Broken Obsession - Part Two

by Trisha Fuentes

  However he managed to stand on that altar was beyond his capacity to fathom at that point. He felt a little queasy watching his future bride stroll up the narrow passageway toward meeting him. Stacey looked radiant in her cream-colored wedding gown, her platinum tresses up in an elegant coiffure.

  Eduardo next noticed Stacey’s beam when she gazed up at him and met her eyes with bliss and that’s when he realized he was doing the right thing. After that, he grabbed her hand and led her up the steps toward the minister.

  Eduardo’s heart began to pound gradually while hearing the pronouncement that he still couldn’t comprehend. The minister could have been reciting his ABCs – his mind off in another dimension…and then, without warning, his heart thumped out of his chest. The one statement he did hear clearly after “…if there was anyone here who thinks that these two should not be joined speaks now—” was…

  “I have something to say.”

  The entire congregation turned to look at her. All who knew her—gasped at the sight of her simply standing there. Jackie started to beam and wail while other guests all around them began to look her way now while the intruder made her way in through the closed church doors.

  Amber was in the center aisle, placed center stage and didn’t look straight at Eduardo just yet. She did however, look all around her and at all the faces pinned on her and related, “I’m sorry, it will only take five minutes, I swear, then you can have your wedding, no one will have to return any gifts—I promise.” She then locked eyes with Eduardo still up on the altar.

  Eduardo was in disbelief, concerned and surprised. “I’ll be right back,” he just said, walking down the steps toward the center.

  Tears swarmed her eyes instantly as Stacey watched her future husband hurriedly walking away from their wedding without her. That bitch!

  Within seeing Eduardo strolling toward her, Amber walked backward and outside the church and underneath a curved wall away from the rain.

  What a familiar scene, she then realized, only Amber had been in the doorway and Eduardo was in the rain. That was the day when Eduardo came by her house late at night to return one of Adrian’s videotapes. It was the night she realized that her brother-in-law meant more to her than she could ever imagine.

  They look at each other for the longest time, he in improbability, she, in heartache. He looked absolutely wonderful, Amber declared; his black tuxedo, crisp ashen shirt, a white boutonniere at his lapel.

  Her nerves began to soften however, the moment she watched him dig his hands inside his pant pockets. She knew in her heart that Eduardo wanted to touch her...he wanted to contact her but he held back.

  Having Amber stand directly in front of him brought forth emotions he determined just last night were dead. She wore a long pink coat, a knitted black and rosy cap; there was something white showing through the knitting, Good God, what the hell happened? He couldn’t stop staring at her, she appeared tormented yet brave. “Pink” he said, trying to breathe.

  “What?” She asked.

  “You’re wearing pink.”

  “I know, it’s my favorite color.”

  “Mine too,” he said, feeling melancholy.

  Amber suddenly felt a rush of sentiment fall upon her. Good Lord, she didn’t know how she was going to speak to him without blabbering! “I wanted to apologize for missing our meeting.”

  He stared at her and said nothing for a short second and then relayed, “You weren’t there either?”

  Amber gulped and her heart fell to the bottom of her stomach. He didn’t show up? He wasn’t there? Good Lord, rushing to the cemetery in the downpour and the car accident was unnecessary? He wasn’t even there? What an absolute fool she was! What an absolute idiot!

  Amber, at that moment, realized that Eduardo had truly moved on and he was actually pleased about marrying Stacey. There really was nothing else more to say. She felt like her whole world was about to crumble into an endless pit of woe. “No,” Amber voiced, holding back the truth about the accident.

  Eduardo gazed beyond her out at the rain falling for a moment and then stared at her a second time, “You interrupted my wedding…was there a reason?”

  Amber glanced away at the cars rushing by on the street, splashing water onto the curb. “Yes, there was.”

  Eduardo stared at her uncertain. Why did she come here? What does she want now? Good God, why does she do this? Her endless ways of teeter-tottering his emotions that tug at his heart!

  Amber began reaching for straws. “We’re leaving California,” she spat out without thinking, “We’re going to start a new life in Oregon.”

  Eduardo’s throat closed up. Good God, he wanted to tell her he waited for her now, wanted to hear her reasons for not showing up! “You’re leaving then?”

  “Yah,” Amber continued to lie, feeling her heart about to jump out of her chest, “We bought some property near the coast and we’re going to build our dream house, the one I always wanted.”

  “We?”

  “Yes, after we’re married—that’s where Tony wants to live.”

  Eduardo closed his eyes then reopened them to glare out at the rain beyond. This was the reason why she was here; to say good-bye, to mend the fence, proceed on with her life too. “That’s great Amber, I’m happy for you.”

