Chapter 6: Brielle Walks Through the Door
At 8:43 p.m., Tasha's birthday party was still going.
The music had been turned down, the cake had been cut, and half the guests were gathered around the kitchen island, eating slices from paper plates.
Nobody knew the whole story.
But enough people had noticed Marcus arriving and leaving with an expression that made conversation stop whenever he passed.
Tasha stood beside the living room window, staring at the dark screen of her phone.
Marcus had called her six times.
She hadn't answered.
Then he sent a message.
*Marcus: We need to talk without everybody putting things in your head.*
Tasha read it twice before handing the phone to Nia.
“Look at this.””
Nia read the message and raised an eyebrow.
“He still doesn't get it.””
“Apparently not.””
Tasha took her phone back.
For years, she had imagined that if Marcus ever betrayed her, she would recognize it immediately. She would notice the change in his voice, the suspicious phone calls, the sudden distance.
But betrayal had not arrived with a warning.
It had come wrapped in compliments, promises, and affectionate names.
It had sat across from her at dinner.
It had held her hand in public.
It had kissed her goodbye and then gone somewhere else.
Tasha looked at the bracelet on her wrist.
She unclasped it and placed it in the jewelry box.
“I don't want to wear this anymore.””
Nia stood beside her.
“Then don't.””
Tasha glanced at her.
“You make everything sound so easy.””
“Taking it off is easy. Everything else is going to take time.””
Tasha looked away.
“I don't know who I was dating.””
“Maybe you knew the parts of him he wanted you to see.””
“That doesn't make me feel better.””
“I know.””
Across the room, Camille approached carrying two glasses of water.
She handed one to Tasha.
“Drink this.””
Tasha accepted it.
“Thank you.””
Camille looked between the two women.
“Are we going to talk about what happened, or are we going to spend the rest of the night pretending the birthday cake is the most interesting thing in this apartment?””
Tasha let out a weak laugh.
“I don't want everybody knowing my business.””
“Then everybody doesn't need to know. But the people who love you should know enough to support you.””
Nia nodded.
“She's right.””
Tasha sipped her water.
“I just wanted one good birthday.””
Camille touched her shoulder.
“You can still have one.””
“How?””
“By remembering that your birthday is about you. Not Marcus. Not Brielle. Not whether somebody else wants your boyfriend.””
Tasha looked at her cousin.
“I don't even know if I want him anymore.””
“Then don't make that decision tonight. Make the decision you can live with tomorrow.””
For a moment, Tasha allowed herself to breathe.
Then the doorbell rang.
Everyone in the living room turned toward the entrance.
One of Tasha's friends called out, “Who else is coming?””
Tasha frowned.
She hadn't invited anyone else.
Camille walked toward the door, but Nia caught her arm.
“Wait.””
Camille looked at her.
“What?””
Nia glanced at Tasha.
“I think we should see who's there before we open it.””
Tasha's phone buzzed.
A new message appeared.
*Unknown Number: It's Brielle. We need to talk.*
Tasha's heart began pounding.
She looked at Nia.
“That's her.””
Nia's expression hardened.
“Do you want to speak to her?””
Tasha swallowed.
“I don't know.””
The doorbell rang again.
Then a woman's voice came from the hallway.
“Tasha? My name is Brielle. Please open the door.””
The guests had gone quiet.
Tasha could hear the soft scrape of shoes against the floor, the faint rustle of someone adjusting a handbag, and the steady rhythm of her own breathing.
She walked to the door.
When she opened it, a woman in a fitted navy dress stood in the hallway holding a phone and a small paper bag.
Brielle looked younger than Tasha expected, perhaps twenty-five or twenty-six. Her dark curls fell over her shoulders, and her makeup was carefully applied. She looked composed, but her fingers trembled around the bag.
Her eyes moved past Tasha and settled on Nia.
Then they returned to Tasha.
“Can I come in?””
Tasha stepped aside.
Brielle entered slowly.
The moment she saw the birthday decorations, her expression shifted.
“I didn't know it was your birthday party.””
Tasha closed the door.
“You knew it was my birthday.””
Brielle lowered her eyes.
“Yes.””
“And you still came?””
“I didn't come to ruin your night.””
Tasha let out a short laugh.
“That's interesting, considering you've been dating my boyfriend.””
Brielle flinched.
“I'm sorry.””
