Everything That Glitters Ain't Gold by Danielle Martin (sneezy the snowman read aloud .txt) 📖

as if he did not hear her correctly. As if she were speaking a different language.

Ava took a deep breath. He was begging for answers and although he didn’t deserve the truth, he was going to get it. “There’s someone else, Desean…” she blurted it out. Ava pressed her lips together tightly after the confession slipped past her lips.

Silence.

Instantly, Desean fell quiet. The room was now still. Both of their bodies were frozen. Initially, Ava did not look his way. She awkwardly stared in the opposite direction while silently wishing he would say something first. She was afraid to see his expression. Ava knew Desean too well. His sudden silence was not a good indicator. Hesitantly, she looked up glancing his way. To her dismay, Desean stood eerily quiet. He stared at his feet blankly while swaying back and forth. She could sense he was about to have one of his episodes. Ava stepped back towards the closet, creating a safe distance between the two before finishing. “I didn’t expect for any of this to happen…” she continued. “I didn’t expect to fall for him… but I did… I need you to understand Desean… I love you… But I’m not in love with you anymore…”

Silence again.

 Desean continued to stare at the floor blankly. He appeared checked out and completely absent minded from the conversation. Almost 2 minutes had passed and he had yet to say a word. Ava held her breath and nervously took two more steps back, entering the closet doorway. She was fearful to turn her back to him. “I’m going to pack my clothes… Okay???” She asked him for approval although she did not need it. Ava was moving out regardless to if he agreed or not.

 Silence.

Hesitantly, she turned her back and walked inside the doorframe. Once entering the closet, she looked up and scanned her side which was overly stuffed with clothes, shoes and designer handbags. Ava sighed. She had a lot to pack. A lot more than what she desired to take. Apart of her wanted to leave everything behind and start fresh. Brand new with no recollections of the past. Her old wardrobe brought back so many memories. Each article of clothing had some sort of story. A memory. Memories she didn’t care about treasuring anymore. It was time to move on. Time to leave her old life behind…

 “You’re not leaving me, Ava….”

In an instant, her muscles tensed after hearing Desean’s chilling voice finally speak out directly behind her. She froze feeling his hot breath hitting the back of her neck. He was standing close. Extremely close. Ava was now trembling. 

“Desean, please…. Just let me go…” she pleaded, masking the shakiness in her voice. She was afraid of him. There was no telling what Desean was capable of when he was angry. She shuddered as she felt his hands suddenly reach out and grip her ass.

“How dare you say there’s someone else, bitch???!!!” he growled in an angry tone. Ava’s eyes widened. She never heard him speak this way. He never called her out her name until now. Desean groped her waist even tighter. “This ass is mines! I’ll be damned if you ever give away what’s mines!”

Forcefully, Ava began to wiggle around in his embrace, attempting to remove his hands from her waist. “Get the fuck off of me! Get off! Get off!” she shouted at him. Desean didn’t listen. He pushed her body against the closet wall and pinned her arms down so she could not move.

“I love you, Ava!” he crazily shouted at her with a crazed look in his eyes. He had gone off the deep end. Ava had pushed him over the edge. “It’s me and you forever baby! Nothing you do or say will change that… I’m never letting you go, Ava… Ever” Desean pulled her in by the back of their neck and puckered his lips. “Give me a kiss. I missed those lips…” Seeing him extend his neck towards her immediately made her want to vomit. Wildly, Ava swung her arms in each and every direction, attempting to fight him off. “You’re crazyyyyyyyyy!” she shouted.  “Let go of me! Let go! Let go!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Suddenly Desean’s body went flying. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!  His grip behind her neck loosened. Ava shrieked after witnessing Desean being knocked off his feet.  She quickly reached for the wall to catch herself from falling with him. As if in slow motion, Desean landed on the floor with a huge thud. to the floor. “Ahhh!” His large figure made a loud sound as it forcefully landed to the ground. He howled out in pain. “What the fuckkkkk?” he cussed. Blake stood in the doorway with his fists clenched by his side.  He stared down at Desean while fuming, appearing as if he wanted to kill him dead. “Don’t you ever put your hands on my lady! I will kill you mother fucker!”

Desean laid on the floor holding his head. He was completely winded from the blow and was shaking his dizziness. Blake had appeared out of nowhere. Ava didn’t even hear him enter the room. She stared in-between the two men dumbfounded.

“You okay???” Blake asked her.

Slowly, SHE swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded her head. “I’m fine.” She answered. Blake had come just in time.

