Chapter 12

Hello everyone! Am sorry for late update. Thank you so much for the ideas.

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Gwen walked up and down her lounge trailing her hand in her hair looking at the cloak in small intervals. She was so nervous waiting for Lance to come home. she felt by the time this night was done, she might as well be dead.

She was just so nervous. One fleeting thought passed that she should just let things be and stay with Lance but she quickly squashed it. Like Kara said, she would be settling. With Lance, it was comfortable, they rarely fought, he was just a nice great guy but that made it all th harder for her to do this to him. She could only hope he would be understanding.

She was startled out of her thoughts when she heard the cloick of the door. Lance was home. She looked at him as he came into the lounge looking so roguishly handsome in blue jeans and a white long sleeve flannel. She distractedly noted he had been to the gym. Often he passed the gym from work where he would then change into casual clothes.

"Hey baby." Said Lance with a smile coming to give her hug. She returned it hoping he wouldn't sense her nerves. "Hey, are you ok?" asked Lance pulling from her nad looking her over.

Of course he would notice something was wrong. She was srill in her work clothes, she had been pacing up and down and she was sure she looked disheveled from running her hands in her hair so many times. She decided to get straight to the point. "No Lance. I am not. We…we need to talk."

Lance looked at her concerned and nodded then he went to sit on the double couch and Gwen joined him there. "What is it love? You can tell me anything."

"I know I can which makes it all the much harder." said Gwen

"Whatever it is we can get through it together. Just tell me what it is. I hate to see you like this." said Lance and Gwen felt her heart breaking even further. How could she do this to him? How could she break his heart like this? What kind of person did that make her? He loved her and seeing his dark eyes full of love and concern…..she rose from the couch and paced back and forth like she had done before he had arrived.

"Guinevere, please talk to me." said Lance and she started at his use of her full name. He never called her Guinevere and when he said it, it wasn't like Arthur. it didn't make her feel special, it didn't feel like a caress and it certainly didn't make her feel a torrent of feelings and emotions she felt when Arthur said her name.

Getting courage from that, she blurted out suddenly, "I am in love with someone else." As soon as sh said it, she felt a sense of calmness feel her, a sense of relief. It was out. She had said it. there was no taking it back.

The silence in the room was heavy. Gwen turned and looked at Lance and saw him looking at her, his face full of emotions, first what seemed to be disbelief and surprise then hurt and then finally he said, "You are what?"

"I am sorry Lance. I…I don't know how this happened. I just…I just did." said Gwen her head lowered tears filling her brown eyes.

"Arthur?" said Lance and Gwen's eyes shot up in surprise. How did he know?

"Yes." She whispered the confirmation. "I am in love with him Lance. I tried not to but I just cant." Said Gwen. there was another deadly silence. "Please say something Lance. Anything. Shout at me, scream at me…"

"What do you want me to say Gwen?" said Lance his eyes hard. Gwen swallowed never having seen him like that. His eyes were full of anger hurt and pain. "What do you want me to say? Huh? My fiancée, the woman I love is in love with someone else and that someone else is my best mate! What do you want me to say?" said Lance fists clenched glaring at her.

"Lance I am sorry…" said Gwen now crying. She had hurt him. She had betrayed him.

"I guess in a way I saw this coming." said Lance sighing. "I could see the looks, the stares. I thought I was imagining things. Then you started pulling away. I knew I was losing you but I held on hoping you loved me as much as I love you."

"I do love you Lance. I love you. I agreed to marry you. I just…I am in love with him Lance." said Gwen loss for how else to explain it to Lance in a way that won't hurt him.

Lance sighed and went to sit down at the couch and beckoned her to do the same. "When did this happen?"

Gwen could see he really didn't want to know but needed the information anyway. She sighed. "When we met when I had a breakdown."

"That far back?"

