Destiny is a fragile flower
Chapter 10
"Truth and relief..."
Candy couldn't stop crying in the cab. Dorothy was sitting in the front with the driver. Terry was in the back with Susanna and Candy, he still had the baby in his arms. He was holding Candy against him too. Susanna was powerless in front of all that… Candy was crying, feeling powerless, she would look like a heartless woman if she said something mean to her right now. They arrived at the hotel and Terry arranged for a room for Candy, her baby and the nanny. Susanna went to their suite, knowing Terry wasn't going to come. Terry went with Candy in her suite. It had a crib for the baby, he kissed her and put her delicately in the crib. Candy changed her clothes and put on a nightgown on. Terry was waiting for her in the living room. They looked at each other and then, Candy ran into his arms bursting into tears again.
- Hush, hush, Freckles, it's going to be ok…
- Oh Terry, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!
- For what?
- For stealing your family! For agreeing to this nonsense!
- You thought you had a duty…
- I only found out today…for sure…
- What do you mean "for sure"?
- Every time I looked at Belle, I was seeing you… the day she was born, I had a dream you were giving me white rose… I woke up and my water broke… when Anthony said that she took both of our eyes, blue-green, my first thought was "Like Terry". But I was in denial, I thought it was wishful thinking, because I really wanted to be with you, I really wanted her to be yours, more than anything in the world… when the doctor told me Anthony was sterile… you don't know what that did to me…
- About what I felt when Eliza insinuated Anthony wasn't the father of our baby? You confirming it was a breeze…my dream had come true!
- We stole your family!
- Candy, I just learned that a little girl, I think about all the time is really my daughter! Now I understand why we bonded so well and so fast, the voice of blood…I'm not angry at you…we made the decision together to agree to the great aunt's demands…
- You wanted to run away… I should've listened to you… have I known I was pregnant… Oh Terry I'm so sorry! You've got your marriage… my marriage is over…I can't be with Anthony…he thought I was cheating on him and never confronted me! My marriage is definitely over…
- To tell you the truth, I can't stand my marriage… I was seriously thinking of leaving America for England to start over, by myself…
- Why didn't you?
- Because of you and Belle, it was like something was keeping me here…now I know it was bigger than I ever imagined! My family, you're my family Candy, you and Belle!
They were hugging, but not kissing. They were still married to other people, but they couldn't let go of each other. They went and lye on the bed, on top of the covers. Terry had her in his arms and they fell asleep together.
Dorothy looked at the couple, and she couldn't help but feeling sorry for Candy. All those secrets and lies…
Susanna was crying in her suite. She knew everything was over. Terry tried to give her a child, he even tried to tell her to adopt, and she wouldn't listen to him, she wanted her own baby…Now Candy had that baby and she knew that there's no way Terry was going to let Candy go, when she was the mother of his child. When was that baby conceived? Was Terry cheating on her with Candy like everybody thought? What was the point? The fact was, that Candy had Terry's baby… the baby Terry couldn't get enough of, the baby that liked Terry so much, was actually his! Candy had done it again…or was it destiny?
oOoOoOoOoOo
Annie was in her bedroom sulking. Archie didn't understand why.
- Annie, why are you sulking?
- Archie, how could you keep a secret like that? How could you think Candy was cheating on Anthony?
- Well since Anthony was sterile…
- So you thought she slept with Terry and passed off Belle as Anthony's? Had Candy known Belle was Terry's, she would've been out of here faster than you could say: "Candy wait…" and she actually did get out of here in a hurry… with her baby and Terry!
- Did she confide in you?
- She told me she was with Terry until the Great aunt forced them to break up with emotional blackmail…
- So she slept with Terry before she married Anthony?
- Of course! Candy would never cheat on her husband…even with Terry…They thought they were going to be together…
- Oh my God, what a mess! Grandchester couldn't be happier…!
- Wouldn't you be? Said Annie
Archie remained silent…
- Anthony is hurt, Annie… Candy left him…
- Could you blame her? She just found out her baby was Terry's and that her husband knew and he thought she was cheating on him the whole time!
- We could've fixed this!
- No we couldn't! Candy was forced into this marriage, she was forced to give Terry up…Now that she has his baby…
- She's too happy to jump back into his arms…
- She's hurting too, Archie… Oh my God! What a mess!
