud drifting across a clear sky.
Her smile slowly faded.
Tyrez noticed immediately.
Because Tyrez always noticed.
"What is it?"
Ellauna looked down.
"I don't know."
"What?"
She hesitated.
Then sighed.
"I just got a weird feeling."
Tyrez frowned.
"A weird feeling?"
Ellauna nodded.
"Yeah."
"What kind?"
She looked out the window again.
The streetlights blurred past.
"I don't know."
Her hand unconsciously rubbed her stomach.
"Something just doesn't feel right."
Tyrez's expression softened.
He knew Ellauna well enough by now.
She wasn't dramatic.
She wasn't paranoid.
She wasn't the type to panic.
Which meant when she said something felt wrong—
She genuinely felt it.
Tyrez reached over.
Taking her hand.
"You okay?"
Ellauna nodded slowly.
"I think so."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
She gave him a small smile.
"I'm probably just tired."
"That's fair."
"You know, growing a human is exhausting."
Tyrez laughed.
"So I've heard."
"I should charge rent."
Tyrez nodded.
"Honestly? I support that."
A small smile returned to her face.
Then—
BZZT.
BZZT.
BZZT.
BZZT.
Both their phones exploded simultaneously.
The sounds filled the vehicle.
Tyrez groaned.
"Oh hell."
Ellauna already knew.
Family group chat.
Nothing good ever happened when the family group chats started moving this fast.
Especially at night.
She reached for her phone.
The screen lit up.
Messages were pouring in so quickly she could barely read them.
BLACKWELL FAMILY CHAT
DANNY: WHAT THE FUCK
RICHIE: Somebody answer the phone
CHIRAQ: BRO???
JONATHAN: Somebody tell me this is fake
UNKNOWN COUSIN #17: WE AT THE HOSPITAL
UNKNOWN AUNT: LORD JESUS
UNKNOWN UNCLE: WHO'S WITH HIM
RICHIE: I'M ON MY WAY
Tyrez's expression immediately changed.
The joking disappeared.
Ellauna's stomach dropped.
Her fingers moved across the screen.
Scrolling.
Reading.
Then she found the message.
And froze.
PATRIARCH REGGIE BLACKWELL HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL.
Nobody knows what's happening yet.
The car suddenly felt very quiet.
Very still.
Ellauna stared.
Her heart sank.
Reggie Blackwell.
Pops.
The old man.
The family menace.
The walking stick warrior.
The man who hit his sons whenever they annoyed him.
The man who secretly adored Ellauna.
The man who always saved her favorite desserts.
The man who insisted on calling her "Sweetheart."
The man who already had twenty-three ridiculous nicknames planned for the baby.
"No..."
Tyrez glanced over.
He immediately saw the worry spreading across her face.
Saw the fear.
Saw the anxiety beginning to build.
Without a word—
He gently took the phone from her hands.
Turned it face down.
And placed it on the center console.
Ellauna looked at him.
Tyrez kept his eyes on the road.
"We don't know anything yet."
Silence.
"We should go."
"No."
Ellauna blinked.
"No?"
Tyrez shook his head.
"We're not driving to a hospital at midnight unless somebody tells us it's serious."
"But—"
"Ellauna."
His voice was calm.
Steady.
Grounding.
The same way hers usually was.
"We don't know what's happening."
She looked down.
Tyrez continued.
"The family is already there."
Another pause.
"If they need us, they'll call."
Ellauna sighed.
"But Pops—"
"I know."
His voice softened.
"I know, baby."
The concern remained on her face.
Tyrez reached over again.
Taking her hand.
His thumb brushed across her knuckles.
"We'll check on Pops tomorrow."
Ellauna stared at him.
"We will?"
"First thing."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Silence.
Then another kick from the baby.
Strong.
Sudden.
Ellauna looked down.
Tyrez smiled.
Even in stressful moments—
The baby somehow always found a way to interrupt.
"See?"
"What?"
"The baby agrees with me."
Ellauna rolled her eyes.
"The baby can't talk."
"The baby kicked."
"That means nothing."
"It means I'm right."
"No it doesn't."
"Absolutely does."
Despite herself—
She laughed.
A small laugh.
But enough.
Enough for Tyrez to know she was calming down.
Enough for the tension to ease.
Enough for them to continue the drive home.
Outside, the city lights continued shining.
Inside, neither of them noticed that the family group chat was still exploding.
Message after message.
Call after call.
Panic after panic.
Because somewhere deep down—
Both of them had the same feeling.
Something was changing.
And tomorrow...
The Blackwell family would wake up to a very different day.
- Writer
