Chapter 14: Hazards of Lying
Embry couldn't stay away. She wanted to scream when she saw him show up with Paul and Sam and all the kids. Of course, Connor ran over and greeted them. Bret had met everyone except Embry. The stares started from the get go. She wished she could start digging a deep hole with the kids' toys and bury herself in it. Figuratively, she'd already done something similar, but literally it sounded great right about the moment she witnessed a glare from Bret pointed towards Embry.
Bret had a seat next to her on the towels they spread out. She was already feeling less than great out in the hot sun. The stress was causing her stomach to revolt or it might be the pregnancy hormones taking effect.
Oh yeah, by the way, Bret. I'm pregnant. Of course it's not yours, since you quit touching me long ago. There's the father, he's over there. He's my soulmate, not you. It was an odd statement that came to her, but she kept it to herself.
He didn't hesitate wrapping his arm around her. Of course, they barely ever even hugged, but he was staking his claim. He knew damn well, it was Embry. He'd seen some old pictures from the early days when she was married to Jacob. If he had any sort of doubt, Connor had said his name a half dozen times out loud since he never forgot him from the beginning of summer.
"Are you ready to leave?"
"What? Why would we leave? Connor's friends," he paused and looked back at the group, "your friends too... right, just got here. Plus, we haven't even been out an hour yet. Strange how you never told me my son got to be buddies with your ex."
The first accusation. She could tell by his tone. "Um, they're not buddies exactly. Connor tossed a ball with him a few times when my dad was taking a rest back at the beginning of the summer."
"And you forgot to mention it?"
"No, it wasn't a big deal."
"I thought the two of you steered clear of each other."
"We did... um, I mean... we do. He showed up. This is a public beach."
Bella wished some of the ladies had come but Rachel and Emily were absent. She asked for something to drink to change the subject. Bret reached in the cooler and pulled out a couple of ice cold beers.
"Um, could you just grab me a water instead?"
"Sure, sorry. I thought you might need one. You seem tense."
She brushed it off as not sleeping well in a strange bed and being hot. He was acting weird. She was acting weird and then there was Embry. He kept staring. It was so obvious and Bella felt so awkward. Her life was a complete train wreck and none of the spectators could avert their eyes.
She survived the beach. Bret didn't leave her side the entire time. They got cleaned up and all went out to a local seafood place. She was overwhelmed by the scents in the restaurant and barely made it to the restroom to heave her stomach contents. Sue came in and checked on her. She said Bret seemed worried. He probably thought she got overheated, but he knew she wasn't much of a fish girl either. If he knew the real reason behind her queasiness, he'd quickly lose all sympathy.
"Bella, dear... you have to tell him. This is painful to watch, for both of you."
She knew what Sue was observing. Bret was trying so hard, it was uncomfortable. She was basically void of all emotion and didn't even know how to respond to him.
They hadn't slept in the same bed for weeks, but they all crammed in the guest room. Anison usually slept with her when they visited, but Bret got her to sleep with her brother on the wall side. Bella had received a text when her husband was in the bathroom.
Nice family you got there...
So damned cozy. I felt the sweetness through the air.
She wanted to send a reply but heard Bret's footsteps approach. She switched her phone off and sat it in the bedside table drawer. Bret climbed under the covers and Bella asked if she should grab Annie and put her in the middle.
"Why? She's fine there. We're like five feet away."
"Yeah, you're right." She rolled away from him, hoping they'd both fall asleep and not say anything else to each other. He had other ideas. She felt his hand on her shirt and then her skin. He started rubbing her back.
"You still feeling bad?"
"A little. I'm really tired."
She felt him scoot a little closer. "Bella, I'm sorry. You know I'm sorry for everything. Can't you tell I'm trying?" She told him that she did, but he made a frustrated noise. "Can you please turn over, so I'm not talking to the back of your head."
