I Didn't Think You Existed 2

by Hazel Ro

Genres: Christian Suspense

Synopsis

Fate brought Terrence Montgomery and Tiffany Tate into each other’s lives. They seem like the perfect match. However, they couldn’t have met at a more inopportune time. Terrence is considering divorce from his wife, Patricia, who he’s
never truly been in love with, while also struggling with the recent and sudden death of his father. Tiffany just got wind that her ex-fiancé, David, is battling cancer—supposedly. His dying wish is that she’ll give him another chance at love.
Her heart wants to be there for him, but will this cost her newfound love with Terrence?
Their mates, Patricia and David, have now teamed up to keep the two lovers apart as well as get their hands on a portion of the one million dollars from Terrence’s father’s estate. Little does Tiffany know that their underhanded schemes will not
be her only obstacle. Malaysia and Roslyn, two very single women who cross paths with Terrence in his time of despair, both believe that he is also their blessing from God. They have their own tricks up their sleeves to keep him all to themselves.
It’s all one big, messy pot of gumbo! By the end of this love story, can Terrence and Tiffany finally prove that love, in fact, does exist for them? Find out in I Didn’t Think You Existed 2: A Fool in Love.

Release date: August 30, 2022

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

My nerves were a complete wreck. My heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it would come through my chest. All I could see was the look of betrayal and disappointment written across Terrence’s face as he looked back at me before stepping onto the elevator.

With the help of my best friend, Keisha, he had prepared an amazing night for us here in suite 1307 of the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis. Everything was perfect. Roses and lit candles were all throughout the suite. Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries were waiting near the filled Jacuzzi tub. And even the bed was adorned with rose petals, in the shape of a heart. Terrence hadn’t left out one single thing. This was supposed to be our special night, when we confessed our love for one another without any inhibitions—despite the fact that he had a wife. I wasn’t sure if he’d already told her that he wanted a divorce or that he was in love with me. That wasn’t my concern. All I wanted was to share the first night of the rest of our lives together.

But now it felt as if my dream had been ripped away from me.

I’d waited patiently at the suite for Terrence’s arrival. I’d longed for his scent, the gentleness of his touch, and the warmth of his body next to mine. Fantasies had even danced through my mind: I’d envisioned him removing my black silk robe, laying me down on the bed, and having his way with me while giving me all of him. It was going to be a beautiful dream come true for both of us. But when he’d reached the suite, he’d found me here with David—wrapped in his arms, no less. And in a matter of seconds, that beautiful dream had turned into a big, dreadful nightmare. After roughing up David, he’d turned on his heels and left the suite without uttering a word. I’d run to the door and watched him charge down the hallway to the elevators.

I could only imagine what was going through Terrence’s mind. Did he really think I’d invited David here? Did he honestly believe there’d been more to my and David’s embrace than an expression of friendship?

My heart literally felt like it was in the pit of my stomach as I tried now to concentrate on what to do next. Oblivious to everything around me, I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and tried calling him, but just as I figured, he didn’t answer. In fact, his phone didn’t even ring. The call went straight to his voicemail, so I knew that he’d turned off his phone. After trying several times more to reach him, I shot him a couple of texts, begging him to at least return my call.

“God, if only he would just hear me out and let me explain. I know that we can fix this,” I said aloud to myself.

“Listen, I know you don’t want to hear it, Tiff, but maybe this was all for the best.” I was surprised to hear David’s voice, as I had forgotten all about him being here. He walked from the bathroom while wiping his face with a towel as he continued sharing his unwanted thoughts. “I mean, did you see how he attacked me? That man’s temper is outrageous, and you don’t need a guy like that in your life. And, hell, he better damn well hope I don’t press charges either.”

My mind was so caught up with what had happened with Terrence, and David was the furthest thing from it. Although, when I thought about it, he was actually the one to blame for everything that had happened. As I glanced over at him sitting comfortably on the bed, my anger started to boil deep down inside me. Had it not been for David, Terrence would have never left the way he had, and we’d probably be making love by now. Yet as I looked at David, I was suddenly reminded why he was here in the first place. With everything inside me, I tried to muster up a little compassion for the man I had once been engaged to marry. Of course, I never would have imagined that David would be diagnosed with cancer, and my heart truly went out to him. But in all honesty, that’s as far as it went. All I wanted was to get rid of him so that I could be alone and try to find Terrence. With that in mind, I took a deep breath and considered the best way to let him down.

