Bride and Prejudice: Learning the Truth

by tarskeewee08

Evangeline woke to find the side of the bed empty. Rubbing her eyes she looked around the room confused. Reaching over to the nightstand she picked up her watch and saw it was after 9 in the morning. How is it that she had to put him to bed but he's up before her? Pulling her self up on her elbows she cocked her head to the side and closed her eyes.

Yesterday was wonderful and seeing Ming again gave her courage. But the lingering dread of him keeping something from her again hung in the air and she fought the anxiety that was growing inside of her. If he didn't trust her enough, or trust in their love enough to be honest what did they really have. Why was he so damn stubborn? Why did he always resort to these tactics? What was he so afraid of?

Sighing she pulled back the covers and sat up in bed. Running her hand through her hair she looked around the room. She wasn't going to force him to come clean with her. She would find out the truth on her own and god help him if he has lied to her. Getting up she grabbed her robe and heard whispering. Turning and looking at the door she saw it was ajar. She walked slowly to it confused. Pulling it slightly open she saw him in the hallway with Carla and her heart stopped.

"Are you crazy? Why on earth would you come to my wing this time of morning anyway? I told mum to have you out of here!"

"Thanks a lot for that John, she's asking that I leave. That's why I came here this morning. To talk to you, you at least owe me that."

John put his hands on his hips and glared at her "I don't owe you a damn thing. I want you gone….do you understand me? There is nothing between us. We have no future!"

Carla dropped her head crying "You are a cruel bastard, after everything I went through how could you be so heartless."

John rubbed his jaw and looked at her. "I'm sorry Carla. I'm sorry for it all and if I could change things I would, but that's ancient history. There is no need to dredge that pain back up. I love Evangeline and she is going to be my wife. Your neediness and my mother's conniving ways won't have any impact on our love. We are getting married and having the life I had no intention of having with you!" he hissed.

Carla wiped at her eyes and glared at him. "Did you tell your future bride about our history?"

"Evangeline knows that I wasn't in love with you!"
Carla sucked her teeth "Wow…..well the whole town of Dublin knows you weren't in love with me. That's because you are incapable of Love!"

John said nothing just stared at her. Carla looked at him pleadingly. "What about…"
"That's enough!" John snapped grabbing her arm.
Carla looked at him surprised. "Let me go!"

John dragged her down the end of the hall and Evangeline couldn't see them anymore unless she opened the door and stepped through. Pulling the door open she saw that the hall was empty. John and Carla had vanished down the stairwell. She stood in her nightgown and robe and considered going after them. Deciding against it she returned to the room and closed the door leaning against it. Her heart pounding she replayed it over and over in her head. He said he didn't love her and she agreed. Well if there is no love lost between them why is she so clingy to him? It made no sense.

"What the hell is going on?" she mumbled.

Going over to her purse she got her phone and called information. Giving the woman the information for the hotel Ming was staying at she waited to be connected. The front desk immediately transferred her to Ming's room.

"Hello…." Ming answered sleepily on the fourth ring.
"Wake up its Van"
"Evangeline?"
"Yes Ming I need you to take the phone in the bathroom, away from Sam we have to talk"

"Ummmm okay" Ming said, Evangeline listened as their was some fumbling with the phone cord. Ming walked into the bathroom and sat closed the door. "What's going on what time is it?"

"Never mind that Ming what the hell is the deal with Carla O'Reilly!"
"Who?"
"Ming! Stop it! I want the truth dammit…."
"Okay……okay calm down."

Evangeline sighed her nerves on edge. She heard Ming's voice and braced herself. "They were engaged and Johnny really was accepting the fact he would marry her. He told them all Van that he didn't love them. They thought it was because of Caitlyn but it was all because of you…"

"I know that Ming, what happened?"

Ming sighed "A week before the wedding they got into a big fight….Sam said John was going to pull a disappearing act. Well Carla wasn't having it. Somehow she was hurt. I think she fell down the stairs or something but it was all a horrible accident. John felt really bad about it. The press was brutal and accused him of pushing her."

Evangeline frowned "What? John would never hurt anyone…"
"I don't think he did….I really think it was an accident and he was by her side. I was in classes at Oxford so all I knew is that the wedding was postponed while she recovered. I thought he would marry her if out of anything at least guilt. But it wasn't to be. Shortly after bringing her home he told her again he couldn't go through with it that he wasn't in love with her."

