Rolonda warned Anthony that Shayla is planing to take divorce and going to marry her neighbor
It was a stormy Thursday afternoon when Rolonda appeared at Anthony’s law firm — unannounced, drenched, and furious.
The receptionist barely had time to buzz him before the door to his office swung open.
“We need to talk. Now.” she said, brushing past him and closing the door with a hard thud.
Anthony looked up from his desk, confused, startled. “Ro? What the hell are you doing here? You look like you ran through the hurricane.”
Rolonda’s mascara was slightly smudged. Her hands trembled. And in her eyes was the kind of fire Anthony hadn’t seen since college — the one she reserved for the truth, especially when it was ugly.
She threw her soaked trench coat on the nearby chair and said one word that made Anthony’s blood freeze:
“Shayla.”
Truth in Thunderclaps
Anthony gestured for her to sit, but Rolonda stayed standing.
“I should’ve told you sooner. I should’ve come to you the moment I heard it. But I didn’t want to get involved in this mess again. Not with her. Not with you. But it’s gone too far now.”
Anthony set his pen down slowly. “Tell me.”
Rolonda folded her arms. Her voice was sharp but trembling.
“Shayla is planning to file for divorce.”
Anthony blinked. “She already left. We're separated. She's been quiet about it for weeks. No action from her lawyers. No movement.”
“That’s not the plan anymore,” Rolonda said. “She’s playing the long game. She’s waiting until your custody case hits its weakest point. She wants to time the divorce papers to make you look unstable — to paint herself as the reasonable one who's moving on after you ‘spiraled.’ She wants the judge to believe you’re obsessed. Vindictive. Delusional.”
Anthony clenched his fists.
“And,” Rolonda added bitterly, “she’s not just leaving you. She’s already engaged — emotionally, if not legally.”
Anthony stood. “To who?”
Rolonda reached into her purse, pulled out her phone, and opened a photo. She slammed it on the desk.
There it was. A grainy image, but unmistakable.
Shayla. At a dinner table. Candles. Wine. Leaning into the man beside her — smiling the smile she used to reserve for Anthony.
And the man beside her?
Roderick Mays.
The neighbor.
The man from 3B.
The man Wayne warned him about.
Anthony sat back down, speechless.
“She was with him the whole time,” Rolonda said. “Even while she was still in your house. Even when she was playing ‘perfect mom.’ They’ve been hiding in plain sight. And guess what? He’s moving in next month.”
Anthony felt the walls tilt.
“She’s going to marry him, Anthony. Probably right after the divorce finalizes. She's already meeting with a private mediator to bypass your lawyers — she thinks she’s clever. She wants to drag your name through the mud, get full custody, and walk into her new life squeaky clean.”
The Sound of Cracks Forming
Anthony stood and walked to the window, watching the rain streak down the glass.
“She said she wanted peace,” he murmured. “She said she needed time to heal. To figure herself out.”
Rolonda scoffed. “Shayla doesn’t heal. She replaces. She manipulates. You think she left you to ‘find herself’? No. She left you to secure her next throne. And now that she thinks you’re broken down enough, she’ll come for what’s left of you.”
Anthony turned slowly, the anger rising.
“She’s not taking my son.”
Rolonda’s voice lowered.
“Then fight back. Now. File first. Get ahead of her. Drag that neighbor into court. Call him as a witness. Make her lies public. And for God’s sake, get that DNA test finalized. I’ve known you a long time, Anthony. I’ve seen you fight battles, win cases, bury corrupt politicians. But this is your life. Your son. Your legacy. Don’t wait to lose everything before you start swinging.”
He was quiet for a moment.
Then:
“I’ll burn the whole house down before I let her steal what’s mine.”
Elsewhere: Shayla’s Loft
Shayla leaned into Roderick’s arms, sipping wine.
“Anthony still thinks we’re amicable,” she giggled. “He has no idea what’s coming.”
Roderick grinned. “And once we’re married?”
She raised her glass.
“Then the real empire begins.”
But empires built on lies… never stand.
And Anthony, for the first time in months, wasn’t confused anymore.
He was ready.
To Be Continued…
Would you like the next chapter to follow Anthony filing first and shocking Shayla — or perhaps dive into Shayla’s confrontation with Rolonda once she discovers the betrayal?
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