“Uh, David, look, I know that you’re going through a pretty rough time right now, but tonight was just not the night for this, all right?” I said as I paced back and forth. “If you haven’t noticed already, I had plans here, with Terrence, and his seeing you here may have messed up everything. I have to find him and somehow try to explain this and fix things, so I hope you won’t mind leaving.”

“All right, sure. If that’s what you want, then I’ll leave,” he said, still not budging from the bed. “I guess I probably shouldn’t be here, anyway, but I was so desperate to see you, Tiff. It was like I said on the phone when we spoke yesterday. I needed to see you face-to-face.”

“And, like I remember telling you, I needed to think about that. So, this just wasn’t the time or the place to pop up on me the way you did, David. And now everything is ruined.”

Then, as I was speaking, it finally dawned on me. All at once, I stopped pacing and looked at him firmly.

“Wait a minute. How exactly did you know I was here anyway, David? Because if I recall correctly, I said nothing more than I’d come back to St. Louis when we spoke. I didn’t even know that I was coming here until earlier today. So, how is it that you showed up at this hotel, at this very suite, tonight, knowing I’d be here? And please don’t say anything stupid, like it was all some big coincidence, because we both know that’s not the truth.”

His behavior suddenly seemed odd. He started to wiggle around, refused to look directly at me, and struggled to get his words out. “Well, I . . . I . . . I hope you don’t get upset, Tiff, but since I already knew you were here in St. Louis, I hopped on the first flight. All I planned on doing was meeting you at your old house to talk to you. But then I saw a post on Facebook that Keisha had made. She posted something about taking her bestie to the Ritz and hoping all your dreams came true. That’s when I decided to get an Uber here instead going to the house. I wasn’t even positive about what I was doing, but I thought it was worth a shot.”

He took a deep breath and went on. “Anyway, I lied to the young lady downstairs and told her I had an emergency and had to speak with you. I even gave her a hundred-dollar bill for her trouble. Then, after confirming you were here, she gave me the room number. But you really have to understand, I felt so hopeless when I found out about my illness, Tiff. All I wanted was to right my wrongs with you from the past in case anything happens to me.” He paused for a second as he met my gaze. “I’m sorry. I truly feel miserable about everything, but I felt like I had no other choice. But, please believe me, I had no idea about you meeting up with this Terrence guy. I promise,” he pleaded, his hands raised, as if he were surrendering the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

“David, I can’t believe you. Tracking me down here? And lying and paying the desk attendant downstairs? All of that is damn near considered stalking. And you’re talking about pressing charges against Terrence? I should press charges against you.”

“Listen, I did it only because I had to see you. It couldn’t wait until you came back to Texas.” Out of nowhere one lonely tear began to creep down his cheek. He reached out and grabbed my arm, then took both my hands in his. His tone softened when he said, “I needed to see your face again, Tiff, and look into your eyes. I had to know that despite everything that’s happened between us, I’ll have you by my side while I try to battle through this illness. Please, you have to understand.”

My heart sank further as I watched the man whom I had once planned on marrying wallow in his grief in front of me. As much as I wanted to be angry with him, I couldn’t. Besides, I knew I would live to regret it if things didn’t turn out the way I hoped. So, I released my hands from his, tightened my robe, and walked a few steps away from him to put some distance between us.

“David, I already promised you that I would be here for you. I meant it when I said I would try to help you in every way that I possibly can, as much as I can. But I also gotta be totally honest with you too. That’s really all that I can offer. If you’re expecting anything more than that, then you need to know that I can’t give it to you. I mean, what we shared was special in its time, but that part of my life is over, and I’ve moved on.”

“I know. I guess a small part of me hoped that I could somehow win your heart back before, well, you know . . . before it’s too late.” He dropped his head in his hands.

It crushed me to see him that way. I started to feel like maybe I was being too rough. I had to admit that he was dealing with a major illness, one that could possibly have a negative outcome. I had no idea what he was truly going through or feeling inside. So, as much as I wanted and needed him gone, I decided to ease up a bit and be a little more compassionate. I sat down next to him on the bed, placed my hand on his knee, and tried to offer a sense of comfort. However, I couldn’t help but keep my eyes focused on the door, still praying that Terrence would show back up.

“Listen, I’m sorry, David. I know that finding out you have cancer has to be a lot for you and that you’re trying your best to make amends for past mistakes. But to be truthful, when it comes to you and me, too much has happened between us that I still can’t forget just yet.”

“Or that you can’t seem to forgive, you mean.”

