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
Chapter -9
The next day I learned that my childhood pen-friend was actually Jasper. We got talking and I learned that he had to go abroad, and that's why he couldn't come to the amusement park that day years ago. Jasper said since he couldn't keep his promise that day, he would do that now. So the very next day Jasper, Anthony, and I went to the amusement park. We rode on almost every ride. Anthony and I were having a blast. Jasper kept laughing at our enthusiasm. The last ride was for kids only, so Jasper and I were watching Anthony riding and talking among ourselves, when we heard Alice's voice.
"Jasper? What are you doing here?" We saw Alice walking towards us. I smiled at her, but she just ignored me.
"Edward went out of town. So we thought we should take Anthony to the amusement park," Jasper replied. His tone was bored.
"Hmm… seems the new Chairman of Cullen Industries has LOTs of free time." Alice narrowed her eyes at her fiancé.
"Forget about me. Why are you here? Are you stalking me now?" he asked in a hard tone.
"Jasper," I scolded him. He mumbled out a 'sorry' to me.
"Not that it's any of your business but I had a major photo shoot. And this is the location," Alice explained in an angry tone. And before I could say anything to either of them, Alice huffed and left, stomping her feet.
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A week passed, but Edward didn't return from California. Esme and Carlisle didn't like that. They didn't want him anywhere near Tanya. Alice had come for dinner while they were talking about this topic. Carlisle asked if Edward had called me. When I informed them that he would be away a few more days, he got angry with Edward.
"It was okay before. But now, he has a pregnant wife and a son. He can't behave like this," he huffed angrily.
"Carlisle, I'm sure he's stuck in something really important, otherwise he would've been here by now. Calm down please." I smiled at him.
"I don't like it," he grumbled. Esme nodded her agreement.
"Carlisle, may I suggest something?" Alice quipped suddenly.
"Sure."
"Since Edward and Bella couldn't have a honeymoon, why don't Bella and Anthony join Edward in California? They can surprise him. I'm sure he'll be glad to see his family," Alice explained brightly.
"I miss dad and mom too. I can meet them both if go there, right?" Anthony asked excitedly.
"I like this idea too," Esme joined in Anthony's excitement.
"Hmm… me too," Carlisle smiled.
"But…" I tried to object, but Alice interrupted. "Don't worry. I'll make the arrangement for your travel. First class plane tickets, driver to take you to Edward's hotel and everything. Think of it as my wedding present for you." She smiled a little too sweetly.
"Bella, please take me there. I've not seen my mommy for so long," Anthony pouted. "Okay, but you have to behave like a good boy," I agreed.
"Yay!" Anthony yelled happily.
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After landing in California, it took one hour to gather our bags. Anthony was super excited. He kept chatting the whole time. When we came to the area from where the driver was suppose to pick us up, we spotted Edward waiting for us there. He had a huge smile on his face. I sighed in relief. I had been worried that he might get angry. He had a gigantic rose bouquet in one hand and a cute sign in the other. The sign said: "Welcome my dear Anthony". He gave Anthony the sign and said "For you," before giving him a tight hug.
Edward then turned to me and handed me the bouquet and said, "For my lovely wife," making me giggle like a school girl.
"Thank you for coming here. Actually… I wanted you to come here but I wasn't sure if you would come or not." Edward shrugged sheepishly.
I just smiled at him. "I'm hungry," Anthony whined.
"Let's get out of here then," Edward stated before grabbing my bags. "Let me take that," he said, winking.
After an hour's drive, Edward brought us to a high-end apartment building. The apartment he led us to was really beautiful. "It's gorgeous, Edward," I looked around and the view from the balcony was magnificent.
"Do you like it?" he asked, smiling.
"Absolutely," I grinned up at him. "But why are we living here and not in an hotel?" I asked curiously.
"I'll answer you later tonight." He gave me a mysterious smile.
"Hmm… anyways, did you talk to Tanya?"
"I tried, but there was something strange. She told me she didn't want to meet me, and neither does she want to see Anthony ever again." Edward seemed worried.
"B-but why would she do that?" I asked, taken aback by her behavior. I knew Tanya loved Anthony a lot; then why would she refuse to see him like this?
"I thought maybe if she sees Anthony, she might change her mind, but Anthony's excitement is scaring me. If Tanya still refuses to see him, it might break his heart." Edward seemed as anxious as me.
"I'm so sorry. If I hadn't brought Anthony here to surprise you, then you wouldn't be in this situation."
"Don't be silly. I missed you and I wanted to ask you to come here. It's good you're here." He looked sad for a split second.
"Why?"
"I have a test for you." He grinned mischievously.
