Julian hovered at the entryway of the kitchen, pacing like a caged lion. He didn’t like the idea of Eve being alone with TC at all. It had only been a couple of minutes, yet he was out of his mind with worry. He could hear Eve talking, but couldn’t make out what she was saying. The lack of raised voices calmed him to some degree, but he still didn’t like it. Damn it! Why did he agree to let her talk with TC alone? She was pregnant, and there was no telling what that lunatic would do. Unwilling to wait another minute, he started for the living room. He would wait in the alcove between the two rooms. That way he could at least keep his eye on Eve.
“I think you should let them talk,” Liz said, stopping Julian mid-step.

He turned to Liz. She sat at the table, staring into a glass of brandy. “What?” he clipped.

“It’s obvious you’re concerned about Eve, but I don’t think TC will hurt her.”

“How can you say that?! That son of a bitch tried to rape her.”

“But he didn’t,” she said, taking a long sip of the dark liquid.

“Not from lack of trying!” Julian thundered. Marching to the table, he pulled out a chair and sat. “My God, Eve had to fight him off.” He folded his arms on the flat surface and leaned forward, glaring. He didn’t trust Liz as far as he could throw her, but the bravado she wore like a gold medal was conspicuously absent. “What is going on in that twisted mind of yours? For a moment out there, it actually looked like you cared about Eve. That you were affected by her plight.”

She drained the glass of its contents, then met his gaze. “Of course I was affected. I’m not unfeeling, Julian.”

He grunted. After downing that brandy, she no doubt felt a fire burning in her belly. He was all too familiar with that feeling. “Oh, I would never describe you as unfeeling, Liz. You’re always feeling your need to punish Eve. This revenge you’ve been plotting since you set foot in Harmony defines your very existence. And let’s not forget all those other wonderful feelings you have.” He counted off the list on his fingers. “Let’s see, there’s malice, envy, loathing. Am I missing anything?”

Her eyes flashed contempt. “I’m not going to sit here and listen to this!” Liz bounded from the chair and over to the counter. She grabbed the bottle of brandy and poured more into her glass.

Julian stormed over, snatched the glass and bottle from her hand, and emptied the contents into the sink. He noted the label as the familiar scent of the spirit wafted in the air. This was very good brandy, but he didn’t want any, and Liz didn’t need any more. He wouldn’t let her drown in liquid comfort before he had his say.

“What the hell are you doing?!” She reached for the bottle in a frantic attempt to stop the disposal, but the deed was already done.

“What I’m doing is getting some things straight with you.” He slammed the snifter to the counter and dropped the bottle in the sink. “Since I’m only going to say it once, I’m making damn sure your head is clear, so there’ll be no mistake.”

“I don’t care to hear what you have to say.” She sucked in a breath and pulled her robe together. “I’m going to my apartment.”

Julian blocked her path to the back door. “No, what you will do is forget about this ridiculous vendetta you have against Eve. TC knows everything now. The days of holding Eve responsible for your inability to deal with your deep-seated emotional problems end today.”

“Absolutely not!” Liz fired back. “I sympathize for Eve, but she still has to pay for what I went through. What she caused me to go through.”

“What she caused? It’s not Eve’s fault your father molested you, and it’s not Eve’s fault you have a rotten life. You want to blame somebody; you look to your parents and then you look in the damn mirror. Your life is what you made it, not Eve. She will no longer be on the receiving end of your threats.”

“Yeah,” Liz said, stepping up to him. “Says who?” She poked her forefinger into his chest. “You?”

He met her with a hard glare. “Yes, me!”

She laughed. “Is that my cue to get scared? What are you going to do, Julian? Throw another blank check my way? I don’t want your damn money. I want Eve to suffer, and I want it to be at my hands. TC may know the truth, but Whitney and Simone don’t. Soon, they and all the fair citizens of Harmony will know what an alcohol and drug addicted slut Eve was. And if I were you, I’d worry about my own problems. I have been meaning to give Rebecca a call. I don’t think you want that, Pookie.”

