A Burning Secret (9 page)

Antonio’s funeral arrangements were made by
his parents and Sasha understood because after all,
she and Antonio hadn’t been officially married and
she didn’t want to cause a problem with his parents
so she was alone with her sorrow but so thankful
that she had Tula in her life.

Tula had always been like a mother to Sasha in
so many ways despite their business relationship.
At the funeral, none of
Antonio’s
family
acknowledged Sasha and that didn’t matter because
she knew that Antonio loved her deeply and that
was her comfort now.
Tula stayed over a few more days to comfort
Sasha and then headed back home to Montclair.
Sasha needed to move on but didn’t quite know
what she would do but she had Baby Jasmine and
she loved her more than life itself.
But Baby Jasmine needed a father. Antonio
had agreed to fill that role and Sasha wanted him
but now he was gone.
Sasha
wondered should she
contact Steve,
should she tell him that wonderful Antonio had
died or should she remain quiet and let things
remain as they are?
These are the questions that Sasha wrestled
with and she would take the next few months to
decide. There was no need to rush answers would
come in time.
For now she would spend time getting to know
her baby and relishing the apple pie and ice cream
that was left over from her special celebration
night with Antonio.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
One Year Later

It has taken some time for Sasha to get to this
point but she is now feeling like she is ready to
take on new responsibilities and to give back to the
world.

Although his business was left to her, she
decided not to keep control of it and turned it over
to his parents.

They were grateful for her gesture.
She also
returned any money that he had left to her and
suggested that they contribute it to a charity that
had a large focus in helping to cure cancer or at
least charities
that work closely with cancer
patients to help them lead better lives.

Steve had contacted her a while back to find
out how Baby Jasmine was doing so Sasha had
decided to tell him the entire truth.

He came out one weekend to offer his support
but Sasha is not looking for a new relationship.
She simply wants to spend as much time as she
possible rebuilding her life with her baby.

However, she has not lost her desire to help
others so she has made a decision to go back to the
school that she operated in Montclair.

The school has done quite well without her at
the helm of it but Sasha was able to bring a better
perspective to the school and the girls.

She had lived the life that most of the girls
were going through so she understood what made
them tick and they loved her for it.

Yes, she had made a lot of mistakes but she
was not going to let that keep her from giving back
so she packed up everything she had and moved
back home.

Everyone welcomed her with open arms. She
had been through a lot much of it due to her own
vulnerability and her willingness to live life without
expectations.

To her surprise Tyler, Tony’s daughter was
now volunteering as a teen coach for troubled girls.
She immediately came up to Sasha and hugged
her so tightly that Sasha thought the air would be
squeezed right out of her!
She
started crying and babbling
about the
mistake that her father had made in letting her go
and Sasha told her that she didn’t hold any grudges
or regrets!
Tyler had heard about Sasha’s new baby and
she was very excited about meeting her and she
was secretly holding on to hope that maybe Sasha
and her father would have a chance to rekindle
their relationship.
However, Sasha didn’t want anything to do
with Tony in that way. She has lost her best love
and no one and that is no one could take his place.
For now, she was content to be back home and
surrounded by people who love her.
But the next day, Tony showed up at the
school to see Sasha. He had a whole lot that he
wanted to apologize to her for and he wanted to
do it in person because he knew that she was still
angry about seeing him with another woman.
However, Sasha had long forgiven him for
everything that he had done to her.
It was no
longer an issue because she no longer was in love
with him.
But seeing
Tony was
very freeing for
her
because she was able to completely let go of her
past with Tony.
She also knew that for now she didn’t want to
date anyone, she had been down that road and she
wanted to concentrate on working with the teens
to provide them with the guidance they need so
that they don’t end up the way she did, looking for
love in the wrong people, and too caught up in the
roses and champagne that she couldn’t see the
forest for the trees.
It wasn’t until she met Antonio that she
realized that expensive cars, roses and champagne
mean nothing if the relationship is not built on
honesty and a willingness to let your partner see
your vulnerability
without fear of
losing
the
relationship.
It is then and only then that you will know that
you have a true loving relationship.