His Facts Her Truth

By Kemeka Johnson and Cornelia Amiri

His Fact—he won't leave his wife; Her Truth—she'll follow her heart

Melanie manages to balance marriage, motherhood, and a successful law career, unlike her workaholic husband. Driven by frustration over his absentee ways, she harmlessly flirts with the handsome, athletic, and, married Fire Chief, Caleb Armstrong, at a community event. Things heat up at a local high school football game when she runs into him again. 

 When Caleb holds Melanie in his warm, muscular arms she feels so beautiful and desired. What she knows is wrong, feels so right as she and Caleb come up with a way to have an affair and still protect their marriages.

 Turns out life's not that simple. The sizzle starts to fizzle when Melanie's forced to make a decision that could change her, and Caleb's lives forever. What direction will Melanie's heart take her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kemeka Johnson
• Release date: Oct 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393848868

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His Fact Her Truth

Kemeka Kearse-Johnson

Cornelia Amiri

His Fact—he won’t leave his wife; Her Truth—she’ll follow her heart

Melanie manages to balance marriage, motherhood, and a successful law career, unlike her workaholic husband. Driven by frustration over his absentee ways, she harmlessly flirts with the handsome, athletic, and, married Fire Chief, Caleb Armstrong, at a community event. Things heat up at a local high school football game when she runs into him again.

When Caleb holds Melanie in his warm, muscular arms she feels so beautiful and desired. What she knows is wrong, feels so right as she and Caleb come up with a way to have an affair and still protect their marriages.

Turns out life’s not that simple. The sizzle starts to fizzle when Melanie’s forced to make a decision that could change her, and Caleb’s lives forever. What direction will Melanie’s heart take her?

HIS FACT HER TRUTH

Copyright © 2019 KEMEKA I JOHNSON

Cover art by Kyra Starr

Edited by Michelle Levigne

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental. All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews

This book is dedicated to my husband, daughters, and dear friends: Chi, KJ, CWP, and Nikki, who believed in me and supported my adventure of Facts and Truth.

Chapter 1

What do you mean you aren’t coming? You’re just now telling me this? We’re supposed to be there in twenty minutes. Melanie clutched the toe of the Christian Louboutin silver-glitter No Prive 120 slingback pump and flung it hard. It flew through the air. The five-inch stiletto heel struck the glass of the dresser mirror like a spear point hitting its mark. Cracking it.

Jeremiah gasped and jumped back at the sound of shattering glass.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Melanie cupped her forehead in her hands. Look what you made me do. Now I’ve got bad luck, too.

Don’t throw those shoes. They cost more than that mirror, Jeremiah said from inside the open closet as he grabbed his jacket.

They’re mine. I’ll throw them if I want to. Melanie lowered one bare foot and one still shod to the floor and stood. With a one-shoe-off limp, she walked over to the tossed Louboutin. It had landed on its top, the red sole facing her. She picked it up. You promised you’d go with me tonight. I’ve been working on this for three months. I was the one who got Rick Rivera to do the decor for the ballroom. She returned to her seat on the edge of the bed.

Rick who? Jeremiah slipped on his jacket and headed toward the bedroom door.

A famous set designer from Mobile. She examined the heel of the shoe in her hand. It didn’t have a scratch on it. At least the Louboutin had come out of this unscathed. What a fierce shoe. She shifted her gaze back to her husband. More than 100 people are attending to benefit eight local children’s charities. And, it was our chance to dance and dine together, something we haven’t done in over a year.

There’s a lot of things we haven’t done in over a year, or it seems that way. Jeremiah was mere inches away from making his escape from the bedroom.

Why are you rushing off to work tonight of all nights?

He stiffened his posture. Because the ER just ran a brain scan on a patient, and it shows a hemorrhagic stroke. He needs surgery now. I’ve got to get to the hospital and clip his ruptured aneurysm to stop the bleeding. It’s his only chance. There’s no time to spare.

Melanie cast her head down. You didn’t bother to explain. No, you just said you couldn’t make it tonight, had to go to the hospital.

She glanced up. He was gone. All she heard were Jeremiah’s footsteps as he rushed down the stairs.

Couples, mostly spouses, were in all the pictures snapped at these charity events. She was the exception. Melanie was always solo. People probably thought she was single and lonely. Well, one of those was true.

Not wanting to be in another one of those photos, she grabbed her phone and texted the chairwoman of the Silver Ball Gala, Michelle.

Last minute situation. Can’t make it after all. So sorry. I wish I could be there.

Melanie dropped the phone on the bed. Then she unzipped and slipped off the satin and chiffon, one-shoulder ball gown. She’d felt beautiful in it, but not anymore.

She didn’t know how to turn things back to the way they were before her husband started his private neurosurgeon practice. Nowadays Jeremiah was married to his work more than to her.

She hung up the expensive dress and stored the designer shoes in their box. Then she pulled on jeans, a bright red pullover fisherman sweater, and a pair of sneakers. She glanced in the cracked mirror at the voluminous mass of tight, shiny curls. Each moussed, diffused, and finger-fluffed ebony ringlet was still in place. I look too fabulous to stay home.

She headed downstairs to find her daughter, Ava, with Gladys, their sixty-something neighbor babysitter, watching a singing competition