“I don’t think you want to test me,” he challenged, his voice cold and stare unflinching. The defiance blazing in her dark eyes dimmed to marked fear. Her abundance of nerve clearly fleeting, Liz took a step back. Having received the desired reaction, Julian commenced with his warning. “Eve will have no more stress in her life, and I do mean none. I will eliminate all trouble from her life, and I don’t care what I have to do to make it happen.” He placed his hand around her neck and willed himself not to squeeze. “Do you follow me?” Julian leaned in. His rapid breaths blew the curls dangling about her forehead. “Do you follow me, Liz?” he repeated when he didn’t get an immediate response.

She swallowed audibly and nodded. “Yes.”

He dropped his hand and smiled. “Good.” Julian strode to the entrance leading to the alcove, and then turned back to her. “And, Liz, don’t even think about crossing me. I promise, that would not be a wise move.” He proceeded to the living room, hearing the back door close moments later.

Neither Eve nor TC seemed to notice his appearance at the doorless entry to the living room. The heavy velvet curtains bordering either side of the entryway deserved the credit for that. Eve stood on one side of the room and TC on the far end of the other. The expression on her face was as serious as Julian had ever seen. The slight smile brightening TC’s face slowly melted to a confused frown. Julian wondered what Eve said to him. Whatever it was, TC definitely didn’t expect it. Julian watched the scene unfold. Seems I got here just in time.
 

~*~
Several quiet moments passed. Eve’s heart pounded and pulse raced. Anger threatened to consume her like a raging brushfire, singeing her from the inside out. She took a breath to settle her nerves. For her sake and her baby’s she needed to stay calm. She didn’t plan to just blurt out her intentions, but TC gave her no choice. He kept going on and on like that horrible night six weeks ago didn’t happen. But it did happen, and it changed everything. He had to get that. She would make him get that.

“Eve, did you hear me? I want us to work things out.” TC pressed his hand to his chest. “I’m willing to give us a chance.”

Eve shook her head. What was wrong with him? Did he really think his pronouncement would thrill her? Make everything okay? “TC, there is no chance for us. Absolutely none.”

“How can you say that?”

“How can I not? You destroyed the life we had, and now you’re standing here acting as though nothing happened?”

“Plenty has happened, Eve, but I didn’t start this, you did. You started it when you gave yourself to that bastard Crane. How the hell did you expect me to react to you breaking our marriage vows?”

“I didn’t expect you to try to rape me,” she said just above a whisper.

TC groaned. “Damn it, Eve. Why do you keep coming back to that? I was angry, justifiably so, but nothing happened. I just lost my temper.”

“You did more than lose your temper, TC! I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to explain everything I didn’t have the courage to explain before, but you wouldn’t listen. Your opinion of me was formed the moment you walked in on Julian and me. I didn’t know you were there, and I’ll concede being with Julian in my office wasn’t the smartest move in the world, but I don’t regret it. I don’t regret it for one moment.” She slid her hand across her abdomen, flat but full of life. “What I do regret is not being honest with you all along.”

“Honest, about your love for Julian?”

“Yes, among other things.” Eve fingered the family portrait on the mantle. In a brand new sterling silver frame, one would never guess that weeks ago this same photo lay on the floor atop a pile of shattered glass. “We looked so happy here.”

“I was happy. I thought you were, too. I guess that was all a lie, huh?”

She shook her head and met TC’s gaze. “No, that wasn’t a lie. I loved the life we had, and I love the family we created.”

“Then how can you stand here and say you don’t want it anymore? Julian Crane is poison, and you’ve let him poison you against me.” The angry scowl that hardened TC’s face with the very thought of Julian was back in full force. “This man who has stolen everything from me is now stealing my wife.”

Heat fanned Eve’s face. She could take no more of TC’s misplaced righteous indignation. “Julian can’t steal me, TC. I’m a person, not a possession. You don’t own me, so I can’t be stolen from you. Furthermore, Julian didn’t poison me against you, you did that all by yourself!” Her voice cracked with emotion and tears filled her eyes. “I was afraid to tell you the truth because of what you would do to Julian. What I never for one instant took into consideration is what you would do to me.”

