Author's Note: Well, I'm back. After what seems like forever, here I am, finally, and I bring with me Chapter 20! I hope anyone who has stuck around for this story enjoys what I've written here. As always, Read/Enjoy/Review!

Chapter Twenty: Oh Phubb

" There is no such thing as an accident…"-Unknown

I study Chase, waiting. I've been waiting for almost twenty minutes for him to say something, anything. Instead he's just stared at me. Every once in a while taking a deep breath and I think he's getting ready to talk, but he doesn't.

" Well, this has been fun," I say bracing my hands on the chair to get to my feet.

" Wait, wait. I'm sorry. I had it all worked out in my head, what I was going to say to you when I saw you, but then you walked in and I couldn't think of a damn thing," Chase says and I settle back against the chair.

" The beginning. Start at the beginning. Why didn't you ever tell me?"

" I didn't think it would matter."

" I don't buy that Chase. How do you have this whole past, and not think it would matter. You were married. You have a child," I say, shaking my head at him, " Did you honestly think I would never find out? How did you get her to disappear in the first place?"

" My mother. It's complicated."

" Life's complicated."

" I met Sarah my first year of residency. She was so different from any girl I had ever met, and we hit it off right away. We were together no more than six months when we found out she was pregnant. So we went to the court house and got married. When she was about seven months along I found it that there was a possibility I wasn't the father, so that's when my mother stepped in. We divorced and I took a paternity test as soon as Shane was born, and once it was determined that I was the father I set up a trust that I've been adding money to for years now. I send a check every month."

" You didn't want him," I murmur, trying to understand.

" I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to be a father Brae, I was a resident. Working twelve to sixteen hours a day, I couldn't handle a baby."

" You were a coward," I accuse, " You work twelve to sixteen hours now. What would you have done if I hadn't lost our baby? Ran away? Set up a trust for our baby, send me a check every month?"

" No. God no. Brae, I was different then, I was immature."

" Oh and you hiding the fact that you were once married and have a child are shining examples of maturity," my voice drips with sarcasm as I throw my hands in the air, " Chase. You should have told me. I had a right to know. I was an open book for you. You know everything about me. I never hid anything from you."

" What do you call sneaking out in the middle of the night to go play nurse for your ex-boyfriend?" he snaps back, and my heart plummets into the pit of my stomach, " What about when you were having doubts about our marriage? If I remember correctly you went to just about everyone but me with that information."

" That isn't fair," I say shaking my head at him.

" Oh so its fair for you to point out all my shortcomings and what I've done wrong, but you can't handle when all your dirty laundry is aired?"

" No! Because when I was having doubts I didn't come to you because I didn't want to hurt you! I hid it from you because the idea of causing you any sort of pain damn near killed me! You hid your past from me. I don't know why, because it wouldn't have hurt me. We all have pasts. God knows I do. So why you felt it necessary to hide yours from me, I will never understand."

" How would it have sounded Brae? If after the argument we had about you wanting kids, and me not wanting them, all of a sudden I just blurted out that I have a teenage son?"

" It would have been a shock. Would I have been pissed of course, because we didn't have the argument about children until AFTER we were married! All of this should have come out before we even said " I Do," Chase and you fucking know it!"

" FINE! I'm wrong Brae! I should have told you! Okay, is that what you want to hear? I fucked up! God, I'm not perfect!" I jump when he picks up the pretty blue vase I made when I was sixteen and throws it across the room. It shatters, a sound so loud and so heartbreaking it has me rushing to my feet only to be met with Chase's back hand. Of course it wasn't intentional, but nevertheless my head snaps back and tears surge even as the blood begins to ooze into my mouth.

" Oh shit!"

" Son of a bitch!" I hiss, ducking his hands as he tries to cup my face.

" Brae, oh my God, Brae," he says, his voice dripping with sincere guilt.

" Don't," the words come out muffled as I cup my hand over my mouth, trying my hardest to hold onto some form of dignity and not throw up all over the place, and I can't quiet place the reason for my uncontrollable shaking. I'm not scared of Chase. I know this was an accident. Then again, this would be the first time a man ever made me bleed. So maybe that's why I can't stop shaking, and it would be a perfectly good reason for the tears that seem insistent on falling down my face.

I could probably stand here all day, staring at Chase who by the look on his face, seems to have gone into shock himself. Instead, I gather my purse and brush past him, nearly jumping out of my skin when she grabs my shoulder.