Evangeline sighed "Well this isn't as bad as I thought, I thought something horrible happened"

"Evangeline it did….Carla tried to commit suicide"

Evangeline eyes grew large. She looked over to the door and remembered the conversation. "Carla did what?"
"She tried to kill herself, she flipped out. That's why I was surprised that she was there with you guys. The girl is unstable"
"My god…."
"I'm sorry John should have told you, but he felt horrible over it and just tried to forget it all I suppose. Eve McBain turned the screws of guilt and he was considering going back to her until he got word from Buchanan Enterprises that they wanted to do a merger. He saw it as his chance to come back to you so he took it."

Evangeline didn't know what to think. This thing with him and Carla was more twisted than she previously thought. Yet for some reason she felt sadness for them both. Sad for Carla to be so desperate and needy that she would want to die for the love a man, and sad that John could have something that tragic and profound in his past and not share it with her.

"Thanks Ming…"
"Evangeline, please don't do something rash like walk away because he didn't share this. John has a lifetime of insecurities he battles with."
"I don't run anymore Ming, that's not who I am but me and John will have the difficult conversation of figuring out why he can't be honest with me."
"Me and Sam will be there this evening for tea, we can talk more then."
"See you then."

Closing her phone she sucked in her breath. She would shower and go downstairs, and face her man. She would make him finally share it all or force him to make some tough decisions.

Walking into the dining room Evangeline saw Marcie at the table feeding the baby. No one else was present.

"Hey.."
Marcie looked up. "Hey…you missed breakfast"
"Yea I figured 10 am was too late." Evangeline smiled looking around. "Where is John?"
"He and Michael are in the drawing room with their father."
"And Eve?"
"She's around….she was here not to long ago" Marcie said rolling her eyes feeding more to her baby.

Evangeline went and poured her coffee. She wanted to talk to John and talk to him now but she didn't want to interrupt them. Walking over she sat down and touched little Chelsea's hand. "She's so cute Marie"
"Thanks…I thought you might want to know, I saw Carla leave this morning. She was in tears."

Evangeline drank some of the hot liquid. "I figured she was gone."
"John and Eve had a fight as well which is why she isn't present I think. Anytime things don't go well with John Eve freaks, how could a mother favor one son over another?"

"Do you think that's what she does?" Evangeline asked
"I know it is. She barely had a word for Michael but every other word out of her mouth is about John. She has only held her grand daughter once."

"I don't understand Eve McBain Marcie. I know that her constant interference in John's life has left him emotionally scarred. I'm trying to find a way to deal with that."

Marcie looked at Evangeline sadden by what she said "Love him Evangeline. Michael has the same scars and all I do is love him."

"But you wanted him to come back here? You embraced all of this"
"I did that for my daughter as well as my husband. Running or hiding from the past doesn't change it. Mike needed to face it."

"You are so smart…"
Marcie laughed "And so are you! I heard you are going to Oxford for a PHD…laddie dah!"

Evangeline laughed and so did Marcie. Chelsea grinned as well.

Lowering her cup to the table she eventually sighed. She just didn't want to be in this house of glass anymore. "I think I am going for a walk around the grounds. I need to think."

Marcie frowned "Are you crazy its 20 degrees out there!"
"It will do me some good. If you see John tell him to join me" she said picking up her cup and swallowing the rest of her coffee. Rising she asked the servant to fetch her coat. Marcie watched frowning. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine" Turning she walked out.

John came into the dining area as Marcie was walking out with his niece asleep in her arms. "Hey did Evangeline come down yet?" he asked looking at his watch
Marcie nodded "She said she needed some air and was taking a walk outside"

"In the cold?" he asked confused
"Something's bothering her."
John nodded. He would find her and make sure she was okay.

Evangeline could imagine how beautiful the landscaping of this place was in the spring. White thick snow covered everything and she walked up the path holding her coat close to her and blowing out puffs of smoke from her nose due to the artic chill that engulfed her.

Seeing a bench ahead she decided to sit down. She was hurt only because she felt alone in her relationship now. John had shared so much with her about his grandmother and family but then left out something as important as Carla.

She just couldn't get past the fact he wouldn't disclose this with her. Looking down she thought about secrets and what it cost her before. She wasn't going to let John do this to them now. She wanted her life with him dammit. She wanted his babies. It was time all this was put in its place so they could move on.

