Destiny always had that soft, golden glow about her — light skin, curly hair that fell over her shoulders, and eyes that could pull anyone in. But behind that glow was a fire. She didn’t let anyone play with her or the people she loved.

She had fallen hard for her baby daddy. She knew it was messy, she knew it wasn’t her place, but somehow she got caught up in his words, his charm, his late-night promises. And when things went left, Destiny made a choice.

One night, the cops were hot on him for a move gone wrong. He looked at her with panic in his eyes, and without even thinking twice, Destiny said, “Give it here. I’ll hold it down.” She took the blame, the whole weight of it, just to keep him from going away and leaving her and their baby without her.

Now she sits in a cold cell, writing letters on thin paper, her handwriting looping strong even as her heart aches. She writes about how she ain’t regret protecting him — even though she knows deep down, she was never the one he truly belonged to.

The other girls in jail call her crazy, call her loyal, call her dumb. Destiny just shrugs, staring at the cracks on the ceiling. She tells herself she did it out of love, but sometimes when she hears the echo of her own thoughts at night, she wonders if she just threw away her freedom for someone who will never ride for her the way she rode for him.

Still, whenever she closes her eyes, she whispers, “I did it for him. I did it for my baby daddy. And I’d do it again.”

Present Night

The gates clanked shut behind her, and Destiny stepped out with her head high. Fresh out, no chains on her wrists, but her heart still heavy with everything she carried inside those walls. She had sacrificed years of her life for him, the man she once swore she’d ride for no matter what.

When she finally saw him, instead of relief, all the anger she swallowed inside came rushing up.

“You got the nerve to look at me like that?” Destiny’s voice cracked, but her eyes stayed hard. “I sat in that cell for you. I took the charge, I kept my mouth shut, I lost everything — and what did you do while I was gone? You ain’t write me, you ain’t put a dime on my books. You left me in there like I was nothing.”

He shook his head, stepping forward. “Don’t try to flip it, Destiny. You ain’t do all that just for me — you did it ‘cause you thought it was gonna prove something. Nobody told you to take that fall. That was your choice.”

Destiny’s chest rose and fell, her hands balling into fists. “My choice? You begged me. Don’t stand here and lie. I was loyal when nobody else was. You promised me you’d hold me down, and the second those bars closed, you forgot my name.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “You think I was supposed to put my whole life on pause for you? I had a baby to take care of. I had to move on. That’s real life, Destiny.”

Her eyes burned, fury mixing with heartbreak. “Real life? I gave up mine for you! You walkin’ around free, playin’ daddy of the year, while I was eatin’ trays and countin’ days. Don’t you ever talk to me about real life — you don’t even know what sacrifice is.”

The space between them felt like it could explode, two storms colliding. Destiny stepped closer, voice sharp like a blade.

“One day, you gon’ realize I was the only one who really rode for you. And when that day comes, don’t you dare try to find me.”