  The emotions in his face were hard to read. Eduardo’s usual irritated facial expressions were unreadable. “Are you?” She asked, her voice cracking by the minute. “Because the other day, I knew you were lying when you said you were happy. I mean, I want you to be happy, that’s why I’m here,” her voice cracked again with tears swelling up in her eyes; she bit down on her lip, trying so hard to make them subside. “To see if you truly were,” she continued, “You’re marrying her today...I guess…the answer is obvious.”

  Eduardo was at a loss for words. He didn’t know what else to tell her. His heart swelled. “Is he...is Tony good to you?”

  Amber finally contained her sniffles, “Yes,” she laughed now, “He’s a wonderful man. He’s become a very successful investor now, which was why we bumped into each other in New York. We met at the Palm Desert Treatment Center when I was there,” she stopped to catch her breath, “Tony treats me very well—he’s a lot like you in a way...conceited.”

  Eduardo grinned, “I’m not vain.”

  “Yes you are,” Amber smiled as well, trying not to look directly into his green eyes. Amber suddenly noticed that his expression dropped, “You’ve always known what you desired and knew exactly how to obtain it.”

  Their eyes lock and hold at that moment, so many memories dash inside her head. The first day she met him at The Sanchez household. In their backyard, arrogant as hell, walking around with his head held high; becoming friends, trying to fight her restraint, her feelings for him, meeting at family gatherings, fighting her feelings for him, working with him at Aldridge & Watson, fighting her feelings for him. The night they made love for the first time…fighting her feelings for him now; running around town spontaneously making love whenever they could, asking him to leave his first wife for her, recalling his refusal, slashing her wrist. Her coma, his rescue...her miraculous son! Oh dear God...the pain swarmed her heart instantly. Peyton swarmed her heart! “Oh gee,” she cried gazing down at her watch. “I’ve kept you out here for almost twenty-five minutes!” She said, blinking back her tears. “Your bride is going to be furious!”

  “Amber,” he murmured, feeling his heart about to jump out of his skin.

  Amber didn’t hear him call out her name and walked away. She tried desperately not to fully cry. With every inch of willpower she had, she held back her tears and stepped away and back into the rain. “Good-bye Eduardo,” she barely got out, allowing her tears to flow freely under the protection of the raindrops. “My plane leaves in two hours and with all this rain; I just hope I’m not delayed,” she laughed, turning around and heading toward her taxi at last.

  “Amber!” Eduardo finally got out.

  Amber was
about to get back into the car when she heard his shout. The urgency in his voice sent shivers up her spine. She thought for a moment he might have changed his mind.

  “I’m glad you came here,” Eduardo shouted back at her at last. “I’m glad to see you’re healthy.”

  Rain dripped relentlessly on her face now, thank God, for Amber allowed the tears to fall as they may. The difficulty to express anything at that moment was choking her, but she managed to mouth out the words, “Me too,” and waved farewell.

  Eduardo stared at Amber getting into the taxi and then watched the vehicle as it started back up again and slowly drive off with her inside. Choking back his own emotion, Eduardo straightened out his tie and pulled down his tuxedo jacket first before he returned back into the church.

  Inside the taxi, Amber turned her head around to watch his hasty exit back through the doors and felt her heart fall into her lap. Her hands were shaking and she couldn’t understand why. That’s when she started to panic and quickly turned toward the driver and stated, “Turn around.”

  As soon as the taxi drove back to the front of the church, Amber popped out of the vehicle and rushed back toward the entrance and flung the doors wide. She bit down on her lower lip as she witnessed Eduardo’s backside walking down the aisle. Amber just stood there with riotous emotions buckling her to her knees.

  It was truly over, she thought. Amber had truly lost and surrendered to the sight of Stacey, his new love, his modernistic wife—prevailing. Tears continued to run down her face, as she watched Eduardo reach his future spouse. Stacey looked luminous, her pearl dress draping off the sides of the platform, the gorgeous bouquets of white orchids only adding to her brilliance. She smiled down at him as he grabbed her hand from the lower step as he approached...

  Oh dear God in heaven, Amber thought as she closed her tear-filled eyes to dart out the church. Oh dear God in heaven help me please, help me before I do something impulsive!

  Chapter THIRTY

  “Can you wait for me here?” Amber asked the taxi driver.

  “Sure ma’am.”

  Amber slowly stepped out of the car then shut the door behind her. Standing immobile for a second, she first gazed out at all the endless grave sites.

  Walking toward her son’s grave, Amber recalled the day she buried her son. It was a horrible awful day. She thought she would never get over that day, and yet, here she was. The pain still there, only lessened like a dull, slow twinge.

