“You don’t know anything!” He bellows, stomping towards me as I retreat to the wall. “You don’t know anything. How could you? You’ve had everything… every… fucking… thing… handed to you since the day you were born. You have no idea how hard life really is!”
Wow. “That’s unfair…”
“Life is unfair, Eloise. Life is fucking unfair!”
His phone rings and he snaps his face away in order to look at who it is. He seems to tense before shoving it back in his pocket and pushing away from me. I hadn’t realised he’d caged me in with his arms until now.
“I have to take this.”
“Who is it?”
He doesn’t respond, just running his hand through his hair as he slips his shoes on and moves to the door, grabbing the key off the little desk by the door as he goes.
“Can I come?”
“No.” He barks and pulls the door open. “I need to clear my head.”
“If you leave right now, I won’t be here when you get back,” I threaten childishly. I’m not one to give ultimatums, that’s not who I am, nor is it who I want to be, but I feel desperate. I don’t want him to leave angry. I don’t want us to be fighting. I’m not even sure why we are.
Everything is a mess right now. I just want to go back to the good times, the happy times, back when everything was simple and we just naturally clicked together without an issue. Back when we loved each other with every fibre of our beings and we thought our love was worth more than the world of pain we didn’t realise we were spiralling into.
He doesn’t respond, only clicks the button on the key to unlock the car and pulls the door open.
I don’t chase him. I stand in the doorway, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Isaac, please…”
His eyes cut to me and I swear for a second I see remorse there before the shutters come down, effectively cutting his emotions off.
I wrap my arms around myself, still watching as he climbs in the car and adjusts his seat.
He turns the key in the engine but stops when two men donning almost matching navy suits, set down our driveway. I tense as they come towards me, clipboards at the ready.
“Can I help you?” Isaac asks before I get a chance. He makes his way towards us and the men stop.
“We’re from Financial Support.” The tallest man says, smiling a smile of pity, which only makes his wrinkled face seem to wrinkle further, like wrapping paper being crunched together.
Financial support? “We aren’t buying anything.”
“No, we’re here to collect. Can I please speak to a Mr. Isaac Price?”
Isaac nods and glances at me. “Elle, why don’t you go and put the kettle on.”
“No. I’m interested in what they have to say,” I argue, wondering why he’s trying to get rid of me.
Isaac glares at me before turning back to the men. “This isn’t a good time.”
“On the contrary,” I step forward, my tears gone and my mood set with anger and determination. “This is the perfect time.”
“Maybe you’d like to go somewhere private?” The shorter man suggests to my husband.
I place my hand on Isaac’s arm. “Right here is just fine. I’m his wife.”
The men look a little confused and scared. The wrinkly one turns to Isaac, yet his eyes linger on me. “Your mortgage arrears. You’re on your final warning. Pay today or we put it through to court and you will lose your house, Mr Price.”
Everything in me freezes with dread. “That’s impossible…” I look at Isaac. “This is a mistake… right?” He doesn’t respond, so I turn back to the men. “Last month he paid four thousand or around that.” I shove Isaac’s arm. “Didn’t you, Isaac?”
“Go back inside, Eloise.” He bites out, his hands fisting by his sides.
“Isaac…”
“I’ll have your money Wednesday,” he tells them, though they don’t look convinced. “Just give me until Wednesday.”
“What the fuck, Isaac? What’s going on?”
“Will you shut up for one minute, Elle?”
My mouth clamps shut as he starts negotiating with the debt collectors and making promises I’m not sure he can even keep.
My body shakes uncontrollably and my teeth chatter as the cold seeps through my skin and into my bones. That, mixed with fear and confusion, makes me feel like I’m having a seizure.
It’s not until they’re gone that I walk back inside, my mind dazed and muddled.
“Tell me everything,” I croak, willing myself to look at the man I love.
He finally looks at me with something other than anger. He looks at me with regret. “I… This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“What wasn’t?”
“This! I have everything planned, everything!”
Now I’m even more confused. “What are you talking about?”
“I… You’ll never forgive me.” He shakes his head and slumps onto the couch, his head hanging low over his open legs as his hands dangle between them. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
I sit beside him, stiff and unsure of anything right now. “Explain.”
“I lost it.”
“Lost what?”
“The money.”
Inhale… exhale… “What money, Isaac?”
“All of it.”
“For fuck’s sake, Isaac! What money?”
He looks at me with swollen red eyes. They shine and shimmer with extra moisture. “I gambled it.”
I feel winded. I wasn’t expecting that. “Gambled what?”
“Everything! My wages, your savings…” He shakes his head. “I was… I was going through some shit and… I don’t know. I don’t have an excuse.” His hand reaches for mine but I pull away. I can’t believe this. He’s lying, right? This is some kind of joke. It has to be. “I’m so sorry, Eloise. I’m so fucking sorry.”
“I…” I clear my throat and stand on shaking legs. “How much debt are we in?”
