Faces of Love

by Lily Orevba

  Alice’s gaze scanned the room. What a ball it had turned out to be! The entire town was bound to be buzzing with the news of two rich men and their cheating wives by morning.

  “I see it all turned out the way you wanted.”

  The unexpected voice behind Alice caused her to jump in surprise. She turned around. “Stuart!” Alice placed a hand on her chest and feigned surprise. “I’m so sorry about tonight.”

  Stuart’s angry gaze beheld her but she didn’t care. For all she knew, Stuart needed to be exposed himself.

  “Get off of my property, Alice, or I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.” Stuart’s voice had a dangerous underlying tone to it as he made to go past her.

  “Why are you trying so hard to protect her?!” Alice called. Stuart stopped in his tracks and she continued. “I did the right thing, Stuart. Howard deserved to know and I won’t apologize for it. Howard deserves a good woman with a clean past.”

  Stuart turned around slowly, angry eyes coming to rest on her. “And you’re that woman, aren’t you, Alice?!” He covered the distance between them. “You clothe yourself in your self-designed robe of righteousness that you fail to see what we all see; the darkness of your heart. What you did here today, Alice, didn’t do anything but destroy the lives of people, and you should be ashamed of yourself.”

  Alice watched in anger as Stuart turned his back and walked away.

  She had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of! Destroy?! She didn’t destroy anything, she fixed things! She fixed Howard! She showed him the truth that Stuart and Glory fought to keep hidden from him! Alice was a good person! She wouldn’t have done what she did if she thought it was wrong; she did it because it was the right thing to do!

  She placed her glass on the table top and strolled out of the room, upset.

  ***

  Gloria picked her trembling self off of the dirty grass and made her way to the mansion. The walls of the building seemed to be caving in on her, her heart seemed to be beating in an accelerated speed, her breathing was laboured, her vision was blurred, and her emotions were tumbling over each other. She couldn’t think, neither could she see the faces of people that passed by her. All she saw was Howard. His rejection. Right there in his eyes, visible for all to see.

  She pushed the door to her bedroom wide open and stepped in. Heading for the wardrobe, she began to pull out her belongings. Loud sobs escaped her lips as she stuffed everything in a small trunk and carried it out of the room.

  “Gloria.”

  She heard her name but her mind didn’t seem to comprehend what was happening until she was being pulled into a warm embrace that seemed to open the flood gates of her tears.

  “I’m so sorry, Stuart.” She wept against his shoulder, tightening her hold around him. “I’m so sorry I ruined your life. I ruined everything!” Her body trembled against Stuart who just stood there saying nothing as his palm ran up and down her trembling back. “I lied to Howard, I lied to you, and I’m sorry.”

  Gloria felt the need to confess her transgressions to Stuart. He was the only one who was kind to her in spite of everything.

  “I made so many mistakes.” She said in between sobs. “Too many, Stuart. And even when I was supposed to be married, I broke that bond. I let myself break my marriage vow.”

  She fully expected Stuart to push her away but he didn’t. Instead, his hold around her tightened. She leaned into his embrace. “We all make mistakes, pumpkin,” he whispered against her hair.

  “Not the type I have made!” she cried. “Howard will never forgive me, Stuart! Never. I can’t stay here anymore. I can’t live with this guilt.”

  Stuart pulled away then, his kind eyes beholding her in compassion. Gloria wanted to lean into him and soak herself in the love she saw in his eyes. He didn’t condemn her like Howard had done; he forgave her and the realization of it broke her heart further. She didn’t deserve his forgiveness. If she was going to be honest, she didn’t deserve Howard’s forgiveness either. It would be unfair for her to expect it. Which was why she couldn’t stay a second longer under the roof of the Sullivan men.

  Straightening, she wiped her tears and forced a smile. “Will you tell Howard I said goodbye?”

  Stuart contemplated her words for a second. He seemed hesitant and for a moment, she thought he would ask her to stay. She almost hoped he would ask her to stay. But he nodded, to her disappointment.

