28

Before meeting with Flynn for the first time …

I want to thank each of you for reading, reviewing and making this story one of your favorites. I appreciate each and every single one of you.

This chapter is in Eric's POV. I hope that y'all enjoy it and please let me know what you think. I want you all to know that there are maybe twelve more chapters to go and that is it. And to the guest that has something negative to say about every chapter, thank you. You like the story don't you? You just don't want to admit it. I get it. It'll be our little secret. ;)

The story idea belongs to me but the main characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I want to thank her for letting me enjoy them.

Brianna: David Boals is hot! I've never heard of him but he's hot!

"Do you need a cab, Mr. Northman?" Claude asked Eric as he walked through the lobby. He couldn't help but think that Eric was doing the walk of shame at 4:15 in the morning; though he could tell that man has never been ashamed of anything that he's done in his life.

Or so he believed.

Sookie Stackhouse doesn't play, he thought as he nodded his head in approval. She'd made an excellent choice. The man was extremely handsome and he has money to boot. He was going to have to ask Sookie what her trick is to catching such a man. Hell, he wanted one too.

Eric pulled his keys from his pocket and waved them in the air. "No need," he called out.

Claude nodded and said, "Good enough."

As soon as Eric left Sookie's building, he pulled out his cell phone and called Niall. He answered on the first ring. "Eric," he said. "To what do I owe this pleasure at 4:15 in the morning? We are working early this morning, are we not?"

That was Niall's way of saying that he wasn't alone.

"Always," Eric started but Niall interrupted.

"Appius called again," Niall said. "Considering all that you've learned in these recent days, have you reconsidered McArthur's offer? He called again. He's anxious to get in on the game."

He most certainly had. "Do it," he ordered. He smiled at the image that played in his mind. "It'll be poetic justice."

"Done," Niall said. The smile in his voice came through loud and clear. "Now, please. Tell me the reason for your call, son."

"As I told you yesterday at the office, I was made aware that I have a daughter. And I'm happier than I've ever believed that I could be. I've also learned a few more things since last night," he said as he got into to his car. "I want you to file the paperwork. I want to go ahead with the rest of the plan. Sookie can do this. If her record is as good as it reads, we will fucking destroy them. Get the files ready. I need this done, Niall. I can't lose my family. Not again."

Niall gently removed his arm from underneath Einin's head as he got up from bed. He went into the other room as to not wake his lover from her sound sleep. "What do you mean? What have you learned?"

Anger rolled through him as he got into his car and sped away … anger at himself and at Freyda. Anger at himself for not fighting harder to get out of this life. Anger at his father for trying to destroy what little hope he had left. His father had to have played a larger role in keeping his child and Sookie away from him. He did more than whisper hateful words in Sookie's ear. He made her doubt his love for her.

He definitely played a role in keeping Sookie's whereabouts secret. If she was always with Pam, there was absolutely no reason why he couldn't have found her. He could've found her years ago.

He's always known that his father was a cruel man but never to this extent. Did they actually believe that by keeping his child secret that it would make him want to be with Freyda? Did she believe that? He never imagined that she would stoop to the level of trying to keep his daughter away from him. If she'd believed that holding onto the information to destroy Sookie's character was going to work, she was sorely mistaken.

"My lover was not trying to keep me away from our daughter. She did everything that she could do to make sure that I would get to know her. And she's told her all about me. It's not as it was made to seem. She has never betrayed me. Just as I knew she would never do. She has never stopped loving me, Niall. She has always been mine. I knew that I was right to never doubt her."

Niall agreed. "You do have a way of over-analyzing things when it comes to her but in this, I am glad that you remained true. As I've told you, it just takes time. Secrets never stay hidden."

"I appreciate you, Niall," Eric said as he sped down the streets of New York. His mind instantly went to Freyda and the contract. "They will do anything to keep me burdened with her. They've known about my daughter the entire time," Eric said. "I know that they had to have been behind this. They stopped all correspondence between us. What I need from you is to find out who took the letters that she'd mailed to me and who stopped the letters that I'd mailed to her. I also want you to get in contact with the private investigator that we'd hired when she'd first left Sweden. I want him in my office by Tuesday. He owes me an explanation and it had better be good."

