Leticia hated Eduardo with a passion now…no, that wasn’t entirely true, she still loved him and it hurt her to see him so happy living without her. “Come to see our child? Now that your prized son has passed?” Leticia spitefully voiced, rapidly becoming ugly. “Finally realized you had another one?”
“Can I come in?” He asked, rolling his eyes away from hers.
“What makes you think I would let you in?” She remarked with a sneer.
“Because as much as you hate to admit it Leticia, I still fathered Kyra and I still have rights.”
“Rights? Huh, that’s a laugh, where were mine when that woman stole you away from me?” Leticia maliciously expressed, posing and arching her back.
Eduardo started to laugh at her obvious demonstration, “Now is not the time Leticia, now can I come in?”
“You’re never allowed back into this house!” She snarled at him.
Eduardo was livid and was not in the mood. “Then send my daughter outside or I will drag your ass back into court.”
Leticia hesitated; the last time Eduardo had taken her to court, she lost full physical custody and a reduction in alimony. She wanted no chance of that, in fact, she never could win against a great legal mind like Eduardo’s—it was a losing game. “You can see her on one condition.”
“You don’t hold authority to option out any conditions Leticia, so if you and your silicone friends would just let me pass, I would like to see my daughter.”
“You think I did this for you?” Leticia hooted, sticking out her new breasts for him to get a better look. “How conceited you are Eduardo! You really think you still maintain that much persuasion?”
Eduardo let go a devastating cocky grin and brought his eyes up and down her body, practically making love to her with his measured erotic scrutiny. “I do.”
Leticia was breathless and signed heavily. He did, damn him. She kicked the door open with the back of her foot then watched as her ex-husband entered her home as if he still owned the place.
“Where is she?”
“She’s upstairs doing her homework, I’ll call her.” Leticia suddenly felt incredibly sorry for her nastiness a little bit earlier and decided to rectify an out of control situation. “...Eduardo,” she let go, feeling moisture at the back of her throat, “I’m so sorry to hear about Peyton.”
Eduardo bent his head down and choked back his tears. He wasn’t about to cry in front of her. “Thank you.”
Just then, Leticia went for him, intending on embracing him, but Eduardo backed away from her approach.
“Don’t touch me,” he snapped back at her.
“I’m sorry, I just,” she remarked, “...I just wanted to give you a hug.”
Eduardo stared at his ex-wife. She was a stranger to him now. He never did love her. Leticia had gotten pregnant on their first night together. She was a virgin at the time, and he had no other choice but to marry her when she cried that he had compromised her. She was just a mistake, a costly mistake, but he’s always loved his daughter. “I’m OK Leticia.”
“No, you’re not,” she said convincingly, watching his shoulders slump. He was about to give into her comfort when Kyra, age ten, came skipping down the staircase.
“Daddy!” She screamed, running into his wide arms.
Eduardo hugged his daughter with a thunderous greeting and kissed Kyra on her forehead. She looked identical to him with the same color hair and green eyes. She was turning out to be such a sweet kid too. “How about spending some time with your dad?”
“Can I mom?” Kyra asked, her green eyes widening with anxiousness.
Leticia gazed over at Eduardo’s quizzical face. “Sure,” she let go, feeling resentful for not being invited.
Eduardo took Kyra to the Santa Monica pier where he knew she would enjoy herself on the Ferris wheel and carnival rides. Later, he was over-whelmed with how mature she seemed to him now, no longer the little girl when he last lived with her, but a pre-teen who was into Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, text messaging, roller blades, water slides, school, video games and, of course, boys. And Eduardo sat there tongue-tied through most of it while she rambled on and on about almost anything and everything and was so amazed at how much he truly missed and how much he truly missed being someone’s parent.
Chapter TWENTY
At the same time, Amber had the urge to visit Victor again, and as soon as he sees her, he tells her he won’t watch her destroy herself. Victor explained to her that she needed to go seek medical treatment and that he wasn’t going to allow the children to continue to see her unless she sought help.
Amber was turning into a “drunk”, a person who required alcohol other than when socially.
Victor shook his head as he sat down. He couldn’t believe she was still drinking.
“You need to stop,” he told her, smoothing down an area next to him so that his pregnant wife could take a seat. Josie was pregnant again with their second child. “Sit here baby.”
