Heart and War// Feathers and Stripes Book 2

Chapter 7

     Eliza woke up the next morning feeling a whole lot better then the previous day. She had slept good for once (once you have children, sleep is a gone memory).

She got out of bed, and went to check the mailbox. The newspaper was there as always. Eliza loved reading the newspaper while eating breakfast, so she took it back to the apartment, and made breakfast for the children and herself.

One thing that immediately caught her eye on the newspaper was a heading with John's name on it. She stared at it for a moment before starting to read it.

"John Bushnell, one of the best lawyers in Paris had an affair, and his mistress wrote it down right here:

       I came to John seeking help with a financial situation, and knew him from school in the past. He started to help me, and then seemed to decide that further 'reconnecting' was necessary. This went on for weeks, in which he left his Mrs. Bushnell and the children. My deepest regards to the poor wife and children. He had left them in the dark."

Eliza finished reading it with a teardrop down her face. He had been leaving her and the children for weeks now, but she hadn't questioned it...and now to learn that he was actually with this girl the whole time. She couldn't believe that he had done this to her and the children.

 Eliza marched out of the room the moment everything she was feeling had truly sunk in. She left the paper on the table in hopes that John would read about what was done.

   She went into the bedroom, and dug out a old box that she had had since middle school. She opened it, and took out everything, now full on sobbing. He had cheated on her before, but that had been in high school, and she had never allowed herself to think that he would ever do it again.

  But he had. She had never been enough for him, and never would be. Dark thoughts crept into her mind as she looked at all the letters, scanning them, wondering if any of it had been true. She had fallen helplessly for him, and in return he had betrayed her time and time again, fooling herself with the comfort that she was his and he was hers. How naive  she had been.

  Eliza gathered the letters, and put them beside her. She threw them in the trashcan, and got a lighter. Now to just sit back and watch the letters burn.

"Eliza!" A panicked voice sounded as he ran into the main room of the apartment. Eliza glared, tears falling down her face, and she continued to ignore him as he had apparently ignored her. 

The door flung open, and a horrified John ran into the bedroom. He looked in horror and grief at the scene in front of him. He took a step towards her, and Eliza hit the hand he was extending as well away.

"Don't." She hissed, her voice cracking with the threat of upcoming tears. John's face contorted into a mixture of sadness and grief.

"Eliza, I never meant to hurt you-" John said, tears streaming down his face. This caused Eliza to let out a sob.

"You have thrown it all away! Sit back-" Eliza pushed him down to the ground in a moment of raw strength mixed with sadness and anger. "Watch it all burn!" Eliza cried, falling to her knees. John made a move towards her, but clearly thought better of it, as he moved back almost as soon as he had reached towards her.

"When will you learn that I am your legacy, WE are your legacy!" Eliza sobbed, knowing that this would hurt him the most. John flinched, tears streaming.

"If you thought you were mine..." Eliza whispered, wiping tears. John noticed an akuma fly towards her, and gasped.

"Eliza-" He tried, tears blurring his vision. Eliza glared at him through tears once more before the akuma hit her.

"Don't!"