Niall's smile deepened. "What do I do after I learn of this information?"

"What you have to do," Eric replied. "Send the Doctor to Sweden and allow him access to the computers in Freyda's offices. Also have him go through Victor's apartment as well as Freyda's. Since the apartments are in the name of E & E, I give him full access. Make sure that he has the keys. Tell him to take whatever information that's available. We need to get all that we can that's pertaining to what's going on. I want everything."

Niall enjoyed seeing Eric in this mode. He'd wanted Eric to do this years ago but he wouldn't do it. If not for his mother's name, Eric would have been with his family years ago.

"I will get on it as soon as this call is over. Now, tell me. Your daughter, is she everything that you imagined?" Niall asked softly.

"She was sleeping when I arrived. I haven't exactly met her yet but I could tell just by looking at her that she's amazing," Eric proclaimed. "I can't wait for you to meet her. She's wonderful and so smart. Her teachers want to move her up to the sixth grade. Isn't that great?" He didn't give Niall a chance to reply. "Oh! And she's so beautiful. She's the spitting image of her mother but Sookie believes that she looks exactly like me. She told her all about me, Niall. She knows that she's my daughter. I've never been in love like this."

"I'm happy for you," Niall said. He then cleared his throat. "I sent the paperwork to the hotel. Everything that you've requested is in there. Ironclad. You both need to sign it. After what's happened today, I'm sure that Freyda will sign it. She will have no choice. Once that is done, we can get the ball rolling to end it all."

"It will be done," Eric said. "I will be at your apartment in an hour. I need to shower. But listen," Eric stated. "We have to be careful with this. I don't want to give them anything to use against us ... not that there's anything that they can do. Do what you have to do but be careful with it. We can't let them know what we're planning."

"Done," Niall said. "And you will talk to her?"

"Yes."

With that the call was ended.

Seconds later, Eric was in front of the hotel that he was staying in. With his phone in his hand, he began making his next call.

"I was hoping that you would call," Freyda answered. "Do you want me to come to your suite?"

"Be there in five minutes," he growled.

As soon as he walked through the doors, the valet walked over to Eric and offered to take his car. "If you're in for the day Mr. Northman, I can take your car to the garage."

Shoving his phone into his pocket, Eric shook his head no. "I won't be long. Have the papers ready for me to check out when I return."

The valet noticed the look on Eric's face and scurried away as quickly as he could to relay the information to the woman at the front desk. Eric followed him. He waited his turn as the boy whispered in the girl's ear. Once the boy was done, Eric had his say. "You have a package for me," he said.

"Yes, Mr. Northman," the girl said.

She reached under the desk and grabbed the envelope that Niall had delivered earlier this evening. "Here it is, Mr. Northman. And the checkout papers will be ready once you return."

He nodded at the girl as he placed it under his arm.

The elevator ride was a long one. It was so long that Eric was angrier now than he was before he stepped on it. Everything that they'd done to try and destroy his love for Sookie replayed in his mind … she'd left him without as much as a goodbye. She wanted nothing more to do with him. She'd vanished off of the face of the earth. They tried to make him believe that she was over him. That she'd never written to or called him after her visit to Sweden. She didn't love him as much as he loves her. She didn't even tell him about her grandparents' deaths. He had to hear the news from Pam and her brother. And the worst betrayal of all is that they tried to make him believe that she'd hidden his child from him. She'd never intended to tell him about her.

If he was a different type of man, he would've believed it. He would have doubted his one true love. The only person that has ever loved him without expecting anything in return. The only woman to have ever loved him unconditionally. The only woman to ever truly want the best for him. It would have been easy for him to believe it after all that he's been through with the one woman that was supposed to love and protect him.

His mom was so desperate to pay debt that she'd signed her only child … her son over as payment of that debt. She then killed herself to get out of this life without so much as an explanation. She never told him why she'd promised his life to the Madden family. She was supposed to love him. That's what mother's do. They love their children.

He'd always believed that his mom loved him. She'd told him. She'd shown him. Why wouldn't he have believed it? And then she did it. She left him without a goodbye. She was just gone. He had no reason to believe that his mom wanted to take her life. He always thought that she was happy but he was wrong. Her happiness was nothing more than a façade. Just like the love that she was supposed to have for him.

