Trinity turned over in the bed when she realized that Amari was no longer holding her, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. The only light came from the very small opening between the bathroom door and the ground, so she figured he was in there. She picked up her phone to see that it was 6:02 in the morning, which wasn't an unusual time for him to be awake.

She, on the other hand, was so sleepy and didn't feel like getting up at all because Amaria kept her awake all night while trying to get over a cold. She knew that he was in there thinking about something he had no business thinking about though, so she got up anyway and walked to the bathroom where he was.

It was dark inside besides the light coming from his phone, so she flipped the switch, watching him squint his eyes at the sudden brightness. He heard her coming but the light still caught him off guard.

"Feeling like a vampire this morning?" She asked with her arms folded across her chest, leaning against the doorway.

"My head hurt ma." He chuckled, shielding his eyes with his hands.

"Mmm. I wonder why. It couldn't possibly be because you refuse to go to sleep or eat anything?" She spoke sarcastically, looking down at where he sat on the floor in the corner of the bathroom with his legs pulled up to his chest.

"I ate some spaghetti a few minutes ago. Shut up." He waved her off, and she shook her head, walking over to the sink to brush her teeth since she clearly wouldn't be going back to sleep no time soon.

Afterwards, she grabbed the throw blanket from their bed and turned off the light in the bathroom before laying next to him on the floor. She cover him up with the blanket and closed her eyes even though she didn't plan on going to sleep.

"Did you actually eat it?" She asked.

"Yeah. Two bowls. You should be proud." He told her, and she chuckled, shaking her head again.

"Why were you sitting in here in the dark?" She followed up with her next question.

"I felt like I was getting on yo' nerves 'cause I kept turning around in the bed. I wanted you to get some sleep." He spoke truthfully. Every time he moved, she'd wake up and ask if he was okay because she was such a light sleeper. Even a pin dropping on carpet would wake her up.

"Thank you but I was fine. Just checking on you. I worry about you, even when I'm sleeping. I'm worried right now, too." She said quietly to him, and Amari's arms slid around her to pull her close.

"Are you thinking about Davon?" She asked, staring at him in the dark. Tomorrow was his one year death anniversary.

"Yeah. I'm aight though. You ain't gotta worry ma." He assured.

"Did you smoke?" She couldn't smell it or anything but she had a feeling he did.

"Yes."

"Anything else?" She asked.

"I took a perc and a Xan." He told her, unsure of how she even knew that. "How did you know?"

"You're slurring your words." She answered, and he went quiet, chewing the inside of his cheek. He hadn't realized.

"You say I don't have to worry about you and then you go and mix a benzo and an opioid. That is the fastest way to overdose. You know that?"

"I'm sorry ma ma. Don't be mad. I didn't know what else to do." He buried his face in the crook of her neck, leaving a kiss there.

"Stop it. I'm not about to fuck you." She pushed his hands away when they found her waistband, and Amari kept his face in her neck but moved his hands.

"I'm sorry." He apologized again.

"Did you take your medicine?" She asked.

"Yes." He answered truthfully.

"Why are you horny right now then?"

"I be horny all the time ma. Ain't nothin' new." He chuckled, and she rolled her eyes but wrapped her arms around him anyway.

"You do get on my nerves. You know that?" She mumbled quietly, and he nodded his head. "But I love you. And I'm here for you if you want to talk."

"I know baby." He mumbled back. Then, he wrapped his arms around her legs and picked her up from the ground as if she was as light as a feather, carrying her over to the bed.

They got back underneath the covers together, and Trinity raised up to check on Amaria who lay asleep in the bassinet connected to their bed before turning around to face Amari again. He laid his forehead against hers, and from the way his breathing slowed down, she knew that he was drifting off to sleep.

"I want you to throw them away when you wake up. You understand me? All of it." Trinity's hand came up to rub his face, referring to the pills that she knew for sure wasn't prescribed to him.

"Yes ma'am." He mumbled again. "If you up before me, they in my top drawer. Both of 'em."

"Okay. I love you. Dream of me." She said, and he smiled for a moment and was asleep in the next. She put her hand on his neck to feel his heartbeat, making sure it was at a steady pace. She fell asleep with him, keeping her hand there the whole time.