“Well, I guess that’s kind of true too. It’s just that forgiveness takes time. It’s not something that happens overnight. And, unfortunately, not enough time has passed since you did what you did to me.”

His eyes locked with mine, and I could almost see a hint of sincerity in them. “Look, I know I messed up before, but this whole cancer thing has really opened my eyes to what’s most important and to how much I really do love you. I only want a chance to make up for where I went wrong before. And I promise, I’m done with all the lies and deceit. I need you right now, and I want you back, Tiff.”

I saw his lips moving and heard the words coming from them, but I still couldn’t believe my ears as he poured his heart out to me. And, even more so, that it was happening right now. All I could think was that I had to find a way to bring some closure to this situation without hurting him. “David, I don’t think—”

Before I could get another word out, I suddenly felt his lips cover mine as he gently kissed me. There was no way he had the nerve to pull a stunt like this, I thought. And as I pulled away, I almost wanted to haul off and smack him, but out of nowhere, there was a knock on the door. Right away both our heads turned in that direction as if in one motion. I knew it had to be Terrence, and I figured he’d come back to straighten this whole mess out. And although I couldn’t have been happier, I feared what might happen if he found David still here.

Panicking, I jumped off the bed and started to yank on David’s arm while whispering to him, “David, you have to get out of here before Terrence sees you again.” My eyes went from him to the door and back to him when another knock sounded. However, instead of reacting like I hoped he would, David just sat there, looking like he could care less.

“I’m sorry, Tiff. I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here with that guy,” he said, his volume of voice at a normal level, and I was sure Terrence could hear him.

“It’s not what you feel comfortable with, David. So, please leave,” I whispered.

As I watched him get up in an unconcerned manner, knocks sounded once again. Suddenly, I had a change of thought. “No, no, wait. The closet. You have to hide in the closet, okay? Then I’ll distract him, and when he’s not looking, you can go ahead and sneak out.” I pushed his back toward the closet, not giving him a chance to offer up any rebuttal. The more I thought about Terrence being on the other side of that door, the more I knew that I was doing the right thing. There was no way on earth he would ever be able to understand David still being here. And to tell the truth, I still didn’t understand it myself.

“David, please, if you love me the way you say you do, then you’ll get in the closet and leave quietly when you get the chance.” I was using his same manipulation on him, and that was when he said the one thing that made me feel sorry for him all over again.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to look me dead in the eyes. “Tiff, I know you want me to go, and I will, but I also have to be honest with you. I’m scared. I mean, what if the doctors can’t cure this? What if I don’t have much longer to live? That’s really why I came here tonight. And that’s why I kissed you. It might be my last time with you.”

Being between a rock and a hard place was an understatement. Just the mere thought of him dying from this illness turned my mind completely away from Terrence and back to him . . . but for only a moment. I wanted to be encouraging. I even wanted to be supportive. But the truth was, I just could do that right now.

“David, listen, neither of us knows what the future holds, but you’re not going anywhere anytime soon if I have a say in this,” I said softly so that Terrence wouldn’t hear us. This way when I finally answered the door, I could act as if I had been sleeping and hadn’t heard his initial knocks. “You can fight this, and I’ll be here for you every step of the way. I promise, we’ll fight this together.”

“You really mean that?”

“You have my word, okay?” I said, reaching out to embrace him and praying in the back of my mind that I wouldn’t end up regretting my words. “But listen, right now I need to handle this with Terrence, so I’m asking you to hide in the closet and then leave peacefully.”

David hugged me again, and with a slight hesitation but not putting up a fight, he walked toward the closet as I went to the door. I just stood there as I allowed my robe to fall off one of my shoulders, smoothed down my hair, and took a deep breath. Then I opened the door.

“Terrence, I—”

“Good evening, ma’am. I have room service that was ordered by Mr. Montgomery. He requested for it to be delivered at this time.”

“Oh, um, of course. Mr. Montgomery isn’t here yet. But please bring it in, and thank you so much,” was all that I could say, hoping he couldn’t read the disappointment written all over my face. I had wanted it to be Terrence so badly, but now I had to be honest with myself and face the fact that he might not return.

I watched as the gentleman pushed the cart into the room. When he turned, I gave him a fake smile as I handed him a tip. He wished me a good evening and left. I closed the door, and feeling stuck in place, I stood there, allowing the tears to flow freely from my eyes. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t blink or even swallow. The tears had taken over when out of nowhere I was reminded of my unwanted guest and the very reason that my night had turned out this way.