He'd found the suicide letter in a box that his father had left out on his bed one afternoon. Eric had seen the box in his father's room a few times before but he always hid it when Eric would come into the room. But the day that he'd left it out, his last day of freedom in Sweden, that's when he'd learned everything.

She left him a note that read, 'Please, forgive me, Eric, for what I have done. I tried to stop it but I've failed you. I can't live with what I've done. I'm so sorry. I hope that one day you'll find it in your heart to forgive me.'

And just like that she was gone. She didn't say that she loved him before she decided to check out. She didn't say much of anything. She just left him … without a word … without a thought.

And that's what he believed Sookie had done to him so many years ago. He'd done everything in his power to find her and she wasn't there. Or so he'd been made to believe.

He squeezed his eyes closed as he thought of the look on Sookie's face when she said that she believed that he was over her. That was how his heart felt to hear her say those awful words. He's never been over her. She is everything to him and he'd almost lost her. If not for Niall, he would've lost her. But he'd get his revenge. He was going make all of them pay and they were going to pay dearly and with everything that they've ever loved.

When he stepped off of the elevator, he saw Freyda standing in the hall wearing a white negligee and holding a bottle of champagne in one hand and two long stemmed glasses in another. He looked at her and shook his head. "Fucking pathetic," he mumbled.

"Hi, sweetheart," she purred when he began walking in her direction. "You know that if you would just give me a key, we wouldn't have to go through this."

He walked past her as he went to his hotel room door. That was never going to happen. He reached past her and used his keycard to unlock the door. He opened it and held it open for Freyda. "After you," he said.

Her green eyes were sparkling with delight. She stepped into his suite and stood off to the side and stared up at him. "Which way to the bedroom?" She had been waited for him to invite her to his suite for so long. She was tired of having a celibate marriage. She wanted him to make love to her. She needed him to make love to her. She was in love with him and she just knew that he would one day fall in love with her. And from what she could tell, it had finally happened. She'd made him realize that she was and is the only person to have ever loved him.

"Not the bedroom. Have a seat in the living room," he said as he used his head to point her in the right direction. "We must talk first. Tonight, our lives change forever."

She knew it! It worked. He now belongs to her. "Whatever you want, my love," she said as she batted her eyes at him. "I'll be waiting."

He watched her as she sauntered off. Swaying seductively as she walked away. He went into his bedroom. He began to pack his clothes, shoes, and all of his toiletries. Sookie didn't know it but he was moving in with her and Flynn. He has his family and nothing was going to keep him away from them. If he had to, he'd get an apartment in their building. He meant it when he said that he was home. Wherever they were, is where he's going to be.

After he'd packed, he'd taken his bags and placed them by the door; the manila envelope in his hand.

"Eric," Freyda called out. "Where are you, sweetheart? I'm in here waiting for you."

"I'm right here," he said as he entered the living room.

She patted the seat next to her on the couch. "Come and sit with me."

Eric shook his head no. "I think that I'd better sit over here so that I don't get distracted," he said as he sat in the wingback chair across from her. He placed the envelope on the end table next to him. "I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off of you." He would have strangled the very life from her.

"Who says that you should?" she purred as she moved to get up. "We haven't made love since we got married. I want you, Eric. I don't know why you keep playing these games with me." She stood to her full height to walk to where he was.

The lift of Eric's hand stopped her. "Stay where you are. Like I said, we need to talk."

She didn't want to but did as he told her. "Okay," she said as she sat down. "What is it that we need to discuss?"

Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, Eric said, "I want to tell you how much I appreciate what you've done for me. If not for you, I would've never discovered that I have a daughter. I do believe that you were right. I think that I was being deceived and made a fool of by someone that claims to love me."

But not by Sookie, he thought.

Freyda smiled broadly. "I know how much family means to you and I hate that you were being betrayed by someone that claims to love you. And I know what your mom's suicide did to you. I hated seeing you go through such grief and there was no way that I was going to let someone else hurt you; especially not Sookie. You have been pining over her for many years and I feel that it's time that you stop. You needed to see that she's not the woman that you believed her to be. You didn't deserve that. You deserve so much better."