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Patty was having the same conversation with her husband.
- I'm mad at you… how could you think Candy was that vindictive? She would never cheat on her husband!
- Patty…
- She didn't know… otherwise she wouldn't have married Anthony, she would've stayed with Terry!
- Are you sure?
- Yes! She found out today and she left…
- Terry is married…
- Well he will want to raise his daughter with the woman he loves, and that's Candy…
- Oh poor Anthony…
- The great aunt has done it again!
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Anthony was down in the damps. His whole life was over in a blink of an eye. He knew he couldn't be the father of Candy's baby, and he should've told her he knew…But he didn't. He forgave her for what he thought was cheating…and she actually didn't cheat. She thought he was the father all a long… she must be feeling so betrayed… but he ruined everything, by keeping silent. Candy was going to be with the father of her baby now…
Eliza was banished from the family. The great aunt wasn't joking. She was escorted that same night for places unknown…
Albert had watched everything, powerless… he had seen the resemblance between Belle and Terry, but he didn't want to say anything…
oOoOoOoOoOo
Candy woke up in Terry's arms; she didn't want to leave them.
- Are you awake? He asked
- Yes….but I don't want to move… I'm afraid it's going to be just a dream…
- It's not a dream, Freckles, I'm here…
- What are we going to do?
- What do you want to do?
- I want to be with you and our baby…but…
- No "but"… I want to be with you too…
- Boy the scandal yesterday…
- We're going to end our current marriages and leave America…if that's what you want of course…
- Yes… I told you that love will find a way all those years ago…
- I remember… you were right, our love found a way with Belle…
- Our love produced Belle…said Candy crying… oh my God! I still can't believe the great aunt used me like that! Use our baby to make Anthony happy! Poor Anthony…
- He thought we were cheating…
- How could he? Said Candy crying… everything was a lie…He thought I was sleeping with someone else…
- That's how it appeared to him…he couldn't father any children, and you were pregnant, unless you were the second Immaculate Conception…
- "Immaculate"? Said Candy smiling
- Well you know what I mean!
- I just want all this to be over…
- The press is going to have a field day… Eliza made sure all the guests were still there when she started her accusation
- Eliza always wanted to hurt me, but yesterday was really the worst thing she had ever done in her life. Her family is not going to forgive her for hurting Anthony like that…
- I love the way you defended our baby…
- I swear to you, if she had called our little angel a bastard, one more time…
Terry hugged her. She closed her eyes. Belle woke up, she stood up in her crib looking at them.
- Mommy? She said
Candy freed herself from Terry's arms, got out of bed and she walked to the crib.
- Good morning angel, said Candy smiling and hugging her hard
- Good morning mommy, I want to pee…
- All right, let's go…
- Good morning, said Belle seeing Terry
Candy walked with her to the wash room.
- Good morning angel, said Terry smiling
When they came back to the bedroom. Belle ran to Terry and he carried her. She felt connected to him somehow, she liked him a lot.
- Hi, she said, who are you?
Candy had tears in her eyes. Belle is going to be so confused… Terry and her looked at each other. Candy approached them.
- Belle, said Candy, this is Terry… You remember with Cinderella when her mother died and her father married another woman with 2 little girls?
- Yes, said Belle, they were very mean to Cinderella…
- Well your daddy, was like Cinderella's stepmother, only he was not mean like her, he loved you very much…
- My daddy was not really my daddy? Said Belle surprised, was my real daddy dead like Cinderella's mother?
- No sweetie, your real daddy is right here, he's carrying you…
Belle looked at Terry.
- You're my real daddy? She asked, is that why my hair is turning brown?
Candy was crying. Belle had realised her had was getting darker, the poor little girl didn't know why…
- Yes, said Terry, your hair is going to be brown like mine, are you ok with that?
- I thought I was going to be blond like mommy and my other daddy… there was this girl at school, her name was Adele, who said I didn't look like my daddy or my mommy, that I must've been a little orphan and adopted, like this other boy who looked nothing like his parents…
Candy was surprised to hear that. Her daughter was suffering alone.
- Oh Belle, said Candy, why didn't you tell me that?