“Come here. It’s okay. Everything’s going to be all right.” I felt David’s arms surround me. I wanted to hate him for all that had happened tonight, but the truth was, he was my only solace at that point. He took me over to the bed, laid me down, lay beside me, and held me.

“I love you, Tiffany, more than you’ll ever know,” he softly whispered in my ear.

I heard his words, but there was no way I could form my lips to return them. Mostly because I blamed him for the pain I felt at this very moment. Did I still care for David and want the best for him? Of course. But anything more was an impossibility. I loved him, but not in the same way that he loved me.

He must have noticed my overall discomfort with this entire situation, because not another word came from his lips. Instead, he pulled me closer and held me tighter. Lying there, I kept trying to make sense of things. However, after a few minutes, I closed my eyes and allowed my body to find relief with the one lying next to me. With both our worlds in such turmoil, I knew it was what we both needed at that very moment. So, I stopped putting up a fight and simply exhaled.

My cell phone buzzed for what seemed like the millionth time within the past few hours. When I glanced down at it, I noticed the alerts I’d received for several text messages. My eyes zeroed in on one from Tiffany. The second I saw her name, the anger inside me started to build. Vivid images of David holding her flashed before my eyes, and my aggression almost got the best of me again. Instantly, I thought back to having him pinned against the wall and wanting to choke the life out of him. However, I’d known that if I did, I would be walking out of there in handcuffs instead of as a free man.

Rather than responding to Tiffany’s or anyone else’s messages, I pressed the END button and turned my cell phone off completely without giving it a second thought. I was still so hurt and angry that all I wanted was to take out my hostility in the worst way. In fact, I wanted Tiffany to feel the same pain and sense of betrayal that I felt at that very moment. That was the reason why I’d texted Patricia from the airport, asking her to meet me here at the house. I wasn’t exactly sure if what had happened with Tiffany tonight was a sign that I needed to fix my marriage, but here I was, waiting anxiously for my wife’s arrival.

Standing in the middle of my empty living-room floor, I looked around at what used to feel like a home to me and tried to understand the turn that my life had taken out of nowhere. When I first left to see Pops in Memphis and then to St. Louis for Tiffany, I had envisioned things turning out in the complete opposite way that they had. In the back of my mind, I had seen Pops making a miraculous full recovery. As for me and Tiff, I had thought it would be the beginning of our life together as one. And never would I have imagined that I would be entertaining life with Patricia once again. But in just a few hours, things had taken a turn for the worse, and I was questioning everything: my marriage, my future, and even God.

As I tried to make it all add up, I realized that as crazy as it sounded, the only person that remained constant and consistent in my life was Patricia. Even with all her madness and the drama we’d gone through, she had never cheated on me, that I knew of, and had never talked about divorce. She truly wanted to be with me for better or for worse, whether I felt the same or not. I guessed that was why I had started feeling that maybe I owed her this much. Maybe I hadn’t given our marriage a fair chance, because of her dramatics and, more so, because of my feelings for Tiffany. But still, I wasn’t totally sure.

My mind was so boggled that my head began to throb harder and harder. I couldn’t focus on one thing as the entire night’s events circled through my mind. Then all I kept hearing was my stepmother’s voice ringing in my ear, telling me that he was gone, as I stepped onto the elevator at the hotel. I still had the same dryness in my mouth, which had made it difficult for me to talk. And my chest had a lingering heaviness, making it hard to breathe no matter how I tried to gather myself. It was like a nightmare had been replaying repeatedly, one that I hadn’t been able to wake up from.

The strangest thing, though, was that I thought I’d prepared myself for this moment, since the doctors hadn’t given Pops long to live, but now that it was happening, it all seemed so sudden. Especially because I felt like he and I were just beginning to rekindle our relationship. And now I no longer had a chance to make up for all the lost time. Suddenly, my thoughts of Pops were interrupted by a sound coming from the other side of the front door. I stood still and watched closely as the doorknob twisted open and Patricia walked into our dark, empty living room. She came to a stop and looked at me with confusion written all over her face.

After what seemed like hours but was only a minute, she began to speak. “Terrence? What’s going on? Why did you ask me to come here?” Her tone was soft and sweet. She had abandoned that nagging voice, which I’d become accustomed to.

I didn’t answer her questions, though. Instead, I took her face between my hands and began to kiss her. They weren’t mere kisses of love between a husband and wife either. They were strong, forceful, and wildly passionate. With each touch of our lips, I tried to convey just how much I missed her and wanted her. Her scent, her body, her warmth, her tenderness—all of her. I knew it may have been for the wrong reasons, but I needed Patricia in the worst way. I needed a release from all the pain I was feeling inside, and more than anything, I knew that she was ready and willing to receive me.