Bella was honestly afraid to face her own husband. She wasn't scared of him by any means, but afraid of what he might see in her eyes. She might even worry about what he didn't see there. She had justified her actions many times in her mind. He started it. He was the first liar and deceiver, but did he deserve what she was doing to him? She rolled towards him and they ended up face to face. His hand moved up towards her face.
"I kept pushing you away. It was my guilt, not that I didn't want you. I still do. You're so beautiful. I'm so lucky you're still here despite all my failures."
"Bret, I..."
He moved a little closer. They were sharing the same air. Part of her wanted to jump up and scream that she couldn't, she was not his anymore. However, the familiarity put her somewhat at ease and she remained perfectly still.
"I know, you don't have to say it. It's obvious, you didn't stay for me, you stayed for them, but we can turn this around. Please, Bella... try with me. I love you. Do you love me, despite my faults?"
She felt a lump form in her throat. How could she answer that question? She did... how or why she did not know, but she still felt love for him. He didn't wait for her answer. He pressed his mouth against hers and pulled her closer. At least, he didn't try for anything else. Bella wouldn't be able to go through with that, but she rested her head against his chest as he stroked his fingers through her hair. Her heart was divided, but it was not in equal parts. She imagined it was ripped apart in jagged shards, but the only truth she knew without a doubt was Embry would always possess the largest chunk.
It was almost a week before she saw him. It was not a normal meeting. They weren't eager to ravish each other. In fact, he didn't even kiss her.
"How's your husband?"
"I'm not here to talk about that day at the beach. I was completely taken off guard by his appearance. You came for the sole purpose of causing me discomfort."
"Too bad. Then why are you here?"
"Emb, school's in less than two weeks. I have an appointment with a lawyer next week. I'm only asking for a little more time."
"For now until you come up with a new excuse. How does my child fit into all your convoluted plans?"
"I'm taking care of myself, of course. I have a check up scheduled with my doctor as well. I love our child. My children are my entire focus... all of them. I know you're mad. The situation sucks, I get that. I'm trying to do what's best for all of us."
"I don't trust Bret."
"He's trying."
"No, I watched him. He's faking. Trust my damn instincts for once. You know we can sense things regular people can't. He's saying everything you want to hear... that's all."
"I know why you wouldn't trust him, but believe me, his brother is sticking to him like glue and he hasn't slipped up."
Arguing with Embry didn't help anything. Bella knew her husband better than anyone. She was sticking to her plan. He was leery and she understood why, but one day soon, she'd make it up to him. She told him she had to get back to work, but he stopped her at the door.
Embry blocked her from leaving. He pulled her close and finally gave her the kiss she truly desired. She needed to feel that connection to him. It was the only thing that made sense in her life.
He apologized for the way things had been between them and told her he loved her. "Bella, keep your phone close to you at all times. I think when he finally figures it out, he's not going to let go so easily. Call me or one of the guys. We'll come get you and the kids."
She promised she'd be fine and that she meant it when she said, she was his. Soon, she'd be only his.
She was headed back to work just like she said, but right before she got there, his words replayed through her mind. Bret had fooled her before. Was she allowing her own guilt to consume her so much that she was being duped?
She pulled over and called Emily to let her know she had to take care of some personal problems and wouldn't be coming back.
"You feeling okay, hun?"
"No, not great, but I'll talk to you later, 'kay?"
She tried to get Bret's parents on the phone to ask if the kids could stay longer, maybe all night but they didn't pick up. She knew they'd drop them off at five or Bret would pick them up earlier. He was supposed to get off at three since he went in extra early that morning. She had less than two hours. She honestly had no idea what she intended to do when she got home, but she knew she needed to be left alone to figure it all out.
Bella rushed inside. She opened up her laptop and pulled up the banking site. She checked and re-checked that again. It was completely normal, no cash withdrawals, charges out of town or anything off in both the checking and savings accounts. She saw Bret's new job deposits. He was really working and the money was going into their bank.
