Read Online The Trophy Wife by Ashley, JaQuavis - Free Book Online Page A

here?” she asked in a sweet tone.
    â€œWhy are you outside? Where is your teacher?”
    â€œMs. London told us that we could come outside to play. This mean man came in and was yelling at her, so she sent us out here.”
    â€œOkay, baby girl, go play with your friends for a minute. Don’t leave this playground. I’ll be right back.”
    Kalil walked into the building and headed for the auditorium. When he entered, he could hear someone crying behind the stage. He walked down the long aisle and made his way up the steps that led to the stage. “London?” he called out when he saw the fragile girl balled up in a corner.
    She looked up and saw him staring sympathetically at her, and she immediately tried to wipe her eyes. Her hair was disheveled and she was shaking so badly that she could hardly stand. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed as she attempted to rush past him. Her head was turned away from him and she was trying to stop herself from crying, but the tears were continuous. They would not stop descending down her face.
    The sight of her made Kalil feel weak inside. The other day the young woman before him had been so confident and strong. Today she seemed to be a completely different person. He grabbed her arm lightly and turned her toward him. It wasn’t until she faced him that he noticed her blackened eye. She also had blood on her face from her busted lip.
    â€œWho did this to you?” he asked her. The look on her face revealed her embarrassment, reminding Kalil of a frightened child. He took her in his arms and rubbed her hair gently as he swayed back and forth.
    â€œJada is outside,” she managed to utter as she avoided his question and pulled away from him.
    â€œSsh. I know where she is. I want to make sure you’re okay,” he told her, trying to help her regain composure.
    London stopped trying to resist and finally cried uncontrollably into his chest. She didn’t know why she was letting him hold her, but in a way it felt good. She felt safe in his arms.
    â€œWhat happened to you?”
    â€œHe just came in here yelling. He grabbed me in front of the girls, so I sent them outside,” she explained, her voice quivering.
    â€œWho is he?” Kalil wished he’d been there twenty minutes earlier. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to get his hands on whoever hurt her.
    â€œMy husband,” she replied almost in a whisper.
    Kalil lifted her left hand and noticed the large diamond that occupied her ring finger.
    London tried to stop herself from crying, but the comfort of Kalil’s embrace made her feel even more vulnerable.
    â€œHere, sit down.” He led her toward a chair. He didn’t know exactly what to do for her, but he knew that he couldn’t just leave her there. “Is there someone I can call for you? Do you need me to take you somewhere?”
    London shook her head but didn’t reply. She couldn’t even look at him. The fact that he had found her in her current condition was humiliating. She always wanted to keep the fact that her husband was abusive out of the public eye. Usually when he hit her, he made sure that her bruises weren’t visible. He would always leave his mark in places that clothing would cover, but this time he took it too far, interrupting her class because he thought that she’d lied about the times that she taught at the school. He was relentless in his attack against her and had left her with a black eye.
    â€œI’m fine,” she said through her tears. “Please just give me some privacy.”
    Her shaking body looked so fragile to Kalil, and he felt like he should do something. “I’ll be right back,” he told her as he got up and rushed to the restroom. He pulled paper towels from the dispenser and turned on the cold water. He soaked the towels in the water and then wrung them out. Then he rejoined London in the auditorium, where she sat still