Eric looked at her through hooded eyes. "I'm glad that you believe that … that I deserve so much better."

"I do," she proclaimed. "With my entire heart, I believe that. You shouldn't be kept in the dark when it comes to your life and happiness. Secrets are harmful to any relationship. And it's more than obvious that your relationship with Sookie was fraught with secrets and lies. You'll never have to doubt me. I'll do anything for you. Whatever you want, I'll do it."

Eric stood up from his chair and walked to where Freyda was sitting. He stopped in front of her and stared down. With his finger, he traced along her jaw line. "You are always looking out for me, aren't you?"

"Yes," she whispered as she shifted in her seat. She closed her eyes as the feel of his fingers brought sheer ecstasy to her. "You haven't touched me in so long."

And after tonight, he never intended to again.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear and asked, "You've always put me and my feelings first, haven't you?"

"Oh, yes, baby," she answered as she looked up at him. The need for him rising in her more and more with each word that he'd spoken to her.

He then nuzzled her hair. "And you wouldn't keep anything from me, would you … because you love me?"

She rested her cheek against his and shook her head. "I would never keep anything from you because I love you," she moaned.

"And our marriage is sacred," he said. "It's bound by honesty and trust, right?"

"Yes," she whimpered as his lips brushed against her ear.

Eric then moved away from Freyda. Standing upright, he stared down at the woman and smiled. Not a welcoming smile or an easy smile; it was a deceitful smile. When she looked up at him, for the first time ever, she was afraid of him. She'd never seen a crueler look in his eyes … not when he looked at her.

"Freyda?" he said.

"Y-y-yes, Eric," she stammered.

"Tell me," he said. "How did you know that Sookie was keeping such a secret from me? How did you know that I have a daughter? I know that Sookie didn't tell you. You're not friends with her. My father couldn't have told you since he couldn't have known, right?"

She just stared at him.

"Victor didn't know," he said. "I'm almost sure that he didn't know. So what am I missing here? I don't understand how you knew and the lead players of the game knew nothing about her. I'm stumped." He sighed and suggested that she give him some type of clue. "Maybe you can help me out because I'm at a loss. How did you know?"

She squeezed her eyes closed and said, "I don't know what you mean. I'm sure that daddy and Appius knew nothing. They wouldn't have hidden something like that. I hired an investigator because I was looking out for you."

Stepping in closer to her, he growled, "Do not lie to me. I do not believe that bullshit story about an investigator that you had hired for one second. You are not that smart. You do not want to lie to me, Freyda. You know the rules. Honesty between us makes for a great alliance. Without trust, there is no alliance. You know this. You agreed to this. We must always tell each other the truth. How am I to fall in love with you when you do nothing but lie to me?" He then shook his head in disappointment. "I know that you want me to love you, do you not?"

Tears began to fall from the corners of her eyes. She wanted that more than anything else and he would've too if her dad had not made her deceive him. She didn't want to but she had no choice. She had to do what she had to do.

Months before meeting him, her dad made her stalk him, watch his every move. He made her study him. And she did it. She introduced herself to him as Anna. They met at a dinner party. Unlike the other women at the party, Anna didn't throw herself at him. She left and never spoke to him again … until two weeks later.

She ran into him at a luncheon. She asked him out instead of waiting for him to ask her. She had to. He never asked women out. They either asked him or they were escorts of the highest caliber. She gave him space instead of crowding him as the other women did. She paid for their dates and vacations. And she enjoyed being with him. She loved his company and his conversation. She'd even gotten him to make love to her while they were in Japan. And that's when everything changed.

When she and Eric returned from their vacation, her dad told her that the jig was up. It was time to let Eric know that he was being wooed by his soon to be wife. After months of playing him, her dad made her believe that there was no way that Eric couldn't be in love with her. She'd been the perfect woman. She'd given him his space. She'd given him a shoulder to cry on. She'd been his friend and his confidante. He was going to love her and he was going to always love her.

Her father was mistaken.

When that day came, her entire world shattered at her feet. It was the worst day of her life. He vowed that she would forever be his enemy. They would only be married in name alone. She is, was, and will always be nothing to him. She was nothing more than a job.

