PROMISED TO HIM
CHAPTER 12
MAYIBUYE SMITH
Every time he leaves like that, I tell myself I won’t care. That I won’t let his coldness bother me. But the truth? It does. Every harsh stare, every silence, every slammed door — it eats away at me bit by bit.
Why does he have to be so impossible?
One minute he’s quiet and unreadable, and the next he’s boiling with rage. I never know what version of Roy Smith I’ll wake up to.
And when I try to talk, he walks out. Always. Like I’m not even worth listening to
Except this time, there was no one left to hear me.
I started cleaning up the table just to distract myself, stacking plates, rinsing cups. My hands moved automatically, but my mind was somewhere else — replaying last night.
The argument.
The anger.
The sound of glass shattering as my phone hit the wall
I felt my throat tighten. Who does that?Jayden means well besides it his brother
I jumped slightly when the door opened again. My heart leapt — for a moment, I thought it was him.
But it was Jayden.
“Hey, sunshine,” he said with his usual grin, holding out a cup of coffee.
“You look like you need this.”
I smiled weakly, taking it.
“You’re becoming my personal caffeine dealer.”
He laughed and leaned on the counter. But then his expression softened when he looked at my face. “You’ve been crying again.”
I looked down. “Does it show that much?”
“Only because I know you,” he said gently. “Did he say something again?”
I hesitated, then sighed. “Worse.”
Jayden’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean worse?”
I bit my lip, feeling embarrassed even to say it out loud. “He… broke my phone.”
Jayden froze. “What?”
“He saw your name pop up last night and when you told me you miss me he lost it,” I continued, voice trembling. “I don’t even know what he thought, but before I could explain, he grabbed it and—” I made a crushing motion with my hand. “Just like that….he is not speaking to me ”
Jayden’s whole expression changed — the lightness vanished, replaced by alarm. He straightened immediately.
“Mayi… listen to me. If Roy broke your phone, that’s not anger — that’s a warning.”
I frowned. “A warning for what?”
“For you to stop talking to me,” he said quickly.
“You don’t know him like I do. When he gets quiet like that — when he doesn’t shout — it means he’s planning something.”
My heart skipped. “Planning what, Jay?”
He ran a hand through his hair, pacing the kitchen like a storm was brewing inside him.
“He’s possessive, Mayi. You’re not just his wife on paper — in his mind, you’re his property. And if he thinks anyone, especially me, is getting close to you…”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
“Jayden, you’re scaring me,” I whispered.
He turned to me, eyes serious.
“Good. You should be scared. Because if Roy’s gone to the club this early, it’s not just business — it’s distraction. He’s trying to calm himself down before he does something stupid.”
I blinked, my stomach knotting. “So what should I do? Stay here? Wait?”
“No,” he said firmly. “Pack your bags and leave Roy…don’t let him treat you like property…. I’ll talk to Roy when he cools off.”
“I can’t just leave,” I said quickly. “You know how he is. If he comes back and I’m gone—”
“He’ll go ballistic,” Jayden finished for me. “But at least you’ll be safe.”
The word safe sounded foreign in this house.
I swallowed hard. “I’m not leaving him he will find me within a minute I’m … something he’s stuck with.”
Jayden’s jaw tightened. “he doesn’t deserve you.”
I turned away, pretending to sip my coffee, though my hands trembled. “Maybe,” I whispered.
“But I’m already his. Whether I like it or not.”
He looked at me for a long moment — something unreadable flickering in his eyes.
“If he touches you again,” he said quietly, “I’ll make sure he regrets it.”
“Jayden—”
“No, I mean it.” His voice dropped lower.
“I’ve seen what Roy can do to people who cross him. But I’ve also seen what he becomes when he’s losing control”
The words hung between us like a curse.
Outside, thunder rolled in the distance, and rain began to tap softly against the kitchen windows.
For a long moment, we just stood there — two people trapped in the eye of a storm, waiting for it to break.
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In the night*
The house was silent. The rain had turned into a full storm, wind howling through the cracks of the old windows.
I sat curled on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, staring at the flickering TV screen. My mind wasn’t on the show. It was on Roy.
Where was he?
What was he planning?
Jayden’s warning echoed in my head over and over.
“When he gets quiet… it means he’s planning something.”
I glanced at the clock. It was nearing midnight.
My chest tightened with every passing minute, the air heavy with the scent of rain and fear.
And somewhere, in that silence between thunderclaps, I knew — Roy wasn’t done with me yet he will make me pay for sins i don’t know cause he hates me