Previously…

I didn't know how long I'd been stood there, mindlessly rubbing my baby bump, but the sound of my bedroom door opening and someone gasping caught my attention.

"When were you planning on telling me, Bella?"


I didn't move, I didn't dare turn around. I knew who was talking to me, obviously recognizing their voice, but I didn't want to have to see the disappointment on their face, I didn't want to have to deal with this. Not now.

"Bella? Answer me, for God's sake!"

"Calm down, please," I said, slowly turning around and pulling my sweater down to hide any resemblance to a baby bump. Angela stood before me, her eyes full of hurt and disappointment. This was why I hadn't told anyone; I couldn't cope with everyone judging me and looking down on me.

"So, you are?" I nod. "I came over tonight to ask you if you're planning on coming to Jessica's party next week. I didn't realise I'd we walking into 'baby bump' time," she said, scowling at me from across the room.

"I only just found out. I was going to tell you, I swear, but then Jess said about Tanya being pregnant, so I just let it slide," I replied, trying desperately to defend myself.

"But why would Tanya being pregnant – oh, Bella! It isn't his, is it?" she looked sadly at me, her gaze never straying from my eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I tried to push past her to go downstairs to see where my father was, but she stopped me before I could.

"Yes, you do, Bella". She walked further into my room and closed the door, giving us privacy from my father. "Is your baby," she whispered the word, "Edward's?".

I couldn't answer her. I couldn't tell her 'yes, he treated me like garbage but then when he came over, I willingly let him have sex with me' – I didn't want to admit it. I couldn't lie to her either – she was, after all, my best friend; I knew she would be able to tell if I lied so that wasn't an option either. I just stood there, looking right past her, hoping she would move onto the next question I'm sure she had for me.

"I'll take your silence as yes, then. Bella, how could you? I didn't even know you and him were a thing," she looked simply hurt as I hung my head in shame, realizing that my one night with Edward could make me out to be more of a slut than I was.

"We weren't," I mumbled in response. I didn't know how to describe the situation I felt I had been in with Edward. Whatever way I told the story, the ending was the same – he had played me, had sex with me, left me and now I was pregnant – alone.

"Then how did this", she said, pointing to my stomach, "happen? I may not have had sex but I know enough to safely say that babies don't just happen from smiling at each other in biology," her words cut through me like knives; explaining our situation was going to be hard.

"We were friends, then one night he came over and we did it, OK?", I said, leaving out the bad times to save a lecture from my friend about not putting up with crap.

Angela didn't reply that time, and I looked up to see her pacing around my small bedroom. She had a look of confusion and hurt still painted across her face, but now she appeared to be deep in thought.

"Alright. Can you tell me the details of your pregnancy?", she asked, looking determined and reminding me of how Esme spoke to me at the clinic.

"Urm, sure. Well, I'm about 14 weeks pregnant, everything seems to be fine, my doctor seemed pleased when she did the ultrasound. Oh, there's a copy of it in my bedside table, if you wanna see it," I offered, pointing towards the small table, the one draw already partially open, revealing the pictures I'd requested from the clinic.

Angela strode over to the table and took out the photo, holding it close to her face, before smiling similarly to how Charlie did when he first saw it. Angela had an array of siblings and so I knew that she was familiar with what the ultrasound showed, meaning I didn't have to try and explain it when I didn't particularly know much about it myself.

"Bella, I'm happy for you if you're happy about this. I want to be there for you no matter what you decide to do," Angela said sweetly – I knew I could depend on my best friend and in that moment I realised how stupid it was of me to think I shouldn't tell her about my pregnancy.

"Thanks, Ang. And I think I'm going to keep it. After seeing them on the screen, having proof of them being in me and being real, I can't just forget that and give them away to someone else. They're my baby and although their father might be a grade-A jerk, I'm not. I know I can handle this," I spoke with confidence and reassurance, as I knew Angela would worry about me even more now.

"I know you can, Bells. Of course you can," she said, smiling at me. I knew she would be excited once the initial shock wore off. "When are you going to tell Edward?".

Here question didn't throw me, I knew that soon, everyone would be questioning my baby's paternity and I also knew that once I started to show, Edward – if he had any kind of brain – would put two and two together and realise that his offspring was growing inside me. I just hadn't thought of a way to tell him.

"I don't know. I know that I need to, but I have no idea how to. How would you go about telling the father of your child that the one time he decided to take advantage of you was the time that he managed to knock me up? I'm not sure whether he'll be mad or proud of his 'little swimmers' for getting it done first try,' I said sarcastically. I didn't really know anything about guys, but from the way Edward acted, I wasn't sure how he would respond to an unplanned pregnancy with a girl he didn't want anything to do with.

"I think you should just tell him as soon as possible. If he's going to be mad, at least get it out of the way so he can't be mad at you for keeping it from him. Just go up to him, when his jackass friends aren't around, and come out with it. Then, if he looks like he's going to explode, walk away – let it sink in before you start to discuss details." She was right – although I didn't owe Edward anything, I didn't want to bombard him with ultrasound pictures, due dates, symptoms and the like. I knew that if I were to throw him in the deep end, it would only backfire on me and I wouldn't have a fighting chance in getting through to him.

"You're right, Ang. Thanks. I think I might text him now, see what he's up to. No time like the present, and all," I mumbled as I reached for my phone.

HI EDWARD, IT'S BELLA. WHAT ARE YOU UP TO AT THE MOMENT? I NEED TO TALK TO YOU, IN PERSON. *send*

"There, I've reached out to him, ball's in his court now, I guess".

My phone buzzed almost instantly, signally that Edward had responded.

