Disclaimer:Twilight does NOT belong to me. This story is inspired from the show "Sunny Happiness". I don't own that one either.
Thanks to my Beta, Ninkita 3
Previously:
Both Alice and that man started thinking of a solution. The man looked around, sighing, when his eyes fell on me. Alice noticed it too, and she got a 'you-can't-be-thinking-what-I-think-you're-thinking' look on her face. "You're kidding right?" she shouted in shock. "Her?"
"She looks like the same size," he clarified. That's how I ended up in Alice's bridal gown show as her showstopper.
Chapter 6
Next thing I knew, people were dragging me backstage. They started fussing on my make-up and hair style and stuff I don't know about. Alice joined them too. I kept telling her that I knew nothing about walking the ramp.
"You're mistaken if you think I want you to walk in my show. But right now, I'm helpless. You're my only option. Don't ruin my show. Just make sure to finish the walk, no matter what," she ordered.
Jasper arrived a few minutes later and watching me getting ready for the show, he asked for the reason with a bewildered expression. Alice explained to him about the crisis. Someone called for her, so she left. Jasper teased me for a while, but encouraged me to do the show. I sighed and agreed reluctantly.
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As I waited for my turn to walk out on the stage, the butterflies in my stomach went crazy. Alice fixed my dress one last time and with a "Good luck," she sent me out.
I walked out on the stage. Every light turned on me and I squinted my eyes for a moment to adjust to them. I started walking to the front of the stage, when I noticed Jasper and Edward sitting in front row seats. Jasper showed me a thumbs up and Edward looked surprised. He offered me a huge smile and nodded in encouragement. I posed and smiled as I had seen the other girls do. I was almost toward the end of the ramp when everything in front of my eyes turned black.
When I opened my eyes next, I found Edward sitting beside me in a hospital room. He was holding onto my hand with his head resting on it. The door opened and Edward snapped his hand away from mine and looked up. Jasper and Alice entered the room, looking worried.
"Are you alright now?" Jasper asked.
"I'm fine now. Miss Alice, I'm sorry. Did I ruin your show?" I ask apologetically.
"Well, thanks to you, my show will make headlines tomorrow," Alice said bitterly. "But it's good that you're alright," she added softly.
"I'm sorry I worried all of you."
"What is wrong with you?" Edward shouted. "You're sick and you're apologizing for that?"
"She's already ill. You don't need to yell at her, you know?" Jasper stated angrily to his brother.
"Um… since Bella is fine, I think we should go and let her rest now," Alice reasoned with both brothers.
"But… at least one person should stay with her," Jasper said, looking at his brother.
"That won't be necessary. I'm fine now. I'll go home too," I said, trying to sit up. But I was stopped by my nosy husband.
"Absolutely not! I asked the doctor for a full check-up and you're staying the night. Don't worry. I've already paid the bills… and informed your dad." Edward seemed quite pleased with himself. He didn't know what a blunder he had caused.
"Are you crazy? Did you forget my dad is sick himself? Now he'll try to come here, undergoing a 4 hour journey with broken hips! He'll probably get his BP high with worry." I was almost hysterical.
"Since you're scolding me, it means you're feeling better. And don't worry, I sent my driver to drive him and his friend Billy here. We'll take your leave now. See you tomorrow," Edward said calmly. And with that they left for the day.
Half an hour later my dad arrived with Billy. As soon as they arrived, they started fussing over me. Only when I explained that I was alright and nothing serious had happened did they calm down a little. The doctor arrived the very next moment.
"Doctor, please tell my father that I'm alright and can go home now," I requested the doctor.
"Yes, you're right that everything is alright. But you should take better care of yourself now; especially in your pregnant state," the doctor scolded me.
"What?!" I uttered in utmost shock.
"You didn't know that you're pregnant?" he asked. Then, looking through my reports he added, "it seems that you're 9 weeks pregnant."
I heard my dad roar in anger and Billy's shocked, "How? By whom?" But I couldn't focus on anything. The doctor's words echoed through my head again and again... 'it seems like you're 9 weeks pregnant.' Nine weeks ago…. our wedding night… I conceived… and I fainted again.
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As I sat in my little studio apartment in front of my father, who was bellowing angrily, all I could think about was the life resting in my womb. How was I going to tell Edward about the life we had created together? Even though we're married, it's not a real marriage. It never was.
