Heartbreak Warfare :: Chapter Twenty Four
"You can say it," Bo rolled his eyes.
"What's that?" Marlena asked.
"I told you so." Bo sighed. He looked around the cell. He was still uncomfortable, but Marlena was now stuck in it with him. It made him feel less alone.
"I'm not going to say that." Marlena shook her head in refusal, "What I'm going to say is that we clearly need to work on your anger management."
"That's an understatement." Bo chuckled. It wasn't funny. His inability to manage his anger had landed him in a jail cell. Despite the non humor, he chuckled at the irony of it all.
"Bo. Be serious." Marlena chided, "I'm concerned."
"Well, join the club." Bo retaliated with sarcasm, "You and the rest of Salem."
"You want to tell me why you're so defensive today?" Marlena asked, not missing a beat of his sarcasm.
"I want to go home." Bo sighed, "There was a reason I was hiding out there."
"I thought you were doing quite well with socialization…" Marlena praised, "Until you saw Aiden Jennings. Why?"
"I don't want to talk about him," Bo protested, "I already had to talk about him. To the cops. To Hope. I'm done."
"He is the reason you're in here isn't he?" Marlena insisted, "What did you say to Hope?"
"To me he represents everything that went wrong. Everything is his fault." Bo shrugged.
"But you know that isn't true." Marlena replied.
"I guess." Bo acknowledged.
"You guess?"
"I KNOW." Bo corrected.
"Did you attack him because you saw him with Hope or because you saw him. Would you have attacked him if you just saw him strolling down the street on his own?"
Bo thought about it. He really wasn't sure how to answer that question. He was sure that justified or not, he hated the guy.
"You told me you forgave Hope." Marlena spoke softly, ignoring his silence.
"I did." Bo was quick to answer, "I do."
"Hope tells me there is more to it than that." Marlena responded with sympathy, "I think you've forgiven her for being with another man in your absence, but you haven't forgiven her for not searching for you sooner."
Bo swallowed the hard lump in his throat. He didn't want to listen to this. He couldn't be angry with Hope. He needed Hope.
"You're hurt. You're angry. You're disappointed." Marlena offered, "You and Hope have always been a team. Partners. You both have always known when the other is in trouble. She didn't come through this time. It hurt you."
"Stop." Bo stood. He couldn't take it. Marlena's words felt like razor blades on his fluttering heart.
"Bo," Marlena began.
"I said stop." Bo begged, "Please."
"If you don't encounter and let yourself feel these feelings, the two of you can never move on."
Bo quietly chewed on his lip for a moment before he spoke, "I love her. All I wanted was to come home to her."
"I know." Marlena nodded, "You're torn between your love for her and the fear that you're going to lose her."
"I can't lose her." Bo whispered.
"Which is why you need to tell her how you feel. All of it. Be open with her. I do believe that she will help you heal, but you need to utilize her differently than you are. Your marriage has never been all about sex, and it can't be that way now. Talk to her. You won't lose her."
Bo sighed. He knew Marlena was right. He had always treated Hope like a partner. Right now he was treating her like a crutch. He looked around the cell he was still sitting in. He had a bigger problem on his hands, and the sooner he got out, the better.