Shayla’s mother tells her, ‘Control Iman emotionally
Everyone thought Shayla was finally winning. The house was quiet, Iman was beside her, and Delicia’s name had stopped ringing in the room. But the most dangerous moves are never loud. They whisper—especially when they come from a mother who knows exactly how men leave.
1. Angelina – The Mother Who Sees Too Much
Angelina arrived without calling. No bags. No smile. Just her sharp eyes and a pause at the doorway that told Shayla everything had already been measured.
She watched.
The way Iman avoided eye contact.
The way Shayla leaned in too close.
The way silence lived between them like a third person.
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Angelina finally spoke, her voice calm, almost kind.
“So this is where he rests now?”
Iman nodded. “Just for a bit.”
Angelina smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She waited until Iman stepped outside to take a call. Then she turned to Shayla.
“You know he left you once already,” she said softly. “And not because of work. Because of another woman.”
Shayla swallowed. “That was before.”
Angelina leaned closer. “Men don’t change patterns, baby. They just change locations.”
2. Shayla – Love or Fear Disguised as Hope
That night, Shayla couldn’t sleep. Angelina’s words replayed like a warning she didn’t want to hear.
“He comes to you for comfort,” Angelina had said earlier, sitting at the edge of the bed. “For peace. For pleasure. Not for commitment.”
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“That’s not true,” Shayla whispered. “He’s here. He chose me.”
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Angelina shook her head. “He chose the moment. Not you.”
Shayla felt tears burn. “So what do I do?”
Angelina’s voice dropped lower. Sharper.
“You don’t let him leave again.”
There was a long pause before she added the sentence that changed everything.
“If you want to keep a man like Iman, you don’t ask for love. You give him responsibility.”
Shayla looked up. “What are you saying?”
Angelina met her eyes.
“A pregnancy doesn’t beg. It anchors.”
3. Iman – A Man Playing Both Sides of Silence
Iman returned inside, phone in hand, distracted.
“Delicia was just checking on something,” he said too quickly.
Shayla forced a smile. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just… life.”
Angelina watched him closely. She noticed how his shoulders relaxed when Shayla touched him—and how his eyes drifted away seconds later.
Men like Iman didn’t run from women, Angelina thought.
They ran from consequences.
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Later that night, Iman laughed lightly. “You good, Shay? You quiet.”
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Shayla studied his face. The same face that once promised her forever. The same face that left.
“I’m just thinking about us,” she said.
He kissed her forehead. “Don’t overthink.”
Angelina, listening from down the hall, whispered to herself,
“He already has.”
4. Delicia – The Ghost Still in the Room
Across town, Delicia sat alone, phone glowing in the dark. She stared at Iman’s name without calling.
“He thinks I don’t know,” she said aloud. “But I always know.”
Her hand rested on her stomach—more protective than intentional.
She typed a message. Deleted it. Typed again.
Meanwhile, Shayla stood in the bathroom, staring at her reflection. Angelina’s words echoed louder now.
This is your moment.
If he leaves again, it’s on you.
Men stay where they’re tied.
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Shayla turned the sink on, hands trembling.
“I just want him to stay,” she whispered.
From the hallway, Angelina watched the bathroom door close. Her face unreadable.
5. The Choice – Control or Consequence
The next morning, Iman noticed the shift.
Shayla was calmer. Quieter. Watching him instead of chasing him.
“You okay?” he asked.
She smiled. “I feel… sure.”
Angelina packed her things. At the door, she hugged Shayla tight.
“Remember,” she whispered, “men don’t stay for love alone.”
Iman raised an eyebrow. “Everything good?”
Angelina smiled sweetly. “Perfect.”
As she left, Shayla’s phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
‘He never really left me.’
Shayla’s breath caught. She looked at Iman laughing at something on TV, unaware.
Her hand slowly moved to her stomach.
Was this about love…
or survival?
Outside, Angelina paused by her car, glancing back at the house.
“Now,” she murmured, “the game begins.”
And inside, Shayla stood frozen—caught between her mother’s plan, a man who never fully chose her, and a decision that could change everything… or destroy them all.