Golden eyes (1)

~Elizabeth~

Cut off ties and promise never to see him again?

I couldn’t believe my ears, especially from this woman. Hearing Elliotte say words like these would have made sense as she wasn’t some stranger. But coming from the woman having an affair with my husband? The audacity was unbelievable.

As though seeking for some confirmation, I shifted my gaze to Oliver. This time, he wasn’t avoiding my eyes.

His gaze met mine, and as someone who had known him since childhood, I could tell he found a sense of relief in her words.

The thin thread struggling to hold my sanity together snapped at the sight of his relieved yet guilt-ridden blue eyes. My gaze drifted to the vivid red marks scattered across his neck, mirroring the ones trailing down Vivian’s exposed cleavage. The hickeys made them seem more like a married couple, even if Oliver and I were the couple here.

 A faint laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. The humiliating sight pushing me to the brink of despair as my eyes stung with tears.

 ‘’H-How dare you....’’

Or why else would he meet my gaze this time if he hadn’t found some relief from her words?

‘’How dare you, Oliver.’’ I met his gaze with tears rolling down my cheeks.

Oliver’s eyes widened, perhaps not expecting my tears.

‘’Liz....’’

‘’How dare you, Oliver!’’ I stepped away from the sofa and pounded my fists on his bare chest with all the strength my fatigued body could muster.

‘’After all I’ve done for you?! My debt?! Older sister?!’’ I cried, repeatedly slamming my fist on his hard-rock chest, like a woman who had completely lost her mind over her husband’s affair. ‘’How could she say that to me? What did you tell her, Oliver? That I am your childhood friend, your high school lover and your wife?!’’

Even as my hands throbbed from hitting Oliver, it wasn’t enough to extinguish, the betrayal, despair, lost, anger and negative emotions raging inside of me.

‘’Stop hitting him!’’ I felt a weak shove from the side, but I barely budged from my spot. The moment the same disgusting perfume I always found on Oliver’s work clothes reached my nose, I shoved Vivian away in disgust.

‘’Don’t touch me!’’

‘’Ouch!’’ Vivian yelped, clutching her right hand a few feet away. ‘’You almost broke my nail!’’ She cried out with a teary glare.

Broke her nail?

Though I wasn’t the violent type, I didn’t feel bad for the woman groaning in pain.

While my attention was momentarily stuck on Vivian, Oliver suddenly grabbed my shoulders, holding my body in place and made me face him. ‘’Liz, stop.’’

‘’...Why should I stop, Oliver?’’ I gave him a blank stare. ‘’Do you remember how you made me lose—‘’

‘’ELIZABETH, SHUT UP!’’ He roared in my face, shoving me so hard that I lost my balance and crashed to the floor, my forehead striking the ground with a small thud.

‘’Urgh...’’ Painful groans mixed with my tears....more tears from the body aches and more tears from experiencing another moment with Oliver’s unexpected physical assault.

‘’W-Wait...I-I didn’t....’’ Perhaps recalling the first memory of his physical assault as I was, I heard the trembles in his voice. ‘’...L-Liz...I...’’

‘’Oli, let’s go.’’ However, Vivian suddenly called from ahead. With my head still on the bare floor, I listened the soft thuds of footsteps echoing, and then rustling of clothes a few second after. ‘’You can’t continue to live with a crazy woman.’’

 ‘’Wait Vivian....’’

‘’Why should we wait, Oli?’’ She argued. ‘’Let’s leave before she goes crazy on us again.’’

While the two adulterous pair acted as if I was invisible, tears remained falling from eyes with continuous sobs.

‘’The money....’’ Oliver said after a brief pause. ‘’Leave the money for the debt with her.’’

‘’What? Why should I give money to someone as ungrateful as her?’’ Vivian opposed. ‘’I merely offered to pay off the debt and free you from this miserable woman. I’m not doing charity or her a favor.’’

‘’Just leave whatever you have, Vivian. This is the last time she and I will see each other.’’

...Last time...His words stabbed the shattered pieces of my heart.

How easy for him to speak like that without hesitation.

The future we had planned together from highschool, the debt I offered to pay because he used my name, everything...both the good and worst...he was leaving me to bear them all alone.

Just because he found a way out through a more beautiful, younger and richer woman.

