TORN - Chapter 3
Synopsis: One night, that's all it took for Josh and India to fall for each other. One night was all it took for her life to turn upside down. She thought she had found the one. Then he had told her the truth... he had someone waiting for him... someone whom he had betrayed to be with India.
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Series Masterlist
Main Masterlist
Warnings: mentions of cheating, emotional abuse, toxic partners.
Atlanta, Georgia
Janae and Trinity sat at the kitchen island, a variety of barbecue sat in front of them, hot off the grill.
“Wait, so the little girl is six months old?” Trinity asked, still chewing a piece of chicken, her eyebrows raised in surprise.
Janae nodded, wiping her hands on a napkin before leaning back in her chair. “Yeah,” She scoffed. “The mom only told Josh about her three months ago, which is extremely convenient.” Janae lied.
Trinity arched an eyebrow at Janae. She could tell Janae was lying but decided to let it slide, for now. There was something about the way Janae's eyes darted around the room that told her there was more to the story, but she wasn’t about to press her. Not yet, anyway. Instead, she took another bite of her food, trying to gauge Janae's mood.
“Did he tell you who the woman is?”
Janae nodded and grabbed her phone. She unlocked it and handed it over to Trinity. Trinity took the phone and scrolled through the profile. She wasn’t going to lie; the woman was beautiful, and so was the baby she had plastered all over her profile.
“She’s really pretty,” Trinity said, handing the phone back to Janae. “But y’all had broken up, right? He hadn’t cheadted on you?”
Janea scoffed at Trinity's comment about India being pretty. “We had an argument, and he stormed out. He said thats the night the fucked so yes, he cheated.”
Trinity made a face and picked up her fork to continue eating. She could feel Janae getting agitated. This obviously was a sore subject for Janae, but Trinity could tell she was withholding a lot of information.
“He went to go see them last week,” Janae said after a minute of silence between the two.
“Really?” Trinity asked, genuinely surprised. “He didn’t mention it.”
Janae rolled her eyes and threw her hair over her shoulder. “I’m not surprised. He thinks I’m forcing him. Like, sir, you cheated. The least you can do is try to get custody of the little girl. He already has one other baby mom. Now I gotta deal with another one?”
“Pause,” Trinity said, holding her hand up. “Custody?”
“Look,” Janae scoffed. “He had a baby on me. He’s lucky me and Micah are still in this house.” She said with a roll of her eyes. I told him that if he wanted us to stay together, he would need to marry me and get full custody of that little girl.”
Trinity blinked, her mouth slightly open in shock. "Wait, hold on," she said, leaning in. "You told him what?"
Janae crossed her arms over her chest, clearly trying to defend herself but also looking a little nervous under Trinity's intense gaze. "I told him, if he wanted to stay with me, he had to marry me and get full custody of the baby. I’m not dealing with another baby momma situation, Trinity. I’ve already got Jeremi’s mom, and now I have to share him with another woman? No thanks."
Trinity sat back, her eyes narrowing. “So, you’re saying you put that condition on him? Marry you and get custody of a baby that isn’t even yours?”
Janae shrugged, trying to look unaffected. “Yeah. And I’m not sorry. If he wants to keep his family together, he has to show me he’s serious. I’m not going to play second fiddle to some random chick and her kid.”
“Wow.” Trinity chuckled as she shook her head. “You want him to take away a baby from their mom? Is that not crazy to you?”
“No.” Janae shrugged and picked up her glass, taking a long sip. Her gaze hardened as she set it down. "I don’t care about India’s feelings. All I want is for her to be gone and out of our lives. This whole situation is just a mess, and I’m not about to sit here and pretend like it’s not affecting me. Josh made this decision, not me. He’s the one who cheated, and now I have to live with this kid and this woman being part of our lives. I’m not dealing with it."
Janae stood from her chair abruptly, her movements sharp, as if the conversation had reached a point where she couldn’t handle any more. Without a word, she turned and walked away, her footsteps heavy but determined, leaving Trinity sitting at the kitchen island, staring after her.
Josh could feel Jon’s gaze on him as he flipped the chicken over on the grill. Josh sighed and closed the lid to the grill before turning to face his twin brother.
“You tryna feed the homeless too?” Jon tried to joke, pointing to the aluminum pan that was almost overflowing with barbecue chicken.
“Nah,” Josh muttered, grabbing his beer that was on the ground next to him, “Just not tryna go inside.”