"I'm sorry Eric," she begged. "I had to. I didn't want to hurt you."

He said nothing to her. He has never treated her like a wife … or even a girlfriend for that matter. He has never so much as brushed against her … until tonight. And it was all because of Sookie.

She knew that she never should've said anything about the child but she was afraid that she was going to lose him to Sookie and she couldn't let that happen. She saw how her husband was watching Sookie as he walked her home the previous night. She could see that he still loves Sookie. He was always going to love Sookie. She could see that he'd never love her as he loves Sookie. He belongs to Sookie but she wants him. She loves him.

"Tell me!" he yelled in her face.

"Appius and daddy," she said as she looked at him.

A slow and steady smile appeared on his face. "How long have they known?"

"Please," she begged. "You're scaring me."

Eric stepped away from Freyda and stared down at her. "How long have they known?"

"Since her visit to Sweden," she told him.

"What?" he roared.

Freyda began to nod her head.

"Tell me everything that you know," he said as he scowled at her.

"Okay," she whispered. "Appius told me that she was pregnant. He told me the night before she'd left. He heard her on the phone with Pam. He said that she told Pam that she hadn't yet told you that she was pregnant because you were so busy. She told Pam that you'd promised her that you and she would talk after the dinner party but if you two didn't get to talk, she had a plan."

Anger rolled through him like thunder.

"Appius listened as she told Pam about the plans that she'd made for both of you. If the dinner party didn't work out, she was going to tell you that night in your bedroom. She'd planned a romantic setting and she was going to tell you then. She wasn't going to wait any longer. Appius called and told me and daddy what was going on."

"Then?" he said.

"Eric, please," she begged.

"Then!" he yelled.

She flinched again. "He got to her. He made her believe that you were tired of her. He said that he would do whatever he could to keep you away from her and he did. All of those meetings that you had with daddy, were all set up by him and Appius. By doing that, he made her believe that you didn't want her around. He made her believe that you were too busy to be bothered with her."

Freyda stared at the floor as she continued. "And it worked. She got to see you working and laughing with the investors. Appius and daddy had gone so far as to have people make her feel uncomfortable while she was there. They tried recruiting Stanley Davis and Russell Edgington but they would have no part of it. The women were willing to do it because she was seen as competition for your affections. She would hear them talking about how you'd been with them and the things that you'd done to them."

It was all a lie. He never touched another woman during his first two years there.

Eric stood tall and went back to that night. He noticed how Sookie would always move away from the other women when they come near her. He noticed that she seemed uneasy and nervous most of the night. He thought that it was because she was around a bunch of snobs. She kept asking him for some alone time because she needed to share something with him that was really important. They'd sneaked off once but not for long. Appius found them. He didn't realize it until now. He did everything in his power to keep them separated. He would bring investors over with whom Eric would have to suddenly meet. He would have some type of important documents that Eric needed to sign or read over. Appius' plan worked. She left without telling him. Because being face to face didn't work, she took another route. She wrote him letters. Sent him the pictures. Sent him the invitations and he'd gotten none of them.

"The letters," Eric said. "What happened to the letters, the invitations and the pictures?"

Freyda dropped her head in shame. All she's ever wanted is Eric. She didn't think that Eric needed to be a father. He's too young. He has his entire life ahead of him. What kind of bore was Sookie anyway? What made her think that Eric would want to come to a piano recital or a kindergarten graduation? If he wants to go to a Swedish festival, he could've done that in Sweden. He's a corporate giant. No. He's bigger than that. He's a fucking corporate god. He was not cut out to be a father … not yet. She was supposed to be the mother of his children not that fucking backwoods hick. Once again, Sookie was on the verge of ruining everything.

"Answer me!" Eric yelled.

"Let me explain," Freyda began as she looked up at him.

"No," he said. "What. Happened. To. The. Letters?"

"I shredded them," she whispered.

"What did you say?" he asked as he leaned his ear closer to her mouth.

"I shredded them," she said a little louder. "I shredded them all! The letters! The invitations! The cards! The pictures! I shredded everything!"

He stood up and just stared at his nemesis. He wanted to stifle the life out of her. He wanted to taste her fucking blood. He wanted her to suffer for making him suffer but he did none of that. He suddenly became calm.

