Page 11 of Running from Drac

His jaw is already ticking, that’s not good. Not good at all. He only does that when he’s about to explode.

He’s never been violent with me, but there have been times he’s scared the shit out of me with his temper. If I thought he’d been angry before, the volcano that erupts next will be one for the books—a super volcano in the making.

“Everything that happened last night is a complete blur. I don’t remember shit, only what happened after I woke up this morning…”

His teeth grinding breaks the silence before he says, “What did you do, Amber?”

“None of this was planned, Eddie. You have to believe me. I seriously don’t know how I ended up where I did when I woke up this morning. Poppy and Pippa were gone and I…” The spiral overtakes me as my anxiety begins to spin, choking me alive as I fight to get the words out that I know will breakus. Nothing is going to stop this train wreck from derailing, not even me. “I found myself in a different hotel this morning. Only, I wasn’t alone. I was in bed with some guy.”

Eddie rockets up from the bed, fists clenched, his voice a husky mess of frustration and anger. “What the fuck? Who? I’m going to kill him,” he growls.

“I don’t know. I think I may have been drugged.”

He takes off his hat and runs his hand over his short brown hair. I miss the fact that it isn’t long anymore, I used to love running my fingers through it.

“I don’t remember anything at all. I don’t know how I got there. I don’t even know the dude’s name. Hell, I don’t even remember leaving the hotel we were staying at.”

“So, you’re telling me that my fiancée went off to Vegas and fucked some random guy she doesn’t even know the name of?”

“Yes.”

Eddie paces the room like an angry bear. I’ve never seen him this angry before. He’s always been a jealous person, and one time it ended up with the other guy in ICU, but this is a new Eddie—a volatile and chaotic Eddie, and it’s scaring the shit out of me.

“I’m going to kill this guy. I swear to God! No man puts his hands on my future wife but me. Who was he, Amber? Damn it tell me his name.”

Blinking through my tears, I try my best to focus through the blurry wetness on his face.

“I don’t know. I told you, Eddie, I think I was drugged.”

He stops his pacing and faces me.

“That’s complete and utter bullshit, Amber, and you fucking know it! You know his name. You just don’t want to tell me.”

“I’m telling the truth, Eddie. I don’t know his name, he never told me. Or if he did, I don’t remember it. All I remember is what happened this morning.”

He starts pacing again.

“What happened this morning?”

“Nothing. I woke up in bed with him. He went to take a shower, and I got the hell out of there.”

“Were you naked? Was he naked?”

“Yes…”

His fists slam down on my dresser, making the dresser wobble and everything on it to scatter and fall to the floor. I’m lucky the mirror didn’t shatter, but his action has me cowering, hoping he doesn’t break history and turn that rage on me.

“I’m so sorry, Eddie. I don’t know what happened. I’m not sure how I even got there. Please forgive me; I don’t want to lose you.” There’s pure desperation in my pleas for forgiveness, but it’s like he can’t even hear me.

All I see is a cold rage boiling in his gaze as his lips curl up in disgust, and he stares at me like I’m a stranger standing before him.

“I can’t believe you cheated on me! I can’t even look at you right now. I’m sorry, Amber, but I need to go.”

As he turns, I can see tears forming in his eyes, it’s a moment of weakness I’ve never seen before, and it breaks me in two. Eddie never cries, and to know I was the cause of his tears, kills me.

Right before he walks out the door, his fist clenches, and he throws another punch through my wall, shattering the drywall so there is nothing but a giant hole left in its wake. That hole is a huge metaphor for our relationship. Me giving everything I have to hold our relationship together, and him giving me nothing but an empty space in my chest.

“Eddie, please, don’t go!” I shout after him. He’s in no condition to be driving anywhere, but the man is broken, and I’m the one who’s responsible for it. Before I can even stop him, his truck fires up, the obnoxious exhaust waking the whole neighborhood as he peels down our driveway and shoots out onto the street.