226. No More Lies

Warning: nudity, adult situations, some violence

Bridgeport, present day

The next morning, as she was about to leave for work, Eloise noticed Devon's lunch on the breakfast nook. She wondered if he'd left it on purpose because he was still mad at her, or if he'd genuinely forgotten it. She decided it was the latter; pettiness wasn't in Devon's nature.

She absently reached for the brown bag and gave the house a once over before she rushed to her car.

Traffic was a breeze this time of the morning, and she was at Devon's work in ten minutes.

She couldn't recall the last time she was there, but she was sure it couldn't have been that long ago.

Her stomach clenched tightly as she approached the building. The place, with its boarded up windows and chained doors, looked wrong. Empty. Abandoned. Like nobody worked there anymore.

Her whole body shook violently when her suspicions were confirmed as she read the note stuck on the door. Making Tracks had closed its doors. It wasn't clear when though.

"Miss, are you okay?"

Eloise turned around slowly and blinked at the man, touched by the genuine concern in his voice.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks." She lied shrilly as she sidestepped him. She wasn't okay; she was far from being okay. She felt like the rug had been pulled from underneath her feet and she was falling backwards with nothing to clutch on to and save herself.

"You don't look fine at all," the man yelled after her, but she ignored him as she quickened her pace, trying to put as much space between herself and Devon's deceit.

In her car she tried to rationalize, tried to come up with a logical explanation, she even went as far as make up past conversations she might have missed. Surely he’d told her he'd been laid off, because it's not something you keep away from your spouse, especially when you've just bought a house on the good part of town.

"He told you," she kept telling herself over and over, but her mind refused to be tricked, it refused to believe what her heart wanted to readily accept without question.

Later that evening Eloise waited until after their supper to confront Devon. She found him in his studio, doing what he loved to do the most lately, making music.

As she stood there, just inside the door, watching and listening to him mix another song from the After Dark album, it suddenly hit her. It all made sense, his foul moods, his short temper, and his escalating obsession with music. She traced it all back to her very first encounter with Cruz a little over two months ago at her work’s parking lot. If she was right, she guessed that was the same day Devon had lost his job. 

For two months her husband had been living a lie, pretending to be going to work, lying to her and their son. No matter how much she wanted to, Eloise couldn't understand his deceit. She wasn't even sure she could forgive him.

Devon turned from the equipment, and gave her a slow smile. It lit up his entire face, and for that brief second he looked like the man she once knew, the man she’d fallen in love with.

“What’s going on?” He asked.

Eloise didn't reply. She crossed the room instead, and sat down on the couch, forcing Devon to swivel around in his chair and look at her.

“How was work today?” She asked, crossing her legs.

Devon leaned forward in his chair, “it was great. I have a new artist-”

Eloise just sat there, listening to him make up stories. She felt her heart turn black with each lie he told. 

“Dianne thinks this is the year I make partner-”

“Stop it!” Eloise screamed when she couldn't take the lies anymore. “Just stop with the lies Devon!  Enough. No more lies!”

Devon didn't respond to her outburst. Instead, he got up from his seat and left the room.

When he came back five minutes later, Eloise knew she’d lost this fight. He held the shopping bag with Cruz’s clothes. She never returned them because she’d decided to back the fuck off, and it wasn't hers to get rid of. She should have done a damn good job of hiding them, she thought now as she stared at the ice in her husband's eyes.

“How about we start this conversation again?” Devon began as he threw the bag at her feet. He sounded calm, but Eloise could see the anger in his eyes and she knew there wouldn't be an easy way out.  No peaceful resolution.

“What’s with the man undies? Are you having an affair? Are you cheating on me?” 

Her denials were swift. “No, I’m not having an affair. I love you, Dev. I would never cheat on you. You don’t understand-”

And it began and escalated to a point where they both felt they’d kill each other. But neither one wanted to back away from the fight.

Eloise felt her deceit was nothing compared to Devon’s. He’d acted recklessly and as a result placed a financial strain on their marriage by keeping the truth from her. She was afraid they might lose the house, and she was almost positive they’d have to take Blake to a public school now. Yes, she earned a decent salary, but it wouldn't cover everything, all their debt, they’d have to make serious lifestyle changes.

Devon felt he couldn't trust Eloise anymore, she’d kept stuff from him before and he was able to forgive her, but not this time…Not when she was so damn adamant about keeping the identity of her lover a secret.

