Janet P.O.V.
By midnight I had cried all the tears I could cry until I had none left. I couldn't sleep knowing that Toni was out there somewhere hating me, so I just sat in the dark, in our bedroom, staring at the wall and silently praying for her to come back home to me. I heard the front door click downstairs and I instantly perked up, knowing for sure that it was Toni. I knew she would never truly love me. We've been through too much with each other and for each other to just simply throw 10 years away. I fixed my runny makeup and fluffed my hair up before running down the stairs. I thought I would go running into the arms of my wife, but it was Tamar standing in the foyer. I paused in my tracks, taking in her appearance. Her clothes were ripped up and she looked like she had been beaten. Her eyes were red, swollen, and overflowing with tears. I covered my mouth with trembling hands to keep from screaming. At the moment I had forgotten how she destroyed my marriage and I wrapped my arms around her, helping her up the stairs. Once in my bedroom I sat her on the bed with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and I retrieved the first aid from the medicine cabinet.
I sat next to her and opened the kit, getting to work on her battered face right away. Her voice shook and cracked as she tried to tell me what happened.
Tamar: H-he was t-too strong and I-I tried to st-stop him b-but h-he...h-he-
Janet: I need you to calm down and take deep breaths. Now tell me what happened and take your time.
Tamar: After everything went down, Robyn and I got into a fight because Toni said I was in love with you. She was getting a little aggressive so I left. I got in my car and I started following Toni. I was going to try to convince her to come back so we could work everything out. I figured that since the truth was finally out, we could begin to heal our sisterhood. I never hated Toni and I didn't mean for everything to fall apart like this. You have to believe me when I say this.
Janet: I do believe you, but right now I need to you to tell me how you ended up like this.
She broke down in tears all over again and I knew something was terribly wrong. It struck me that Toni wasn't with her or hadn't even called. I furrowed my brows in suspicion, checking my phone that Toni had called me after all.
Janet: Tamar, where is Toni?
Tamar: She was killed in a car accident. I saw it happen, everything and now I can't unsee it. The man ran right into her and I was so distraught that I attacked him. He killed my sister and he did this to me! I don't even know his name and I've never seen his face. I'm so sorry Janet. The doctors tried to save her, but in the end it just wasn't enough.
Janet: No. No. No! She's not dead! No, she's not dead Tamar! She can't be dead! No! Toni is not dead! My wife is not dead!
I found the strength to cry again and I was drowning in tears. I collapsed to the floor in Tamar's arms, screaming and begging for Toni. I felt Tamar's tears falling in my hair as she stroked it. My wife, my heartbeat, my lover, the very breath in my lungs was no longer breathing. I always thought that we would grow old with each other and die together holding hands.
Janet: Why did she have to leave me?
Tamar:*crying* I-I don't k-know Janet. This is all my fault. She would've never gotten into that car if I didn't bring Robyn along to drive you two apart. This is my punishment for being such a terrible sister to her. It should've been me, not Tone. She had you to live for while I have absolutely nothing to live for. I heard her speak her last words. They were for you.
Janet:*sniffling* What did she say?
Tamar: She said to tell Janet that she loves you more than life itself and that she was going to come back home to you, that it isn't the end of your beautiful love story.
I tried to smile because her last words were so beautiful, but then I realized I would never hear her voice again and I broke down crying in Tamar's chest even harder. I could tell she was trying to be strong for me and I wanted to be strong for Toni, but this was just too much pain to bear.
Janet: This hurts so bad and she isn't even here to kiss the pain away...I miss her kisses already.
Tamar: I know she isn't here to kiss your pain away, but I am. I'm in pain too. No matter what I did to Toni, I loved her just as much, if not more than you did. Sometimes I still think about that night when all three of us made love to each other in this very room, and I know you think about it too. I'm just saying that instead of letting this pain eat you alive, you should let me take care of it and you. Toni wouldn't want you to suffer and wallow in your tears. She would want this. I looked her in her eyes as she died and she told me to take care of you when she was gone.
Janet: Please...please take this pain away, Tamar!
She picked me up in her arms and laid me on the bed gently. Tears streamed down my face as she kissed me softly. No woman's lips would ever taste like Toni's. She caressed my face, wiping the tears with every kiss on my neck. A shaky, cryful moan racked my body as she kissed down my body to my sacred place. As things were escalating, her phone began to ring in her back pocket. But then I realized it was the exact same ring tone as Toni's because it was the song Toni and I danced to the night of our wedding.