"Are you even listening to me?" I heard my dad say. "I know you're an adult but did you think before sleeping with his father..." he said motioning towards my stomach. "… about using protection. Bella, you don't earn much and I'm sure he won't even take responsibility for this baby. How are you going to manage everything? You already have the burden of my medicine bills and now… this. Please tell me who the father of this child is, so that I can talk to him about taking responsibility and helping you in raising this baby."
But I knew my father well. He'd shoot Edward first and talk to him later… if he survived. But when I didn't answer any of his questions, he panicked. "Were you raped? Oh dear God! Is that why you don't want to tell me? That I'll worry? How can I not? Tell me who that bastard is? I'll kill him!" he roared.
"Of course I wasn't raped. What is wrong with you? Calm down, dad. Your BP will get high," I whined, before I got up from the couch and left my apartment. I just didn't have the patience to deal with him right then. I had lots of thinking to do. I didn't know where to go, though. At first I thought about going to a park, but there could be serial killers there. And I wasn't in mood to actually walk, either. So, I headed for the roof.
It was peaceful and silent on the roof; leaving me alone with my thoughts. My mind and heart were in a battle with each other. The calm outside was doing nothing to calm the storm inside. I didn't know what to do. I knew Edward would love this baby more than anything. He didn't get to experience Anthony's childhood; so, of course he would be ecstatic. But what about Anthony? He just got his father back. He would want his father to stay with him and his mom. It would be so unfair to him. Edward would be in a dilemma, having to choose between his children.
And what about me?! I knew Edward considered me his best friend. I did, too. I had thought that when this sham of a marriage was over, I would get the chance to find someone who loves me more than anything; whose world would revolve around me and our children. Didn't I deserve to be loved and have someone like that? Tears fell from my eyes and I held back my sobs by biting hard on my lips.
"This accidental child will complicate your relationship with Anthony, Tanya…. and me. Please forgive my decision! I'm sorry, Edward. But I'm too selfish to tell you about this baby. You must never know about his existence," I said to myself as I recalled that night when our fate changed. Our wedding night! The wine… our walk along the beach… us laughing together… our naked bodies wrapped around each other… each kiss… each caress… our shopping trip… our photo session… Edward getting worried over my shoe… everything.
I wiped the tears off my cheeks and picking up my phone, I started to type out a message for Edward.
Edward, I've thought carefully about it. Anthony is with you now. You also get along well with Tanya. Our fake marriage no longer needs to exist. Can you do one thing for me? Let's get divorced earlier than our intended date. –Bella
I pressed the 'send' button as a sob tore though my chest, making me realize that I couldn't stop myself from falling for him. The thought of no longer being his wife was terrifying and heartbreaking. This stupid heart! Why did it always have to mess things up?
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When I woke up the next day, I felt empty. On auto-pilot, I reached my kitchen and made my coffee. It was then that I noticed that my apartment was oddly quite; which, with my dad and Billy staying over, it shouldn't have been. I looked around and found no trace of them. A feeling of dread pooled in my stomach as I found a sticky note stuck onto my refrigerator. It simply said,
We're going to get you out from being called an 'unwed mother' and your baby a 'bastard'.
Love
Dad
"Huh?! What the….!?" I wondered what he meant by the weird note. I bit on my lower lip and decided to call Billy. "Hello, Billy?"
"Oh…um…hey Bella!" he answered hesitantly—AKA, something terrible was going to happen.
"What's going on? Where's dad? Where are you guys? What does this creepy note mean?" I started shooting questions rapidly.
"Oh… actually… What happened was…" Billy was going to say something but I think my dad snatched the phone. For an injured person, he sure moved fast. "Good morning, baby girl. Did you have your breakfast yet? You must eat well in your condition. We're a little busy. Talk to you, later." Dad said everything in one breath and hung up.
"He hung up on me!" I stated, with my eyes wide in shock. This had never happened before… why would Charlie hang up on me? He was surely up to something.
Twenty minutes later, my phone rang. The caller Id said "Edward." I hesitated at first. 'Perhaps… he wants to talk about the text I sent him last night?' I wondered. When it rang for the second time, I reached out and pushing the answer button, held it to my ears. "Hello?"
"I think you should come to the house. Your father is here," Edward informed me softly.
"Wha..! How…? Did he…?!" I was shocked beyond my mind. How did my father reach there? How did he know where to go? Questions kept flowing through my mind. I changed hurriedly and took a cab to the Cullen residence.
