Euphoria

Chapter Eighteen: The Devil's Game

Chase couldn't take being in the back of his mind, trapped in darkness with old memories he'd see occasionally drift by. Truthfully, they were the only comfort he had. Until one memory, in particular, appeared to him, one he desperately wanted to forget.

Marvin hauled the last box of memories into his apartment, setting it down by all the other ones and letting out a relieved sigh, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Please tell me that's the last one."

"That's the last one." Chase said, walking in from behind his brother, his eyes red and puffy from crying on the drive over. "I'm sorry to intrude like this. You're the only one who would answer their phone..."

"Oh, gee. I wasn't your first choice?" He wanted to lighten the mood, but it seemed to make the miserable man even more distressed, an uncomfortable silence settling over the two before he spoke again. "I'm sorry, man. It was meant to be a joke. You've really done it this time, huh? What even happened--"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, that's alright. You know I've got your back. And you've got mine, right?"

Chase stared at his brother for a long moment, lost in his labyrinth of a mind. Was he capable of having someone else's back? His wife made him seem like a failure through backhanded compliments and 'lighthearted' banter she'd have with him sometimes. He didn't even know if she knew how that made him feel.

A man was supposed to be strong and able to take all the punches. What would she say if she knew she'd married a coward? She probably already knew.

"Dude?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah. Thank you."

"I'm sorry to bring this up, but... Before you left the house, Stacy wanted me to remind you of the court date--"

"C-Court date?" Chase froze, his jaw clenched. Had she mentioned something about a court date to him before? Was that just another mistake he'd made? Maybe he didn't hear her, or perhaps he did, and he just couldn't remember. "I... Yeah, I remember. Do you have Stacy's number?"

"I'm sure you could tell her you got the message yourself--"

"No. I don't want to talk to her..." He rubbed the back of his neck, writing down her number on a slip of paper before handing it to him. "Here. You talk to her. Please. And if she says anything else... Don't believe a word of it, okay?"

"Okay..." Marvin nodded, staring down at the number before placing it into his pocket, desperate to change the subject. "Your room is down the hall—the second door on the right. The bathroom would be on the left if you wanted to... Clean up."

"Thanks, bro. I appreciate it." Chase turned away from him and made his way to the bathroom, fresh tears already building up and making his eyes burn. He opened the bathroom door, shutting it behind him as he entered now staring at himself in the mirror.

All he could see was the moment she told him to pack up and leave. The moment he realized his wife's sister was the devil. The moment she won. He couldn't get her obnoxious laugh out of his head, and the anger that built up was nearly too much. Chase swung his fist at the mirror, breaking it into multiple pieces.

He couldn't look at himself anymore, cradling his hand to his chest and releasing a shaky breath. "Fucking hell..."

"Chase?! Are you okay? What happened? I heard a noise..." Marvin knocked on the door; his ear pressed to the wood.

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

"Okay... Just let me know if you need anything, man."

"Will do."

Chase kept quiet until he heard the footsteps leading away from the bathroom. He leaned against the wall; more hot tears clouding his vision. If he only knew how to fix everything, but he knew that wasn't possible now. The decisions had already been made. She didn't want him anymore.

That wasn't the only reason he was upset. Would he even be able to see his kids? He knew Stacy could afford a fancy lawyer, but him? There was no way.

Chase walked out of the bathroom after making sure there was no evidence of his crying, forcing his injured hand deep into his pockets despite the throbbing pain, just in time to see his brother putting in the code for the safe he had in the living room. 6-5-7-3-9-1.

As soon as Marvin shut the safe door, Chase had already looked away, pretending to be preoccupied with something else.

"Hey! Finally, out of the bathroom?"

"Yeah."

"Is everything Okay?"

Was everything okay? What exactly was he thinking of doing? Something was wrong. Everything inside of him screamed. "Yeah, everything is fine."

"Okay... I'm going to bed. Get some sleep tonight. If not for your sake, for mine." Marvin left the room after giving his brother a sweet smile, disappearing into his own, the door closing with a soft click.

"Sure..."

-

The time was now 1:24 in the morning, and Chase hadn't slept a wink. He saw how much Marvin had in that safe. At least two thousand dollars in Benjamins. If he took that money down to the casino... He could win big and have enough cash to buy a lawyer.

Chase tried to shake the thoughts away, but it was like they were cemented inside of him, his eyes glued onto the safe. If he made enough money, he could pay Marvin back with what he'd earn. After all, he wasn't too bad at gambling. It would be an easy score.

And afterward, he could buy himself a celebratory drink. Or two. Maybe three. Hell, he could buy the entire bar if he wanted to.

Chase stood up from the couch, turning on the lamp light and slowly putting in the code, his anxiety flaring when it accepted the numbers. He opened the door, eyeing the small stacks of green. No turning back now.

He would win this.

For himself.

For Marvin.

For his kids.