Trinity stared down at Amari who was still asleep in the bed and now holding Amaria on his chest. She'd gotten on to him about co-sleeping so many times and that was the whole reason they had a bassinet now; so that Amaria would be able to still sleep with them but not actually with them. He just couldn't help it though.

"Baby, you know you have Amaria right?" She tapped him awake, listening to him groan in response. "Amari, are you listening to me?"

"Yeah ma I know I got her." He mumbled, resting both of his hands on her back so that he'd feel if she moved.

"Okay. Be careful please." She leaned over to give him a kiss, and he returned it before turning his head to the side where Trinity's pillow was, dozing off with her scent right in his face.

Trinity tightened her towel around her body before walking out of their bedroom, heading to Miri's since hers was the closest. She knocked on the door and opened it moments later when she was granted permission to come inside.

"Best come in Leila room with me." She stuck her head in the door, and Miri unplugged her iPad as she stood up from her bed, doing as told.

"What happened?" Miri asked as they walked side by side to the other side of the house where Leila's room was.

"I need to talk to y'all about something important."

"Lord have mercy. Leila, we in trouble sista." Miri said as soon as she opened the door, walking inside without bothering to knock. Then she laughed at the sound of Trinity sucking her teeth.

"What I do?" Leila mocked an Asian lady from the TikTok with Funny Marco, making both girls laugh as they climbed in the bed with her.

"No y'all are not in trouble. Unless y'all need to be?" Trinity rose an eyebrow in suspicion, and both of them pretended to look around the room before they all laughed again.

"I ain't been doing nothing but hair and that nigga, okayyyy." Leila tapped her thumb and pointer finger together and shrugged at the same time.

"Bitch when is you gon' bring him home? Damn. You been with him since before you and Tee even broke up and we still ain't met him." Miri frowned at her.

"Girl 'cause y'all see what happens when I bring niggas home? They get put the fuck out. Like I need to make sure this shit locked in foreal foreal. 'Cause right now we just be fucking and going out to eat and shit. That ain't serious enough for him to meet the most important people in my life, hellooo."

"Hellloooo!" Trinity gave her a high five, earning another laugh from Leila.

"Foreal though. Back to you. We in trouble or what?" Leila then chuckled, putting her attention back on Trinity who sat on the left of her.

"No. What do y'all think about me moving out? With Amari." She spoke slowly, watching both of their expressions change before she could even finish her sentence.

"I told him yes already but I wanted to talk to y'all before actually making a decision. 'Cause he's been paying all of the bills since he's been here—and I know y'all can do it by y'all self but like, would y'all want to? I don't want it to put a financial strain on y'all 'cause Lei I know you still have to pay for your shop out of pocket and Miri, you've been starting up your clothes line." She explained her thought process to them, talking with her hands.

"Ugh. I knew this day would eventually come but I'm so sad it's here already." Leila dramatically groaned in fake agony, making Trinity smile.

"No seriously. Like not you actually growing up best. You have your own little family and stuff. Enough to make a grown man cry." Miri pouted at her, and she laughed at how dramatic both of them were. They swore she was their baby.

"Stop because I literally already cried about it. I don't wanna leave y'all. We been living together for forever, literally. And that's why I told him no when he asked me earlier this year.. but we are getting older and I can't lie like I don't want a space with just him. That fake ass American dream life." She chuckled, trying not to cry again. She loved them so much.

"I mean, who are we to tell you no? If you ready, then go ahead sista. I just—I ain't gon' front like I'm not scared for you. He's been doing good but what if one day he doesn't? What if a bad day happens and you and Fat are there alone with him?" Leila asked.

"We talked about that. I'm scared too—and he knows it. I believe in him though. We're gonna get him into therapy soon, too. I trust him. 'Cause even when he did have those bad days, he always made sure to get away from me so that he wouldn't hurt me again. If it does happen, he'll leave. That's always the first thing he does as soon as he feels it happening."

"I trust him too. He takes good care of y'all. And he's done way more good than bad. So I say go for it. You know I always been team y'all." Miri shrugged, and Trinity smiled as Leila nodded in agreement.

"What are y'all gonna do? Y'all gon' keep the house?" Trinity asked. Their rent was 2800 and that didn't include any of the other bills like electricity and water, and although she knew that had the money for it, she wasn't sure if they'd wanna split it two way instead of three like they did before Amari took over.

