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like you was some side chick. Had bitches suckin his dick . And now you engaged?"

"People can change."

"Yeah? People can act, too."

Korina leaned back. "I get it. You mad. But I'm not stupid, Vi. I'm not just walkin' into this blind."

"You sure about that?"

"I made him promise. And I told him... he break it, I'm gone. For good. Ain't gon' be no second round."

Navira squinted. "And you trust him not to fuck up?"

Korina paused. Then said honestly, "No. But I'm willing to watch him prove it."

Navira looked her over, her voice softer now. "Well... I hope he do. 'Cause if he don't... girl, I ain't gonna help bury him. I'll make you dig that hole your damn self."

They both laughed. Nervously.

Later that night.

Korina sat in a dimly lit back office of a small record studio near Crenshaw, speaking with a sharp-tongued woman named Ava, an A&R rep from a rising East Coast label.

"You got potential, Korina. Raw potential. You ain't just Eazy's girl-you got somethin'. Your voice? The look? The attitude? That's gold."

Korina raised an eyebrow. "You offering me a deal?"

"I'm offering you options. We'll be in touch. But next time you get in the booth-make it count."

Korina left feeling buzzed. Nervous. Energized. This wasn't just about marriage. This was about her now.

She walked into their shared home , throwing her keys on the counter. The lights were low. Music playing. Sade.

Eric was laid out on the bed, shirtless, arms behind his head, a smirk on his face.

"Damn, took you long enough. I was startin' to miss my fiancée."

She grinned. "Oh, you like callin' me that now?"

"Nah." He grabbed her hand, pulled her close. "I like callin' you Mrs. Wright."

She rolled her eyes, but she didn't pull away. She sat beside him on the bed, kicked off her heels, and sighed.

"You serious about all this?"

"More serious than I ever been."

"Then you gotta listen to me."

He turned to her, his full attention now on her. She wasn't playing.

"Eric... when you left, everything crumbled. I was stuck with contracts I didn't even read, press on my ass, Ren spreading all types of shit about me. You don't know what it was like... wakin' up and bein' the butt of every punchline in L.A. I was humiliated."

"Kori..."

"No, let me finish." Her voice cracked. "I had to rebuild myself from dust. I had nothin' but my own fuckin' backbone. And now, you back like we can just rewind?"

"I ain't tryna rewind. I'm tryna move forward. With you."

"Then fucking show me."

He sat up. Touched her face. "I'm here now. And I'm not leavin' you ever again. I know what I did. I was a coward. I let the game pull me in and spit me out. But you? You stayed solid. You stayed you. That's why I love you, girl."

She looked away. Tears pricked her eyes.

"You better not be playin' with me, Eric Wright. 'Cause if you break me again, I swear I won't just leave. I'll fuckin' ruin you."

"You already own me."

He kissed her then. Deep. Desperate. Like he was kissing her soul back together. One piece at a time. They laid back, tangled in sheets and emotion, kissing like the world outside didn't exist.

He pulled back for a second, out of breath. "You know... for everything you been through... I'm proud of you."

She blinked. "Proud?"

"You ain't just Eazy's girl. You Korina fuckin' West. You survived the wolves and came out swingin'. You makin' moves now. Gettin' offers. Havin' people talk."

She blushed, then playfully pushed his chest. "Shut up."

He grinned. "Nah, fuck that. Imma shout it from the rooftop. My girl's a star."

Then he pulled her back into bed, fingers tracing every curve like he was memorizing her all over again.

"Come here, Mrs. Wright."

She laughed. "You better make this worth it."

"Oh I'm gon' make love to you like it's a fuckin' promise."

And he did.

Slow. Rough. Tender. All at once. The kind of night you remember in your bones.

-_-_-

The room was silent except for the low hum of the city outside and the slow, steady rhythm of their breathing.

The air was heavy, thick with sweat and secrets, the kind that only surfaced when the lights were low and the past felt too close.

Sheets were tangled around their legs, her body resting against his like she finally let herself exhale. Like she finally let herself believe, just for a moment, that maybe he meant it this time.

Eric ran his hand down her back, slow and warm. He kissed her shoulder, his voice barely a whisper.

"I love you, 'Rina."

She didn't say anything at first. Her fingers grazed over his chest, tracing old scars and inked letters she knew by heart. She finally looked up, eyes glassy, skeptical.

"You always say that after sex."

He flinched, just a little. "I don't just say it."

She pushed herself up, sitting back on her knees. Her skin glowed in the faint streetlight pouring through the window. "Then what do you mean, Eric? Huh? 'Cause you said that shit before. And then you left. You let the whole world talk shit about me, you let my name get dragged through the mud while you stayed silent."

He sat up too, leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face with both hands like he was tired of himself.

"I know," he muttered. "I fucking know I fucked up. And not just once."

She stared at him. Hard.

"So don't say you love me. Show me. Prove it. I ain't got time for empty promises, not no more. I'm tired of feeling like I'm the only one fighting for this."

He turned to her slowly, his eyes dark and filled with something deeper than guilt.

"You want me to show you?" he said, his voice thick now, almost broken. "Okay. I'll show you. But not just with words. Not with gifts or rings. With me. All of me. Every time I touch you, it's gonna be a promise. Every time I look at you, it's gonna be a reminder. I'm yours. All fucking yours."

Korina's breath hitched, but she held her ground.

"Then come here," she said, softly but firm. "Come show me."

He pulled her into his lap like he needed to feel her weight, her warmth, her skin on his. His hands slid up her sides, slow and gentle now, worshipful almost. His lips brushed her neck, her collarbone, her chest-like each kiss was an apology, a memory, a vow.

"I missed you," he murmured against her skin. "Missed the way you look at me. The way you say my name when I make you feel good. Shit... I miss how you feel. No one ever made me feel like this."

She kissed him then, slow and full of need. It wasn't fast. It wasn't rough. It was quiet and deep and real-like the kind of kiss that says I still want you even after everything.

His hands roamed like he was learning her again, not just touching, but remembering. And when he finally entered her again, it wasn't about lust. It was about making her feel safe, adored, seen.

Their movements were slow this time. Deep. Every grind of their hips, every whisper in the dark, every "baby," and "fuck," and "I got you" between them-it all felt sacred.

Korina's fingers tangled in his hair as she arched into him, eyes fluttering shut, mouth parted with a soft gasp.

"You still think I don't love you?" he whispered, lips pressed to her ear.

She couldn't speak, just shook her head as her hands tightened around him, dragging him closer.

He held her tight, didn't let go for a second. "Say it," he murmured. "Say you're mine."

"I'm yours," she gasped, her voice shaking. "I been yours. Don't ever leave again."

"I won't," he promised, pressing his forehead to hers. "Not ever. I swear to God, 'Rina."

They moved like they were rediscovering each other, every moan and breath soaked in history. And when they finally collapsed back into the mattress, chest to chest, tangled in sweat and love and everything in between-neither of them said a word. Because they didn't have to.

The silence said it all.

In the afterglow, wrapped in sheets, she whispered against his chest:

"You really think we'll make it?"

He ran his fingers through her hair. "We already makin' it, baby."

But deep down, he wasn't sure. He didn't know if he could keep his hands clean. If the game would really let him go. If he could be the man she needed.

But fuck it. He'd die tryin'.