The Wife Before

by Shanora Williams

He is going to kill me.

He is not the man I assumed he was.

He’s prowling. He hates me and he wants me gone. He’s told me so many times before.

“No!” I scream. He’s toying with me.

Before I can get inside, a hand clutches a handful of my hair from behind me and a scream rips out of my throat.

the very moment my whole life changed.

All of these changes came shortly after he proposed to Analise seven months prior. Despite my brother’s done-up appearance, I could see the tiredness in his eyes.

I can’t help you out anymore.”

“As far as finances go. I can’t keep sending you money every month anymore.”

“So it was Ana’s idea to cut me off?”

“We have a baby on the way and we want to get married, sis.

She was so full of shit. Our mother would have despised her.

My brother was all I had left and yes, I was upset about this news.

The unruly look suited me best, but I did love a good perm rod two-strand twist-out. If not the twist-out, I was definitely rocking a springy afro.

She had a mission, and that mission was to save up enough money for us to have a cushion and for her children to go to college.

She’s been gone for seven years now but the emotion of that loss still lingers.

my problem with it all is that my mother allowed money to be her end-all, and I refuse to follow in those footsteps.

The tray hit the concrete and the glasses went crashing down. But I didn’t fall because the man in the suit had saved me.

All I could think when I saw him was wow.

“Well, Samira, unfortunately I’ll have to dock this from your pay.”

“I didn’t get your name.” “You mean you don’t recognize me?” he asked, amused. “No. Should I?”

Roland Graham.”

“Sorry . . . I don’t know that name.”

One of the best golfers in America?”

There was a loneliness about him,

There was a spark between us and if I was right about my instincts, he’d find me again before the night was over.

Roland had texted me asking “Guess who?”

I also learned that he was married before, but that his wife passed away, which somewhat explained the sadness I saw

Roland called more often. Sent me flowers every day for a week—all a different bouquet.

he was showing me off in so many new places and sharing his time with me publicly.

then Kell called and made me reconsider ever getting involved with a man like him.

Girl what

“Samira . . . you can’t tell me you think being with that guy is a good thing?”

“So you didn’t dig deep? Learn more about him? Because the Samira I know wouldn’t be so keen about being with him if she knew his truth.”

“And do you know that he killed her?”

There were stories circulating around years ago of people saying he killed his wife.

fuck rumors. Everyone had a rumor floating around about them somewhere,

He’s good to me, Kell. He’s a great guy. Why would people say that about him?”

“I doubt he would have done anything to hurt me, Kell.

He’s kind and patient with me. I’ve never even seen him get upset about anything while we’ve been together.

All you have to search for is ‘Roland Graham wife murder’ and it’ll show up. And after you do, cut him off and lose his number because he’s no good for you.”

Hmm big bro is warning you

I know you don’t know about his past or the stories with his wife, it’s also clear to me that he’s using that to his advantage.

THIS

He wants people to see you two together. It makes him look better.”

There was no way he was a murderer.

oop i fear its possible

“Like I said, I know publicity and I’ve worked with my share of celebrities. Stunts like this are a part of my job

So cut it off now while you’re still alive and breathing and everyone sees you,

What if I had slept with a murderer?

an unidentified woman had driven herself over a cliff and into a lake.

the number-one suspect was her husband, Roland Graham.

I couldn’t believe it. This man was a walking OJ Simpson case—you either thought he did it or you didn’t—and then there was me. A woman who was falling for him,

I can be both impulsive and impatient and I get overly excited about the smallest things,