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When A Heart Breaks

Chapter 4

"Why did we have to leave so quickly? Did something happen between you and Michael since you barely said goodbye to him?" Rachel questioned from Eric who was driving the couple's black SUV. He had been rather quiet this morning; not his usually sunny self, but Rachel attributed that to the discovery that his first wife was alive after grieving for her for a long time.

"I just thought that you would like to go home before Sydney came back plus Michael and I had a heated conversation that I didn't want to continue. I think I need a break from Michael, he thinks he can just freely meddle in my life because I've known him since college." Eric said grumpily and directed his gaze back to the road.

"You and Michael never fight. What were you fighting about? Me?" Rachel asked concerned. Eric almost always took Michael's advise on any given topic expect those about Rachel. Michael had been against the two marrying after only being engaged for a handful of months and that was the only time she ever remembered seeing the two fighting.

"It was about work, no big deal. I need time to cool off before I'll talk to him. You don't need to worry about this. Worrying is not good for the baby or you," Eric said giving her a reassuring smile that didn't fully reach his eyes.

Rachel didn't believe the work excuse, but decided to drop it. He obviously didn't want to talk about it and she wasn't going to push it. After a five minute silent drive, they had reached the Malibu house they had bought a year ago.

"So what are we going to be doing today since you don't have work? Maybe a picnic at the beach?" Rachel inquired hopefully when Eric had opened the front door and made his way to the bedroom. She followed him and wished he didn't have to run off to anywhere. They could use some quality alone time after the Nadia bomb; she wanted to make sure he was committed to her and the baby. His promise last night had been a great start, but now actions were needed.

"I'm heading to the shower and then I'll go to see how Nadia's doing today. I won't be long thought, we can have the picnic after I get home. Is that okay, sweetie?" Eric said and started taking his clothes to go take a shower.

"Why are you going to see her? Didn't you see her yesterday? Is it absolutely necessary to see her now when we could spend time together?" Rachel asked not so happily. She was okay with Nadia being alive, but not if her needs would come first from now on.

"I just wanna make sure she's okay with everything. She's probably confused and feels out of place, so she needs a lot of support. I'm not going to stay long, maybe an hour or two. After that I'll pick up some take-out for the picnic and we can watch the sunset and relax without interruption." Eric said heading to the bathroom and entered the shower before she could object.

There was no way Rachel was letting him go alone to see a woman he had loved for a long time. She was going with him and that was a fact. After she had made up her mind, she quickly changed clothes and brushed her hair to make herself look as good as she could. Nadia or no Nadia, Eric was her husband and the father of her son and she had a right to go with him.

--

Sydney was tired, she had not slept more than an hour last night. She wanted to take a hot shower, play with her daughter and have a nap before heading back to be with her sister. Irina had taken her place at Nadia's bedside, so she never had to be alone.

As she entered the home she shared with her husband of two years, she was greeted with the cutest sight imaginable. Michael was cuddling their infant daughter and singing her a lullaby. He wasn't that much of a singer, but Sydney didn't want to interrupt and just stood near the door watching the scene unfolding. It was almost too cute for words.

Michael noticed his wife standing there and put a finger to his lips to stop her from speaking. Isabelle had finally fallen asleep after a long struggle and he had been forced to sing every children's song that he remember to get her to doze off. Now actually one had stuck in his head and he knew that most likely for the next couple of days he would be humming 'Five Green Speckled Frogs'.

Sydney walked next to Michael and softly kissed her daughter's brown fuzzy hair. He carefully shifted the child to its mother and watched as Sydney rocked the infant for a while before settling Isabelle to her crib.

"Are Eric and Rachel still here? I didn't see their car when the cab dropped me off." Sydney asked when she was satisfied that Isabelle was indeed sleeping peacefully in her crib.

"No they left a little while ago. Eric and I had words, so he's not really talking to me right now. So, how's Nadia doing?" Michael asked with a sigh, trying to shift the conversation to something other than his argument with Eric.

"She is as good as you can be after everything she's been through. Why is Eric not talking to you? Did something happen when I was with Nadia?" Sydney asked concerned.

