All Chapters of Toxic Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Ava's skin was damp and hot. Too hot. She was almost positive that she was melting. Everything in the three hundred and nine square foot bedroom had a odd red tinge to it. She rubbed at her eyes wearily trying to get the color to fade. Maybe it was just the blood coating the thick white carpet and nightstand? She looked over at her four poster, king sized bed. There he was. The love of her life, her reason for being. He was so still and peacefully quiet. Unlike earlier that day. Yeah. This was nothing like the curse words and raised voices they'd shared earlier. This was nice. This was something they could coexist in. He was so peaceful and quiet in fact she could almost convince the last sane pieces of herself that he was asleep. But she knew he wasn't.He wasn't simply sleeping. But he wouldn't be waking up either. Ever again. Ava dragged herself up from sitting under the large portrait window, leaving the .357 magnum Colt o

Two years prior  Ava threw her shoulders back and tilted her head. She was sporting a smirk slicker than an old cat from Augusta. Her freshly painted stiletto nails scratched against her paralegal's large pinky ring as she snatched her new promotion detail memo from his bony fingers. Looking him dead in the eye -with the help of her actual stilettos- she cockily blurted out "But I'm always going to be a nobody. Right Shaun?" Due to her age the skeptism she received from everyone within the company was constant. Especially from the older lawyers and paralegals. His irritation was apparent and Ava took delight in it. Before the homely man could respond she bounded through her new office doors and plopp

Ava pulled into her driveway, and all the tension in her shoulders started to melt away. Dinner with her mother was as expected. Two hours of "you could be better" and countless stories of how "troubled" Ava was as an adolescent was all she could take. Not to mention the obvious difference in treatment between her and her siblings and the slight undertones of disdain her mother couldn't help but let slip into the conversation. No, Ava never did feel like she fit in with her mother's ideal life. Being her mother's first born and polar opposite she felt more like a breathing and walking symbol of regret.  Parking the cherry red model 3 Telsa in front of her garage door, she slid out of it's coal black interior, taking in the sight of her home. The two story, cream cobblestone structure sat prettily with fifteen hundred

It was one in the afternoon. Seven hours after Damien was supposed to be home. The bedroom door slowly creaked open. Ava laid in the large bed, eyes wide open, back turned to him. Her eyes swollen and nose red. She had been up all night after their phone call. He'd been "tracking a couple" last night when he told her his Silverado 2500HD had broken down. 8:45 pm "Baby what's happening?! What's that noise?!" She remembered screaming out in panic into the mouth piece. Hearing the deafening pop of his tire unnerved her completely. "It's okay, I think my tire was just bald." Damien's deep voice tried to soothe her.  "Shit!" He cursed softly.&nb

After an extremely long lunch turned dinner date with her co-worker Cody-the most flamboyant man on Earth- Ava headed to her destination. She pulled off of Ponce de Leon into the crowded parking lot of Onyx strip club. Hitting a button on her dashboard she called her best friend Kitten.  Kitten's​ voice drawled through Ava's speakers "AVA! Baby girl where are you?! You're outside?! You gotta be outside. I'm coming baby!" Ava didn't get to say a word, it obvious Kitten was pissy drunk and Ava was loving it. Ava's threw her keys to valet boy and leaned in close. Her breast sitting on his rib cage and fingers wrapped around his shoulder. She could damn hear his heart about to pound ou

December 2nd, 2017 "Alright baby, turn around so I can zip you up." Ava's grandmother, a stunning dark skinned Louisiana native, fussed over the off white wedding dress. Ava stared at herself in the mirror. Her swollen belly was hidden under the large Cinderella like gown. Her hair was down in loose curls and her make up was a more of a relaxed natural look. Blue pearls graced her neck and a diamond bracelet from her mother was a beautiful something borrowed. "Is everyone here Nana?" Ava asked her grandmother. "Everyone except your fiance and his groomsmen." The feisty old woman snarled. The look

Ava tapped the end of a black pen against the middle of her forehead. Five class action lawsuits against the DeKalb Medical branches. Racial profiling, harassment, intimidation, excessive force, fraud, price inflation and the list continued. The civil violations and criminal acts were enough to make any prosecuting attorney jump for joy. It was open and shut. Easy money for everyone involved. There were one hundred and sixty people in all and she got forty percent from each class action case. The total payout she would receive from the purposed settlements combined was seven hundred and  ninety eight million dollars.  She sat the pen down and got up to stretch her legs. Gerald had just had his baby last week. She was premature but he loved her without fault. Ava pressed the button on her desk phone, dialing his cell. "Hello?" His tired voice answered. &nb

Ava pushed silently, every once in a while letting out a pained whimper but for the most part silence. The oxygen mask around her face fogging and clearing as she deeply inhaled and exhaled. She'd been in labor three days. Damien held her legs and wiped away stray hairs from her eyes. "You can do it babe, just breathe."  Ava looked at him with tears in her eyes, "Damien it hurts so bad...my baby can't breathe." Both Ava and Faith experienced rapid drops in heart rate and Ava's blood pressure dropped significantly over the last few days. "Y'all are gonna be fine babe, just keep pushing, she's almost here, I can see her head." Ava nodded wearily and pushed one last time. Faith Jackson was born at 8:47 am on January 24,2018. "My baby isn't crying.. Why

Ava held baby Faith in her arms. Her small face was puckered, ready to eat. A tiny sigh escaped her little lips. Ava placed Faith on her left breast and struggled for twenty minutes to get her to latch. Faith's tiny sighs and huffs turned into large screams. "Well I guess I won't be breastfeeding" Ava muttered.She fixed the pre-made bottle of formula and gave it to Faith. Damien held his hands out, he and Faith would be inseparable in the few hours he would be home. It was like this everyday. He'd be at "work" for the better part of the day or sometimes night, then he'd be home for an even smaller portion. He would always give an excuse to leave. That was fine, Ava wasn't in the business of chasing, even if it's her husband. He cradled her head and body in his large hands, drawing her in towards his chest as always. "Hey sugarfoot" he cooed to her. Faith paused her eating

Ava sat at her desk, stretching and yawning. Her computer screen a list of digits and cases. The two most important were concerning medical malpractice and a serial rapist on a college campus in North Georgia. A small knock on her door was her saving grace. "Mrs.Jackson you have a call on line one." "Who is it?" "A Mr. Eric, he didn't give a last name ma'am." Ava heart began pounding. "That's fine, put him through." Ava picked up the phone, "Hello Tyler."