“Don't apologize yet. I have questions.””
Brielle nodded.
“Okay.””
Tasha led her into the kitchen.
Nia followed, as did Camille, though she remained near the doorway. Danielle stood beside the dining table, looking uncomfortable.
Brielle noticed Danielle and sighed.
“So you know too.””
Danielle folded her arms.
“Everybody knows something now.””
Brielle looked down.
Tasha pulled out a chair.
“Sit.””
Brielle sat, placing the paper bag on the table.
Tasha remained standing.
“How long have you been seeing Marcus?””
Brielle looked at her hands.
“Since July.””
Tasha's face went still.
“July?””
“Yes.””
“We started dating last January.””
“I know.””
“You knew he had a girlfriend?””
Brielle looked up.
“He told me you two had broken up.””
Tasha stared at her.
“When?””
“He said you broke up in June, but you were still talking because you weren't ready to let go.””
The room went silent.
Tasha felt the words strike somewhere deep inside her.
June.
In June, Marcus had taken her to a lake outside Atlanta and talked about their future. He had told her that he wanted to build a life with her, that he could see them sharing a home, that he had never been more certain about a relationship.
She remembered sitting on a picnic blanket with her shoes off, listening to him describe the kind of house he wanted.
He had kissed her forehead and called her his future wife.
The memory made her feel physically sick.
“He told you we broke up in June?””
Brielle nodded.
“Yes.””
“And you believed him?””
“I did at first. Then I saw pictures of you together in August.””
Tasha gripped the back of a chair.
“What did you do?””
“I asked him about it.””
“And?””
“He said you were having a hard time accepting the breakup. He said he was trying to be kind because you were emotionally attached.””
Tasha's eyes filled with tears.
She turned away.
For a moment, the kitchen blurred.
She remembered the late-night conversations. The birthday plans. The apartment listings. The promise that they would make a decision about moving in together after the holidays.
All of it had happened while Marcus was telling another woman that Tasha couldn't let him go.
Nia stepped closer.
“Tasha, sit down.””
Tasha shook her head.
“I'm fine.””
“No, you're not.””
Tasha looked at her friend, then finally sat.
Brielle's eyes were wet.
“I didn't know what to believe anymore. He kept saying you were separated, but then he'd get nervous whenever I mentioned meeting his family.””
“Did you meet his family?”” Tasha asked.
“His mother, his aunt, and a few cousins.””
Tasha looked toward Danielle.
Danielle's face had gone pale.
“He introduced you to his mother?””
Brielle nodded.
“Yes.””
Tasha let out a trembling breath.
“He's never introduced me to his mother.””
Nobody spoke.
That detail hurt more than she expected.
Marcus had told her his mother was private. He had said their relationship was complicated, that his family had a lot going on, and that he wanted to wait until the right time.
Tasha had respected that.
She had never pushed.
Brielle looked horrified.
“I thought he was keeping you separate because the breakup was recent.””
Tasha pressed her palms against her eyes.
“No. He was keeping us separate because he was lying to both of us.””
Brielle began to cry.
“I know.””
Tasha lowered her hands.
“Then why are you here?””
Brielle wiped her cheeks and reached for the paper bag.
“Because I found something on his phone.””
Nia straightened.
“What did you find?””
Brielle removed a small folded receipt and placed it on the table.
It was from the same jewelry store Danielle had shown them earlier.
Tasha looked at the date.
The purchase had been made two weeks before Marcus gave her the bracelet.
Brielle pointed to the item description.
“He told me he was buying a gift for his mother. I found the receipt when he asked me to look for his car keys.””
Tasha stared at the printed details.
Two matching gold bracelets.
One had been purchased for Tasha.
The other had been purchased for Brielle.
Brielle swallowed.
“He told me he wanted us to have something that matched. He said it was a private gift, something that meant we were building a future together.””
Tasha felt the last of her hope collapse.
Marcus hadn't simply bought two similar gifts by coincidence.
He had attached the same promise to both.
Nia leaned against the counter, her expression unreadable.
“He used the same story on both of you.””
Brielle nodded.
“I think so.””
Tasha looked at her.
“Did he tell you he loved you?””
Brielle's eyes filled again.
“Yes.””
“Did he say he wanted to marry you?””
Brielle nodded.
“He said he wanted to make things official after my birthday.””
