18. TED
18
TED
T he air felt heavier as I entered the luxurious penthouse suite, the plush carpet beneath my feet doing little to cushion the blow that awaited me. The scent of fresh flowers filled the air, their vibrant colours clashing with the stark reality that I was about to shatter Elena’s world—and my own.
I stared at the phone, my heart thudding in my chest, my instincts screaming that something was wrong.
Elena stood before me, her flowing hair cascading down her back in soft waves.
“Where were you last night? I called and called—” Elena’s voice quivered, her eyes searching mine for answers.
“I’m sorry for not getting in touch. But we need to talk, Elena,” I said, my voice heavy with the weight of my decision.
Elena’s eyes filled with tears, her hands trembling as she sat on the cream couch. The room, usually so airy and light, seemed to darken with the weight of our conversation.
Nothing is fucking easy, but I know what I want.
“What do we need to talk about, Edward?” Her voice cracked, revealing the depth of her upset.
I took a deep breath, the scent of the fresh flowers almost overwhelming. I studied her, my heart aching with guilt. She deserved better than this.
“Edward?”
Her voice snapped me back to reality. I reached into my pocket, tracing the outline of the phone that held my future—a future with Adele.
“I’m sorry, Elena, but I can’t do this anymore.” The words felt like I was throwing boulders at her, heavy and crushing.
Adele, she was who I wanted.
She was who I’d always wanted.
“ Can’t do what?!” Elena whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Do what, Edward?”
I met her eyes, heaving out a sigh. “This. Us. I’m not...I’m not in love with you anymore.”
Elena’s face contorted, her eyes filling with tears. She let out a bitter laugh, wiping her tears away roughly. “So?”
Whoa, what?
I was taken aback, confused by her reaction. “What do you mean, so?”
She locked eyes with me, a fierce determination burning within her. “I mean, so what! You can’t leave me; I need you. You’ll look like a right bastard if you leave me now.”
Adele’s words echoed in my mind, a haunting reminder of the reality that awaited me. “Elena is…”
No.
I stared at Elena, my mouth hanging open in disbelief. My insides felt like they were being rearranged, the sharp pain in my chest forcing me to take a breath.
“Why’s that, Elena?” I whispered, praying I’d come to the wrong conclusion.
Elena rolled her eyes, a mix of sadness and defiance in her gaze. “Because, Daddy, I’m pregnant.”
The floor felt like it was moving. The walls closed in, suffocating me. My body convulsed as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice on me, causing my teeth to chatter in shock.
Surely not.
No.
“We haven’t…” My words trailed off, remembering the last time being over a month ago. A drunken night together where we’d tried to summon the passion between us.
Fucking hell.
“Oh, but we did. It was not overly memorable, but we did. So, you’re leaving me, are you? Me and our unborn child?” Elena broke into more tears, shaking her head as I stared at her, feeling dazed.
“Right, I need to think.” I sank onto the sofa. I couldn’t trust my legs to support me if I stood for a moment longer. I dragged my hands over my cheeks, wondering what the fuck I was going to do now.
“You’re pregnant?” I forced the words out, my heart pounding in my chest.
Elena scoffed, pulling her phone out and thrusting it towards me. “I took photos with the date and time. I thought you’d be excited.”
Her voice was hollow, and I felt a pang of guilt. The photo on the screen showed Elena clutching a pregnancy test with a smug grin. The image was framed with a red heart, the joy captured in the photo contrasting sharply with the irritation etched on Elena’s face now.
“I’m sorry…” I began, the words catching in my throat.
“Is there someone else?” Elena snapped, wiping her nose on the back of her hand.
Why would anyone cheat on her? Maybe because I’m unhappy.
“It’s not the reason, no.”
Nausea swept over me, and I lifted my eyes to see Elena glaring at me.
“Happy?”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Elena let out a sharp laugh, her eyes flashing with anger. “Am I okay? How do I feel? That you will be there to support us? Those kinds of things, Edward!”
I nodded, my mind racing. I couldn’t be with Elena when every fibre of my being yearned for Adele. But the baby…
“Look, I can’t be with you. But the baby…” Saying the word felt foreign on my tongue, but I persevered. “I’ll be there completely, you know that.”
Elena looked up at me, her eyes glittering with fresh tears. “It’s not enough, Edward. The baby deserves both parents, married parents at that! You know how our parents are. This isn’t up for debate. You can’t leave me!”
“Elena—”
“No, Edward.” Elena took a deep breath, fixing me with her puppy dog eyes. “We need you. Don’t leave us now.”
“I’m in love with someone else.” The words felt like a weight lifting from my shoulders. I nodded, realising that as fucked up as this situation was, being with Adele wasn’t up for debate.
Baby or not.
“It’s that fucking reporter, isn’t it?” Elena’s eyes flashed, her hands clenched into fists. “Well, fuck her! We have a baby coming, Edward. Stop pretending you’re seventeen again!”
There was no talking to Elena like this.
I couldn’t breathe. The air in the room felt thick and suffocating, the scent of flowers nauseating. I had to leave. I felt like I couldn’t take another breath in that room, surrounded by the shattered remnants of my once carefully constructed life.
“If you walk out of that door, I’ll move to Spain, and you’ll never see your child again.” Elena’s words cut through the air like a blade, sharp and brutal.
I stopped, my heart caught in my throat. The realisation that the woman carrying my child was such a monster hit me like a punch to the gut.
How had I not seen this?
Turning toward her, I fixed her with a steely glare, my jaw clenched with anger. “If you want to be with your family in Spain, Elena, so be it. But don’t you ever threaten me with not seeing my child, or I’ll make you regret ever crossing me. Do I make myself clear?”
Elena narrowed her eyes, reaching for a vase on the table as she threw it in my direction. Flowers, water, and all. Her aim was poor, but as the glass shattered against the wall beside me, I shook my head sadly.
“I’ll be in touch,” I said, closing the door behind me.
My heart thudded in my chest, a part of me refusing to walk away and leave my child with her in that state.
Fuck!
I made a few calls, arranging for her friends to come over as soon as possible.
Yes, I’m leaving her. Yes, I know she’s pregnant.
My body ached as I rode the lift downstairs, pushing open the door to inhale the fresh air. Adele knew; that’s why she was so emotional on the phone. My heart sank again, and I gritted my teeth, wondering how my life had drastically altered within the past hour. One thing was sure; I needed to speak to Adele.