Erica
Sunlight seeped through the window and drove me away from sleep. I groaned sleepily as if that would hide the sun. Something was pressing against my stomach and that was making me uncomfortable. I reached my hand towards it and found a body tightly wrapped around me. I blinked several times to clear my vision and found that Ethan's hand was circled around me and I was in his bed. The events of the previous night flew in my mind. Damn it! I had fallen asleep here!
I slowly tore his hand away from me. Ethan made faces in his sleeping state but not once he opened his eyes. Once I was successful in getting out of the bed I grabbed my keys and silently sneaked out of the room.
Ethan
I heard the shutting of the door and that broke me from my sleep. I opened my eyes and tried to sit but I felt as if someone was hammering my head from all sides. I rubbed my head and found that I was still in my work clothes. I slowly remembered the previous night. I was at the bar and I got too much to drink and then.... Then... Oh no, oh no, oh no... Sh*t! Sh*t! I did not just do that. I called Erica and she brought me here. After that I faintly remembered that I was drunkenly kissing her. I was such a fool for doing that. It wasn't like she wasn't already angry with me. She must be hating me for that now. What I did was absolutely wrong although I wanted to do nothing more than do it again and again.
I remembered that I was pouring my heart out to her. I hoped that I didn't say anything hurtful to her but somehow knew that the mistake was already done. I still couldn't believe that Erica had found someone else. She was talking so fondly about him.
My thoughts were disturbed due to my phone ringing on the nightstand. I checked to see that it was from Christine. I was so badly tempted to reject the call but did against.
"Hello baby." She practically screamed through the phone. My head was already hurting so bad and here she was sparing no chance to annoy me.
"Why did you call Christine? If this is one of your annoying shopping things that you want me to go with then you already know the answer." I didn't care if I was sounding rude. From the past few days Christine had been bugging me to go out with her. Of course I had declined. But she never gave up asking me.
"Ethan, I called to inform you that we are having a lunch at that new French restaurant." She said sounding excited.
"I don't remember asking you on a date. Listen Christine, we are not those usual couples that are infatuated with each other so don't expect too much from me. I am doing all this just for the sake of my Dad. I don't want to upset him and just because of that don't keep pushing me for anything. I am not a f*cking toy." I snapped. This whole situation was so frustrating. I was so helpless. I hated to be like this.
"I know that, okay? You don't have to remind me that always, okay? I wouldn't call you unless it was something important. I have something important to tell you." I reluctantly agreed and hung up. Getting up from the bed I got ready to meet her since it was already time for lunch.
An hour and a half later I was already at the restaurant waiting for Christine. She was late and I absolutely hated it. Not that I was desperate to see her but because she seemed genuine when she told me that she had something to say. I hoped it better be worth my efforts.
"Hi baby." Christine came and bend to my level where I was sitting and pressed a peck on my lips. I didn't like it but I resisted the urge to wipe my mouth.
"What did you have to say?" I asked getting straight to the point. She took a seat opposite me and took her own time. I was getting irritated by this behavior of hers. But I waited, waited for her to speak.
"You know Ethan, I know you since we were kids. I have always loved you." I looked away from her. I didn't want to hear her story. She continued, "You never noticed me. For you, I was just a friend or maybe not even that. Dad had always said to me that one day you would realize my feelings and then we could be together, happily married." She took a pause gazing in the distance. I didn't understand where she was going with this.
"When I learnt that you and.... her. I mean look, I know she was a part of your past and whatever you two had has ended. She was totally wrong for you. We are so compatible for each other, but Erica, she is just so wrong. She has always caused trouble to everyone. You know, when we found out that Dad had another family, we were broken. Erica's mother died leaving behind a four year old. Since then me and Caleb always had to share whatever time we used to get from our Dad with her. Dad was always so caring towards her, he loved her more than us, his true family. Since then we had learnt to accept that but when I knew about her and you having an affair I was devastated. I could go to Dad and tell him to talk to your parents so that we could get married as soon as possible without any trouble, but I didn't do that. I wanted to earn your love. But I guess Erica was always used to asking Dad for benefits, and she did just that. She told Dad about all your past relationship with her and she also said that I took you away from her. Whereas in reality it was the other way. She was the unwanted one between us. But look now we are together and she is not between us." Christine finished.
I was at a loss of words. Because I couldn't believe that Christine would point out things like this. It didn't matter whether Erica told her Dad or not. If she told him then sure she would be right. Erica had every right to be angry and to hate me. But what Christine was saying was completely different from what was reality.