Jon raised an eyebrow, sensing the tension in Josh’s voice. He leaned against the porch railing, still watching him closely. “This about India or Janae?”
“Shit…” Josh trailed off, rubbing a hand down his face. “Both, I guess.”
Jon waited until Josh took the remainder of the chicken off the grill. After Josh set the aluminum pan down. Jon led his brother over to the pool. They both sat on the edge with their feet hanging in the pool.
Josh let out a long breath, staring at the ripples in the water below them, his mind spinning with everything that had been happening. He wasn’t sure if he was more frustrated with himself or the situation, but either way, he was stuck. “I don’t know what the hell to do anymore,” Josh finally whispered. He looked up and looked over to where Jeremi and Micah were playing with Jon’s two kids. He could picture them in a couple of years, playing with Egypt as well.
He looked up and glanced over to where Jeremi and Micah were playing with Jon’s two kids in the backyard. They were laughing, running around in the grass, completely oblivious to the grown-up problems swirling in the air around them.
For a moment, Josh just watched them, the sound of their carefree laughter making him feel like he was a world away from the weight on his shoulders. He could picture them in a couple of years—still together, still laughing, but with Egypt.
He looked towards the house, where he could see Janae and Trinity throught the sliding glass door. He blinked, and the image transformed. Instead of Janae talking with Trinity, it was India leaning in, laughing at something Trinity had said. The two of them were talking like they’d known each other forever.
“You hear me talkin’ to you?”
Josh was brought out of his daydream as Jon shoved him a little bit. “Sorry.” He muttered. “Whatchu say?”
“It don’t even matter.” Jon chuckled. “But uh, I see that rock on Nae’s finger. Y’all finally tying the knot, huh?”
A deeper scowl was now on Josh’s face as he rubbed his hand across his jaw. “More like she forcing me.”
“What?” Jon asked.
Josh let out a sharp sigh, running his hand through his hair as he looked away, clearly agitated. “To marry her,” he said, his words coming out heavier than he meant. “After she found out about Egypt, she basically gave me an ultimatum. Marry her and get custody of Egypt or she’s leaving and taking Micah with her.
Jon's eyes widened slightly as he processed what Josh had just said. "Wait, what?" he asked again, his voice a little more incredulous this time. "She gave you an ultimatum? That's... that's messed up, uce."
Josh let out another frustrated sigh, shaking his head. "Yeah, I know," he muttered. "It feels like I'm being backed into a corner. After everything with India and Egypt, she’s acting like the only way we can move forward is if I marry her and get full custody of Egypt. Like, if I don’t, everything falls apart."
Jon watched Josh, his expression turning serious as he took in his brother’s words. “That’s a lot to put on someone. You didn’t even know about Egypt until recently, right?”
“No.” Josh gritted out. He was tired of lying. Tired of putting on a front. “We both found out the day India told me she was pregnant.”
“Uce -” Jon started, loss for words.
“Man, look. Janae said some foul ass shit to me. About me, our family, my career, and I was done. I walked out of the house. Fully done with her and her bullshit. India had some type of event here, so I just pulled up. One thing led to another, and next thing I knew, I was in her hotel room.” Josh downed the rest of his beer. “I was done. I was interested in India. Janae and I weren’t even speaking for about 3 weeks, Uce. I thought we were done until she came to me and had some sob story about how she wanted to work on us, and she wasn’t ready to let me go or something.”
“So why didn’t you just leave? If you were done, why not just go?”
“I don’t know.” Josh snapped. “My head was a mess. I had fell for India uce, and then, shit” He breathed out. Guilt gnawing at his stomach. “After I told Nae ‘bout India, she threatened to leave and take Micah with her. I couldn’t let her do that, Uce. So I had to cut India off.”
Jon’s expression softened slightly, but the seriousness never left his gaze. He could see the turmoil eating at Josh, and he could tell this wasn’t just about India or Janae—it was about Josh’s struggle with himself.
“Then when India called and told me she was pregnant.” Josh sniffled as he tried to keep his tears at bay. “I fucked up Uce. I made the decision to not be in India’s or Egypt's life. I thought... I thought it was the right thing to do, Uce. That I had to focus on Janae and Micah and Jeremi.” One tear slid down Josh’s cheek. “I had a family, Uce. I thought I could just turn the page and forget about India and Egypt, that I could focus on what I had with Janae and the kids... but everyday that shit haunted me. Every day I woke up thinking how India looked carrying my child. Thinking if she would even let me into the delivery room when she gave birth just…” Josh trailed off, wiping his tears away. “I wanted to be there for my daughter. I didn’t want her to grow up without a dad.”
