“Nope. You are beautiful to me, no matter what.”
He leaned in to kiss me, but I shied away. I started to flood with all the emotions I was trying to keep at bay. He pulled back some. “What? What’s wrong, love?” Had he missed what happened?
“I… Well, I...I just need to get into the shower and get all this gross off of me. Can we talk after?”
Henry nodded and turned around to leave the bathroom. He looked back at me and said, “I will be in our bedroom making my call. Yell if you need me.”
“Okay.”
He closed the door and my legs gave out. I dropped to my knees. What was supposed to be the best day of my life had turned into the worst day. My chest ached and my stomach twinged with hunger, but I was too nauseous to eat. My mind was racing.
I begged silently to myself, Please, wake up from this nightmare. I tried to pull myself together, but I couldn’t hold it back anymore. The girl I had been had vanished.
I curled up on the tiny rug and cried like never before. I pulled at the rug’s fibers, throwing a hissy fit. I pounded my fists on the floor. I screamed into the towel. I hoped that neither Henry nor anyone else heard me. I needed that moment to myself. I needed to open the floodgates and let it out. Then I realized that I had to get in and out of bathroom before anyone worried.
“Pull yourself together, Elaina. This is not who you are,” I whispered. I forced myself up off the floor, and stripped out of Henry’s blood-stained, sweaty clothes. I shuddered. I hate blood and sweat.
I stepped into the steaming hot shower, knowing it could very well be the last steamy shower I may take for the rest of my life. It was so hot, but I didn’t give a shit. I was using up the hot water like a selfish little adolescent, but I didn’t care.
I found Henry’s bottle of body wash, opened it, and inhaled. The spicy scent filled my nose. “Henry,” I whispered to myself. It smelled like the Henry I knew. I washed my body with it, aching for him. I felt like he had died, along with everyone else. I was so torn. I loved him. I loved the Henry I knew, but wondered if that Henry was gone forever.
I finished my shower, wrapped up my hair, and wrapped a towel around my body. I kicked Henry’s dirty clothes off to the side -- picking them up was not an option for me -- and headed out of the bathroom.
“Shower’s free!” I yelled down the hall.
“Alright!” Claire yelled back. As she started to head down the hall, I waited for her. She gave me a small smile.
“Be careful in there. The bathroom is some sort of vortex. It sucks out all of your emotions.” I touched Claire’s arm. She stared at me with her big blue eyes. “Claire...”
“Please, Elaina.” I was feeling guilty that I used up all the hot water. I could see that she just wanted to collapse. Her emotional state had exhausted her, and the day’s events were showing on her face.
I pulled my hand back and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Claire. I wish I could…”
She put her hand up to stop me from saying something that would set her off. “Stop. Just don’t.” Her voice shook. “I can’t handle it right now.” She turned into the bathroom and the door closed with a quiet click. I stood there for a moment, listening. Her cries were soft, but strong. I had to walk away before it sucked me back in again. I went into Henry’s…I mean, Liam’s…or was it our bedroom? He was raging on the phone again.
***
“Liam! So glad you called. I wanted to congratulate you on your wedding day. How did it go? I hope it wasn’t too eventful and went smoothly.” Roger’s malevolent laughter tore through Henry’s body. He wished he could wrap his cold hands around his throat and watch the life drain from his face. Someday, he thought.
“I refuse to take part in this!”
“Liam, Liam, Liam…you are to get on that plane and get your useless arse back here and pay for your rogue behavior.” Roger stayed calm, but Henry was close to snapping.
“If you think I’m going to bow down to you ever again, you have another thing coming to you!”
“You are getting back on that plane. Sophie is coming to drag you back to me. I already have your punishment planned.” He chuckled. “You remember your old mate, Brass Knuckles, yeah?”
“Fuck off, Roger. I told you I was done with the program ages ago.”
“You know you cannot leave the program. You’re in it for life.”
“Yeah, thanks to you.”
“Liam, my boy. Come on now. You know you want to come back. I have a special place all ready for you.” A sadistic laugh burst out from Roger’s throat.