  Reaching the plaque at last, Amber stood directly over it and softly voiced, “Hi Peyton baby, mommy wanted you to have something.”

  Amber then sat on her knees and bent down to place a stethoscope on his headstone, adjusting it to where it looked like the plaque had been wearing it. Peyton liked to play doctor and she wanted him to have it. It was a real stethoscope, having purchased it through the Internet. “Now you can listen to the entire congregation of angel’s and their hearts and make sure everyone in Heaven is in good health,” Amber started to laugh, then quickly burst into tears. “I tried baby,” she wailed, “I really did, but daddy loves Stacey now, he doesn’t love mommy anymore—he’s moved on and it’s OK...mommy is just going to move to Oregon and buy a house there and find someone to love as well. I’ll be back on your birthday though; I’ll never miss your birthdays Peyton.”

  Amber then continued to cry until she felt her body come to release all that was holding her down. The guilt she harbored from being the one at fault and the love she once felt for Eduardo and after a few more minutes of resting by his headstone, Amber finally stood up to wipe her dried tears away, when she sees him…

  A little boy—no older than Peyton—black hair shining bright even through the grey clouds and was running around the gravesites laughing and playing with something in his hand. Amber looked beyond at a couple who were kneeling at a nearby gravesite and assumed he was their son, and began to walk away when the child yelled, “Hello!”

  Amber then turned around to find the little boy hiding behind a tree. He was playing hide-n-seek with her but she could still see him; his legs and feet sticking out behind the trunk of a tree. A smile surfaced on her face and she waved a friendly hello. The little boy waved back but she still couldn’t see him very clearly.

  Amber turned to walk back towards her taxi when the boy’s yell caused her to turn her head again. “Come and find me!” she heard him shout and Amber immediately turned toward his voice as the boy rushed from tree to tree. Amber laughed at the sight of him and joy straight away surrounded her heart. She watched him as he ran from one area to another, circling Amber finally, until the boy vanished completely in back of a massive carved statute of the Virgin Mary. Amber continued to search for the little boy, when she sees him…

  Eduardo?

  He’s frozen, still—a long black trench coat covering his black Armani tuxedo. Amber looked behind Eduardo as he approached her and fathomed the black limo waiting in the wings.

  “I knew you’d be here,” he said, walking over to the gravesite as well.

  Amber wiped the remaining tears away from her eyes. “I wanted to say good-bye to him…to let him know I’d be coming only on his birthdays.”

  Eduardo heard her voice crack and he choked back his own tears. He then glanced down at the headstone. Peyton, his little boy, would be turning six if he were still alive. He next looked back up at Amber, she had tears in her eyes and they both stood a few feet apart from one another, in uncertainty and still divided.

  “I’d better go,” Amber suddenly said, “I’ll never make it to the airport in time,” she conveyed, looking over at the limo again and then for her own transportation, “I’ve delayed my taxi long enough.”

  “I sent him away,” Eduardo said suspended, unmoving, his hands still down his coat pockets.

  “What?” Amber asked, looking all around at the area where her taxi used to be. “What did you do that for?”

  “I’ll take you to the airport,” Eduardo offered, still unreadable and stagnant.

  “No—you can’t,” Amber simply relayed.

  “Yes I can, I own the limousine.”

  “No, I mean, you really can’t. Good Lord,” Amber said, rolling her eyes, “You’re still so conceited Eduardo,” and laughed sickly at his harsh naturalness. “Think about your wife Eduardo, I don’t think your new wife would like me riding along.”

  “I’m looking at my wife,” he presented her, green eyes penetrating her stare.

  Amber’s heart dropped. “But you got married,” she cried, her tears quickly returning, “I left you at the church—you went back in. I watched you—I went back into the church. I watched you walk over to her, I watched you grab her hand.”

  “To tell her I couldn’t marry her.”

  “What?” Amber asked, blubbering beyond repair, her heart beating by the sheer relief.

  Within realizing Amber’s reaction, tears streamed down Eduardo’s own face. “Amber,” Eduardo quietly voiced, shaking his head, “How can I marry someone I never loved?”

  Amber burst with alleviation and she buried her face within her hands. Eduardo couldn’t stand not touching her any longer and stepped in toward her and grabbed the only woman he’s ever loved into him. They embrace instantly and Amber continued to weep, only this time into his chest. “But,” she uttered through sobs, “You asked her to marry you.”

  Eduardo ran his hands through her hair and caressed the back of her head. “I was lonely,” he let go, kissing the tip of her forehead, “She’s the one who loved me and I thought she could carry our marriage with her affection, enough for the two of us.”

  Amber continued to liberate her sorrow on his coat and held him tight, “Like me...like me with Victor.”