Diamond Revelation (25 page)

“Sing it, baby girl,” Kyle yelled, not caring what anyone thought. “That's my daughter.”

Topaz tugged on Germain's sleeve. “Baby, there's something I need to tell you.”

Germain was caught up in a trance with the rest of the audience. “Do you have to tell me now?”

“Yes,” Topaz whispered.

“Wait a minute, baby.” He took out his BlackBerry and read a text message. “I need to make a quick call. Be right back.” He popped out of his seat and quickly left the auditorium.

“Your kids turned it out,” Keisha was whispering again. “Did you hear that child hit those notes? And she sang with such passion.”

“I was never that good when I was her age,” Topaz confessed.

All of the children were onstage taking bows as the audience gave them a standing ovation. When Niki stepped forward everyone stamped and cheered.

Proud parents and family members began to leave the auditorium while others stood around conversing. Kyle had Niki in his arms. He and Nina were definitely the proud parents as everyone made their way over to congratulate them on Niki's performance. Topaz couldn't help being envious as she watched everyone make a fuss over her and Germain's daughter.

Germain finished his phone call to the hospital. One of his patients had been hospitalized and the nurses needed to check the dosage of her medication. While trying to make his way back into the auditorium, Germain ran smack into Sean, who was on his way to the restroom.

“Hey, man, congratulations. I know you must be proud of your daughter.”

Germain, not one to hold a grudge, smiled easily. “Thanks, man. Baby Doll danced her little behind off.”

“Yeah, she did,” Sean agreed. “But I was talking about Niki.”

Germain's countenance clouded. “Man, what are you talking about?”

“Keisha and Topaz did a paternity test. Niki is your daughter, man.”

“What?”

“Didn't you know?”

“This is the first I've heard about it.” A myriad of emotions raced through Germain's body.

“My bad,” Sean began, but Germain was already forcing his way through the crowd back to Topaz, who was laughing and talking to Keisha and Eric.

Germain grabbed her tightly by the arm and whispered in her ear, “Niki is my daughter?”

Topaz looked into Germain's eyes and immediately knew she had made a huge mistake by not telling him sooner. Who had told her husband? Words escaped her as she slowly agreed.

“When were you going to tell me?” he whispered through gritted teeth.

“I can explain.”

“You promised no more secrets.”

“I was trying to tell you.”

“When? Next year? It seems like everyone knew but me.”

“Give me a chance to explain.”

He gripped her arm even more tightly. “You had your chances. I'll never forgive you for this,” he whispered, and left the auditorium.

“Germain!” Topaz wailed.

Keisha looked in her face. “What is it, girl?”

“Take the kids home with you.” Topaz gave Keisha a quick peck on the cheek. “I'll explain everything later.”

T
opaz ran outside to the parking lot where a light misty rain had begun to fall. Normally, she would have pitched a fit about the rain ruining her hairstyle, but tonight she couldn't have cared less. She ran to the spot where they had parked the car, but she didn't see it anywhere. She scanned the line of bumper-to-bumper cars just in time to see Germain attempting to exit the campus. It was much too congested for him to go anywhere with everyone leaving at the same time.

She ran up to the car and tried to open the door, but it was locked. “Germain! Open the door.” For a moment, he looked her way then inched ahead in the traffic.

“Germain!” The misty rain was steadily coming down, saturating her clothes and hair. She ran out of the building so quickly she never had a chance to put on the fur coat that was slung over her arm, and she was chilled to the bone.

“Germain! Open the door, please. It's cold out here.”

He stopped and switched open the lock, and Topaz climbed into the car with chattering teeth. “Were you actually going to leave me?”

“I was trying my best.” He focused on the traffic as he drove away from the school.

Topaz found a tissue in her purse and wiped away the moisture that had collected on her face. “Turn on the heat, Germain.” Her teeth were still chattering and she could barely speak. Finally, she turned it on herself and Germain turned it back off.

“Germain, I'm freezing!” she wailed.

“I'm not.” His tone was mean and cold, but he did turn the heater back on.

Topaz looked at him sideways. She knew he was hurting. “I sent the kids home with Keisha and Eric so we can talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you, Topaz. You're a liar, and everything you say is a lie.”

“No, Germain. That's not true.”

“Is Niki my daughter?” He finally made eye contact for the first time since she had gotten into the car.

“Yes.”

“You never told me. Why does Sean know the truth and I don't?”

“I was going to tell you, but it was never the right time. I went to Nina's house and told her to give Niki back to me the day I found out, but Nina refused. I'm taking them to court.”

Germain looked at her like she was crazy. “I swear your elevator doesn't go all the way to the top. Is there an ounce of gray matter in your head?”

Topaz was shocked by Germain's words. He had never taken that tone with her.