"Freyda," he said. "Who else knows?"

"Just us … me, daddy, and Appius … and you," she said. "No one else knows."

Eric never took his eyes off of her.

"I never meant to hurt you," she whined as she kept her head down; tears falling onto her bare legs. "I just desired your love. I didn't mean to anger you. I swear, Eric, all I've ever wanted is you. When I first met you, I was enthralled by you. I wanted you and when you asked me out after that first date, I just knew that you wanted me too. You were so nice to me on that date. It was the best night of my life."

"It was my father's idea," he said. There was no emotion in his voice. "I never wanted to ask you out. You're not my type. He even had to give me the money to pay for the date. Well, that's not quite true," he said snidely. "He got the money from Victor. I wouldn't have wasted mine on you."

She clutched at her chest.

He smiled at her pain. "But you and your father thought that you had me fooled, didn't you? No matter what you'd done, I will never love you." He smiled evilly at her. "I deserve better. I have better."

She flinched at his harsh words. "But you made love to me."

"No," he said. "I fucked you."

"That's not true," she replied. "You made love to me. It was so beautiful. We were on holiday in Japan and the timing was perfect."

"I was there on business. You followed me there," he said. "I didn't invite you. It was not a vacation. It was not a love fest. It was not a good time. It was nothing."

"But you made love to me," she repeated.

He only scowled at the disgraceful and reprehensible creature that sat before him. "I fucked you because I was bored. I had nothing better to do. So I settled for what was there. As far as I'm concerned, you could've been anyone."

She screamed out at the brutality of his words. "No. You don't mean that."

The smile on his face widened. "Oh, but I do."

She wouldn't hear it. It was all lies. Everything that he was saying to her were all lies. She was going to ignore them because it wasn't real. It wasn't true. What they have is real. "Why haven't you touched me since we've married, Eric?" she asked. "I need you."

"I can't stand you, Freyda. You forced me into this. With the information that you'd given to me tonight, you could've stopped this travesty of a marriage but you wanted what you wanted. My feelings never mattered to you. My happiness has never mattered to you. I'm nothing to you."

She began to urgently shake her head. "You're everything to me. I love you. Please don't hate me, Eric. Don't be angry with me. I lied because I love you."

Cocking his head to the side, he said, "I'm not angry, Freyda."

She frowned and flinched at those words. She couldn't believe it. She thought that he'd want to kill her. When she looked up at him, she saw no anger on his face or in his eyes. His features had softened to her. She couldn't believe it. "You're not mad at me?" she asked.

Eric shook his head no. "And no one has to know what you've told me; as far as I'm concerned. Have you told Appius or Victor that I know?"

Freyda shook her head no. "I was going to tell daddy last night at dinner but I decided not to. He would've been upset with me for telling you. He wants the power that it gives him over you. He's already mad that I went to the office today. He knows that if you learn the truth, it's over."

Reaching over and placing his hand on hers, he said, "Tell no one that I know. I won't tell if you don't."

Her eyes enlarged. She couldn't believe her luck. He wasn't angry and he wasn't going to use it to get out of the marriage. He wanted to stay with her. He was falling in love with her. She threw her arms around his neck. "I promise. I won't say a word to anyone. I don't want it to be over. I want you. Thank you, sweetheart," she cried. "I will do anything for you. I won't tell anyone. I give you my word."

"Good," Eric said as he patted her gently on the back. "Stay here," he ordered.

He then took the envelope and a pen from the table. He stood over Freyda and smiled down at her. He opened the envelope and removed the documents from it and handed them to her along with the pen.

"Sign and date."

"What is this?" she asked as she took them.

"Your promise to keep quiet about what you've told me and to leave me alone," he said. "Now sign and date."

She began to shake her head no. "I'm not signing those. I'm not going to let you go to her. You're my husband."

"Sign and date," he growled.

"But daddy …"

"Fuck, Victor," he growled. "Sign and date the fucking papers and do it now or I swear to the gods, you will lose everything that has ever mattered to you."