“Fine. It’s Cruz! The clothes belong to Cruz, he’s back!” Eloise finally cracked. She couldn't take the accusations anymore. She wanted it to be over, the senseless fighting. She wanted to start over, without Cruz standing between them.

“Who the fuck is Cruz?” Devon demanded.

“The man who changed me.”

“When did he come back?” He asked.

“Two months ago.”

Devon lost it then. In a blink of an eye he had her in his arms, shaking her senseless. “Two months? Two fucking months you were seeing him and you never told me? All those late nights at work were a lie, weren't they?”

“It wasn't like that, I wanted to tell you. God, Devon I wanted to tell you, but you were so distant!” Eloise cried in her hands, her hair kept getting in her eyes; she’d brush it away impatiently, only to have it fall over her forehead again.

“So this is my fault?” Devon turned to leave the room; he’d had enough of their screaming match. 

But Eloise couldn't let him go, not when they still had so many unresolved issues. She held on to his arm, trying to prevent from leaving, “Of course it’s not your fault! But-”

She didn’t finish what she wanted to say. Devon pushed her away with so much force she stumbled backwards and crashed onto the sofa in a clumsy mess.

For a second neither of them said anything, both were stunned into silence by his violence.

The neighbor’s dog, barking at a car driving by, pulled them out their inertia.

“El, I’m sorry-" Devon tried to reach for her. 

But Eloise recoiled from his touch.

“Get away from me!” She snarled at him, her eyes flashing yellow. 

By the time Devon realized what was happening Eloise had already transformed. She looked all wrong though, half human, half beast. And she terrified him.

A small voice in his head screamed at him to run, be he listened to it too late, Just as he turned to bolt from the room, Eloise dived for him and pinned him to the floor, gnashing her canines threateningly.

“Stop it! Just stop it!” Devon tried to get away, but he had nowhere to run, nowhere to escape to, he kept crashing into the furniture.His attempts to defend himself enraged Eloise even more; she took a small chunk of flesh on his hand, barking the whole time, froth dripping from her mouth.

Devon let out a blood curdling growl, the sound seemed to get to Eloise. She let out her own howl, and backed away from him, sniffling and whimpering as she jumped out of the window, spraying glass shards everywhere.

Devon lay there for a while, groaning in pain, panting for air, wondering when they’d dropped the ball.

The sound of the front door slamming shut downstairs broke through his pained thoughts.

"Blake,” he groaned as he leapt to his feet, oblivious to the blood trail left in his wake as he ran downstairs…

Across town, Leigh and Krisis had just put the kids to bed, and they were heading for their own room when the doorbell rang. They’d spent the whole day packing up their stuff, preparing for the move to the beach house in a few days. They were exhausted and the last thing they wanted was a late night visitor.

But as tired as they were, they couldn't bring themselves to ignore the knock, so Krisis went to get it.

Blake broke into heart-wrenching sobs as soon as Krisis opened the door.

“Can I come in? I didn't know where else to go!”

Leigh was at the door in a heartbeat and she had him in her arms, comforting him.

They took him to the kitchen and Krisis warmed him up some milk while Leigh talked to him. 

From the little Blake told her, Leigh managed to figure out that Devon and Eloise had a massive fight, and Blake got scared when he heard furniture being smashed around in Devon’s studio. He’d left the house, jumped on his bike and made his way to their place.

Leigh was highly pissed at Eloise and Devon. Anything could have happened to Blake. He could have been run over by a car, or gotten lost; even worse, a sex fiend could have snatched him.

“Blake, sweetheart, you were very, very brave to leave the house and make your way over here. But I don’t want you doing that again-” Leigh explained to him as gently as she could, just how dangerous it was for him to be out and about at night. “The next time you feel scared or threatened in any way, I want you to pick up the phone okay and call me. My number and your uncle’s number are in the telephone book your mom keeps on the side of the phone in the kitchen.”

 Blake nodded his head and took a sip from his glass.

Krisis tried to distract him and ease his fears by telling him some Knock Knock jokes. Leigh had never found them amusing, but Blake thought they were funny as hell, and it wasn't long before he was laughing and smiling again.

Lily and the triplets, still very much awake, had heard the commotion and they were all in the kitchen in no time.They were all excited to see Blake, but they were also very confused. They couldn't understand how he'd made it over to their house without his parents, especially so late at night.