“Nina's taken care of Niki since she was born, and rightfully she is her mother and Kyle is her father. They're the only parents Niki's ever known. You can't snatch Niki out of her home and away from her parents. What were you thinking? Oh, I forgot you don't think…at least not about anyone but yourself.”

“I was thinking she needs to come home to her real mommy and daddy with her brother and sister so we can all be a family.”

“We're already a family. All of us.” Germain shook his head. “As usual, you're dancing around the real issue. Do you have rocks in your head? What does all that have to do with you not telling me Niki is mine? You have denied me something I can never regain…the right and privilege of hearing my flesh and blood call me Daddy. The right to see her take her first steps, hear her say Dada, watch her teeth come in, read her a bedtime story, hear her say her prayers.”

“I missed all of those things too.”

“You had a choice. You knew she was your daughter when you gave her away. You were going to leave her in London, and Nina wouldn't let you do it so Nina brought her home. That precious little girl. What kind of a monster are you?” There were tears in his eyes, and Topaz hated seeing him in such pain.

“I didn't know she was yours.”

“But you knew she was yours. You should have stayed here and had the baby. We would have worked things out, even if she was Sean's. But you had to sneak off to Europe…not willing to trust the fact that I loved you more than anything and would be by your side to go through anything with you. We took vows, baby, remember, for better or worse?”

“I was afraid I'd lose you again. Won't you even try and see things my way?”

Tears streamed out of Topaz's eyes and down her face as he sped into the driveway with screeching tires and shut off the engine. He jumped out of the car and stormed into the house.

Topaz sat in the cold car for almost an hour collecting her thoughts. She was really hoping that Germain would come see what was keeping her.

Germain doesn't care about me.
Wearily, she opened the car door, climbed out, and headed for the house. She could hear the big-screen TV down in the family room and knew Germain was probably camped out in front of it with that awful Tanqueray and tonic he used to drown his sorrows.

“You're not the only one in pain, Germain Gradney.” Topaz climbed the stairs to their bedroom.

She went into her dressing room and hung up her fur, took off the pants suit, and strolled into their bedroom wearing nothing but a red satin thong. Germain was rummaging through the drawer of his nightstand. He looked up at her, then looked away.

“Put on some clothes.” He continued searching through the drawer.

“Why?” Topaz strutted her voluptuous curves. “You know you want me no matter how angry you get, so just come on and get some of this, baby.”

“Not tonight, darlin'.” He pulled Nina's journal out of the drawer. “In case you were wondering how I found out about your little rendezvous with Sean, it was all in here. Sean also put me up on game tonight. Thank God somebody told me because that definitely was not your intention.”

“That son of a bitch.” Topaz was immediately angry. “He had no right to tell you anything.”

“Don't blame your old boyfriend for telling me what you should have told me the minute you found out.”

“Sean was never my boyfriend. I hate his simple, stupid ass.”

“Really?” Germain seemed amused, and that angered her even more. “He still has a thing for you.”

“No, he doesn't. He loves Jade. He's just a nice guy.”

“You must have really freaked the church boy out.” Germain tossed Nina's journal on the bed as he left the bedroom. “Take a look at that in your spare time.”

“What is that?” Topaz demanded, but he had already left the room. She picked up the pink book and was surprised to see Nina's name inscribed on the front page. “What the hell?” She couldn't believe the details of her life spelled out on the pages. She read passages for over an hour before she angrily stormed into the family room where Germain was asleep on the couch. She threw the book across the room, and it smacked him on the side of his head.

“Woman, are you crazy?” Germain sat up and looked at her.

“Who's keeping secrets now? Why didn't you tell me you had this?”

Germain was still trying to wake up.

“No, you just get drunk and go to Sean's birthday party and spill your guts. I would never embarrass you like that.”

“You already did. If you had to fuck somebody why did it have to be Sean? Now every time I see that stupid motherfucker, I'll know he's thinking that I slept with your woman.”

Topaz's mouth dropped open in surprise. Germain had never used such foul language.

“When did you get that journal from Nina?”

“I didn't get it from Nina.”

“Then where did you get it?”

Germain pretended he didn't hear her. She slapped him on the side of his head, and he gripped her hands so tightly they turned red. “Go back upstairs, Topaz, and leave me alone.” He gave her a dirty look and pushed her away.

“I want to know where you got the damn journal if it wasn't from Nina.”

He changed the channel on the television and said nothing.

“Who gave you the fucking journal, Germain?” Topaz screamed, aggravated and angry.

“Sabre.”

“Sabre? What the hell has she got to do with this?”

“She thought I should know.”

“Thought you should know what?”

“The truth.”

“And you believed her?”

“That was Nina's handwriting.”

“Nina is such a little bitch. I'm gonna kick her ass.” Suddenly a crazed look came into her eyes. “It was Sabre. You fucked Sabre.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” Germain, not the greatest liar, was doing his best to play it off.