- I was angry at the girl, I wanted to fight with her, but the others said I didn't look like you, my parents, and they also said if I didn't have any little brother or sister, it meant that I was adopted, that you were probably going to adopt another child…
- Oh my God! Said Terry, I don't remember having this kind of conversation when I was in school…I thought little girls talked about games and dolls
- Adele, said she heard the teachers talking among them about me…, said Belle
- Those teachers don't realise that children at this stage remember every single thing…, said Candy, Belle, I'm so sorry you had to hear all that. I know this sounds confusing… Terry here is your real daddy… Anthony was married to mommy, so he was your stepdaddy…
- Where is my other daddy?
- He's at his house, said Candy
- Are we going to see him again?
- Yes, he will come and see you, but honey… I'm not going to be married to him anymore. We're going to go away
- Are we going to take the boat like when I was smaller?
- Yes, said Candy
- And live with my new daddy too?
Candy looked at Terry.
- Yes, he said, that's ok with you?
- Yes, said Belle smiling, I look like you! People are going to stop talking when they look at us!
She hugged Terry.
- You're eyes are the same colour as mine, said Belle, that's another thing they said at school, that my eyes didn't look like mommy of my other daddy's…
- What kind of school was that? Said Terry, I would like to give them a piece of my mind! How could they be so careless?!
- I'm sorry I didn't tell you mommy, I didn't want to make you sad or make you think I didn't want to be your little girl…
Candy took her little girl in her arms.
- Belle, listen to me… you are not an orphan. Mommy was an orphan and was adopted…but you came from mommy and Terry… I promise you. I love you so much baby.
- I love you too, mommy, said Belle, and you too daddy…
- So you don't mind going away to be a real family?
- Far away from Adele and the mean things she told every body? I don't mind at all! In the new place, people won't know what happened here, unless we tell them and we're not going to tell them, right mommy?
- That's none of their business, said Candy smiling. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that baby…
- I didn't know what was happening but now I know, said Belle, I also heard uncle Archie and uncle Stear talking about me… saying I was "Grandchester's daughter"…
- Oh my God! Said Candy upset
- Are you "Grandchester"? She asked Terry
- Yes, that's me…, said Terry moved
- So they were right. They said my hair was turning brown and I had the same eyes colours as you…
Terry hugged her hard.
- I'm sorry you were so confused, said Terry; everything is going to be fine now. But promise me one thing…
- What?
- If you hear something you don't understand, come and talk to me or to your mummy. Don't keep it to yourself, ok?
- Ok, said Belle, I'm sorry…
- You don't have to be sorry honey, said Terry, next time come to mummy or me, all right? If we're not there, you can talk to your nanny... Dorothy, all right?
- Yes, daddy, said Belle
Hearing Belle call him "daddy" gave Terry tears in his eyes. He hugged her.
There was a knock on the door, it was Dorothy who came to get Belle to get her ready and feed her.
- Hi Dorothy! Said Belle smiling
- Hello angel, said Dorothy, Mrs. Brown, Mr. Grandchester…
- Hello Dorothy, said Candy and Terry at the same time
Belle got off her parent's lap to go to Dorothy in the other room to get a bath and eat the food she had ordered from room service.
Candy and Terry remained in the room thinking. All this ordeal had affected Belle too. The little angel was dealing with it alone, she must've been so confused.
- I'm never going to forgive that old hag for doing this to us, to our baby! Said Candy, and they wanted me to pretend like nothing happened…Oh Terry, I had no idea Belle was that confused about who she looked like…I'm so sorry
- Stop apologising, Freckles, said Terry, we're going to fix this and make things right, the way it should've been…
- If I had stayed with you, I would've had another baby by now
- Or two… Susanna couldn't carry a baby to term. She refused adoption…
- I bet she's regretting it now, said Candy, she's got nothing to keep you with her…assuming you want us to be together…
- You know it's what I wanted from the beginning…. I love you Candy, I never stopped loving you…
- I'm going to call my lawyer and file for divorce...
- Are you sure? You love Anthony…
- I wish he wouldn't get hurt, but …
- You could've continued the charade…
- Maybe… but… when I realised Belle was yours…. I just couldn't do it… and then to find out they all knew and thought you and I were cheating… that was the last straw! I still can't believe they thought I was a cheating slut!
- He must've loved you a lot to still be with you, thinking you were cheating on him…
- He did, said Candy crying… I knew this was going to end badly. With the great aunt involved, nothing good could've come out of this! What about Archie and Stear? I thought they were my friends….