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When I reached the manor, I was a bundle of nerves. As I rung the bell and waited for someone to answer the door, the tension made me want to throw up. I shifted from foot to foot, biting down hard on my lip and gulping nervously. When the door opened, Edward was standing there with a soft smile on his face. We stared at each other silently, not knowing what to say to the other person.
"In a while," Edward started, "we have a harsh battle ahead. Be ready for it," he warned. He gestured me inside. With shaky feet, I walked inside the manor.
As we stood in front of our parents, I didn't dare to look up from the floor. I didn't want to look at their faces, I was so scared. Edward was standing right beside me with his hands in his pocket, cool as a cucumber.
"Miss Swan, we didn't know that apart from being our housekeeper you're also Edward's wife, our daughter-in-law," Mr. Cullen said with a frown. He sounded apologetic, though for what, I didn't have any idea.
"Dad, Bella..." Edward tried to say something, but he was cut off by his dad.
"Shut up. I'm talking to Miss Swan at the moment," he sighed. "Miss Swan, can you tell me what is going on?"
I peeked at Edward but stayed silent.
"Bells, don't worry. Your dad is here. Say what you have to say," Charlie said, glaring at Edward. For some reason, he seemed to think that Edward had forced or tricked me into marrying him, so that he could take advantage of me.
"Let me ask. How far along are you, Bella?" Esme asked softly.
"Nine weeks," I replied meekly.
"But two months ago, Edward was in California," Esme stated, looking puzzled.
"So was Bella," Edward answered before Charlie or I could.
"Are you trying to say that my daughter is trying to trap your son?" Charlie asked angrily.
"That's not it. I was trying to find a solution to settle this matter," Esme answered.
"What's there to settle, Esme? Edward, I expect this kind of behavior from Jasper," at this Jasper, who was sitting silently all this while, huffed angrily. "But not from you. We didn't have any say in your previous wedding and we forgave you for that, but this time around? How could you not even mention that you've gotten married? And you even asked Bella to hide your marital status? Did you ever think how this poor girl must have felt when none of her family members were involved in the wedding ceremony?" Mr. Cullen scolded his son. "And on top of that you let your mom hire her as our housekeeper? What kind of husband does that?"
"Dad, things are not as they seem to you," Edward stated, soothingly.
"Then, how are they, exactly?" asked Jasper.
"Just give me chance to clarify," Edward said loudly. He then turned to me and said, "Bella, I think we have to tell them the truth." He took my hands in his and looking in my eyes, he said, "We got married because we're truly in love with each other." I gasped at his confession. "The first time I met Bella three months ago, we had a really big fight. Then when we met in California two months ago, I was in a big mess. It was Bella who calmed me down; helped me out of that mess. We spent time with each other and got to know each other better. We don't know when exactly we fell in love with each other. But one thing I knew for sure was that I didn't want to be separated from her. So I asked her to marry me. Bella didn't want people to call her names for marrying her boss, so we decided to keep it quiet," Edward explained.
I gave him a look that said, 'what the hell are you talking about'. He gave me a comforting smile in return. "Before I met her, my mood was always like a rainy day. But when she appeared, the rain stopped. She's my sunshine, my sunny happiness. This is the love I always wanted. Bella, you feel the same for me, don't you?" he asked, caressing my cheek.
He then turned towards our parents. "Mom, dad, Chief Swan, I'm sorry that we acted before we told you and that we kept it hidden. Please forgive us. But we truly love each other. Please accept us," he pleaded. He then turned to me and said, "I love you Bella. I hope to spend my lifetime loving and protecting you." I swooned at his speech.
"If you love her so much, then why did you hide it? I still don't understand," Jasper asked his brother. "You even refused when I asked if you had an affair with Bella," he grumbled.
Edward chuckled. "That you have to ask Bella. Why does she have such biases against marriage between people of different status?" And just like that, he threw me to the lions, so to speak. "Bella, in this whole hassle of hiding our relationship, you have been the one who has suffered the most. Let's not hide it anymore."
I wanted to say something to him, too. But suddenly, morning sickness took over. I ran to the nearest bathroom to throw up my breakfast. Edward followed me and held onto my hair as I puked my guts out. That was gross!
As I washed my mouth, he asked, "Are you alright? When did this morning sickness start?" He rubbed my back affectionately.
"I'm fine. It started the other day," I replied as I tried to control my dizzy head. I sat on the edge of the tub and took deep breaths.