Jon sat quietly, absorbing Josh’s words, his expression softening with each one. He could see the raw emotion in his brother, the pain of carrying a decision he’d made out of guilt and confusion. He knew Josh was torn between two families—one that had been his for years and the other that had suddenly become a reality in his life.
“I missed the first three months of my daughters life cause I was being a selfish asshole.” Josh’s voice cracked as the words tumbled out, the guilt heavy in his chest.
Jon moved closer to his twin, pulling him into his arms, letting him cry. “You can’t change what happened, Uce.” Jon’s voice was soft as he talked to his brother. “You’re trying now, and that’s a good thing.”
Josh’s body shook with emotion, the weight of his choices, his regrets, and everything he’d been holding back coming to the surface. It felt like the dam had broken, the flood of guilt, frustration, and helplessness pouring out all at once.
“I just don’t want to screw it all up,” Josh murmured, his voice thick with emotion. “I want to be there for Egypt. I don’t want her to grow up thinking I didn’t want her.”
Jon squeezed him tighter, holding him steady. “You’re not screwing it up, Uce. You’re showing up now. That’s what matters. It’s not perfect, but you’re here. You’re trying to make it right.”
Dallas, Texas
“You’re such a pretty girl,” India cooed as she genly rocked Egypt in her arms. Her voice was soft and full of warmth as she smiled down at her daughter. Egypt's big, curious eyes looked up at her, and India couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of love and responsibility. She had done everything she could to make sure Egypt felt safe and loved, even when everything around her seemed to be falling apart.
She let out a sigh as her phone began to ring. She looked at the time on her watch and groaned.
“Hello…” She said as Josh’s face popped up on the FaceTime call. She bit her lip as she took him in. He looked extremely tired. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair a little messy, and there was a weight to his expression that made India pause. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, like something was eating at him. But he still made butterflies erupt in her belly.
He had broken her heart multiple times but, she couldn’t help the love she still felt for him.
"Hey, India," Josh said, his voice rough and unsure. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing around for a moment before focusing on the screen again. “I was jus’ callin’ to say goodnight to Egypt.”
India nodded and turned the phone so Egypt and Josh could see each other. Egypt’s eyes lit up as she focused on Josh on the screen. She let out a happy screech, kicking her tiny little feet.
Josh’s face softened, a mix of tenderness and guilt crossing his features as he watched Egypt react. She was so small, so innocent. She didn’t deserve a father who abandoned her for the first three months of her life.
“Hey, baby girl,” Josh said, his voice thick with emotion. He leaned in closer, his eyes filled with longing and regret. “I miss you so much.”
Egypt’s bottom lip started to quiver as she tried to reach out for Josh. Her eyes were wide with confusion, not fully understanding why Josh wasn’t there to hold her but feeling the absence of his presence deeply. A soft, pitiful sound escaped her, the first hint of distress she’d shown since the call started.
“I’m sorry, Mamas.” Josh’s voice cracked as he could only watch through the phone as India tried to console Egypt.
India had the set the phone up so she could use both hands to rocks and relax Egypt. Josh watched as she rocked Egypt, singing softly as she rubbed her back. In no time, Egypt had dosed off in India’s arms, her tiny snores making Josh chuckle softly.
“Can I come see her?”
India nodded as she laid Egypt down in her crib. “You’re her dad, Josh. You can come see her whenever.” She muttered before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Egypt's forehead.
“Thank you,” Josh muttered, and India shrugged. “I - I don’t wanna miss out anymore. She’s getting so big.”
“Yeah…” India trailed off as she looked down at her baby girl. “She’s gonna be walking before we know it. She’s trying to crawl already.”
Josh’s heart clenched painfully in his chest. He was missing so much, and he didn’t know how to make up for it. Every milestone, every laugh, every moment that Egypt had without him. It all felt like a heavy weight pressing down on his chest. He wanted to be there. He wanted to be the dad she deserved. And that started with showing up.
Author's Note: Whew... this was kinda an emotional one for Josh. Trinity didn't like that custody shit at all. Janae seems like she needs therapy, and India just wants to heal from all of this. 😮💨
Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated ❤
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