Blurred Lines

Chapter 38 - Mad World

March 1, 1993 continued...

Isabella & John Black Loft

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All around me are familiar faces

Worn out places, worn out faces

Bright and early for their daily races

Going nowhere, going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses

No expression, no expression

Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow

No tomorrow, no tomorrow

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Isabella glanced at the clock again as the loft door slid open, and she immediately said, "It's nearly 7 o'clock, John! Brady needs to be picked up in an hour, and I thought we were spending time together!"

He stared at her blankly, too tired to even fight back. She hadn't even said hello. It was constant - the arguing, the bickering, the nagging. She was killing the love he'd felt for her, and turning it into something caustic. "The meeting took longer than I planned, and–"

"--you could have met with that lawyer tomorrow, or you could have allowed me to come along." Isabella placed her empty teacup in the sink with a clatter. With a complete lack of empathy, she said, "If Danielle is dead, another day shouldn't be an issue."

"Julia needed to get back to California. She's been away from her daughter, and wanted to get home," he said. He put his wallet on the table near the door, and hung his jacket on the coat rack.

He was on a first name basis with Danielle's lawyer? Isabella watched him for a moment, and then repeated, "Julia?"

"Julia Wainwright," he said with a sigh. "She's a lawyer from California... Danielle's sister."

"Are you serious right now, John?" She stared at him with fury, "Did she try to seduce you too?"

"Isabella, I can't do this anymore. I can't keep living like this." John ran his fingers through his hair, and rubbed his face roughly. "The constant arguing... and in front of Brady! The distrust. You're constantly questioning my every move, you make decisions without telling me–"

She cried out in frustration, "John!"

John lost his patience, shouting, "Isabella, you stopped taking your birth control, and tried to get pregnant! You canceled the babysitter the night of the hospital benefit to try and keep me at home! I know that's what you were doing. Marcus probably told you that Marlena was going with Mike, and you decided we would stay home!"

"Why would I want to go to the hospital benefit so that you could fucking ogle Marlena all night?" Isabella shouted.

John pulled the bottle of whiskey from the cabinet, and realized it was almost empty. Is that what his life had become? Late night drinking? Stress drinking? He felt as if he'd just purchased that bottle. He poured himself a shot, and sighed without a filter, "You're right."

Isabella deflated instantly. No. But she could see it in his eyes. This conversation would not end with her getting what she wanted. All of her nagging had worn him down to nothing. She had pushed him too far.