22. TED
22
TED
T he dinner with my parents unfolded like an opera filled with moments of tension, discord, and unexpected glimmers of understanding. As we walked out of the restaurant, I felt a tide of relief wash over me, a heavy weight lifting from my shoulders.
“Maybe you finally got through to them,” Adele said quietly, a hint of hope in her voice as she tucked her hand beneath my arm.
“Maybe,” I replied, my heart still racing from the confrontation, but the air felt different now—less stifling, more open. It was as if a door had been cracked ajar, just enough for a gust of fresh air to seep through.
The night sky stretched above us, stars flickering like distant beacons. I leaned down, brushing my lips against Adele’s temple. “Thank you for being my anchor in there. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
We continued walking, the streets alive with the chatter of bustling nightlife, but now I could finally breathe. The tension I had felt at the table faded with each step away from my parents and their suffocating expectations.
“I think they’ll come around,” Adele stated.
I nodded, though part of me was still dubious. There was a lot of history there, a concoction of unresolved emotions and resentments. “We’ll see,” I replied, although a flicker of cautiousness flickered within me. “One battle at a time.”
As we reached her apartment, the warm glow of light spilled from the windows, welcoming us home. I closed the door behind us with an inward sigh of relief, feeling like I had emerged from a battlefield, bruised but victorious.
“You know,” she began, breaking the silence, “you should have told me about the arrangement.”
I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. “I didn’t want you to think I was still tied to her. It felt…complicated.”
Her brow furrowed slightly, a sliver of hurt glimmering in her blue eyes. “But it is complicated. I need to know these things if we’re building something real together. If we’re going to face whatever storm is coming.”
I took a deep breath, grounding myself in the seriousness of the moment. “You’re right, I should have told you.”
“And I appreciate that, but I need honesty,” she chastised gently, crossing the small space between us.
I nodded, the weight of my past crashing down around me again, but with her hand in mine, I felt the motivation to keep moving forward. “Adele, I’m learning. Keep teaching me.”
She smiled softly. “Of course.”
Raising her hand, she traced the outline of my jaw with her fingertips, grounding me again as her gaze lingered on my face.
I had been so consumed with my inner turmoil, convinced that I could resolve it all on my own. But the truth was, I didn’t have to.
I sighed, searching her eyes for encouragement. “But we have to be prepared for what Elena might do next. I can feel her lurking, waiting for a chance to strike.”
“Then so be it,” she said confidently.
With that, something clicked. The knot in my chest unwound slightly, a fresh wave of certainty cascading over me. I pulled her closer, our foreheads touching for a brief moment that felt electrifying and soothing all at once.
“And if she does?” I asked, narrowing my eyes as an image of Elena dashed across my mind, wielding manipulation like a weapon. “What then?”
“We face it head-on,” she replied without hesitation.
I chuckled softly. “You really are something, you know that?”
Adele giggled. “I know.”
The knock on the door came earlier than expected, and my stomach flipped as I stood, still in Adele’s flat.
It had to be Elena. It had been long enough by her standards, and well...fuck, it had to happen sooner or later, right? Still, I couldn’t hide the apprehension that swept over me as I glanced toward Adele, curled up on the sofa with a cup of tea in her hands. Her eyebrows knitted faintly, sensing my tension.
“I’ll get it,” I murmured, already moving to the door.
The flat was small, intimate, the kind of cozy place that had rapidly become my sanctuary over the past few days. Just the thought of someone from the outside world breaking into this bubble Adele and I had created made my heart pound uncomfortably in my chest.
I tried to summon strength, I really did, but it didn’t make seeing her any easier.
My heart dropped into my stomach when I saw her standing there, a cold smile fixed on her face.
“Elena,” I said, forcing my voice to remain calm. “What are you doing here?”
She didn’t answer right away. She stood on tiptoes, trying to look over my shoulder into Adele’s flat, her expression unreadable. When her eyes finally met mine again, they were sharp, razor-edged.
Annoyed.
“Can I come in?” she asked, raising a brow expectantly.
A million thoughts raced through my mind at once, but I nodded slowly. I stepped aside, letting her in.
I prayed Adele didn’t mind.
Adele had set her cup down on the coffee table and sat straighter when Elena walked in, her eyes wide with surprise. They’d only met briefly before—a fleeting moment at a function where Adele had been covering a story. But then Adele swallowed, and I knew she shared my unease at Elena’s presence.