 “Shit!” Desean looked around the closet trying to figure out what hit him. “What the fuck just happened??? Ava????” he called out her name. She did not answer. Quickly, she hopped over his sprawled out body and dashed out of the closet before he could grab a hold of her again. She hid behind Blake, grabbing his arm for protection. Slowly, Desean sat up. His knees wobbled as he got up from the floor, standing to his feet. Everything was a blur to him now. Blake had knocked his ass out real good. He finally stood up and faced them both. His eyes landed directly on Blake. Then on Ava. A surprised look immediately spread across his face as he looked back and forth in-between the two. “What the fuck is this????” he cussed.

Ava’s heart raced as Desean stared at her holding Blake’s arm.

“Ava!” He shouted her name again after she didn’t respond. “Answer me!  Who the fuck is this fool??? Why is he in our house???” Again, she did not answer him.  She couldn’t.

Blake stepped forward and answered for her. “I’m her man!” He responded firmly.

Desean gasped. His jaw dropped. “What the fuck is he talking about, Ava????” He turned his attention towards her. Blake didn’t allow her to respond. He reached back and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her in securely, holding her close to his body. “Don’t speak to my lady that way.” He shot back at him. “It’s over man. You ain’t got shit to say to her anymore.”

Desean gasped again. He looked at Ava with wide eyes. She stared back at him nervously biting her lip. Ava had never seen him so shocked. She stared at the large lump on his head that was slowly beginning to form where Blake had hit him. Her heart fluttered in anxiety. She could no longer take seeing him standing here this way. She turned to Blake. “I want to leave… Now” she stated firmly.

Blake turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “What??? What about your clothes???” he asked.

Fuck those clothes! She answered inside her head. Ava was shaking. Her claustrophobia was beginning to kick in making her feel as if this room was closing in on her. “Blake, please…” she looked up, pleading with her eyes. “I have what I came for… My car keys…. I can’t handle all of this.” she spoke frantically. Ava was breaking down and about 5 seconds away from losing it.

Blake sighed. He shook his head, obviously unhappy with her decision to leave her things behind. He looked back at Desean and glared one last time. “Listen here mother fucker…” he inched towards him with a closed fist. “I’m getting her number changed. You stay the fuck away from my woman and you stay out of her life for good! Or else…. Or else I will kill you….” His tone was dark as he warned Desean to stay away. Ava stared at the serious look on his face. Blake clearly meant business. Desean surprisingly stood by quietly. He did not combat to Blake’s request. Instead, he looked over at her with a distraught look on his face. “Ava….” He called her name barely above a whisper. The anger in his face had melted. He looked hurt now. Devastated seeing her stand before him with another man. “Ava, don’t leave me like this… I need you… I love you…”

Frustratedly, she turned her back deciding she heard enough. Ava was tired of him saying he loved her but never really showing her. She had given him too many chances. Now, she didn’t feel sorry seeing him standing before her lumped up. He had brought this upon himself.  He had his chance to love her. Instead he lost her. Desean has issues I couldn’t fix. He’s mentally unstable…. Shamefully, it took 1,498 days for me to realize…

“Let’s go Blake.” She reached back and laced her fingers in-between his. He squeezed her hand back, giving her extreme confidence.

“I’m right behind you babe…” he answered.

For a second, the moment stood still in time. She took one last look at Desean and mouthed the words goodbye. To her surprise, a light tear began to form in the corner of his eye. She never seen him cry. Ava looked away before she could witness it. She glanced back at Blake. He was her hero. He saved her. Without wasting anymore time or any more precious energy, Ava led the way, pulled him out of the bedroom, down the stairs and out the front door before Desean could come after her again…

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 17.

 Chapter 17.

 

“Whatever you want baby. You name it and it is yours. Just tell me how much you need, and I will make sure that you have it…I’m going to show you how a man takes care of his woman if it’s the last thing I do…”

Ava smiled from ear to ear as she strolled up the walkway with her fingers laced in-between Blake’s. Together, they walked in a straight line holding hands. Shopping bags filled her other hand. The weight of the bag placed a crook in her arm muscles but she didn’t mind the extra baggage. Blake’s words sounded like music to her ears. She batted her eyelashes at him. “For real babe???” she asked. He chuckled at her giddiness then squeezed her hand tighter. “I never have been so serious about something in my life…” Ava’s heart fluttered as she listened to him talk. His words gave her comfort. He encouraged her. Together, they scrolled up the crowded breezeway which happened to be filled to the max today. It was a hectic and busy day inside the Wilmington Independence Mall. Traffic was heavy. All of the department stores were overly crowded with people. Blake and Ava had been shopping a little over an hour and she had already purchased more clothes than she could carry. She glanced over at Blake. “You think this is enough???” she asked him, holding