While Krisis got the kids settled in for the night again, Leigh called Eloise. She couldn't get through to her best friend though; her phone kept going into voice mail. She tried her brother next and he answered on the first ring. Devon sounded relieved when she told him Blake’s okay.

“I’ll keep him for a few days, until you and El sort things out,” Leigh offered.

“Thanks, Sis. I owe you one,” Devon said on his end.

“Dev, what happened? What’s going on?” Leigh asked him. But her brother wouldn't get into it. He thanked her again and hung up before she could interrogate him.

She was still staring at the phone when Krisis came out of Lily’s room.

“Let’s get to bed,” he took the phone from her, dumped it on the end table in the hallway, and led her to their bedroom.

An hour later, Leigh was still tossing and turning in their bed. Her restlessness was keeping Krisis awake too.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked in a sleepy voice.

Leigh rolled over to look at him. Her heart melted when she saw the tousled hair in his eyes; he looked too damn sexy for his own good.

“Go back to sleep,” she told him as she brushed away his hair.

“Only if you promise you’ll sleep too,” Krisis pulled her closer to him.

Before long they were tangled in each other’s arms, the sounds of their lovemaking echoing in the room…

Down the hall, Blake couldn’t sleep.  His sniffling and crying was keeping Lily awake.

“Blakey, what’s wrong?” she asked in a small voice.She rolled over to stare at Blake in the bunk bed below hers. 

“Are you crying?” Lily whispered. 

Her best friend turned away from her to hide his tears.  “No, I’m not!” 

“Yes you are,” Lily insisted.

“Boys don’t cry!” Blake was almost fuming now, and Lily didn’t know what to say.

She sat up, and tucked her knees up to her chin, thinking.

“Yes they do cry,” she spoke after a while of silence. “Boys cry when they are sad or hurt, or afraid. Just like girls. Kristian cries when he’s very angry, and then he starts fires. Mommy and Daddy say we are not supposed to make Kristian angry, especially when they are not around because he can burn down the house.”

Blake didn't say anything; and Lily carried on with her lecture. “I hope you don’t start fires when you’re angry. Fires are dangerous!” 

When it was obvious Blake wouldn't entertain her, Lily kept quiet again. She fluffed up her pillows and pulled the covers over her head.

“You are my best friend, right?” Blake asked.

“You know I am.” Lily was out of her bed and in Blake’s in a heartbeat. 

He made room for her and she took his hand and held it.

“My dad doesn't have a job anymore, and my mom thinks the bank will take the house, and they won’t be able to pay for my school fees. She said I’ll have to go to a different school and we’ll be behind with mortgage payments. What’s a mortgage payment?” Blake turned to her.

“I don’t know. But I’ll ask my mom in the morning. She’s very clever. She knows everything.” Lily boasted. In her eyes, Leigh could do no wrong; she was the smartest, prettiest and nicest person she knew. No one came close to her.

“My mom is smart too. But I saw her-” Blake stopped talking, he’d almost said too much.

“What? What did you see?” Lily pushed, and she wouldn't drop it until he’d told her.

“I was standing outside the door while they fought and I saw her change. She looked so scary, and then she bit my father.”

“Like a monster?” Lily asked for clarity but her question made Blake cry.

“No, she’s not a monster. She’s my mom and she’s kind and nice!”

“And she smells nice too,” Lily added as she remembered Eloise’s perfumes and makeup kits, her aunt always played makeovers with her whenever she slept over at Blake’s place.

“Please don’t tell your parents. She didn't mean to bite my daddy, she was just angry.” Blake begged her. 

Lily didn't think it was right to keep secrets from her parents, but Blake was her best friend, and she’d do anything to make him smile again.“Okay. I promise,” she told him.

“Pinkie swear?” Blake held up his little finger.

And Lily hooked it with hers. “Pinkie swear!”

They were just drifting off to sleep when a thought crossed Lily’s mind, and she just had to share it.

“My dad owns a record label; I’ll ask him to give Uncle Devon a job.” 

Blake perked up at the thought of his father having a job, but he wasn't clear on some things. “What’s a Record Label?” He asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s where my dad works.” Lily replied, she really had no clue what a Record Label is, but she’d gathered from conversations she’d overheard between her parents that it paid the bills and bought them all the nice things they had…