The fact was, she was the only one making charges. That was it... that was the anomaly. Bret drove his own vehicle. He had to get gas. She didn't pack his lunch everyday. Wasn't he eating out occasionally? She never told him not to use the debit card. That would've been unreasonable. She remembered back to the dinner out. He paid cash. Charlie offered first, but Bret pulled out his wallet and paid for everyone. How? His checks direct deposited, so he wasn't taking cash out of them.
She closed the computer and went on the hunt for anything, something that would help her make sense of it. For some reason, she thought merely asking him wasn't good enough. He might already have an excuse prepared. She wanted the proof in her hands. Bella left no stone unturned. She poured through every drawer in the whole house. She even looked in the kids' rooms. She dumped his clothes drawers and came up with nothing. The only piece of paper she found was a love note she wrote to him. He'd written back to her and they kept it going for weeks. It was before they got married. He'd saved it all those years. She started to read it, but it was from a different era. She couldn't finish, so she carefully folded it back up and replaced everything just as it had been.
She saw herself in the mirror. She looked like a crazy person. There she was tossing clothes and possessions all over the place. It was like she was burglarizing her own house. She was trying to catch her husband in another lie... all the while she grew another man's child in her belly. Embry was right. What the hell was she clinging to that old life for? She would be mortified for her children to see her in such a way. It would've scared them. Staying together was not in their best interest if it was going to continue to transform her into someone she couldn't even recognize. She held her phone in her hands. She had less than hour left alone. She should make the call and put a stop to it, once and for all.
Bret's shoe stuck out from the bed. She kicked it out of the way. She noticed it was caked with mud. It wasn't a normal mud, it was extremely black. Where had he walked in those shoes? He worked in town, no longer doing outdoor jobs. An event the week before flickered through her mind. He came inside with a shoebox. She asked what he'd bought and he said he needed work shoes, his old ones were shot. She remembered seeing the shoebox when she was digging through all his pants' pockets in the closet. Bella went back in the closet and pulled out the box.
She opened it. There were no shoes inside the box. The box wasn't even new. It was the box his old, muddy ones came in. The brand name was the same. The box contained lots of papers and documents. He had another bank account she didn't know about. He also had a couple of credit cards. Who would give him credit? She quickly realized everything wasn't even in his name. Had he faked his identity before? It seemed so. The charges were indisputable. He was gambling again. Sometimes, he won but he lost almost as much. She hoped her name wasn't linked to anything. That was the last headache she needed... a bunch of creditors after her as well. Bella dug all the way to the bottom of the box before she found her name on anything.
She felt sick, panic and disgust. What was he up to? It was an application for a loan and if she read it correctly, he was putting up her bakery as collateral. How could he attempt something like that? It wouldn't work, she'd never sigh such a thing, but her signature was indeed on the bottom line and so was Emily Uley's. They were perfect copies, he'd forged them like an expert. Bret was an absolute con-artist and she was his greatest mark. She'd wasted so much time trying to help him, hold him together so he could be complete. She wanted him to still be in their children's lives. After seeing what she'd discovered, she didn't care if a judge revoked his parental rights. Bella didn't want someone like him anywhere near her children.
She needed to go and not hesitate. The front door startled her. She heard Bret yell for her. She also heard the unmistakable sound of their two children arguing about something. She really didn't want them to be there for the ugly confrontation that was sure to come.
"No, stop... Con... don't. Give it back."
"I don't have her doll, Daddy. She left it at Grandma's."
Bret called her name again. "Bella, a little help please. Why are you home so early?"
Bella appeared at the top of the stairs. He had both kids, one under each arm. They were laughing and giggling at how he halted their dispute. Bret stared at her, and she got a sick feeling. He might be acting silly with the kids, but his eyes appeared glazed over. He wasn't himself. It was written all over his face. She stared back... he knew that she knew.
~Thanks for reading.
Are you still with me? I'm making some people mad or frustrated, but this is how I saw it. Hit me back with your thoughts.