THE FEELING OF BETRAYAL

          Faith didn't say anything to Ethan after that morning, she went into her room and had a good cry. She didn't leave the room until the next day, she dressed up and left to meet Nora. She didn't know if Ethan was at home or not, she didn't check. It was after work, she had asked Nora not to tell Charlie about meeting her, she didn't know what to feel about Charlie until she was totally cleared about the whole thing. 

         "Hey, girl, how do you feel today?" Nora said cheerfully as she assumed the seat in front of Faith at their favourite bar. 

       Faith wore a dark shade and tied a scarf around her head and neck. Nora frowned. 

         "Who are you hiding from?" Nora asked again. 

        "Nora, I'm fine. I have been crying since yesterday, that's why I can't remove this shade my whole eyes are like puffy." 

        Nora was confused.  "You are still crying? Why? Because of that guy? I hope he rots in jail." 

         "In my mind, Noah doesn't exist anymore." 

         "So what's up?" 

         "I don't even know how to say this. I don't know why I have to be so unlucky," she said and took out the newspaper from her handbag and placed it in front of Nora. 

       Nora looked at the newspaper and looked up at Faith.  "What's this?" 

        "That's your fave, Ethan. He has been hiding who he really is." 

         "I'm sure he has a good reason for that," Nora said and turned the page of the newspaper. 

        "Good reason you say?" Faith shifted forward in her seat.  "Now, let me tell you the reason he did this. His company is at stake and can only be signed to him if he brings a woman and marries her, any woman. He came to LA to hunt for women! It would have been Charlotte but she died, and then he took the next available option, me. This guy is not even into women, he had been suspected to be gay and there is no smoke without fire. "

       "Was this why Noah was there? You can't be sure about these things. It's high time you stopped believing Noah." 

        "I told you, Noah is out of this picture. He confirmed it himself, I asked him about it." Faith sighed.  "I would have believed him if he said anything otherwise." 

       Nora kept looking at the newspaper in askance and muttered, "This is strange." 

        "You remember what you once told me?" 

Nora looked up at her. "About what?" 

       "About love and hatred?" Nora looked confused. "You said every open hatred is a hidden love." 

       "Oh, I said that. But what has it got to do with anything?" 

         "Charlie." 

         "What about him? What about Charlie?" 

        "They hate each other, Charlie and Ethan. There is every possibility that—shit! I can't even think of it," 

  Nora reached over and held her hand.  "Faith, I know how you feel about this, but I want to advise you not to let this make you do things irrationally. Take it easy and make sure before you dive into conclusion." 

         "I am taking it easy enough, I am. If this whole thing is true, I don't know how I would feel for the rest of my life." 

        "I'm sure everything will be alright." 

           Ethan downed the drink in his cup, poured another and downed it while Axel watched him silently. When he took the third glass to drink, Axel took it from him. 

        "What's up, man?" 

       "I am done for. My whole life is crumbling before me." 

        "What do you mean?" 

       Ethan rubbed his hand over his face and sighed in frustration.  "I don't even know where to begin, is it the company or everything else? Faith found out who I am." 

       "What? I thought you said you were going to tell her?" 

       "I planned to, I planned to tell her when I come back from San Francisco, but I came a bit earlier because she was harassed by the same ex-boyfriend who has refused to accept that she has moved on. I mean this guy pushed her away, he even broke up with her and she had to see him with another woman to realise it was the end of the road for them, yet he thinks he can still have his way back into her life!"

      "Calm down, what did he do this time?" 

       "The bastard has been collecting information about me. While I was away, he broke into my apartment and held her at gunpoint while spitting all the lies in his system." 

       "What?! This is serious. Did she believe him?" 

       "She was confused, he gave her all the pieces of evidence but she had to wait for me to come back. I just feel like ramming my hand into this guy's face." 

        "It's an obsession. I think he is obsessed with her." 

       "I don't get it. If he was why would he break up at first?" 

        "I think there is more to it. I know these kinds of people. They are always egocentric and feel they are too good for the other person because that person loves them so much, they behave however they want, knowing that they would be accepted whenever they come back. But once the person gets tired and moves on, they refuse to accept it and they still try to work their ways into the person's life and it's usually by coercion and by hurting people that are important to that person."

       Ethan stared at Axel for a while. "So, is this a kind of mental issue or what? I don't get it?"

       "It's a mental state. He can't accept the fact that she is loving someone else like that, he believes she should love only him. I think she adored him so much." 

       "She did," Ethan concurred and looked away from Axel. "She did. She sure adored him so much to be that shattered when he left her." He poured another drink and downed it.  "That woman has passed through a lot and for once in her life, she needs peace, lasting peace. Here I was thinking I could give her that peace she deserved." He clicked his tongue. 

         "I believe that whenever it gets tough like this, the end is near." Axel poured himself his first glass. 

     Ethan's phone began to ring. He fished it out of his pants pocket and looked at it, an unknown number flashed on the screen. He stood up and excused himself from there and went a few steps away. 

       "Hello. Yes, this is Ethan Floyd," he paused.  "What?" another pause.  "Okay, I will do that. We would get back to you. Thanks." He hung up and went back to his seat, Axel looked at him for an explanation. He just sat down and poured himself another drink. 

       Faith sipped her drink and dropped it on the table.  "I just feel like staying far away from him, like I need to clear my head because a lot of things are going through it right now." 

      Nora remained quiet, sipping her drink. Faith kept wondering why she had not reacted to this. To her, Nora was indifferent.

      "Charlie can't do that right? He had always adored my brother." She removed the shades, placed her hands on her eyes and rubbed them.  "Do you think he can do it?" 

       "I'm sure Charlie is not that kind of a person." 

       "Or should I confront him instead? You never can tell." 

        "Faith you have to stop working yourself up." 

        "Why are you not acting like the Nora I know? Why are you being so indifferent?" 

         "I'm not being indifferent, I am trying to be rational." 

         "Why are you trying to be rational? Because is Ethan? Is there something you too are not telling me?" 

       "Faith, this thing is complicated, one of us has to be rational about it so that we won't end up regretting our actions later."

         "Why do I feel...? If it was Noah, you would have rained fire and brimstone." 

          "Noah hurt you, baby girl and I can't watch him do it a second time." 

       Faith chuckled.  "You call me a baby girl like you are my mother." 

           "Faith, please, let's not fight about this, I understand how you feel right now, but calm down." 

          "Do you know who he was before I came here bringing these papers?" 

           "Why would you ask me that?" 

          "Well, because I have watched your reactions since I came here. You were not even surprised when I showed you this news and you have been finding excuses for him." Faith leaned closer and looked into Nora's eyes.   "So, tell me. Is there something I need to know? Is there something you are not telling me?" 

       Nora couldn't answer, she avoided Faith's gaze. Faith glared at her, expecting her to say something, but Nora kept mute. 

      Faith scoffed when she realised that Nora had known all along. She looked away from Nora. "I feel so betrayed, right now," she said slowly and placed her elbows on the table and held her face with both hands. The tears threatened to come. 

        "Faith it's not what you think." 

   Faith raised her head sharply and shot her a sharp look.  "What should I think then?! Nora, even you? How could you not say anything to me? Who's side are you on? You knew about him and Charlie, yet you cheered me on?!" 

        "I don't... If he had anythin g with Charlie, I don't know about it. The only thing I know was his background." 

       "Hell yes, you do." Faith shot up from her seat.