"I didn't know what I felt then. I just thought it was an attraction, like a crush. When we met in the club that was when I knew. I tried to resist it Lance. I really did but the feelings were overwhelming. I just couldn't forget him. We began having lunch dates, getting to know each other and well it happened."

"Did you ever cheat on me?"

"Only once. On our engagement party. I was avoiding Arthur then he saw me leaving to go to the kitchen and he followed me. we kissed."

Lance was silent for a while the said, "I love you Gwen. I love you a lot and in my mind and in my heart, I knew you were the one for me. I am my happiest when I am with you and when I look at you, I just feel like the luckiest man alive. How could such a beautiful woman love me?"

"Lance…." Gwen started but Lance stopped her gently placing his finger on her lips then gently wiped the tears falling off her cheeks.

"I love you Gwen and loving you means wanting you to be haopy, seeing those brown eyes shine with laughter and joy. These past weeks, I wasn't seeing that. I want you to be happy and as much as it pains me to let you go, I will. You deserve all the happiness in life and if its with Arthur then that's fine." Said Lance and Gwen hugged him crying.

She couldn't believe he had understood. "I love you too Lance and I want you to be happy. You are a very special man and I know you will find your special girl." said Gwen gently then she took off the ring and gave it to Lance.

Lance looked at the ring or some time and when he looked back at her she was stunned to see tears in his eyes. "I guess this is it?"

"I am sorry Lance."

Lance nodded then he rose.

"Lance where are you going?"

"I want you to be happy Gwen but that doesn't mean this doesn't hurt me. I am filled with a lot of emotions that I need to sort out before I can be able to see you or Arthur." said Lance then he kissed her gently and he left.

Gwen groaned as she woke up from the awkward position on the couch. When Lance had left after packing some of his stuff, she had cried. She had sobbed out all the pain she had caused Lance, what she had done to him and the loss she felt in the apartment all alone.

A knock on the door sounded and she knew what had woken her. She went and opened the door and saw, "Arthur?"

Xxx

Arthur looked at Gwen looking worse for wear, her eyes red and puffy, her clothes crumpled and her hair mused but to him she was still the most beautiful woman on earth. He was startled when she jumped into his arms and began to sob. He caught her, maneuvered them so they were inside, closed the door and led them to the couch.

"Guinevere." He said gently and she sobbed even harder. He merely held her close until the tremors subsided. "Are you ok?"

Gwen nodded. "I must be a mess."

"You are beautiful." said Arthur and Gwen chuckled tearily. After blowing her nose, she settled into Arthur and they sat there in a comfortable silence.

"How did it go?" asked Arthur.

"It went well. He was angry, pained, betrayed all the emotions you would expect but he was soft about it. he said he wanted me to be happy and that if it meant not with him then he would let me go."

"And you are happy with me?" asked Arthur suddenly feeling insecure. She had broken it off with Lance but she could want to be alone.

Gwen looked at him and said "The happiest I have ever been. Telling Lance I was in love with you freed me in a way. I felt relieved. I love you Arthur and you love me too right?"

He could see the vulnerability in the brown eyes, the questioning whether she had done the right thing, whether Arthur would stick to her and be with her and that this was not some crazy dream. "I don't just love you Guinevere. I am in love with you and I am going to live to make you happy for the rest of our lives if you allow me."

Gwen gave him a dazzling smile that lit up her whole face before their lips sealed in their first kiss as a couple. The kiss was soft, loving but not in any way lacking in passion. Each conveyed how they felt in the kiss and it was amazing.

"You are tired."

"Yeah. emotionally drained."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No. Stay. I want you to hold me tonight. Nothing else. Jut to hold me."

"Anything for you my love." said Arthur and he carried her gently to the spare room. she couldn't bare sleep with Arthur in the room she shared with Lance. That seemed wrong. that night Arthur lay holding Gwen and he felt the happiest he had ever been. She loved him…no she was in love with him and she was finally his to love and cherish.

There it was. I hope you all enjoyed. So epilogue next chapter. Thank you so much for all the support.