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Alexander stared at the headline in the news, disbelief and hurt muddling his brain. He felt as though someone punched him in the gut.
Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton’s lover exposes secret affair!
He thought that Eliza was his forever. How could she do this to him? He thought that they were happy, and that he was providing for her.
He thought he was enough.
Obviously, to Eliza, he wasn’t.
He wiped the tears running down his face, and walked into their room.
He grabbed the box that held his love letters to her. He picked it up and took it to the living room.
Elizabeth was on the couch, her head in her hands. He ignored her and set down the box gently. He lit the fireplace. Elizabeth looked up at this, and her face contorted into confusion at what her husband was doing.
“Alexander..?” She asked tentatively. He sniffled, hearing the voice of the woman who had decided that he wasn’t enough. He grabbed the first letter.
“Alexander, what are you doing? Why are you holding your letters?” She asked, urgency in her voice.
“Elizabeth, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did, why you chose him over me, but obviously, you found something,” he said. Alexander picked up a letter and held it over the fire. These letters meant nothing to her, so it wouldn’t matter if they were gone. She gasped sharply behind him.
“Alex, please don’t do this. I-I love you. Don’t do this,” she pleaded.
Lies. She didn’t love him. He dropped his letter into the fire. She let out a sob behind him.
“You needed someone richer for you. Not a poor fool like me, who can barely afford a bag of chips. You needed someone else to hug you when it got cold, while I stayed up late and overworked, trying to become better for you, for us. I’m sorry I wasn’t enough, and never will be enough,” he said, his voice void of emotion. He threw in two letters.
“Alex, no! You are that, and more! I- you’re my everything, Alexander!” she said tearfully.
“Obviously not, since you went looking for another man.”
She didn’t respond. He threw another letter in the fire.
“Alexander, please! I’m sorry!” she yelled, sobbing. Alexander shook his head, and threw in another three letters.
“No, Eliza. I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I wasn’t enough. You probably didn’t even care about these letters, huh? I could probably just dump them all in the fire right now, and you probably wouldn’t care. If I wasn’t good enough, why would you need my letters?” he asked, his voice breaking at the end. He held the entire box over the fire. Elizabeth got closer.
“Alexander, please don’t,” She said.
Alexander pretended she wasn’t beside him, grabbing his arm.
“Alex, seriously, don’t! Alexander, please! Please, don’t!” Elizabeth begged. He ripped his arm away from hers. She stepped away, but he could still see the pleading look in her expression. He sighed, grabbed four letters, put down the box, and threw the four he was holding.
He looked at the flames numbly. She cried softly behind him. He talked to her, but didn’t turn to look at her, for she was no longer his beloved Eliza, but instead the woman who betrayed him. Nothing had cut deeper.
“I’m staying at Laf’s house while I gather my thoughts. You stay in the house with the kids for now. I need space,” he said.
“Alexander, I can-”
“No. It’s…Just- I’ll go pack my stuff. I hope he was worth it. I hope that this is enough for you.”
He walked out of the living room without another word.