Chapter 47

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Hayley was at Eisa's door the next morning.

"Wow, you came to Algiers," said the Original, rubbing her eyes as she moved aside to let Hayley in. The hybrid had brought Hope with her, and Eisa cast the little girl a sleepy smile before going to set out a playmat for her.

"I didn't really know where else to go," said Hayley, her cheeks turning red as she knelt down to help Hope set out her toys.

Eisa pulled over two chairs, then went to her kitchen. "Has she eaten yet?"

"Yeah, she had some fruit. Don't worry, I'm not hungry."

"Well, I am," said Eisa, grabbing herself a bowl of cereal before returning to sit with her. "What's wrong? You look troubled."

Hayley winced. "Maybe I shouldn't have come."

Eisa blinked. "Why not? What's happened?"

"It's Jack. I just... I shouldn't have come to complain about him when you've been so respectful of the fact I married him despite being involved with you."

Eisa pursed her lips. "Well, believe it or not, this isn't the first time I've given relationship advice to someone I fancy. Go on."

"Yesterday, I promised Jack I would be there all day to celebrate with him and Hope. He got a bit annoyed when I went to the Compound to ask if you guys needed help... I guess he thought I was looking for an excuse not to hang out with him. He told me that if I preferred to be with you guys, all I had to do was let him know, and he would respect that.

"I told him that wasn't true, and I explained the situation, and he just got annoyed. Wondering why I was so insistent on wanting to go help even when it was dangerous. He said I needed to value my life more because I have a daughter to worry about, I started to explain that I couldn't live with myself if those vampires had hurt you all, and I'd have to one day explain to Hope that I sat back and did nothing while it was happening just because it would have put me in danger, even if I would have been capable of stopping any harm from coming to you guys.

"From there, the argument just got worse. I lost my temper and said that he'd only just mentioned he wanted to spend Thanksgiving with me in the city that very morning, which was the only reason I made that promise, and then I said that just because he chose to ignore his family on Thanksgiving, didn't mean I would do the same. I realized how cruel that sounded and I tried to apologize, and then we were just hissing at each other about how we didn't communicate enough about whether we'd be celebrating in the Bayou with Hope or by ourselves, and just... he said I made it very clear that I didn't feel entirely comfortable spending Thanksgiving with him."

Hayley rubbed her forehead, looking down at Hope. "And then, he asked why I hadn't stayed at the Compound if I wanted to help so bad. I told him that you insisted I go home and be safe, and I listened. He said something like, 'if the woman you love, the one you always care to listen to, told you to stay put, why are you trying to eavesdrop on their conversations, looking for an excuse to leave?' Then I tried to tell him that I don't..." she swallowed hard. "I..."

"That you don't love me," said Eisa quietly. "Continue."

"No," said Hayley, shaking her head. "I told him that... I don't like to listen when someone I love tells me to leave them behind. And he just... he stopped, and he asked if I'm still in love with you, and I told him that he knew that when he married me, and he just kept asking how that's still possible, when he's heard me complain about how much you sleep around."

"Well, you can complain," said Eisa, trying to pretend she wasn't mildly offended. "But I will continue to sleep around until the coast is clear and until I'm in a stable relationship that requires the utmost loyalty. I'm proud of my body and I like to enjoy myself."

Hellfire | Hayley MarshallWhere stories live. Discover now