Any Other Name

Chapter 11

Marshall got home late like he said he would, his hair mussed and tie done as if it were a shoelace. His hands shook from the alcohol he had sipped on his way home and his breath smelled of liquor he had had in the office.

He called for Eliza despite how late it was and slammed the door behind him when he was forced to wait.

She appeared at the end of the entry way with River at her heels, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hand. "Marshall," she said and yawned. "What's going on?"

"Where's my dinner?"

"In the fridge."

"Why isn't it warm? Why were you sleeping?"

"Honey, it's one." She stepped from the carpeted area to the tile of the entryway on her bare feet. "Are you okay? Are you working too hard?" Once she got close enough to him to put the back of her hand on his cheek she finally smelled the alcohol. "Are you drunk?"

He smacked her hand away and pushed her back. "It doesn't matter what time it is, I want my dinner warm when I get home!"

"Okay," she said meekly. She cupped her elbows with her hands and turned away.

"Now where are you going?" He stomped forward and grabbed her shoulder. He pushed her up against the wall and put his face so close to hers that had she breathed their noses would have touched. "Why are you so fucking fidgety?"

Her voice came out high and airy. "I was going to the kitchen—"

"I bet you waste my money," he huffed. "I bet that slop in the kitchen was premade. Do you even know how to cook?"

Eliza frowned. "Let me get you some water."

"I don't want water." He was spitting in her face, jerking her. "I want the goddamn truth. Did you really think you could keep this from me?"

"Hun, what are you—"

"I know you're cheating on me, Elly. I know about the man at the park."

River paced back and forth behind them, finally barking. She recognized the word and recognized his tone.

"You use my dog against me? I got her for you, Elly. I got her so you could go out more and you betray me by cheating on me?"

Eliza felt like she was the size of a child again, backed into a corner by her own thoughtless actions. She knew Marshall would be upset if he saw her with Tesey and she went ahead and talked with him anyway. She knew Marshall would find out, he always did. She should have known.

"You're crying? God!" He put his full weight on her shoulders and her shaky knees buckled underneath her. "He doesn't want you, Elly! He wants sex from you, how many times do I have to tell you? When they want to be friends, they're asking you to be their whore."

She looked up at him, scared to even blink. The cold of the tile was seeping up through her clothes and her palms.

"What's his name? Who is it you're cheating on me with?"

"I'm not—"

"Theseus Summers." He rolled his eyes and took a step back. "You're trying to leave me for a guy with a name like Theseus Summers."

It took a moment for the name to click—Tesey. "Marshall, I'm not—"

"You're not what?" He bent down low, about a foot away from her. "You're not cheating on me with the dogwalker that doesn't even walk our dog? You're not trying to cheat on me? You're not a whore? You're not a worthless, soul-sucking succubus feasting on my hard work? What are you not, Elly?"