"You agree with me right?" She asked when I didn't continue. I pondered for a moment thinking of right words to say to her.
"You know what Christine, no matter how much you feed me things about Erica, I will always believe her over you. I am not saying this because I had a relationship with her, no. I am saying this because I know her. She would never try to be the third person, at least not willingly. What happened in the past was not her mistake, I told you that earlier. You just hate her for having a same parent and that is why you try and degrade her at every opportunity possible.
I don't care if I am being rude to you. But I need to get this thing very clear with you. I am doing all this for my Dad. I am suffering from this because of you. So don't make things difficult for me, because I don't know for how long I will be able to endure this. Do you think that you telling me about Erica will help your case? Let me get this fact straight that its not Erica who is the third one here, its you. I respect your feelings but you should know that I don't feel the same way towards you, and I am not saying this just because I was with her at that time but because I simply don't.
I am not going to apologize for not loving you because I can't help whom I fell in love with. However I am certainly going to apologize for being the one for telling you this and for waking out on you." I finished without pausing for breath and stood up from the chair causing a scrapping sound in the restaurant.
Without sparing a glance at Christine I walked out of the restaurant. I didn't look at her because my motive to tell her whatever I spoke was not to insult her or make her feel embarrassed but to make her realize how much she was wrong about Erica. To some it would be an great issue because I was defending my past lover against my fiance..... If you could call us that. I didn't care if I was siding her because at that moment I wasn't defending Erica, I was defending the truth. Christine needed to realize that whatever she doing was so wrong.
But the most ironic part was I was doing all this even after realizing it. I knew I was hurting her and still doing this. I wasn't doing all this for my Dad's company, no. Far from it. I was doing it for my Dad. I couldn't let him down against his own words given to uncle Richard. I didn't want to disappoint him.
"I can't believe that out of all the women in the world you chose to fall in love with that girl. Do you even know who she is? Ethan, she is the result of Richard's infedelity. If it weren't for Caroline he would be stable in his family life. That b*tch caused nothing but trouble to him. I tried to convince him so many times to leave her but he was also like you, a fool in love. And look now what is the result, that daughter of his.. I don't even know whether she is really Richard's daughter. God knows the origin of that bastard child.."
"Enough, dad!" My voice roared in the living room of my parents house. I was furious with the words he used to describe my Erica.
"Don't forget that its my girlfriend you are taking about. I won't hear a single word against her." I said firmly.
".....and I'm your father. You are arguing with me, only for that girl? That's not the son I raised. Ethan, you have to do as I say or else you leave me with no option but to take you out of my company." He said calmly sitting on the couch.
"I don't give a f*ck about your company Dad. You can have all of it. I have my own business, which I have earned successfully with my own hardwork. I can manage my life without your help." I said proudly. My years of hardwork was finally coming to use now.
"Don't be a fool son. Did you forget that your business is majorly invested by my shareholders? Without my support you cannot survive. I'll make sure you don't." I couldn't believe that my own Dad would say that to me.
"I can't believe you would threaten me like that Dad. I am your son, how could you do this to me?" I said feeling completely lost.
"I am just trying to help you to be on the right path. I only want what's best for you. You may not like it but it is for your own good. I am doing what a father should do, protecting my child. Even if that child maybe a grown up adult now. I must say that I am very much disappointed in you, and by your lack of indecisiveness. As a successful entrepreneur you should be able to take the right decisions every time. I won't be there forever to correct your mistakes." He said dismissing. I stood rooted to my place unable to form words. This was too much for me to handle. The mere thought of me and Erica no longer being together was heartbreaking enough for me to even consider it.
Knowing that there was no way Dad would listen to me, I walked out of my parents home. There was no point in staying there anymore, Mom would be probably be sad that I left and Ella would frown too but I could handle them. They knew me well and would definitely understand my situation.
It wasn't long ago but maybe my decision to do the right thing was made just then. I wasn't going to cause anymore trouble to Dad. He wouldn't understand and I didn't want to disappoint him further. It didn't matter that everyday I would regret not having Erica in my life, because I was the one to leave her and I deserve it for every trouble I caused to her. And I was suffering, I now realized how she must have felt when she came to know about Christine. I wanted to be the one to make her happy but I had failed miserablely and now someone else had gotten that opportunity.
But there was one good thing, that she seemed happy with him and for me that was enough. I was going to set her free to find her own happiness, even if I could no longer be able to see her beautiful face anymore.
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