“What I--” he said softly, taking a step toward her.

Her eyes widened. She pushed out her hand. “You stay back!” It was at that moment Eve noticed Julian inching into the room. Their eyes met and she shook her head. “Stay back,” she murmured. She was glad he was close by, but she needed to do this without him.

His back to Julian, TC didn’t notice the subtle exchange, or Julian grudgingly sliding back to his post beyond the curtain.

“I didn’t expect you to take my telling you about Julian and me well, that would have been foolish, but I never expected you to turn your rage on me.” Shaky fingers brushed the hot streams of tears that trailed down her face. “If you never believe anything else I say, TC, I want you to know I did love you. My shortcoming was not being able to love you the way a wife should love her husband. I now understand I couldn’t give you that love, because Julian already had it.”

TC frowned. “So, I was what to you? A good friend with privileges?” He shook his head. “I’m not going to listen to this.” He marched to the sofa, burying his face in his hands.

Eve followed him. “You have to listen, and I need to say it!” She pulled his hands from his face and sat before him on the coffee table. TC’s eyes, glazed with tears and streaked with rivulets of red, found hers. “No more avoidance, and no more running away.”

“I’m surprised you’re sitting this close to me.” He tried to take her hands, but she pulled them away and clasped them in her lap. “You don’t want me to touch you. Are you really afraid of me, Eve?”

She looked him dead in the eye. “Yes, I am,” she stated firmly.

He sniffled and lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I,” she said. “You know, you were like a savior for me, TC. The way things ended with Julian hurt me so profoundly; I didn’t think I would ever care about another man again. But you were kind, and good. Decent. The kind of man I thought I should love. The kind of man every woman wants to love her. You made me feel worthy, and I wanted to be the woman a man like you deserved.”

“You were that.”

“No, I wasn’t. I doubt there is a woman in this world who could live up to your expectations, but that’s neither here nor there. The fact is I did love you. You represented goodness, and I desperately wanted goodness in my life to overshadow all the bad I had overcome.”

“Overcome? You didn’t overcome it. You just said yourself Julian always had your heart.”

“He did. But I was so angry with him, the hate eclipsed my love. It was always there, just covered up.”

“So, you didn’t know you still loved him?”

She was surprised by the tone of his question. It wasn’t accusing, as she thought such a question from him would be. “No, I didn’t,” she answered.

“Until when?” TC stared at his wedding band as he twirled it around his finger. “What changed, Eve?”

Eve glanced at Julian who continued to watch from the curtain. “Julian changed. The part of him that festered all my hatred disappeared, and in its place was a kinder, gentler Julian. A Julian who made me remember why I loved him so much in the first place.” She turned her attention to TC. “No one was more surprised by this change than I. And even when I was completely aware of my love for him, I had no intention of acting on my feelings. I was married to you, and my commitment to you and our family came first.”

“Something happened to change that.”

“Yeah, something did. It was Julian’s search for our son.”

“The son you told me you miscarried.”

“No, you said I miscarried the baby. In my fear, I let you believe that. Back then, besides my fear of you killing Julian, I was so afraid it you found out about us you would leave me. I didn’t want to hurt you, and I didn’t want to destroy our family.” She expelled a breath. “Anyway, my son with Julian is out there somewhere, and we’ve been trying to find him. Our search brought us even closer together. Denying my feelings for him became impossible, so I gave in to them. I realized I had to tell you the truth, and I tried to, but you wouldn’t--” Refreshed tears pooled her eyes as the horrible memories of that night overwhelmed her. “You were so angry. You scared me, and you hurt me. You hurt me so much.”

“I didn’t mean….” TC croaked.

Eve cut him off. “Yes, you did. Maybe you didn’t intend to hurt me in the way you did, but you meant to hurt me. You said as much that night, and you need to resign yourself to that truth. I was wrong to act on my feelings for Julian before settling things between us first, but no one deserves the treatment I got from you. No woman deserves to be terrorized in her own house.”

TC closed his eyes, but that act didn’t keep his tears from flowing. He hung his head in shame.