"What you wanna do?" Leila turned to ask Miri, making Trinity look over at her as well.

"I don't know to be honest. I wouldn't mind but we have four bedrooms and it'll only be two of us. I say we go back to mama 'nem house foreal. Hell." She raised her hands up in surrender, causing more laughter between the three of them.

"I'm playing. But ugh. I hate being an adult. I do not wanna live by myself but maybe it's time. Sigh. I wanna live with my sisters foreverrrrr." Miri chuckled, wearing a playful pout again.

"Not we actually going our separate ways. Lord send the flood, please." Leila reached for the sky, unable to even take herself serious as the laughter returned.

"No but foreal, how soon we talking? Like, tomorrow type shit?" She then turned to look at her sister, and Trinity rolled her eyes.

"Definitely not tomorrow. Maybe within this month though. We're gonna move into his grandparents house. He trapped me by saying he wants to raise our family there. Like how can I say no to that?"

"True. And that lady house nice as hell, too. He gone let you redecorate though? 'Cause no shade best it definitely gives old lady." Miri held a yikes expression on her face, making Trinity laugh.

"Yeah, he said I could. He just wants to keep all of the pictures. Thankfully Davon's nephew did a free remodel for him a couple years ago so the floors are already perfect. I'll just get the walls painted white, take down a couple things, and you know—change all the furniture for sure. But I don't wanna modernize it too much. I won't do a lot." She explained to the both of them.

Before either of them could respond, a loud knock came to their front door and was followed by a press of their doorbell. The alarm system alerted that someone was there, and all of them looked at each other since they weren't expecting company.

"My phone dead." Leila raised her phone in the air, unable to access the ring camera. Trinity left her's in the bedroom and Miri didn't have the app downloaded on her iPad.

"Damn. Well. One of y'all hoes go open it. This y'all mufuckin' house. I ain't on the lease." Miri gestured both of them out of the room, and Trinity smacked her lips while Leila rolled her eyes, but all three of them stood up.

"Who that is? Y'all got somebody coming over?" Amari met them at the end of the hall, and they all shook their head in response. Trinity wondered when did he finally decide to get out of the bed.

"Chicago P.D." A few more knocks came to their door, and Trinity's eyes widened while Amari's eyebrows came together in a frown.

"I'm good. I ain't did nothin'." He said to her when she tried to stop him from opening the door, and when he kissed her forehead, she let him go.

"Hey, Officer Tells from Chicago P.D. I'm looking for a, uh—Amari Bennett?" He said as if he was unfamiliar with the name after Amari opened the door.

"That's me. Wassup?"

"I'm sorry to say this but your mother, Sharon Bennett, passed away about two hours ago from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head." The officer appeared sad as he struggled to get it out completely, and Trinity's mouth fell open in shock while Amari just continued staring at the two officers standing there.

"She left this for you. I'm sorry for your loss." The second officer held out an envelope that had already been opened, most likely by the first responders or the forensic team.

"How y'all know it was her?" Amari asked, seemingly unfazed.

"She was found in her apartment and we confirmed with the fingerprints in our database. You are free to visit the coroners office to confirm. Here, I'll write the address down f—,"

"Nah you good. That's all?" He said after taking the envelope, and the two officers looked at each other in confusion before nodding at him.

"Aight. Thanks." He closed the door in their face, then turned to look down at Trinity who was still visibly shocked.

"You mad at me?" He asked her.

"Am I—what? No?" She was just as confused as the officers.

"Aight. Here. I don't want it. I'm finna go back to sleep." He kissed her face before giving the envelope to her, and all three girls watched him walk back to their bedroom in utter disbelief.

"That man needs to go see the lady. Immediately." Leila shook her head, then frowned when Miri hit her arm.

Trinity followed him back to the room, and she saw that instead of getting in the bed, he grabbed his smoke box and went into the bathroom. So, she followed him in there too.

"I'm good. Read the letter." He said before she could even say anything, taking a dime bag of weed out and a package of slow burn Dutch wraps.

"Amari.." she grabbed his arm to stop him, and he looked down at her to see what she'd say. She couldn't even gather the right words.