  She offered a nod and took hold of her trunk. She made to walk past him.

  “Gloria,” She froze in her tracks. “You’ll be needing this.” She turned around to find him holding the cheque he once offered her.

  “Stuart…”

  He shook his head. “I made a promise…”

  “…to a prostitute, Stuart.” She sighed. The money was meant for Gloria the prostitute and she had a feeling she wasn’t walking out of these walls with that woman in tow. “And she’s not here anymore.”

  Stuart smiled broadly, his eyes twinkling. Gloria wondered about his smile but didn’t bother to ask as he put the money back into his pocket. “Still, I insist.” He pulled out a wade of cash this time around and tucked it in her hand. “It’s nothing compared to what I once offered but it’s enough for a coach, boarding, and meal for a few days until you can get back on your feet. Gloria, Howard might never forgive you but you owe it to yourself to forgive yourself.”

  Unable to speak past the lump that had formed in her throat, Gloria nodded once and began her trip out of the Sullivan’s mansion, out of Arkansas and away from Howard.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  It wasn’t until his vision cleared enough for him to see the door being shaken by the constant pounding of an intruder that Marcus realized that the ringing in his ears and pounding in his head didn’t just come from a headache but from an impatient intruder.

  Shoving the covers aside, he tried to push himself to his feet but came crashing back down. Letting out a loud curse, he rubbed his forehead. The pounding on his door continued.

  “Well, hold your horses!” he yelled, adding to the headache he felt.

  It was all Alice’s fault. Gloria’s fault as well but mostly Alice! After getting drunk three nights ago and getting into a confrontation with both Gayle’s husband and Gloria’s husband, Marcus knew he was done for. Which indicated his need to leave Arkansas. There was no one left to threaten or extort. Therefore, he needed to move to another town, find another vulnerable woman, get her to fall in love with him, then dupe her. Of course, she’d have to be a rich spinster this time with a rich father. He smiled. He should be on his way out of town but the owner of the bar downstairs still owed him a couple of bottles of whiskey. He’d get himself drunk on his free whiskey until the debt was completely paid, before leaving town.

  The banging on the door continued, its impact nearly pushing the door down. Irked, Marcus rose slowly to his feet and waited for the ground beneath him to stabilize before his vision. Getting drunk was fun but waking up the next morning was a whole different ball game.

  He strolled to the door and pulled it open, a glare on his face. He’d give the unwelcomed intruder a piece of his mind. It was probably one of the town’s women, here to criticize him for betraying a friend, Gayle. He didn’t care for those old hags and he was darn right going to tell them exactly how he felt.

  The door swung open and a vision of red stood before him. Confused, Marcus rubbed his eyes.

  “Y…oo…uuu,” a trembling male voice spoke. “It was you!”

  Marcus’s vision cleared enough for him to see the stranger before him. Other than the man’s grey hair and blue eyes, Marcus couldn’t quite see his face due to the blood or red substance that covered it.

  “It was all you!”

  “What in the wor…”

  “Don’t!” the man yelled with an authoritative voice. “Don’t you dare try to weasel your way out of this.”

  Marcus made to slam the door in the lunatic’s face. He wasn’t even surprised to find a
mad man at his door seeing as he lived in one of the boarding rooms of the bar. Men got drunk all the time and found themselves a boarder to torment. It was the price to pay for such cheap accommodation.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” The tone of the stranger’s voice sounded frightening enough for Marcus to stop.

  “No!” It was only when the stranger rose his hand up that Marcus realized he was pointing a revolver at him.

  “Look, Mister, you need to calm down!” Marcus urged, feeling fear grip his heart.

  “Calm down?!” he yelled. “You ruined my life! My marriage! My wife!” His eyes took on a dangerous shimmer in them. “Gayle… My Gayle.”

  Marcus watched the man’s hands tremble, weakening his hold on the gun. Without stopping to think for a second, Marcus reached for the gun and tried to wrestle it away from him.