“More than we can fix overnight.”
“I could ask my dad,” I suggest. Even though the thought doesn’t appeal to me, I know he’ll help me. Then I shake my head. “I can’t believe this. How could you?”
It starts to sink in, the bleakness that is this situation settling into my bones with a nauseating ache.
“You’re going to leave me, aren’t you?” Isaac states, sniffing and staring at me impassively.
Am I? The lies… the constant lies. “I don’t know.”
“You should. I wouldn’t stay with me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I take a step towards him, battling the nausea rolling my stomach. “Why didn’t you fucking tell me? You’ve had plenty of chances! I could have helped you!”
He shrugs. “I’m a fucking coward, that’s why. I couldn’t admit to myself that I had a problem, let alone admit it to you.”
“Oh god…” I hold myself, willing this pain and anger to dissipate. “How could you do this to me… to us?” My savings… two years’ worth of savings gone in a few days. “How could you do this?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you even love me at all?”
He hesitates for a long moment before finally saying words that cut through me worse than any knife ever could. “I don’t even know anymore.”
“I should go.” I say quietly and take a step backwards. “I’m going to go.”
He doesn’t stop me either.
I exit the house, dazed and numb. My mind is as blank as his eyes were before I left.
Eloise: Please come and get me.
Hayley: What’s wrong? Where are you?
Eloise: Walking towards yours. I really need you right now.
Isaac
I grab my car keys, pick up my phone, text Darren and head out to my car. It’s been an hour since Eloise left and I’ve heard nothing… not that I expected to.
Isaac: It’s done.
Darren doesn’t respond; I don’t expect him to.
I drive,
unsure of where I’m headed until I find myself outside of the Casino that started all of this.
I head inside and go straight to the bar, pushing people out of my way as I go.
There she is, the bitch that almost ruined my marriage.
“Petal,” I practically snarl.
She winces and then her hazel eyes widen in panic. “Isaac… what are you doing here?”
“Got time to talk?”
She looks around her, gulping a little. The bar is empty save for some guy at the other end and myself. “Sure, I guess.”
“Why did you tell Tony that we kissed?”
She freezes, her lips thin to a white line. “I… we did.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Petal. Why the fuck didn’t you tell him I pushed you away?”
“Because you didn’t.” Her eyes dart around wildly.
I slam my hand down on the bar, drawing the attention of the people around me. She places her hand over mine and squeezes it, stopping the security guards in their tracks. I see them through the corner of my eyes coming this way. “You could have ruined my marriage! I’ve lost my best fucking friend and now I have an assault charge hovering over my head like a fucking noose. My marriage is in tatters and it’s all because you didn’t tell… the… fucking… truth.” My words come out in a hiss as I grit my teeth. Never have I wanted to strangle somebody more than I do in this moment. I take a deep breath as well as a step back.
I’m falling apart.
I’m losing my mind.
She doesn’t say anything. I stare at her for a long moment, imploring her to speak, but she doesn’t. Her eyes are wide and full of mourning as she looks at me in shock.
“Thanks for nothing.” I turn on my heel and march towards the reception desk in the lobby. Then I ban myself from returning and I leave, picking up a bottle of whiskey on my way home.
Home… not anymore.
I turn and head to the park. I can’t stand to face an empty house right now. I’m weak.
I wish I could go back in time and change it all. I wish I’d listened to my dad and waited. He was right.
Eloise
“I vowed my life to this man, Hayley. I can’t just give up!”
“But if you weren’t married you’d have walked away!”
That’s not the point. “But we are married and who knows what I would’ve done? Maybe I’m not strong. Maybe I’m not as strong as you, but I love him. I feel… he’s in my fucking bones, that’s how deeply I feel him. I can’t just give up on him when he’s at his worst or I don’t fucking deserve him at his best.”
She watches me wipe the tears away on my wrist and places her warm hand on mine. “Babe…”
Shaking my head in denial, I pull my hand away and look through the windscreen, watching the cars drive by us, their occupants not even noticing the meltdown happening in the green car by the side of the road. “No, I need to just keep trying. If I leave now it’s like I’m giving up.”
“But the lies, the secrets, the gambling.” She reminds me, even though I don’t need reminding.
“He clearly has an issue. He needs help.”
“He doesn’t want it.” She sighs, her tone saying she wants to shake me.
“He’s going to get it. I can’t walk away now, I can’t. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I do.”
“There’s only one way to find out.” She quickly pulls the car into the road, making the car behind us blare his horn.
“What the hell are you doing? Are you insane?” I grip the handle above the door as she speeds down the road, weaving around the back end of the car in front as it turns a corner.
It’s then I notice the familiar vehicle, two cars ahead. “We’re following him.”
My heart thrums in my chest as we do just that, staying far behind so he doesn’t notice us. We follow him silently, all the way to… fuck. “BetFun Casino.”
“Come on,” Hayley says, climbing from the car as soon as Isaac disappears behind the door.