Eve rose from the table. “I loved this house,” she said, walking around and scanning the room through blurry, tear-filled eyes. “We had such wonderful memories here; all the holidays and the girls’ birthdays. Now, just being here conjures up the most terrifying moments of my life. Pleading with you not to hurt me; the sound of my shirt being ripped, and all your hateful words reverberating in my ears.” Her hands trailed up and down her arms, warming her body from the chilling thoughts. “My bruises healed, and my sore muscles stopped aching, but my heart is forever blemished and will always carry the pain of that night. The night the man I trusted with my life, my husband, forever broke my trust in him. And no matter how sorry you are, and how much you want us to start over, we can’t. I don’t know what you’re capable of. I don’t trust you, TC, and I never will again.” She paused for a moment, bracing herself for what she would say next. “I want a divorce.”

TC shot up from the couch as if pricked by a pin. “No, never!”

His outburst startled her. In the next moment Julian was at her side. “I’m sorry, my love, I stayed out as long as I could, but I will not allow you to be alone with this man a minute longer.” He brushed his thumbs against her cheeks. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she answered with a nod.

A muscle flinched in TC’s jaw. His head shook from side to side. “Forget it, Eve. I will not allow you to leave me for Crane.”

“You won’t allow me?” She chuckled in ill humor. “I’m not asking your permission, TC. I am getting a divorce. I figured you would try to fight me on this, so here are your options. You can either grant me an amicable divorce, on the grounds of irreconcilable differences, or I go to Sam and press assault charges against you, alerting our daughters and everyone in Harmony of your inability to control yourself, and then sue you for a divorce. Your choice.”

“You’re threatening me?” TC said, his voice a menacing whisper.

“No, that, TC, is a promise.” She slipped her hand into Julian’s, clasping her fingers around the warmth of his strong hand. “The girls love you, and I don’t want them to lose the respect they have for you, but I will not stay married to you, and I will do whatever it takes to be free of you.”

“How do you think the girls will react to you being with Crane? They won’t have much respect for you once they find out you’re an adulteress, and that you have a questionable past filled with alcohol and drug addiction, and a bastard son.”

“Maybe not, but I’ll explain I was young, and I got caught up in a different world. What I won’t do is apologize for loving Julian or the son our love created.” Eve took a tentative step forward, and Julian followed closely behind. “TC, I want us to move on. Now, I can believe you didn’t want to hurt me the way you did, but the fact remains you did hurt me. You need help. You need help with your anger and your out of control temper before you do something that won’t be an almost, and you will completely destroy your life and someone else’s.”

“I’ve gotten help for my temper! When you were gone, I went to an anger management facility, and I was there for weeks, Eve. Weeks!” His eyes stayed glued to them as he swiped the spittle from the corners of his mouth. “It helped me,” he softly explained.

She shook her head. “Clearly, not enough. I think you should go back. It’s too late for us, TC, but it’s not too late for you. Please, help yourself. If not for you, do it for the girls. You need to deal with your anger before it consumes you. ”

TC tore his venomous gaze from them and stormed into the kitchen. Seconds later the back door slammed.

“He’s gone to that shed,” Eve said. “Maybe while he’s in there, what I said to him will sink in.”

“We can hope.” Julian pressed a kiss to the back of her head, and massaged the tight muscles of her shoulders. “I’m so proud of you. You handled him very well. A lot better than I would have.”

“It’s not handled yet. We still have to wait and see, but at least he knows where I stand.” She leaned against him, sighing. Julian felt so good, and she suddenly felt so tired. “I just thought of something.”

“What’s that?” Julian asked.

“TC’s knows where I stand, but I don’t know where I’ll sleep tonight.”

Julian wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the door. “Of course you do, you’re going home with me.”

“Home? As in the Crane mansion? Julian, I can’t stay there.”

“Yes, you can.”

“What about Rebecca?”

“I’ll deal with Rebecca when we get there. You just worry about keeping yourself and our little girl healthy and calm.” He rubbed his hand against her belly and smiled. “I’ll take care of everything else.”