Amber eyed his wife as she hobbled on over and sat close to him. Lowering her eyes, she looked down at the ground before eyeing the television set. Could she do it? Stop the numbing process that seemed to help in the beginning, but no longer did. What else could she do or take to help cope with the throbbing? Vodka was easy and it helped satisfy her quench to be constantly medicated…would pills do the trick?
Amber blinked out of her daze for a moment and eyed the television set once again. Focusing on a newsbreak, her eyes widened on the face of her now ex-husband. It was Eduardo at a news conference; he was being interviewed as part of a celebrity case involving Yazmine whose trial finally began.
Victor noted Amber’s reaction to the update, “Do you want me to change the channel?” He asked her with the remote control already in position to do so.
Amber reached out her hand for him to stop, “No, don’t change it. I’m over him; it doesn’t hurt so much anymore.”
Victor let go a chuckle, yah right.
Amber scanned over Eduardo like just another viewer watching a commercial...and then she sees her. The blond in the back of him…to the right of him, actually, standing vigil, standing proud…and clearly, the winner; Barbie and Ken come to mind, as Amber silently watched the two on them on the television screen.
Victor kept eyeing his ex-wife as she stared blankly at the box.
Amber simply stared at the screen. Simply staring at him and her…him with her and her heart began to pound a little faster. Several inches shorter than Eduardo, Stacey was the epitome of blond supremacy. Long flaxen hair, bright sky blue eyes, tan supple skin, a voluptuous physique. She was even an attorney—that meant she possessed a brain and simultaneously, Amber envisioned the two of them kissing. Good Lord, the image wouldn’t blink away! “Victor, you have something to drink?”
Victor stared at her in awe, “Beer, but you can’t have it.”
Amber stood up then stared down at him and contemplated raiding his refrigerator, “Why not?”
Victor stood up with her, intending on beating her to the kitchen if she even tried, “Because Amber, look at you, you’re a mess. You need help.”
Amber darted toward the kitchen but Victor beat her to the frig. He hovered over the refrigerator like a pirate over his gold. “Don’t you dare.”
Amber reached for the handle, “I need a drink! Let me have at least one beer, please Victor, it’s only one beer!”
Victor stayed his ground, “No Amber, you need help, I’m calling your mother.”
Amber wasn’t scared, “I don’t care, go and call her—I’ll even give you the number! Now move away, I need a drink.”
Victor pushed toward her and then grabbed at her waist to drag her out of the kitchen and back into the living room. Josie was in awe of the two of them making a spectacle of the situation and then eyed Valentina coming in through the front of their doorway.
“Mom!” Valentina cried, running towards her parents and grabbing at her father’s hands to release her mo
m.
Victor let go of Amber instantly and Amber nearly toppled over, but grabbed her purse before setting eyes on her daughter. Not feeling any shame, she began her ascent toward the front door. “If you don’t offer me a beer, then I’m leaving to the nearest bar.”
Victor’s mouth dropped open wide. “Then go,” he ended up saying, feeling remorseful. “But Amber, I don’t want my kids near you if you continue to drink,” he relayed, grabbing Valentina to his chest and giving her fatherly squeeze. “Unless you get help, you’re no longer welcome here.”
Amber’s mouth closed up and distress returned to her eyes. Again, her child was being taken away? Why were children always being used as a bargaining tool?! “Fine Eduardo,” she let go realizing immediately what she just said.
Victor guffawed, “Its Victor.”
Amber gazed over at the set once again and realized that her ex and his new someone were no longer part of the news. She bent her head down and left the house without a further word.
Chapter TWENTY-ONE
“Hi, this is Madge—I’m out of country searching for a Latin husband and plan to return in two weeks, leave a message at the tone…”
Amber hung up the receiver and continued to stare out the window. She had been sitting alone in the dark until a twinkle of light beamed through from the full moon outside her window. Two bottles of SKYY and a nearby champagne glass occupy her dresser. She was glaring out the window; out at nothing and out at nowhere. She was dead inside. Love, life had escaped her and she hadn’t eaten in almost a week. She was so distraught, so depressed, so...tired. She wanted to die again. Let it go. Set the pain free. She missed Peyton, missed her two other kids...missed...something she used to have…with that man.