"I gave some advice to him that he didn't like. I was trying to make him see the big picture, but Eric didn't want to hear it." Michael responded and flopped down on the couch to watch an ice hockey gave he had taped the previous day. It was a clever way to not have to answer to any more of Sydney's questions.

--

Eric had been standing in the shower for the last 20 minutes, hoping for the warm water to bring some sort of clarity to him in this situation. So far it had only slightly made his skin resemble a prune and he wasn't any closer to fully knowing how to handle everything. He gave up and turned the water off.

As he entered the light blue bedroom he shared with his second wife, he was met by Rachel fully dressed in a pink, form fitting knee-length dress that showed off her growing baby bump. She had pulled her hair in a braid and was wearing the diamond earrings and necklace he had given her when they had found out that she was pregnant. She looked ready to go somewhere.

"Sweetie, you look eatable. Too bad I have to run off," Eric said walking to her and slightly kissing her on the lips.

"I'm coming with you to see Nadia. Don't even try to change my mind," Rachel said stubbornly after responding to his kiss. She had made up her mind and her coming was not negotiable.

"I don't think it's such a good idea. It would be awkward for everyone. But since you look ready to go, I'll take you out for lunch and after I've brought you home I'll go see Nadia." Eric tried hoping to persuade Rachel to not come with him.

"I refuse to stand in the corner in shame like I would have done anything wrong by falling in love with you. I'm not going to apologise for being apart of your life. The sooner she sees that you are happy with me, we can continue our life together with our son. That is what you want, isn't it?" Rachel said with conviction. She knew she had won this round, Eric's resistance was crumpling bit by bit.

"Of course I want it. Fine, we can go together but please don't do anything to upset Nadia; she is not exactly in a very good state of mind right now. I need you to remember that I love you and you don't need to prove anything to Nadia," Eric relented and went to his closet to put some clean clothes on.

"I won't, I promise. I washed and ironed that blue shirt you like yesterday. It's in the hanger on the left," Rachel said and added in her mind that she didn't need to say anything to her husband's ex, she would let her baby bump do all the talking. That's why she had chosen this particular pink dress, it didn't subtly hint pregnancy, it practically screamed it.

"What would I do without you? I are a treasure, you know that?" Eric said with a wink in Rachel's direction.

--

Irina and Nadia had had a wonderful morning together and they had bonded by talking about anything and everything under the sun. Topics had included Irina's wish to persuade Jack into agreeing to renew their wedding vows. Jack so far hadn't been too keen on the idea and was acting like a typical man in the situation by noting that it wasn't something that they really needed to do as they were already married. He had missed Irina's point completely, but she was sure that sooner or later he would come around.

Nadia hadn't minded her mother's talk about her and Jack's marriage, she wanted Irina to be happy and obviously Sydney's father made her very happy, so Nadia was glad for her. She also wondered would she and Eric ever be able to renew their wedding vows.

Their mother-daughter moment was interrupted by a knock on the door and Jack entered the room with Eric and a woman Nadia identified as Rachel. She was clinging onto her husband's arm with her left hand and the other hand was resting on her rounded stomach. Nadia admitted to herself that the other woman was very pretty but not the type she had thought Eric was attracted to. Rachel was nothing like her, she looked like one of those typical California girls with blonde hair, blue eyes and long legs. She might have been nice according to Sydney, but Nadia didn't like her. It was nothing personal, but it was too hard for her to like a woman who had replaced her in Eric's life. Let alone carrying his baby and coming to show off her baby bump and her wedding ring by not so subtly flashing it.

Rachel appraised Nadia carefully. She had known what his first wife had looked like from all those pictures he still kept around, but she hadn't expected her to be this beautiful without trying. Rachel hadn't missed the open hostility in which Nadia was eyeing her and ignored it, instead choosing to smile sweetly and take a stronger clasp of Eric's hand. Rachel had made up her mind yesterday about not liking the other woman and now that feeling just increased because of the way Nadia was looking at Eric while she was in the room. If that woman thought she was going to disappear from Eric's life and let her continue their marriage, she was in for the surprise of her life. Nadia might have been his first wife, but she had something that the other woman would never have, his child.

To be continued…

Next Chapter: emotions will run high and Eric will be between a rock and a hard place (Rachel & Nadia)