BELLA, LEAVE ME ALONE. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY TO ME, I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT. BYE.

I froze, my breath no longer leaving my body. I didn't know what to do, whether to reply, or whether to listen to his demands and leave him alone. But, as the thought crossed my mind, the image of a future full of custody battles and arguing in front of our child flashed before me and I realised that I couldn't keep the knowledge of our child a secret from him, no matter how hard he tried to avoid me.

"I'm going out Angela, can you drive me somewhere?", I asked, sliding my phone into my jean pocket and grabbing a pair of sneakers from beside my bed.

"Where are you going to go?", she asked, although from the look on her face she knew exactly where I was headed. "Let's go," she said, ushering me out of the door.

I'd only ever been to his house once, when I had to drop him off from one of our late night study sessions. The house stood three-stories high and seemed to go on forever. I didn't have time to catch any details of the house because as soon as Angela's car pulled to a halt, I bound up to the front door and started pounding with my fist.

By the time Angela had caught up to me, and was standing beside me, offering moral support, I was starting to think that no-one would answer the door at all. But then I heard the faint shuffling of feet and the lock of the door click open.

"Bella?"

"Oh my God, what are you doing here?", I asked, shocked as to who had answered the door.

"I live here, why are you here? Is everything OK?" Esme asked. I realised she must be thinking that I'm here to see her with something baby-related. Maybe I'd gotten the wrong house.

"Mom, who's at the door?". I recognized that voice. The velvety texture of it would forever be engrained in my mind – Edward.

"One of my patients, dear. Never you mind," I heard her smile through her voice – Esme was an extrememly sweet woman. "Come on in, Bella".

"Bella?", I heard Edward half-yell as he turned on his heels and headed back to the front door. "Why are you here?" – he was angry, alright.

"I was just about to ask that, dear, but in a nicer manner", Esme told Edward. "Bella, dear, is everything alright?".

"I came here to talk to Edward, actually," I replied quietly, staring at my hands, hoping she wouldn't connect the dots.

"Oh, very well then. Here he is, I'll leave you two alone. Maybe your friend would like to help me with the baking I was doing?", she asked, gesturing for Angela to follow her further into the house.

"What are you doing here, Bella? I told you to leave me alone," he spat harshly.

"And I told you I needed to tell you something in person. So I guess neither of was going to win," I countered, not wanting to give into him.

"Go on then, out with it. What could possibly be so important that you had to march on in here in front of my mother of all people and make a scene?".

"Esme's your mother, then? Wow, small world," I spoke quietly, under my breath.

"Of course she is, how do you know her – wait, did she say you were one of her patients? As in, you've been seeing my Mom for something 'women's health' related? Bella, please tell me you don't have AIDS or something," he turned to look at me with an expression I'd never seen on him before.

"No, I don't have AIDS. But I do have something I need to tell you. And it's important, so maybe we should go somewhere instead of just standing in the hallway?", I said, looking around the foyer where we were still.

"Whatever you have to say to me, say it now. I don't care where we are, just tell me."

"I'm pregnant." Done, the two hardest words of my life had left my mouth and there was no going back.

I looked up at Edward, searching for any indication in his eyes that he had heard what I'd said. But as I looked into his breath-taking eyes, all I saw was black.

"Edward?", I took a step towards him, only for him to take one back also.

He stood straighter then, and with one swift turn, stormed out of the room, leaving me standing in the middle of the foyer, dumbfounded. I fell to the floor then, all air leaving my body. Esme must've heard the thump of my body hitting the floor, as I soon felt the familiar small hands wrap around my body to pull me back up onto my feet.

"Bella, what's wrong? What happened?". I couldn't answer her, not yet. "What could you possibly be telling Edward that was so ba- oh, Bella. No, please tell me, no. It can't be." I couldn't look her in the eye.

"Yes," I mumbled so quietly I hardly heard the words myself.

"It's OK, it's going to be OK," she said, slowly rocking me from side to side.

I didn't know how much time had passed before I heard footsteps upon stairs and the sound of a door creaking open. "Make her leave," I heard Edward say, to which Esme replied with a resounding "No".

"I said, MAKE HER LEAVE". I'd never heard Edward raise his voice before and so it scared me more than I imagined it would.

"I'll go, it's fine," I managed to choke out, standing up and out of Esme's grasp and turning to find Angela already at the door, keys in hand.

"Bella, you don't have to…" she started, but I couldn't hear the end as Edward interrupted.

"Yes, you have to. Get out of my house".

"Edward Masen Cullen, do not talk to the mother of your child in that way!", Esme shouted, walking over to help me open their door.

"It's probably not even mine," he taunted before Esme turned to usher me out of their home, obviously feeling it was best that I be away from him.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I don't know what came over him, and I'm sorry that you're in this situation," Esme apologized as we walked together to Angela's car, Angela trailing along behind to give us some privacy.

"It's OK, Esme. You weren't to know. I just thought he would have wanted to know. I guess not," I said disappointed. I didn't know what I had expected but his reaction stunned me.

We had reached the car by that point and I climbed into the passenger's seat, Esme holding my door open for me.

"Oh, Bella. Whilst you're here, I just remembered. I was going to phone you tomorrow to schedule an appointment. I'd like you to come into the office as soon as possible," Esme said to me.

"Why, is everything OK?", I asked worriedly.

"When I was looking back at your ultrasound, I realised something wasn't right".

"I need you to come in as soon as possible, it's important".


AUTHOUR'S NOTE: Here's chapter 3 guys! Hope you like it, I'm trying to make them longer, but I have limited time and so I would rather do fast updates for you!