" Don't touch me!" I sputter, repulsed by the blood I know is trickling down my chin, and the fact that my lip feels like it's the size of a grapefruit.

" Brae, I…."

" I know. I know. I have to…I have to go."

Evangeline's POV

I sit tapping my foot under the table, checking my watch for what seems like the billionth time. And I'm annoyed. No, I'm moving at light speed out of annoyed and into irate. Braelyn's late. She's never the late one. I'm the late one. Always have been. So why my beautiful cousin has seen fit to not show up, and instead has left me to sit at this table, surrounded by other people and their food, has me very close to the edge of going completely banana's.

" Hey Brae, its me Evy. Your super sweet, pregnant cousin and best friend in case you forgot! So uhm, where the hell are you? I've been sitting here sipping Sprite and being subjected to smelling everyone else's delicious meals because I'm waiting for your happy ass to make an appearance. Call me back."

I stare at my phone, wondering if I eat said phone, how dangerous it would be for the baby setting up shop in my uterus. Then it happens. The sight of hands down one of the biggest slices of chocolate cake walks by me, and I give in to my hunger. I slide my phone into my purse and get the waiters attention.

Braelyn's POV

I stare at myself in the mirror. Still unsure how exactly I'm going to hide the sickly bluish-black bruise that blooms around the corner of my mouth. Not to mention the massive amount of swelling that leaves talking damn near impossible.

" Phubb," I mutter groaning when the simple act of swearing is made impossible. Who would have thought a backhand to the mouth would cause so much damage. That's when I hear it. The front door slamming shut.

" Brae!" Evy's voice echoes through the house, and I groan. Of course. Of course when I don't need to be seen by anyone she would show up.

" Hol' on," I call out trying to think of someway to cover this up. As nonchalantly and discreetly as I can.

" Get your ass out here, Now!" I let out a sigh and open the door. Luckily her back is turned towards me, so I can make a futile attempt to shake my hair into my face to hide my current situation.

" Imagine my surprise when I went to the restaurant we both agreed on, only to be stood up. Do you understand how dangerous it is to stand up a hungry pregnant woman?" Evy demands as she whirls around, and I grimace at her, trying for a weak smile as I shrug my shoulders.

" I sowwy," I mumble, and she blinks at me, confused by screwed up speech.

" What the hell is wrong with you? Have you been crying? Damn it Brae, I told you, you didn't have to face Chase alone. God," she takes a few steps towards me, extending arms for a warm hug, but she stops, her eyes studying me closer, drifting to my shirt. Oh shit my shirt. The same shirt that I had used to staunch the flow of blood from my broken lip, " Brae, why is there blood on your shirt?" I take a deep breath.

" Don' fweak out, kay?" I stammer, and she clenches her jaw tightly. I shake my hair back and lift my face to show her.

" Son of a fucking bitch! What the hell did he do to you?" she screams, her hands immediately clasping my face as she turns it side to side, studying it intently.

" It was a asident."

" Accident my ass! I swear to God, I'm going to kill him. No I'm not going to kill, Jared will kill him, wait until I tell him!"

" No!" I make a desperate grab for her phone, but it doesn't matter.

" Well, what's going on here. Brae, don't you know it's not a good idea to wrestle with a pregnant woman?" Jared's easy voice fills the room, and I immediately bury my face in Evy's shoulder, " And to think I brought you a present. In the shape of Tyson."

" Oh Phubb!"

" Wait, so Chase threw your vase. Your blue vase across the room, and then backhanded you," Jared repeats to me slowly, and I roll my eyes even as I pull the ice pack off of my mouth.

" Yesh, he bwoke my vase, but hibbing me was a asident," I say, but it does no good. His eyes still glow with anger, but as scary as Jared's not so quiet anger is, Tyson's dead silent anger is down right terrifying.

" Your sure it was an accident?" Evy asks, as she holds a hand out to switch ice packs.

" Yes," I say, looking around the room, my eyes catching Tyson's. So much is said in the silence that passes between us, and when he pushes to his feet I feel my heart sink, but before I can grab his hand and ask him to come and talk to me, there's a knock on the door.

" Who the hell is here now?" Evy demands while Tyson strides to the door and pulls it open, I see him. Chase standing on the other side of the door looking as if he's weighed down by a worlds worth of guilt.

" I came to…" Chase's words are cut off by Tyson's fist slamming into his face, and I toss my hands in the air, crying over the ridiculous situation I have somehow found myself in as I sink onto the couch.

" Oh Phubb…."