"Test? You do realize that you're behaving strangely, right?" I joked. Edward smiled and informed me that he had invited a few of his friends over, and when they knew that she was coming, they wanted to taste her desserts. He said that he had always praised her deserts, so his friends got curious.
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That afternoon, Anthony helped me in making desserts, while Edward entertained his guests. When Edward came to check on us in the kitchen, Anthony very seriously informed his father that he was going to marry me when he grew up. When I asked him for the reason, he answered so that I can make him desserts every day. Edward and I laughed at his innocence. Edward's friends laughed at everything too. They were talking about standards, their product or something. And Edward looked really proud while he kept glancing at me. I was puzzled by his reaction.
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That night, I was sitting in the balcony, lost in the beautiful view from there. Edward joined me with a soft smile on his face.
"Bella? Do you like the view from up here?" Edward asked suddenly, as he turned to look at the view with a small smile on his face.
"I love it, Edward. It's beautiful!" I gushed over it with a wide smile, almost bouncing on my heels.
Edward chuckled at that. "I'm glad. I bought this apartment for you. When you'll get home after a long day's work, you can sit here in this balcony with a beer and look at the view and rest your body and mind," he added with a pleased smile.
"I… I don't understand… what… are you…?" the feeling of dread in my gut let me know that whatever he was going to say next would hurt like hell.
"After we get divorced, I want to have the peace of mind of knowing that you're safe and secure and happy," he explained softly. I felt those traitorous tears filling my eyes, but I was not alone. His eyes had them too, and he didn't stop them from flowing down his cheeks.
"You shouldn't have… wasted so much money… I would have been fine…" I replied softly as tears streamed down my face.
"I… I…" he sniffed. He couldn't get the words out, and I understood. Before I could blink, he pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly to him. "Why? Why can't we just… stay? We can tear those papers and act like they never existed… like we never signed those papers," he whimpered, making me sob harder.
"But… but what about Anthony? And Tanya?" I asked, gripping his back tightly with no intention of letting go.
He pulled back and shook me by my shoulders. "And what about you? What about us? What about our… baby?" he cried out, desperately.
I didn't know what more to say to him… I had no answers for his questions. I could only think of one thing. I pulled him into my arms and buried my head in his neck. He clung to me like he was grasping onto a lifeline… It was like that is what I was to him… his lifeline.
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The next morning my life took another turn. Edward wanted me to stay as his wife and not go through the divorce one year later. So did I, but I was confused about the situation. So, I asked him for some time to think about it. That impatient guy gave me only 3 hours.
Anthony wanted to go meet his friends and teacher from his last school in California. So I went to buy some candies and treats for them. While shopping I kept thinking about Edward and me. I had made up my mind that I wanted to stay with him too and I was going to text him my answer. That's when I saw her. She was in a wheelchair.
When I confronted her about it, Tanya told me everything. She had had an accident a few weeks ago and lost her legs. She didn't want Anthony to see her like this. When I asked her why she didn't explain all this to Edward, she said that since I was his wife, we could be a family that Anthony needed growing up.
And that was when I committed the biggest mistake of my life. I called Edward and asked him to come to Tanya's address. Laurent and I were standing in front on the building, when he arrived and ran up to meet Tanya. It was then I knew that our dream of becoming a family wouldn't ever come true.
I brought Anthony there as well, and sent him up. It was afternoon by then. I kept waiting for Edward to come down and let Anthony spent some time with his mother but he never came. I kept waiting… and waiting. I sat on the stairs of the building and dozed off. Next thing I know, someone was shaking me awake. It was morning and Edward was standing beside me. "Why are you still here? Did you spent the night on these steps?" he asked.
"I thought you'd come out. But you… didn't…" I trailed off, feeling stupid. Why would he? He had got what he always wanted: a wife and a child. He had both. He didn't need me or my child.
"Let me call you a cab. Go to the apartment and get some rest, please," he said, pulling out his phone.
"It's okay. Can we talk for a minute?"
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Edward took me to the same beach we had gone to on our wedding night. I chuckled at how fitting this was. "Do you remember this beach? This is where our story started," I stated, looking at the waves. Then I told him that I wanted better. I told him how I had always dreamt about having someone who loved only me. For whom I was his whole world, and not a second hand interest. I told him I didn't want to stay with him or make our fake marriage real. I told him how grateful I was to him for buying a restaurant and that apartment for me.
I told him that he deserved to have his family back when he had got a second chance. He shouldn't waste it. I didn't let him talk. I could see the disbelief and anger settling in on his face. I didn't want to hear it. I left before he could recover from his shock.
A/N: Thanks for reading and please don't forget to leave a review.