- Blood is thicker than water…
- Belle heard them talking! My poor baby! She must've been so confused… "Grandchester's daughter" how could they say that? Oh my God! My baby heard them!
Terry stood up. He hugged Candy. He kissed her on the forehead.
- It's going to be ok, he said
- I'm so glad I've got you…but you're married Terry
- Not for long, I have to go see Susanna, he said
- Of course, said Candy, go ahead. I'm going to go get ready and I'm going to call Albert…
- It was nice of him to say he wouldn't cut you off…
- Albert's always been there to help me when he could. I'm going to call him and tell him where I am
Terry left the suite to go see Susanna. He found her in tears of course.
- Terry, you came back to me?
- Susanna…
- When was that baby conceived? I'm trying to think here, and I just can't think when it happened…
- When I disappeared for a while…
- You went to see Candy?
- Yes, and I convinced her that we should be together…
- And you slept with her… you came back and you were going to dump me if that great aunt hadn't come with her back-from-the-dead nephew… So in a way, I should be grateful to the great aunt for thwarting your plans… but I should be angry at her because her plan blew up in her face… For making you commit to me, when you're heart was with another woman…
- Well what she did wasn't too different with what your mom did…nevertheless, the result is the same. I love Candy, she's got my baby, and I'm going to be a family with her…
- What about me? You made a commitment to me… I was thinking about the adoption…
- Too little too late, Susanna… By your own fault, I've got no ties to you. You couldn't have my child, I tried to convince you to adopt, you refused… now I just found out that Candy had my baby…
- She passed it off as another man's…
- You know she's not like that! She just found out yesterday and she was going to leave her husband
- So us being there was just a coincidence… you saving her from her lying family…
- Everything happens for a reason… I was drawn to that little girl from the second I saw her wishing she was mine, not knowing she was actually mine…
- Well you must be happy your wish came true!
- Susanna, we've all being hurt by this, me, Candy, you, Belle…
- Belle? Said Susanna, she's a baby…
- She heard the other children in school saying she didn't look like her mommy or her daddy, that she was probably an orphan adopted…
- Oh my God…
- And her uncles discussing the fact that she was actually "Grandchester's daughter"…
- Oh… she must've been confused. This is all just a big mess!
- I'm sorry, we're all paying now…
- Well you're getting the woman you love and your daughter back!
- There's a lot of heartache, Susanna…for everybody involve, especially for that precious little girl…
- Well hearing those rumours made her more eager to accept you as her father…
- She was confused, Susanna…
- Oh yes, she was…
- She's just a baby! She shouldn't have to deal with all that at her age…!
- Don't yell at me! I didn't do anything! I'm the one getting dumped here!
- I'm going to be with Candy in her suite and then we're going to go to New York…
- You're not going to live there are you? That would be too painful for me…
- We're moving to England, said Terry
- What?
- I've been thinking of moving to England for a while…
- With me?
- No, sorry. Without you.
- Oh, said Susanna hurt…
- I'm sorry Susanna, I tried to make it work, you refused to help me…
- So you were going to dump me anyway had this thing hadn't come along?
- Candy and her baby, prevented me from leaving, I didn't want to leave them…
- Even though she was in another man's arms, you still revolved your world around her and her baby! Said Susanna crying
- I'm sorry Susanna, you knew what you were getting yourself into… you knew I loved Candy from the start…
- Be careful what you wish for…, said Susanna in tears, all I ever wanted was to be with you, Terry. I love you so much.
- But I love Candy, Susanna. I can't just switch on command… We're going to start over in another country, far away from all this…
- Did you sleep with her last night?
- Susanna!
- Did you?
- NO! I didn't even kiss her! We're both still married…
- The perfect little Mrs. Brown won't kiss you until her divorce is final? Well she did sleep with you out of wedlock I guess she's not so perfect…!
Terry ignored her, he got his things and was ready to go.
- Good bye Susanna, my lawyer is going to contact you with the divorce papers.
Susanna didn't respond. She was crying. She knew she was living in a house of cards and that those cards had just crumbled… Terry left. Susanna went back to New York a few moments later. She had called her mother who was going to greet her at the train station. She couldn't stop crying. She lost the only man she had ever loved, without even having him in the first place… While she was checking out, a man dressed in black approached her…