I don’t like this. I don’t want to do this.
“We know why he’s here,” I say, yet I still climb from the car, wanting more than anything to run inside, grab my husband, beat him upside the head and drag him home. He really does have a problem. Can I save him from it? Should I try? “We know why he’s here, so why are we following him?”
Hayley takes my hand in hers and pulls me towards the glass doors. We step through them and into a large lobby with a reception desk by the entrance to the casino. “Come on.”
“ID?” the snooty woman asks as soon as we reach the desk, pointing to the sign that says twenty one and over.
“Sure.” Hayley pretends to fumble around in her bag as I stare through the doors onto the casino floor. “I know I have it in here somewhere.”
I narrow my eyes when I catch a glimpse of blonde hair at the bar, but it’s not Isaac’s hair or body that I zone in on, it’s the girl behind the bar that has a sob tearing its way up my throat, especially when I see her holding his hand over the bar.
“Elle?” Hayley whispers, running her fingers through the back of my hair. “He doesn’t want your help… he has it already.”
“What are you talking about?”
She turns me to face her and wipes my tears from my cheeks. I don’t want to look away. “Do you honestly think gambling is the only thing he’s been lying about?”
“Let’s go,” I seethe, shaking my head at my own stupidity.
I trusted him. I believed him.
My body feels crippled by the pain and anguish I feel, the jealousy of knowing that another woman was present during his hard times. Another woman knew about it, not his wife. Did he tell her everything? Did she soothe him when he fucked up? Did they laugh about me behind my back? Is this why he’s so awful to me now? Does he want her?
I can’t breathe.
“Eloise?”
“Take me home…”
“Elle…”
“I want to pack,” I whisper. I might have been able to forgive him. I might have been able to help him, but Hayley is right. He clearly doesn’t need it, nor does he want it, and I’m not going to stand idly by while he fucks me over for another woman.
“I’m sorry, Eloise.”
“Did you know she worked there?”
“No, but I knew Isaac was lying when he told you she worked at the place near Zone. You know my mum works there and she’s never seen her before, save for when she’s come in on occasion with Isaac and another bloke who I’m going to guess is Tony.”
I nod and stare down at my wedding band. “I wish I could go back…”
“I know.”
“No… to when we were in Paris… I left him. It hurt but I was healing. I would probably be over him by now.”
“I know.” She places her hand on mine on the console. “You’re doing the right thing now.”
“I don’t want to be a mug. I don’t want to be weak.” I whisper, staring out of the window as I try to stop my mind thinking back to all of the good times Isaac and I have had together. “I don’t want to be naïve.”
“Then be strong,” Hayley tells me. “Be strong.”
I nod and we fall silent as she takes me home. I just hope Isaac refrains from doing so for a while. I need a strong resolve right now and if anybody has the power to break it, it’s him.
******
I stare at the bags full of my things as they rest in the hallway. I quickly text Hayley telling her I’m done. She helped me for the first twenty minutes but then had to leave to look after her brother as she promised her mum she’d do. I’m not sure there’s going to be enough space in her car.
The door opens and I watch Isaac stumble through before slamming it shut behind him. I wince at the loud bang it creates.
He turns to me, swaying, his eyes hardly focusing in the near dark.
“Hey, wifey.” His words are slurred as his body rocks on the spot.
Biting my lip to stop it from trembling, I turn on the
light and quickly wipe away my tears. “I’m leaving.”
He doesn’t even blink. He only rolls his eyes and takes another swig from the glass bottle in his hand. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” He takes a step towards me. “Would you like me to help you pack?”
“I… I’ve already done it.” I nod towards the bags.
He brings the bottle back up to his lips and takes another healthy gulp. The gaze on my boxed and bagged things holds no emotion. “Bye then. You know where the door is.”
A pained sob escapes me and the air I just choked on rushes from me. He may as well have punched me in the face; that would have been less painful. “Fuck you, Isaac.”
“Babe, you already did. It wasn’t all that.”
I shove him with both hands, my anger prevailing above sense. “I hate you!”
He bats my hands away and forces his way into my space until my back hits the wall, his face now an inch from mine. “Not as much as I hate you! You ruined my fucking life!”
I bow my head, defeated, my body shaking and my tears pouring.
He moves away from me, kicking one of my boxes as he stumbles into the kitchen. Nothing has ever hurt me more than this, nothing.
I don’t say anything as I pick up one of my bags and carry it outside. Part of me wants him to run after me, the part of me that can’t accept that we’re over and done with. I don’t want to lose him. The thought of him with another woman is killing me. The thought of never getting to cuddle and kiss him again is destroying me.
He hates me.
He actually hates me.
Everyone was right… I should have listened.
Hayley pulls up and the moment she sees me after I climb into the car she reaches for me but I shake my head and choke out, “Please… just drive.”
And drive she does, leaving my heart, my home and my husband behind.
Destruction: The Distraction Trilogy #2 Page 30