About that Night

Chapter 11

Grayson wasn't in bed. Micah was. Grayson probably woke up and accidentally woke up Micah. I walk into the kitchen to find Grayson with a note and a detective. I set Micah down in his play area.

"Grayson?? What's going on?"

He looks up at me, but the detective talks first.

"Kiki Washington has just committed suicide."

I blink several times. "Kiki?! Kiki Taylor?!"

"Kiki Washington, she changed her name back." Grayson sighs. "There's a letter stating that you are the cause of why she killed herself."

I scoff. "Grayson, what is he talking about?!"

Grayson gives me the paper.

Everything I did has been a mistake, and I know it because of Winston. Ever since I met her, my life has been ruined. She took my husband. She took my daughter, and my dignity. I told her about my dad and she made fun of me, told me how dumb I was, and manipulated my daughter into thinking the same thing. She made racist comments and jokes about me, and excluded me from things because of my skin color. She's an evil person, and she should be arrested because of this racism. I have nothing, or no one. I hope someone sees this, and if you see this, I'm gone.

I open my mouth. "What?!" I look at Grayson. "I only told her that none of whatever happened to her in the past was never her fault! I never said that it was her fault!"

"Did you get into any altercations with Mrs. Washington when she visited?"

I shake my head. "She asked questions which led her to tell her story, and she told me about her father, and I told her it wasn't her mom's nor her fault."

I looked at Grayson for help, for real this time.

"Why are you here, Detective Jones?" Grayson stands up.

"I'm here because Kiki's family wants to press charges."

I tilt my head. "Charges on what?! I didn't kill her. She did that on her own."

"Ms. Joon, Kiki states that she's not in the right mental state because of you, and usually we try to give a minimum punishment to people who push people into the state Kiki was in to kill herself."

I shake my head. "I didn't do anything! It sounds ridiculous, I know, but she told me her reasoning, and I told her she didn't have to do anything and that none of whatever happened to her was her fault. Once she realized that, Kiki abruptly left, saying that she loves Grayson and Rosalia and she was just looking for revenge at first."

Grayson scoffs. "Kiki messed up and blamed it on Winston."

Detective Jones narrows his eyes. "I see you have a son over there. If you're lying, I'll put both of you in jail, and your son will be adopted by someone more suitable."

Grayson sneers as I pick Micah up. "I don't give two f***s about Kiki, and if you need a witness to back up Winston's story, you can wait for my daughter but threaten to take my son, and I'll mess up your career."

"Grayson, your girlfriend clearly-,"

"No, you don't know what the hell happened. I divorced Kiki for a reason. You're a detective. Look it up and see why Kiki has no relationship with Rosa or me. Winston only set my mind in place to divorce Kiki."

I walk into the bedroom with Micah, not wanting him to see his father angry.

I rock him and hum some nonsense to make him sleep.

"I'm sorry." Grayson sits next to me.

"What do you mean? I should have just kept my mouth shut and nodded my head at her."

Grayson shakes his head. "I heard about your mom, and I'm sorry because that's your mom, and if I didn't tell her, she wouldn't be ignoring you."

I smile at him. "Grayson, my mom, has love for no one but dad and us. My mom's a sociopath, and not dissing her because she was diagnosed as a kid and after giving birth to Zaro, a milder sociopath, so even if we had been married or whatever, she still wouldn't like you. That's why she couldn't remarry. It's because of dad that her symptoms were calmer and not dangerous. After dad died, she got scary, and we knew it was because of her disease, so we treated her like a strict parent."

Grayson hugs me. "We should go talk to her and maybe apologize."

I pull away. "You're apologizing, not me."

Grayson chuckles. "Ok, well, let's take Micah and Rosa. Maybe that will warm her heart."

I furrow my brows. "She's a sociopath."

"Whatever, I'll dress Micah up since you surprised me last night."

Grayson smiles suggestively as I roll my eyes.

After picking Rosa up from school, I led Grayson to my mom's house. I hope my mom doesn't disgrace me in front of them. I mean, I did dishonor her first as a mother, but I need her not to act like she always does, please God. My mom lives in a friendly little cottage on the outside of town, and she likes it, being by herself, rarely having the internet, as she says, means no disturbing calls or messages, but she has a doorbell.

Grayson pulls over and looks at Rosa and me. "Are you ready?"

I look over at him. "This isn't an action movie...This is meeting my mom after she probably disowned me."

"Right, dad." Rosa giggles and rolls her eyes.

"Right." Grayson mumbles and gets out of the car, taking Micah while Rosa walks with me to the door. I inhale for a long time, trying to prolong the time, so Rosa scoffs and rings the doorbell.

"Ros-!"

My mom opens the door and immediately frowns.

"What do you want?!"

"Mom, I wanted to visit you-,"

"I don't want visitors."

My mom tries to close the door, but I stop her.

"I brought Micah. You left and didn't get to see Micah grow."

I smile.

"Chae-Young, why is Grayson's daughter here?"

"Oh, my dad is getting Micah." Rosa smiles.

On cue, Grayson appears with Micah watching cocomelon on his phone.

"Hi, Mrs. Joon." My mom rolls her eyes and lets us in.

We sit on the couch, and she crosses her legs. "Why weren't you at the hospital?"

Grayson looks at me and then at my mom. "I was divorcing my ex-wife, and she dragged the whole thing, so I came late."

My mom laughs coldly. "You shouldn't have slept with Winston if you were married. No, you shouldn't have slept with her at all. This is all your fault! You leave my twenty-three-year-old first-time mother-daughter in the hospital by herself with your twelve-year-old daughter?! What was she going to do?!"

"Mom, I also have a part-."

"Oh, I know Chae-Young! What would your father say?!"

I groan in annoyance. "Mom, you and dad are no innocent people. You guys didn't even wait till the next day, and that was dad's favorite story after we all got s*x ed!"

My mom stands up. "Do as you please. You know I have no feelings whatsoever, so Winston, get out."

"Mom, Talon had a son with Ken-,"

"Ken wasn't a married man in his early thirties, and the fact that she got pregnant a few months into their wedding planning, they were going to get married anyway." My mom points to the door.

I scoff. "What would Dad say, mom? Why don't you think about that?"

I grab Rosa's hand, usher Grayson, and storm out into the car.

"Are you ok?" Rosalia asks.

"Yes," I say bitterly before Grayson opens the car door. "Grayson, how about some ice cream?" I say as Grayson starts the car.

"Yes, obviously." Rosa answers for him.

Grayson looks at me with one of those I know what you're trying to do faces and nods.

Oh f**k you, Grayson, know it all.