Edward looked thoughtful for a while. "Are you alright… with this pregnancy?" he asked tentatively. When I gave him a curious look, he stated, "I know what you are thinking."
"Do you?"
"We have let the cat out of the bag. I'm sorry. This was the only way I could think of." He was apologetic about the lie he had told our families; the lie… about loving me.
"What shall we do now?" I asked, shaking my head. The road before of us seemed blocked, leaving us with no way to go.
"Outside, they must be discussing our wedding by now. Since the cat is out of the bag, there's no way to take the words back," he said, looking at me cautiously. "Shall we just let the story continue?" He wanted to know if I was ready to act like we were a loving couple for the rest of our lives.
Was I ready? The answer was no. I wasn't. I couldn't live my life in this fake relationship. Nothing here was real. Not for me and certainly not for Edward. I shook my head in the negative and asked, "Before we face them again, can we discuss it first? Somewhere outside?"
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We sneaked out of Cullen manor and walked to the nearest park silently; lost in our thoughts. I took a seat on a bench, while Edward stood in front of me, leaning against a tree.
"How can we stop this whole thing? Couldn't we act like it never happened?" I asked, mostly to myself. Edward sighed and sat beside me.
"Why do we need to stop?" he asked suddenly. "In this situation, it'll be really difficult to stop. Just treat it as a re-enactment of what happened in California. Except this time, we'll have an audience," he said simply.
"Is this really a good idea, Edward? We should just tell everybody the truth about our marriage," I grumbled.
"What's wrong with the idea?" he asked.
"What about Tanya? And Anthony? Did you forget what a huge fit he threw when your mom said you should date?" I asked angrily. "Shouldn't you be trying to get together with Tanya again for Anthony's sake?"
"Who told you that we want to start over? And Anthony will understand when he gets older," he shrugged. "He's a child now. He sees the world through rose tinted glasses. He doesn't understand the real world. My marriage with Tanya ended a long while ago. Whether Tanya can accept it or not, has nothing to do with me."
"So Tanya wants another chance?" I asked curiously.
"Like I said, I don't want anything to do with Tanya other than being a co-parent," Edward explained.
"Alright. But will Anthony be able to accept the fact that you have a wife and he has a step-mom? And that step-mom is me? Won't he feel betrayed?"
"I'm sure, in the beginning he will be upset, but if we explain it to him slowly, he'll understand. He's a smart kid." Edward placed his hand on mine and squeezed lightly. He exhaled in frustration and asked, "Bella, why are you talking about other people? What about you? Can you think about yourself for a while? You're the person involved directly in this matter."
"What I think… was written in the text I sent you last night," I stated, looking the other way, so that I didn't have to look at him. "You've read it, right?" I asked softly.
Edward sighed and got up from the bench. He walked to the tree in front of me, stuffed his hands in his pocket and said, "I wish I hadn't read it."
I got up from the bench and walked closer to him. "What do you mean?"
He turned and stated rather stubbornly, "I can't let you do that. I can't divorce you."
"Why not? That is the best solution for us," I asked, trying to understand his motive behind this. "If we get divorced, I can take care of this baby by myself and you can focus on raising Anthony," I tried to make him understand.
"Have you really thought this through? You're already taking care of your father financially. How are you going to raise the baby alone? And what about you? Don't you care about yourself even a little?"
"You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of everything," I replied persistently, soundly like a child myself. "My life has become a mess from the moment I met you. Earlier, whatever it was like, it was ok. But when you entered, it's just been chaos. I'm sure it'll be back to normal after you're gone from it." Tears welled in my eyes as I bit on my lip. I sighed and turned to leave, but suddenly, he hugged me from behind and rested his head on my neck.
"Don't be like this, please," I whispered.
"I will not divorce you," Edward stated through clenched teeth.
"Shouldn't we just end our story? I think it'll be best," I murmured, resting my head on his shoulder.
He loosened his hold on me, turned me around by my waist, and stated, "Absolutely not. I want to be with you. I want our story to continue. I know this marriage started as a fake arrangement, but along the way, I fell in love with you, I don't even know when. Please Bella, let's not end our relationship. Let's not get divorced… ever," he said, before he pulled me into a tight hug.
"Okay," I answered, before returning his hug. And thus, in that park, we started our real marriage.
A/N: Remember to leave a review to let me know what you think about Bella and Edward's budding relationship. Will Anthony accept it? What will be Tanya's reaction to Bella's pregnancy?