“Some woman called the house real late one night. Of course, I thought it was you because the caller ID was your cell phone. But some female said she was done fucking you so she was sending you home to me. That was Sabre, wasn't it?” Topaz screamed like a mad woman.

“Now you know how it feels,” Germain said quietly.

Topaz screamed all the way upstairs and into the kitchen as she searched through drawers for the biggest knife she could find. She snatched it and ran back downstairs, still screaming loudly. “I'm going to kill you, Germain. And then I'm going to kill that bitch, Sabre.”

Germain had never seen her so upset. The circumstances had brought out the absolute worst in both of them.

“Just calm down,” Germain said softly, knowing within himself things had gone too far.

“Don't tell me to calm down,” Topaz screamed. “You fucked that bitch. You know how much I hated her. Why?” Topaz broke into tears.

“I wanted to hurt you as badly as you hurt me,” he yelled back. “And Jade. It doesn't feel good, does it?”

“I'll never forgive you, Germain Gradney.”

“I'll never forgive you, either.”

“Fine. Don't forgive me. At least I never cheated on you while we were married.”

“I gotta get out of here.” Germain ran up the stairs and she ran behind him.

“Why? Are you going to see Sabre, that little tramp-ass ho?”

“Why would you care if you're never going to forgive me?”

Germain was out of the house and in his new Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet. It was a beautiful piece of machinery, cocoa with terra-cotta interior—an early Christmas, late birthday gift from Topaz. He drove off the property going nowhere in particular, just out of the house to give them both some much needed space. He opened the window. The chilly night air felt good and it helped clear his head.

Topaz went upstairs to take a shower.
How had things gotten so out of hand?

She broke into tears at the thought of Germain with Sabre. She had accused him of cheating while they were married when suddenly she remembered her own indiscretion during her climb to the top of the music industry.

I slept with Jamil when we were still married. Oh my God.
She slid down into the shower and cried her eyes out.

Germain turned onto the infamous Mulholland Drive. The Porsche could go from zero to sixty miles per hour in a matter of seconds. He sped down the road, enjoying the feel of the car as it hugged the pavement.

Why couldn't I keep my big mouth shut? I love my wife, and no matter what, I will always love her. I vowed to be with her for better or for worse. She's a part of me. We've seen better, but things could always be worse. Niki is mine.
Germain wiped a tear from his eye and smiled.
That little sweet thing is mine. Like Mom always used to say, into each life a little rain must fall.

He carefully turned the car around and headed for home.
Makeup sex is a great thing. She is so dramatic and tender, like fire and rain.

He was driving over a hundred miles an hour when he took out his voice-activated cell phone and called Topaz. He spoke after the beep. “I'll always love you, baby, no matter what.” He was about to say more when he glanced at the lights twinkling in the Valley. It was a spectacular view. He hit a large patch of water on the road. It splashed everywhere and the car swerved out of control. It spun around, crashed, and flipped over the barricade. Time stood still as the Porsche sailed into oblivion, tumbled down the hillside, and crashed on the rocks below.

Topaz got out of the shower and phoned Germain. It rang and went to voice mail, so she decided to leave a message. “Hi, baby. I just wanted you to know I'm sorry and I do forgive you. I'll always forgive you because I love you. See you later, sweetie.” She smiled as she hung up the phone and went to look through her lingerie drawers for her sexiest nightgown.

Topaz had been asleep for hours when she thought she heard the doorbell ring. She opened her eyes and was immediately sad because Germain wasn't lying in bed beside her. She found her slippers and robe while the bell continued to chime. Security would take care of it, but it was unusual for callers invited or uninvited to arrive at their home so late.

Her intentions were to see if Germain was asleep in the family room, but she was surprised when she saw security in the foyer with a California Highway Patrolman.

“Are you Mrs. Gradney?” the officer inquired.

“Yes.”

“Your husband is Dr. Germain Gradney?”

“Yes.” Uneasiness crept through her body, and she knew something was terribly wrong.

“I'm afraid there's been a terrible accident.”

She clasped a hand to her mouth, and tears filled her eyes. There was a lump in her throat and she couldn't breathe. “Not Germain.”

“We found his car on the hillside below Mulholland Drive.”

“He's okay, right?”

“No one could have survived that fall. It looks like he lost control and crashed through a barricade on Mulholland. I'm sure he was killed on impact.”

Germain…killed?
“Oh my God.” Topaz screamed and fell to the floor like a crumpled leaf. “Not Germain, not my sweet baby.”

“Ma'am. I'm sorry, but we're gonna need you to go to the hospital and identify the body.”

“Nooooo.” She screamed from the depths of her soul. She lay on the floor sobbing, then she jumped up with a straight face. “I don't believe it. Germain is not dead.”