𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁

Diamond Brown

I should’ve known this wouldn’t be a regular night.

When he texted me.

Breezybae: Come on the tour bus tonight. Wanna introduce you to everyone.”

I felt my stomach flip. Not butterflies. Anxiety. Straight-up dread. “Everyone” meantthem. His other baby mamas.

I’d seen them online, of course. Nia. Ammika. Maybe another one I hadn’t clocked yet. All with their own history, their own place in his life. And now me. The newest addition to the carousel. Great.

I showed up anyway. Lip gloss poppin’, edges laid, stomach slightly rounded under a cropped hoodie. If I was gonna be uncomfortable, I was at least gonna look good doing it.

The inside of the tour bus smelled like cologne, weed, and expensive leather. He was posted in the back, laughing with his boys, like this wasn’t a reunion of all the women he couldn’t keep his hands—or his heart—to himself with.

“Diamond,” he called out, flashing that smile. The one that still made my chest flutter even when I knew better. “Come here. I want you to meet everybody.”

I walked forward, trying to keep my chin up and my face unreadable. That’s when I saw her.

Nia Guzman.

She was sitting in one of the plush seats near the window, legs crossed, nails long and painted wine red. She lookedunbothered. Like she didn’t even blink at my presence. But when her eyes met mine, something flickered. Curiosity? Judgment? I couldn’t tell. I just knew it made my pulse skip.

“This is Nia” he said. “Mother of my firstborn.”

I nodded. “Hey. Nice to meet you.”

She smirked. “Mm. We’ll see.”

Okay.

And just like that, I knew she was gonna be a problem. The kind that got under your skin and stayed there. The kind that made you question if hate and attraction could exist in the same breath.

I tried not to let her tone rattle me, but something about her felt... sharp. Like she could slice through all my walls with just one look.

Chris moved on to introduce me to Ammika, who was way more chill, offered a small smile, asked how far along I was. I told her I was five months. She said congratulations. It was polite. Safe. Nothing like the subtle fire burning in Nia’s stare.

The whole bus was too quiet for a minute just music low in the background, the hum of the engine beneath us, and Chris talking like this wasn’t the weirdest, most awkward mixer of all time.

Then he got a text and stood up. “I gotta step off for a bit. Studio call. Y’all cool?”

Before I could say anything, he was already gone. And just like that, I was alone with the women who knew him better than I probably ever would.

Ammika pulled out her phone. Nia didn’t move.

She just kept looking at me.

“You new girls always show up thinking it’s different” she said finally, her voice low but heavy.

“You’re not.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You think the baby changes him. It won’t. You think you’re the last one. You’re not. And when you realize that, it’s gonna hurt like hell.”

I should’ve snapped back. Said something slick. But I didn’t. I just looked at her. Because deep down... I knew she wasn’t lying.

“I’m not here to fight over him” I said.

“I just came because he asked me to.”

That made her laugh. Not a mean laugh, but something else like she was surprised.

“Good” she said.

“Fighting over him is a waste of time.”

Her tone softened, just a little. And for a second, something passed between us. A truce, maybe. Or the beginning of one.

“I like your nails” I offered, quietly.

She glanced down, flexing her fingers. “Thanks. You’re cute, Diamond. Just... don’t let him ruin you.”

Before I could respond, Chris came back in, all energy and swagger like he hadn’t just dropped me into a reality show with no warning.

But I didn’t hear anything he said after that. All I could think about was the way Nia had looked at me. Like she saw something in me I hadn’t even figured out yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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