Freyda knew that she was fucked. Her daddy warned her to not tell Eric about Sookie and Flynn. It would ruin everything. She's never listened to her father and this was one time that she'd wished she had. She was going to lose everything that matters to her.

She began to scribble her name on the dotted line as she cried.

"Speak of anything that we've discussed tonight and you will regret it," he warned her.

"Okay."

Eric then snatched the documents from her hand read over the signature. He then signed his name. "In all of the years that I've been with you, I've never been happier." He looked at her and gave her a deep bow. "Keep your credit cards and shop until you drop … and I mean literally."

Her face brightened. "Really? You don't hate me?"

He shook his head no. "Oh no. It's not that. I do hate you. It just pleases me that you've finally given me what I've wanted. By telling me about Sookie and my daughter, you've given me the incentive that I need to reclaim my life. If anything, I owe you and I'll pay you back in kind. I give you my word."

Freyda was ecstatic. She had just a little bit of hope left and she was going to use it to her advantage. "I'm wearing this negligee. I bought it just for you."

He smiled at her. "Sookie wore this cute pajama set with footies on them. They had Tweety Bird and Sylvester drawn on them. They were absolutely adorable … and quite sexy. Her hair was pulled back in this ponytail. Her skin is so soft; just as soft as her lips." He closed his eyes and said, "She tastes like heaven to me."

She ignored him. "I can take it off for you."

He snorted as he opened his eyes and glared at her. "I'm sorry but I am not interested. I have to go. I'm going to the grocery store so that I can cook my two most favorite people in the world breakfast this morning. Sookie and Flynn have never had my Eggs Benedict. They are going to love it." He began walking away as he said, "I saw a Farm Fresh a few miles down the road. I'd bet $500 to a donut that they'll have all of the ingredients. I wanted to go to the Gourmet Market but it's too early." He looked at his watch and nodded. "Yeah, it's too early. They don't open until 8:00 and Flynn might be up at 8:00. On second thought," he said. "Maybe I will go to the Gourmet Market. The ingredients are much fresher. The fresher the better. What do you think?"

Freyda ran down the long hallway to Eric. She grabbed him by his arm and asked, "What? What do you mean? You said that …"

"I am going to make Eggs Benedict for them," he said.

Freyda shook her head no. "Not that," she said. "You didn't say that you were going to be with them. You said that …"

"I said what, Freyda?" he asked. "What did I tell you?"

"Not to tell," she said. "And that you're not mad."

"And I trust you not to tell and I'm not mad at you anymore," he said. He looked down at her and smiled. "But it's not going to matter much anyway. You've already signed on the dotted line, my dear. Regardless, I'm holding you to your word." He continued to walk away.

That's when Freyda noticed his suitcases and garment bags. "Why are you packed? Where are you going?"

He picked up his belongings and answered, "To my lover and my daughter. That's my family. That's where I belong. I don't belong here … with you. You're not my family. You're not my lover."

"But, Eric. I'm your wife," she began.

He interrupted her. "You were, Freyda." He waved the paper in front of her face. "You were."

"No!" she yelled. "No! You can't do that to me. I didn't read it! I didn't realize what I was signing! Don't do this to me, Eric! Please. You can't do this to me."

Eric put the signed documents in the envelope and sealed it.

Now," he said. "You be a good little wife and get back to your suite. And don't forget that you promised not to tell." He waved the documents at her once again. "I have to get to the grocery store and to my family."

"You can't do this to me!" Freyda exclaimed.

"Oh, but I can," Eric said as he moved in closer to her; no longer feigning interest in her. "Do you realize what I can do to you and your family? I can fucking destroy you and everything that you love. Is that what you want? If so, just say the word. Say the word and I will delightedly give you what you want. Your father. Your mother. Your money and your name. I can take it all away. And you will be left with nothing."

Freyda slowly began to shake her head no. "Please," she begged. "Don't do this to me. Just give me another chance to prove that I can be a good wife to you."

"It's too late for that. No amount of begging is going to make me forgive you," he said. When he pulled the door open, Eric said, "I have some other papers for you sign tomorrow evening. I'll have them delivered here to you. When I need you, I'll call you but until then, stay out of my way."

"But I love you," she said.

He looked at her and laughed as he closed the door behind him.

He was finally going home.