  He felt the cool metal of the gun in his palm as he wrestled with the surprisingly strong stranger. At the back of Marcus’s mind, he knew he was dealing with a furious man who was mad enough to commit murder. A man whose wife managed to drag his reputation through the mud by having an affair with the town’s scum.

  Marcus didn’t care much for Gayle or her silly husband and if it came down to it, he’d shoot the man dead. Heck, he’d shoot him dead whether or not it comes right down to it. He’d shoot Gayle, her husband, and Howard dead if he got the chance.

  Marcus didn’t hear the sound of the gun go off neither did he feel the impact of the bullet as it tore through his flesh and into his beating heart nor Gayle’s husband retreat from him but he felt himself weaken. For a second, Marcus thought the man had given up on his physical attack on him but one look at Gayle’s husband’s eyes as he stared at Marcus’s chest in horror and he knew instantly he had been hit.

  It made sense now.

  The reason the room began to spin, the reason Gayle’s husband seemed to be speaking yet he couldn’t hear him, the reason he began to hear his own heart beat slow down. Something was most definitely wrong. Yet, he wouldn’t let himself contemplate the fact that he might be dying. It was simply impossible.

  In a flash, he saw his entire life play out before his eyes: himself as a little boy, getting into fights with boys his age; himself as a man, leaving home and setting out on a course of his own—a course that didn’t turn out quite well. If anything, Marcus was ashamed of himself. He couldn’t die now! He couldn’t die with nothing but a reputation that would be spat on, and left behind. He couldn’t die without having sired a child. He couldn’t die without having truly loved a woman.

  Gloria was the only woman he came close to ever loving. Yet, he ruined her life. He should have let her go. He should have given her the chance to be happy for she deserved it. But no, he was a selfish bastard with an insatiable desire for money. If he hadn’t shown up and ruined Gloria’s life, would she be happily married by now? If he hadn’t gone ahead to ruin Gayle’s marriage, would he be standing here, a bullet in his heart, constricting the pumping of his heart and stopping oxygen from getting into his lungs?

  His heartbeat became barely audible as he staggered on his feet. He couldn’t change anything and he wasn’t about to die with any regrets. If anything, he was leaving this forsaken planet. Let people like Alice live with the consequences of her own selfish desires for a married man. Let Gayle’s husband live with the guilt of killing another human being. Let the world crash and burn for all he cared. He came, he saw, and he had one hell of a ride!

  A smile settled on Marcus’s lips as his body crashed to the floor. It was a worthy ride! He was about to close his eyes and give in to the darkness when he thought of what may lie behind the walls of the world, and began to panic. For he knew that if he was going to be made to give account of the life he spent in order to be rewarded or punished, then his punishment was surely one of a severe nature—one that would last forever.

  Marcus Brody died that morning with a horrified look on his face.

  ***

  “Where do you think you’re headed?”

  Alice froze in her tracks and slowly turned around. The look in Stuart’s eyes was anything but welcoming.

  “I came to see how Howard’s doing. It’s only proper that I check on him,” she answered, a smile plastered on her face.

  “Heard of Gayle, Alice?”

  “What?” She observed him, confused.

  “She’s dead. So is her husband and so is Marcus,” Stuart answered angrily.

  Alice had heard of Marcus’s death at the hands of a scorned husband who then killed his cheating wife, and turned the gun on himself. But she didn’t dwell on any of it. If anything, she thought Marcus the least person deserving to live, right next to Gloria.

  “You see, Alice, while you might not realize it yet, you are responsible for all their deaths, all three of them.”

  “That’s enough, Stuart!” She clenched her teeth.

  “Whatever makes you sleep well at night.” Stuart ran his eyes down the length of her, a foul look on his face. “Howard’s not here. Hasn’t been for two weeks since Gloria left. It turns out, he loves Gloria, prostitute or not.”

  Alice didn’t let Stuart’s announcement weaken her. Howard might have left but it didn’t mean anything. It just meant he was hurt, which was expected. He would get over it and she would be here when he returns.

