Shades of Violet

A door creaked open slowly. A sliver of light from the hallway peeked into the otherwise dark room, while the jingle jangle of keys can be heard as they are pulled free from the lock. A flood of light filled the room as the door opened wider, before the silhouette of a man with grocery bags in his hands walked through and shut it behind him with a kick. Footsteps echoed through the darkness before a light flickered to life in what appeared to be the kitchen and dining area combination.

“Nice place you got here.”

Eddie Cruz dropped the bags onto the table, then turned toward the voice with hands balled up into fists ready for a fight.

“Easy there, Tyson,” Victoria Henderson stepped into the light. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, a black shirt and black pants her chosen attire for the evening. “You really don't need to be looking for another fight you can't win.”

“What the hell are you doing in my house,” Eddie lowered his guard when he realized who it was.

“With tomorrow being Thanksgiving, I figured I'd give you something to be thankful for Mr Cruz.”

“Gamble already offered me money to drop my lawsuit,” he smiled wide. “What are you offering to change my mind?”

“Your family.”

“What,” the smile faded faster than it had appeared. “Are you out of your damn mind? What makes you think you can come into my home and threaten my family?”

“Oh, it's far from a threat, Mr Cruz,” Victoria walked over to where Eddie is next to the table and took a seat. “I'm not sure if you remember this, but you've been a very bad father and an even worse husband. Come Monday morning, your wife is going to be filing for a divorce with the best attorney money can buy at her side. Whether or not you end up in prison for ten years for domestic abuse is completely up to you though.”

It's Victoria's turn to smile, and it's one Tony would be proud of.

“For some reason, she still cares about you and doesn't want you to watch your son grow up through pictures you have stuck on the walls of your cell.”

“So I drop my lawsuit against Tony, and she doesn't bring that stuff up,” he laughed softly under his breath as he shook his head.

“Did I say that,” perplexed, she eyed him with her head tilted slightly to the left as she looked up at him. “I think you may have misunderstood what I was saying, because domestic abuse is the main reason for her request for divorce. She's taken all the shit she's going to take from you, Mr Cruz, and the years of reports and x-rays from countless hospital and emergency room visits have already been collected.”

“I don't get it,” Eddie doesn't see where the benefit of dropping his lawsuit comes into play, but he will soon.

“I made my living putting assholes like you in prison, Mr Cruz,” she stood up, her smile no longer visible. “I have no problem doing the same to you, but I'm willing to talk to a friend of mine that works in the district attorney's office and work out a plea deal to lower your sentence as a favor to Cecilia. I'm just going to need a little show of good faith from your end.”

The light bulb above his head lit up.

“You're going to call Tony and take the money he offered you,” she turned her back to him and made her way toward the door. “Then you're going to make a public apology and tell the truth about what happened like he asked you to do.”

The light suddenly dimmed.

“Put that money in an account for Cecilia and Nick to live comfortably while you're away,” she paused at the door. “And thank God he isn't the only one that loves you.”