She’d do anything to feel his body next to hers. Why couldn’t he sense that she was in pain? It was all so crazy—and maybe she had been responsible. Eduardo had moved on and it had all been her fault—he had someone else to comfort him—all she had was heartache.
Good Lord, why couldn’t the throbbing subside? She had been drinking non-stop for four consecutive days and nothing was helping!
She brought the glass up to her lips and gulped the remaining alcohol down. It spread throughout her veins and warmed her heart, but didn’t take away the anguish.
She closed her eyes and instantly envisioned Eduardo holding Stacey with his long arms around her petite body. She was so beautiful...with her long blond platinum hair, those azure eyes flickering at the sight of Eduardo smiling down at her.
Good Lord, why couldn’t she heal! It simply wasn’t fair. He had someone to take away his pain, but she didn’t have anyone! Her mother and sister were only temporary aids, with their words of encouragement and their love and their strength. Amber would feel good for a few short days until her mind would wander to when she was able to wrap her arms around the man she once loved and hold the little boy she once adored.
Eduardo lied to her again! He said he would always love her no matter what and that they had this connection that would never be broken...and where was that eternal bond now? Where was that forever love? Where was it hiding? Why’d it go away? Why couldn’t she find it?
Amber got up only to fall to the floor and started to bawl from the continuous torment of Eduardo kissing Stacey inside her mind. Eduardo was bringing his hands up around her face, leaning into her and brushing her lips so tenderly. His touch, so divine, passion was dispensed instantly through his fingers alone.
Stacey was kissing him; she loved him through the night with Eduardo naked...his muscled chest heated against hers. She was tilting her head back in ecstasy, while Eduardo drove his pinnacle home.
Amber got up on all fours and started to crawl toward her bathroom. She was heaving from the consistent mental pictures and was trying to catch her breath, and trying...ever so hard...to just...be.
Amber reached her vanity at last and like a raving lunatic, pulled herself up and began her endless search for something sharp. Good Lord, where was that razor blade?!
Amber started hurling combs, brushes, tooth-paste, mirrors, curlers, makeup across the area. Searching, searching for a Goddamn razor blade! She wanted to end it, wanted to end it now.
Amber ran to the medicine cabinet, then started to heave all the prescription bottles onto the floor—nothing, zero, zilch. Goddamn Eduardo! He wouldn’t get out of her head!
She then proceeded into the closet and eyed her belts hanging on a hanger. A belt. She could hang herself. Where? Amber emerged out of the closet looking up and around the bathroom. The shower? She could hang herself up on the spout. Would it hold her weight? No. She looked across and over above her bed. The ceiling fan, it was secure, it could hold her weight. She slowly stalked it and stood up on the bed then wrapped the belt around one edge and pulled down on it with all her might. Yes, definitely. It would hold her weight.
Amber bent over again and cried in her lap. So many memories dashed in and around her aching heart. Peyton, her baby boy, why did he have to die? He was just a little boy! He had his whole life ahead of him. What did he do? It was she who had been bad and therefore, punished. It was she. Her affair? Was she being punished for having an affair with Eduardo? Were they being punished for being...happy?
Oh...dear...God, her poor baby, all alone in that dark closed box. Feeling compelled to take a shovel and dig him out, he didn’t belong there. Good Lord, she didn’t have enough time with him. Why was he dead? She should be the one who should die!
Amber wrapped the other side of the belt around her neck then realized sickly that it wasn’t long enough once she tied the knot. She fell down to the bed and wiped away her tears already streaming down the sides of her face when she noticed the bottles that were tossed on the floor when she was searching for a razor blade.
Asendin. Desyrel. Pamelor and Prozac for her depression. Dalmane, Seconal to help her sleep. Yes. Yes, those will do.
Amber got off the bed and picked up all the bottles off the floor and started to empty each and every one until there was a mound of prescription drugs on her mattress. She eyed the bottle of Vodka conveniently on the end table and walked over to it and brought it toward the bed. Without any hesitation, without any shame, Amber grabbed a handful of mixed pills and plopped them all in her mouth. She then brought the bottle up to her throat and took a swig of the liquid and then downed the rest of the Vodka.
*****
No one saw him walking down the desolate corridor this time. Not one single nurse—or one single woman—had been captured by his attractive facade.
Broken Obsession - Part Two Page 13