Tasha froze.
“Your birthday?””
“Next month.””
Tasha stared at her.
Then she looked at the bracelet in the jewelry box, still sitting on the counter.
The similarities were almost unbearable.
The gifts.
The promises.
The excuses.
The timing.
Marcus had not been confused about what he wanted.
He had been giving each woman just enough hope to keep her waiting.
Tasha stood and walked to the window.
Behind her, she heard Brielle whisper, “I'm sorry.””
Tasha turned around.
“I believe you didn't know the whole truth. But you knew something was wrong when you saw our pictures.””
Brielle lowered her head.
“Yes.””
“And you stayed.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Brielle took a shaky breath.
“Because I wanted to believe him. Every time I questioned him, he made me feel like I was being insecure. He said I was letting other people's opinions ruin something good.””
Tasha closed her eyes.
The words sounded painfully familiar.
Marcus had told her she was insecure whenever she questioned his late nights.
He had accused her of being jealous whenever she noticed his attention drifting.
He had told her she was creating problems that didn't exist.
They had both been trained to doubt their own instincts.
Tasha opened her eyes.
“Did he ever talk about me when you were together?””
Brielle hesitated.
“Yes.””
“What did he say?””
“He said you were beautiful, but difficult. He said you wanted a serious relationship and he wasn't ready to settle down.””
Tasha felt a tear slide down her cheek.
“Did he say anything else?””
Brielle looked toward the door.
Then she lowered her voice.
“He said he was worried about how you'd react when you found out about us.””
Tasha laughed bitterly.
“So he knew exactly what he was doing.””
Brielle didn't answer.
Tasha looked around the kitchen at the women gathered with her.
Her best friend.
Her cousin.
The woman Marcus had been dating behind her back.
For months, she had imagined herself standing against another woman.
Instead, she was standing in a room full of people who had each been given a different version of the same lie.
Her phone buzzed.
A message from Marcus appeared.
*Marcus: Don't believe anything Brielle tells you. She's trying to trap me.*
Tasha stared at the screen.
Before she could respond, another message came through.
*Marcus: And don't let Nia get involved. She's been trying to come between us from the beginning.*
Nia read the message over Tasha's shoulder.
She shook her head slowly.
“Unbelievable.””
Tasha looked at Brielle.
“Did he tell you I was jealous of you?””
Brielle nodded.
“He said you would probably blame me because you couldn't accept that he wanted something different.””
Tasha looked at the phone again.
Marcus was still trying to make the women distrust one another.
Even now.
Even after everything had come to light.
Tasha typed a reply.
We're all here. If you have something to say, come say it to our faces.
She pressed send.
Nia looked at her.
“Are you sure?””
Tasha nodded.
“No more secret conversations. No more letting him tell different stories to different people.””
Within seconds, Marcus replied.
*Marcus: You don't know what you're doing. You're going to regret this.*
Tasha's hands trembled, but she didn't look away from the screen.
Then another message arrived.
This one was from a number she didn't recognize.
*Unknown Number: If Marcus is with all of you right now, ask him about the money he borrowed from Brielle.*
Tasha lifted her head.
Brielle went completely still.
Nia looked from the phone to Brielle.
“What money?””
Brielle's face crumpled.
“He told me it was for a business investment.””
Tasha stared at her.
“How much?””
Brielle whispered the amount.
Twenty thousand dollars.
Camille covered her mouth.
Tasha felt the room grow cold.
Brielle shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
“He promised he'd pay me back. He said we were building something together.””
Tasha looked down at the bracelet receipt.
Then at the unknown number.
Before she could ask another question, a final message appeared.
*Unknown Number: That money wasn't for a business. I have the bank records to prove it.*
Tasha slowly raised her eyes.
“Who is this?””
The reply came almost immediately.
*Unknown Number: Someone Marcus owes a lot more than twenty thousand dollars.*
And beneath it was a name Tasha had never expected to see.
*Monique.*
Marcus's supposed ex-girlfriend.
The woman he had always claimed was crazy, obsessed, and incapable of moving on.
Tasha read the message again.
Then she looked at Nia.
“Call her,” she whispered.
Nia reached for the phone.
May you like
Outside, the party had fallen completely silent.
And for the first time that night, Tasha understood that Marcus's lies might have begun long before he ever met Brielle—or even before he started dating her.