"Why'd you ask if I was mad at you?" She asked.

"'Cause I told her to kill herself and she actually did it." He chuckled, going back to unwrapping the Dutch leaf.

"Are you laughing?" Her eyebrows came together in a small frown, watching him shrug.

"If you want me to be sad, ion know what to tell you. I told her to do it 'cause that's what I wanted. I should get drunk and celebrate. But I won't 'cause I hate hangovers." He spoke so casually that it actually caught her off guard.

Now that his grandparents were both dead and gone, he could no longer feel emotion for anyone or anything that didn't involve Trinity and Amaria. If it wasn't about them, he honestly couldn't care less. Sometimes Trinity forgot about that.

His mother, though? Never in a million years would he cry about finally being rid of her. He told her he wanted her to die and he meant that with every fiber of his being. It should've happened a long time ago; that was the only he was upset about. It took way too long.

"Jesus. You are so—lord have mercy." Trinity sat down on top of the counter and pulled the letter out, and he chuckled again at how she was at a loss for words.

"I don't know why you shocked. You wanted me to be sad? I literally told her to do it."

"I know but I didn't think she'd listen. And you are just so, calm. Like you're not feeling anything at all. You're not even happy." She stared up at him with a frown, and he just shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm relieved. That should count for something, right? That's a feeling." He shrugged again.

"Jesus." She mumbled to herself, unable to say anything else. As she stared down at the letter, she figured that Sharon must've been high when she wrote it. A lot of the sentences didn't make sense and there were some scribbling through random words and letters.

The few well put sentences was about her professing her love and guilt for Amari. She apologized for giving birth to him and for making him live a terrible life, she wrote down her wishes for him to be better than she and Silk ever was, she talked about wanting to meet Amaria and one day be able to attend him and Trinity's wedding, then it went back to illegible gibberish.

On the back of the paper, Sharon went into detail about how she let Silk's influence ruin her life even after he died ten years ago and some of the trauma she went through with him. She apologized to Amari for meeting his father and ignoring all of the red flags just because she wanted a taste of the money and popularity he had.

By the end of the letter, Trinity shed a couple of tears and was upset with herself for it because she didn't want Sharon to have her sympathy after the horrible things she did to Amari; and things that she let other people do as well. He didn't deserve any of that, regardless of the similar struggles Sharon faced.

"You done ma ma?" He asked after a while, letting smoke come through his nose. When she nodded, he took the paper from her and held his lighter at the bottom of it to set it on fire.

Trinity didn't even say anything. She just watched his pupils dilate for a second before returning to their normal state as the paper burned and fell apart, piece by piece, turning into ash. When it was mostly burnt, he blew out the flame and ran some water over it to prevent any smoke from rising to the detectors.

"She wrote about my daddy?" He asked her, and she nodded her head again.

"Hm. She got that bad, you know? She likes to blame him for a lot of shit. Some shit she did when he wasn't even around. When he used to try to go to AA meetings, she'd spike his drinks to make him relapse. She was just as evil as him. I swear she was." He spoke as if he couldn't believe it.

"Did you try to run away sometimes?" Trinity wondered out loud.

"Nah. I did one time and my daddy went and beat on my pops 'cause he knew they was hiding me over there. Never did it again." He told her, and she covered her mouth as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I feel good. Like I can breathe again.." He said, pausing for a moment. "That's weird, huh?"

"No. It's not." She validated his feelings, and he looked at her for a second before nodding to agree.

"You tired of me yet Trinity?" He sat on top of the counter next to her, ashing his blunt in the smoke box.

"Why would I be?"

"I feel like I'm too much for myself so I can only imagine how it feels for you. I feel like a charity case." He expressed.

"You are never too much to somebody who loves you. Your 'too muchness' is the main reason why I love you the way that I do. I love you more than anything." She pulled his head close to kiss his cheek, watching a single tear slip out of his eye.

"I feel so grateful that you choose me as the one you confide in. You are not a charity case. You deserve an ear that listens just like everyone else does. And I'll always be here to do that. And I'll never get tired of it. Ever."

"My baby. I love you so much." He mumbled after wrapping his arms around her. He didn't know where he'd be if he would've never crossed paths with her again.

I'm tired of this book it's time to roll the credits now