‘’...Really?’’ I heard the skepticism in Vivian’s voice.

‘’Yes, I swear on my name.’’

‘’Okay then.’’ She relented. ‘’I guess I can leave my credit card with her.’’ The sound of a zipper drifted through my ears.

‘’How lucky of you to have a kind brother.’’ She called me out, but I remained in the same position, acting unresponsive.

‘’Thank you, Vivian.’’

‘’Let’s quickly get out of here, Oli. This apartment gives me the creeps.’’ She complained, and a moment later, I heard the creak of the door, followed by the fading sound of footsteps.

Now, Oliver and I seemed to be alone.

 ‘’...I’m sorry, Liz.’’ I felt something brush my hand before the door creaked opened once more, only to shut again without hesitation. Slowly, I lifted my head and found a black debit card lying beside my aching fingers.

‘’Just leave whatever you have, Vivian. This is the last time she and I will see each other.’’ My mind flashed back to Oliver’s words.

‘’How could you do this to me, Oliver.....’’ My trembling fingers curled on the bare floor as another sob escaped my lips.

‘’How could you....’’

****

Colored lights swept across the crowded dance floor, bathing strangers in flashes of crimson, violet, and electric blue. Laughter mingled with the loud music. The mix of sweat, perfume and alcohol hung heavily in the air.

‘’Lol...did she really dress like that come here?’’ I heard a few snickers as I maneuvered my way through the sea of people until I finally reached the bar.

I slipped onto one of the vacant bar stools with my bag on the counter, ignoring the curious glances that lingered my way. The bartender, a broad-shouldered man with tattooed forearms, wiped a crystal glass with a towel before looking up at me.

‘’What can I get you, Miss?’’

‘’The strongest drink you have.’’

An alcohol like that was likely going to be expensive, and the money was going to draw my finances down. Especially with the debts hanging above my head like a looming rain cloud.

His scarred brow lifted. ‘’You sure about that, Miss?’’

I let out a humorless laugh.

‘’Do I look like I’m here to make good decisions tonight?’’

My husband betrayed me for another woman, leaving his debts in my name. At the moment, I just wanted to forget everything happening in my life.

For a brief moment, the bartender studied my swollen eyes and dried tears on my cheeks. Whatever conclusion, he simply nodded. Without another word, he reached for a bottle resting on the top shelf and poured out the amber liquid into a short glass. He slid it over to me.

‘’Shit happens every day, Miss.’’ The bartender said. ‘’This’ll do the job.’’

I stared at the alcohol. The sharp scent of alcohol stung my nose before I touched the glass.

‘’Thanks.’’

With a murmur of thanks, I wrapped my slightly trembling fingers around the drink and took the first shot in one gulp.

The liquid burned like fire and brought tears to my eyes that had nothing with Oliver.

A small cough escaped me but I refused to stop. Even though it’s been a very long time since I had alcohol, I came to this night club to be wasted and forget my shitty reality.

 ‘’Another.’’

The bartender silently refilled the glass.

I emptied it again

Then another.

And another.

Somewhere between the shots, the sharp burn became dull. The bitterness faded into warmth, spreading through my chest and limbs until the weight crushing heart no longer felt quite as unbearable.

The music grew louder.

Or perhaps it was simply my thoughts growing quieter.

I guess I was drunk as the alcohol no longer burned my throat.

‘’How could he....’’ I muttered, staring at the amber liquid in the glass that seemed to double for a moment.

‘’How could he....’’

‘’And what did he do, Miss?’’ I heard a voice from my side.

An involuntary shiver raced down my spine.

Am I cold? I wondered as I tilted my head to a face hidden under the dark hood. My eyes squinted to make out the faint outline of a sharp jawline and dark eyes with a light flicker.

...gold? For a moment, I could have sworn I saw golden eyes.

 ‘’The person you’re cursing over a drink...he sounds like a bad guy.’’ The man continued, unfazed by my silence.

Yes he’s the worst. I silently agreed.

Oddly enough, though, my attention had drifted from Oliver to the stranger beside me.

He’s good-looking.

‘’You’re very good-looking.’’ I blurted out my thoughts. The words slipped from my lips before I could stop them, something I would have never said if I was sober.

‘’Are you married?’’