Elaine

Elaine flailed while helping Eden up the stairs. Every step hurt and Eden groaned when he couldn’t keep the pain at bay.

   “Sorry,” she cried for the umpteenth time, adjusting slightly to keep him injured arm from grazing the size wall. He wondered why she bothered apologizing to him when she had cuts scattered about her palms too from trying to gather the broken glass pieces. He would scold her for injuring herself so, but he could hardly speak, and she’d probably done it to try cover for him.

   She twisted the door knob and they both staggered into the room. Eden’s knees gave out and he collapsed with a muffled cry, pulling Elaine down with him.

   She apologized and knelt by his side, pulling of his battered shirt slowly before disappearing to get a first aid kit to tend his wounds. The air was filled with his muffled grunts and groans as burning liquid touched his wounds. Once she was done, he opened his eyes to the emptiness of their bedroom. It was painted in varying shades of white, grey and teal, but that was all to it.

   His grandmother-in-law had gotten relatively creative with her ideas of tortures and punishment. Shortly after they had gotten married and moved into Elaine’s room, her grandmother had gotten the servants to move every piece of furniture out, as well as the beddings, leaving the room completely bare, save for their clothes. Her mother had tried protesting, but the woman had very little say in the family and Elaine’s father was barely home. When he was home, he acted like they didn’t exist.

    Eden blinked, noticing the sudden silence and herturned, ignoring his protesting muscles. Tears were streaming down her face, and he felt a pang of guilt in his chest. His heart broke at the sight of her being so vulnerable and fragile. “El. . .” his voice trailed off as he assumed a sitting position, snuggling closer to her. “Don’t cry, El.”

   She shook her head. “It’s too much to bear Eden. I am so sorry. I wish I’d never—“

    He pressed a hand to her lips, despising the words he knew would leave her lips. “No. Don’t say that. I cherish every single day I have spent with you. Nothing matters to me like you do, El. Everything will be alright. I will fix it. I will fix everything.”

   Her green eyes were wide with pain and despair. “Nothing is going to be fixed at this rate, Eden. Being with me is causing you so much pain and I would understand if—“

   He pulled her into his warm embrace. ”I’m not leaving you, El. All of this wouldn’t be worth it without you. We will figure it out. Being with you is the best thing that has happened to me so far. I love you, El, and nothing will change that.”

    She relaxed in his arms, sobbing and he ran his fingers through her hair, soothing her and piecing himself together. He so badly wanted to tell her that everything would be alright soon, but he didn’t know it would. He couldn’t be weak. For El, he would remain strong. For El, he would find a job, regardless of whatever hurdles he went through.

    A knock on the door had them coming apart and staring at each other. No one visited them or bothered with them.

   “I’ll get it,” Elaine said and went for the door before he could protest or say otherwise.

   She pulled the door open and he found Laurel, Elaine’s younger sister standing in the doorway with an annoyed expression. There was something folded in her hands and her green eyes scanned their empty room with unhidden disdain. “I brought. ..an ointment. So the wounds don’t get infected,” she said mincing her words and keeping her faced in that fixed irritated expression that managed to fool most people.

   Laurel was the only nice sibling Elaine had, but she hid it thoroughly, always wearing a frown or a hard look. She was the only one who had smiled when Elaine brought him home.

   “Thank you, Laurel,” Elaine said softly and Eden didn’t miss the break in Elaine’s voice. “I really appreciate it.”

   Laurel nodded grimly, eyes skimming over Eden’s form and her lips quivered a little as she said in a low whisper, “Sorry Eddy.”

   The sound of slamming doors had all three of them jerking and Laurel sped off before she could be found speaking to them. Her grandmother had made it very clear that no one was to ever extend a helping hand in their direction.

   Elaine sighed and shut the door. “We should shower. So we can use the salve.”

   Eden nodded and rose to his feet, sullenly trailing after Elaine to the bathroom.

                                        **************************

      The bath had been freezing. So much so, they barely spoke to each other and practically ran out of the bathroom only seconds after they entered it. The heater had been disconnected and Eden knew better than to ask why.

 That was about an hour ago.

  Now, Elaine was throwing a book at his head, laughing. “No! That’s not what you said! You said you wanted two children, not four!” Elaine squealed and Eden barked a laugh as he sorted through Elaine's phone for the newest hiring companies that had no ties to Elaine’s family.

   “You said two, El. I’ve always wanted a big family, but you said two because you were scared of getting fat. Not that I’d love you any less,” he added quickly, earning a blush from his wife and damn, if it wasn’t the prettiest thing he’d ever seen.

   She bit on the head of her ball pen, scowling at him. “Four is quite a lot, don’t you think?”

   He looked up from the phone, almost able to hear her silent thoughts on how they would take care of four children if they couldn’t even take care of themselves, but he didn’t want to think about it. Or talk about his incapacity. “Not with you, no.”

   She blushed and the worry was gone from her eyes. He smiled, going back to sorting through his phone while engaging her in conversation. In truth, he was worried too. He’d gone through his mails but they were filled with rejections of his numerous applications. No one would employ him because Mia would not let them.

   He would not be surprised if she went as far as sending every company a memo, just so they would not accept him, which was why he was currently searching for jobs that had nothing to do with Mia Zend—and it was difficult.

   They sat, talking for hours about their future and past alike. They spoke about the lives they had dreamed of while they’d only been dating, reminiscing and laughing at their shared memories.Speaking of uncertain dreams was a daily routine. A respite from their current reality, a chance to escape the hardships they were facing. It brought back memories of when they’d fallen in love with each other.

    Eden’s mother used to work for Elaine’s company, and that was how they had met. He’d fallen in love with the hardworking woman who had a smile that made life worth living. They’d started to see each other secretly, but her grandmother had found them out soon, and she had fired his mother, and everyone related to him, including Elaine.

   Perhaps, she thought it’d scare him off, but it didn’t. He had thought about it so many times, his decision to marry Elaine. There were times he’d nearly found himself loathing it, but he’d caution himself. It’d get better someday.

  But he was starting to get tired of hoping for what seemed like forever. Because it never did get better.

   With dusk came a new day, and new struggle and Elaine zipped about, preparing Eden for another interview. She’d woken up before the rest of the family to make him coffee, and he kissed her cheek for the thought and gesture. She couldn’t risk cooking again after last night’s issue, so coffee was the only other option.

   “You’ll do great today,” Elaine said, smiling.

   Eden smiled as well, even if he didn’t have the faith that she did. He’d once felt like he could do it, but the rejections didn’t stop coming and there was only so many heartbreaks he could take.

   He kissed her before slipping out the house. He felt like a failure. Hopeless and helpless. He didn’t have a single doubt that he was the reason Eleanor’s life had become so miserable. Had he stayed away from her like his mother instructed him to, none of these things would be happening to either of them. She would have gotten married to someone who was worth it, and not him, a nobody.

   He’d brought her down to this state, with nothing to call her own, all in the name of love.

   So many times, he had considered leaving, but he knew his wife. If he ever left her, she would never stop looking for him, and when she found him, she would give him a tight slap, forgive and bring him back home.

   He wished he could offer her more than his words of love and warm embrace. He had to get a job today. It was the least he could do.