  “Alright, Stuart.” She plastered a smile on her face. “I will be back when Howard returns.”

  She made for the front door, angry. Nothing was going as she hoped. It was all supposed to be simple: expose Gloria. Not expose Gloria and the rich woman, kill three people, and have Howard go missing. Alice might never admit it but Gloria more and more was beginning to look like an indispensable card in this pyramid of cards and as everyone else came crashing down, she couldn’t help but think that the storm would meet up with her, sooner or later.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  The shiver that raced down her spine, causing the hair on her back to rise, had nothing to do with the weather. Indeed, it was in great contradiction with the blazing, yellow sun in the sky, radiating heat throughout the entire city.

  She walked down the streets, half expecting to be lynched alive. Yet, no one seemed to notice her. If anything, people seemed occupied with their own lives as they passed by her, oblivious to the woman who walked their streets once more.

  She came to a halt before the dress shop, contemplating whether or not to go inside. Having been turned away from many homes, she wouldn’t be surprised if she is turned away from this one. Yet, a part of her was desperate to be let in, desperate to be given a chance to make things right, even if she knew it was simply impossible.

  Why did she come back?

  Gloria raised her hands to her head as if to shield herself from the impact of the sun but in truth, it was in a failed attempt to calm her nerves.

  Coming back to San Francisco was not an option and she knew it. After Howard’s rejection three weeks ago, Gloria found herself once again in a brothel. She tried to convince herself that she was doing the right thing, that prostitution was all she knew how to do best, and that Howard’s rejection was reason enough to return to her past life.

  So she found herself a cozy brothel in Oregon where she tried her best to settle into her new life. It wasn’t as easy as she had expected. She found herself turning clients away and after a week of staying in the brothel, the owner had finally had enough of Gloria’s insubordination and had literally kicked her out.

  Gloria didn’t need a second to think about her next line of action.

  Heaving a breath, she pushed the door open and made her way into the empty store. Her eyes scanned the store, surprised by its emptiness. The shelves were empty as well. She looked to the counter and true enough, the owner stood there, her nose buried in a newspaper.

  The fingers of fear gripped her heart as she took measured steps toward the woman who still hadn’t noticed her.

  “Hello,” Gloria called, forcing a smile to spread across her lips.

>   She watched as the woman lowered the newspaper and her eyes came to settle on Gloria. It took only a minute for recognition and hostility to settle in her eyes.

  Afraid she’d be kicked out before she got the opportunity to speak, Gloria began, “I’m here to apologize. I know my actions hurt you greatly and I know you might never forgive me which I’ll understand but I’m handing you my apology and I’m hoping that when the time is right, you’ll pick it up.”

  With a slight nod, Gloria turned her back and began making her way out. No, she didn’t feel the least bit better but it was a start.

  She reached the door and made to push it open.

  “You have some nerve coming back here!” the woman called.

  Frozen in her tracks, Gloria felt the hurt that filled the woman’s voice wash over her.

  “You, Gloria Grande, are the most despicable woman I ever came across.”

  Gloria knew she should be walking out of the doors but her legs betrayed her. A part of her knew she deserved every verbal abuse and even physical abuse there was.

  “And while I hate to admit it, I’ll admit to you that I hold no grudge against you. It was my Andy who went and ruined everything; it’s his apology I await, not yours.”

  Gloria turned around slowly as tears filled her eyes and fell down her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, Bunny,” she whispered.

  Bunny nodded once, tears running down her face. Yet, she had a smile on her face. “I always wondered how we missed it.” She shrugged and made her way around the corner, across the room and came to a halt before Gloria. “How every single one of us married folks missed the fact that our men were spending their nights with the woman we scorned the most.” She shrugged. “I guess this singular question has kept me sane all these months.”

  Gloria felt uncomfortable under the scrutiny of Bunny. She came to apologize and she did just that. She knew she’d bear this guilt for the rest of her life, she knew this burden would way her down until she is one day buried but she also knew she needed to leave.