"Evangeline…"

Looking up she saw John coming down the path in his coat. He looked confused to see her outside in the cold. She turned her head and looked away. John saw her reaction and frowned. What was going on with her?

Coming closer he took the seat next to her "Okay what's going on!"
"Carla O'Reilly that's what" she said disappointedly
"Evangeline…"
"No more lies John"
"I haven't lied to you." He said quickly
She turned glaring at him. "No more selective truths then."

John blew out his breath which turned to smoke in the cold wind. He looked straight ahead. "You know don't you?"
"Yeah I know and I can't believe you wouldn't tell me?"
"It was something that I'm not proud of Van.."
"I get that John, but my god to dismiss it."

John glared at her "I didn't dismiss it! Loosing another child of mine is not something I could dismiss!" he snapped

Evangeline eyes grew wide from shock "What…" she said weakly
John looked at her confused "You said you knew"
Evangeline rose from the bench and stared at him confused "Loosing another child of yours? What the hell does that mean?"

John got up "I thought you knew what happened."
"Ming said there was an accident. That Carla tried to kill herself…that you were guilty…I don't understand this…"

John ran his hand through his hair nervously. He knew that Ming didn't know the whole truth and he thought that Carla told her everything. He really screwed this up. Looking at her staring at him as if he was a stranger he froze. "Let me explain it all…."

Evangeline folded her arms hugging herself and John felt her retreating from him. He had to explain it quickly and get her trust back. "Carla wanted to get married and I tried to go along with it but I knew that in my heart I couldn't do it. My mother was adamant that I marry this time so she and Carla came up with a plan."

"What kind of plan?"

"An insurance plan….if Carla got pregnant there would be no way I would back out of the wedding. So she did behind my back. A week before the wedding I showed up at her place to tell her I couldn't go through it. She hit me with the cold truth that she wasn't letting me back out of it. She told me that this time I had no choice. She told me was carrying my child. I couldn't believe the lengths she went through and when she told me that it was my mother's idea I lost it. I tried to leave and she begged me to stay. We were in the hall fighting…..

"John please….please…"
"Carla let me go I won't be forced into anything with you" he said going to the stairs to leave. Carla grabbed his arm crying profusely pulling him back.

"If you leave me I will go to the press. I will make you out to be the heartless bastard you are!" she hissed

John looked at her as if she was crazy. "If I'm so heartless why would you want to marry me?"
"Because I love you dammit"
"Well I don't love you! This time my mother has gone too far. This time I make a choice to live for me. Now move!" he shouted turning to leave. Carla screamed and jumped on his back. John turned around trying to free her. "Carla stop get off of me!"

"NO! Don't leave me!" she screamed
John turned sharply to the left throwing her. She shook loose and lost her footing falling backward. As John watched in horror she rolled down the long stairwell. "Carla!" he screamed going after her. Reaching the bottom step she was out cold. John screamed cradling her in his lap.

"I was at her side when she woke up. I had to tell her that she lost the baby. It was my fault Evangeline; god has punished me for being so selfish in the past and punished the women that loved me by taking my babies. That's why I didn't want to rush into kids….I guess it was out of fear."

Evangeline let tears fall down her face "You left her anyway…"
John shook his head yes. "I couldn't handle it. For years I'd let my mother control my destiny and heart. I wouldn't allow her or Carla to guilt me into marriage. Besides at that point I hated myself so much I wanted nothing. So after I brought her home I ended it again. That night she tried to kill herself"

Evangeline began to pace. "How on earth could you keep all of this from me? The moment you saw she was here you should have said something at least. My god John the pain and tragedy you two share….."

John went to her and grabbed her arms gently "We don't share anything…"
Evangeline snatched her arm away "I don't know if I know you, not really"
"Don't say that sunshine, you know me"
"No…"
"Evangeline listen"
"No!" she shouted crying more now "I told you I wanted kids and you gave me some lame excuse to wait. Once again you were a coward. What are you so afraid of? Why do you resort to this? I thought we had changed…that the lies and secrets were gone. Yet you held me night after night keeping things from me. John my god!"

"Evangeline please"
"Let me go!" she shouted pushing away from him. John watched sadly as she ran from him. He ran after her but slipped on the ice loosing his balance and falling to his knees. Looking up she was already inside of the Palace. He had to go to her and explain. He was cruel and he could be heartless, but he was also in love with her and with her everything was different. He would make her understand that.