All at once, she pulled away from me, and we both gazed at one another long and hard. I could read in her eyes that she was questioning if this was real. That was when I began to undress her slowly while kissing her body from head to toe. My mouth slowly made its way from her neck to her nipples to her belly button and, finally, to her ultimate treasure. I could tell she longed for me as much as I did her, as she moaned over and over while grabbing the top of my bald head the entire time.

“Ooh, baby. Please, don’t stop,” she whispered.

Fulfilling her request, I pulled her down on the bare floor with me and laid her on her back. With all the madness that had gone on for so long between us, I hadn’t admired her body in its purity in what seemed like an eternity. She was beautiful, and I had to pause for a moment simply to take her in. Then after pleasuring her a bit longer, I climbed on top and thrust all of me inside her. However, as my manhood found its home, my mind drifted off to a totally different place than where I was at the moment. All at once I saw Tiffany’s face staring back at me as I stood at the elevator doors.

Don’t you still love me, Terrence? I could hear her asking me.

“Yes, baby. Yes, I do,” I said out loud.

Then don’t leave. Please stay and just tell me that you still love me, she said and reached out to me.

“I love you, baby. I promise, I love you.” I began moving toward her, until I heard Patricia’s voice.

“Oh, Terrence, I still love you too,” Pat said back to me.

What the hell is happening? I thought. It was Tiffany’s face that I could see, but Patricia’s voice was speaking back to me. Right away, I was reminded of where I was and what was truly taking place. Then, all at once, my heart started to beat faster, and my strokes became more aggressive when the visions of Tiffany’s face turned ones of David’s. There he was, looking at me and smirking, as if he’d won the war. I wanted to hurt him for destroying my night with Tiffany, but she stood in the middle of us, begging me to calm down. That was when my aggression took over even more. The harder I pushed myself inside Patricia, the louder her moans became as she tightened her legs around my waist. All I wanted was for all of it to be over and for this night to be what it was supposed to be, with no David or Patricia around, only me and Tiff. That was when I realized that I wasn’t supposed to be here now with Pat, or ever, for that matter. What we had was over, and that fact became painfully clear to me in the heat of this very moment.

As the sweat poured off my face and onto her, my manhood began to swell. My legs tensed up when I felt my release was in sight. Not even a second later, everything that had built up inside me came pouring out into her. Happily, she took all of me with pure satisfaction. Then my body, limp from being physically and mentally drained, sagged on top of hers. There was so much that I had to figure out, but it was clear that the one thing on my mind was getting back to Tiffany. I rolled my large frame off Pat’s helpless yet satisfied body and came to a rest on my back. I could feel her hand begin to rub my chest as she cuddled next to me.

“Terrence, thank you. Thank you so much for this and for giving our marriage another chance. I don’t know what made you change your mind, but the fact that you’re here right now means the world to me. I know we can fix things. And I’m so sorry about my behavior and all the threats I made. I love you, baby, and I promise to do better at showing it. As a matter of fact, as soon as the sun rises, I can call the movers and have them bring all our things from the storage back to the house and—”

I honestly hated myself for this, and I really couldn’t find the words at that moment to say anything. Rather than responding, I cut her off by pushing her hand away and hopping up. “I have to go Pat,” I said without even looking at her. I picked up my clothes and headed toward the bathroom.

“Wait a minute, Terrence. What’s wrong? Baby, where are you going?”

Still, I didn’t say anything back to her. I simply closed the bathroom door behind me and turned on the shower. I knew that Patricia would never understand, because I didn’t understand it all myself. Yet the last thing I needed tonight was another argument. I had to figure out things with my father and Tiffany, and now that there would be no more second-guessing myself, I had to determine how quickly I could have my divorce from Patricia finalized.

My eyes shot wide open when I heard what sounded like a car alarm going off. My heart was racing, not from fear but from the intensity of what I thought had taken place. Thinking that I was soaking wet from a shower, I touched my face. I discovered that my skin was just moist with sweat. Then, looking down at my body, I realized I was still fully clothed. At first, I was a little confused as to what was going on, but then it hit me. I took a deep breath, then exhaled my relief.

“It was all a dream. It was all nothing but a damn dream,” I said aloud. I shook my head and let out a slight chuckle.

After realizing I’d dozed off in my truck, I cautiously scoped the entire dark p. . .