Elena didn’t waste any time. She turned to face me the second I closed the door, her gaze narrowing in on me like a hawk fixing on prey.
Here we go.
“I’m seventeen weeks pregnant. I had the sixteen-week scan last week.”
My chest ached. “Why didn’t you ask me to come?”
Elena flicked her hair over her shoulder and met my gaze with a cruel smirk. “Someone else came.”
I didn’t care who went, but I would’ve liked to be consulted. I’d made it clear to Elena that I wanted to be involved with everything to do with the baby; this was another sign of her dominating the situation, exerting her control.
“You lost that privilege,” Elena clarified, her eyes flickering toward Adele for a brief second before returning to me. “Probably around the time you left me for...well, you know. This.”
She motioned around us, her lip curling slightly. I could almost feel Adele shrink beside me.
My mouth went dry, and I clenched my fists at my sides. “Elena, that’s not fair.”
“Oh, it’s not? Nor is leaving your pregnant fiancée for some woman you shacked up with as a teenager,” Elena fired back, jabbing a finger into my chest.
I exhaled through my nose, trying to keep my temper in check. “Elena, please...”
Elena laughed, a cold, humourless sound. “Don’t ask me for anything, Edward. If you want to be part of this child’s life, then come back with me and leave this... woman behind.”
She had to be joking.
Adele moved forward. I could sense the tension in the room thickening. “Elena?—”
Elena cut her off without even looking at her. “Don’t speak to me, homewrecker.”
I felt Adele stiffen at the sharpness of Elena’s words, and my body tensed up. “Watch it,” I snapped, my patience already wearing thin. “You don’t get to come in here and talk to her like that. This is her home; show some respect.”
Elena turned her attention fully on me now, her eyes narrowing into slits of venom. “Respect? Really?” She let out a sharp, mocking laugh, her gaze snapping to Adele like she was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. “You know, that’s rich coming from you, darling .”
Adele instinctively straightened, but Elena was already back onto me, her polished nails tapping annoyingly against her phone like she couldn’t be bothered with this anymore. “Look, Edward, I’m just here to give you a choice. Come home with me and—” she paused, arching a perfectly manicured brow, “—the baby.”
“Elena,” I said, my voice trembling with anger now. “There is no us . We spoke about this.”
“It’s a boy,” Elena interrupted, her voice toneless.
For a moment, it felt like I had the wind knocked out of me.
“What?”
Adele’s arm gently wrapped around my waist, her touch warm and grounding, like a glass of water on a smouldering summer afternoon. I felt her body subtly press against mine, the gentle weight of her presence anchoring me in the moment. Her fingers found my hand, weaving through mine. The familiar scent of her vanilla perfume curled up around me, soothing and intoxicating, as steady as the pulse of her heartbeat softly thrumming against my side. When her fingers squeezed mine tightly, it wasn’t just a gesture—it was a lifeline, pulling me back from the waves of uncertainty and into the warmth of her presence.
A hug that said—I’m here.
Elena nodded, her expression stony. “It’s a boy. So, congratulations, I guess. You’re going to be a father, and no matter what you think…you don’t get to walk out on us. Me or the baby.”
The room spun for a moment. I wasn’t sure if it was the weight of Elena’s words hitting me, or the realization that this was real. That this was happening. A boy. I was having a son.
Adele stayed silent beside me, but I could feel the shift in her, the way her energy pulled inward, like she was bracing herself against the storm brewing around us.
“I intend to be a father,” I finally said, forcing the words through the knot in my throat. “But don’t think for a second that it means I’m going back to you. Ever.”
Elena stared at me. For a moment, her tough exterior seemed to crack, just a little. “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?”
What the fuck was that supposed to mean?
“I’m not giving up on my child. But I’m done with you. I’m sorry, really, I am. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” I explained, my voice firm.
Elena nodded slowly, a strange look crossing her face, something between sadness and pity. “You’ll come to your senses,” she replied softly. Then she turned and headed for the door without saying another word.
The door clicked shut behind her, leaving an oppressive silence in the flat. I turned to Adele, unsure of what to say.
She stood there, arms wrapped around herself, looking small for the first time since I’d returned to her life. The warm candlelight bathed her face in a soft glow, but there was tension in her eyes—a sadness that cut straight through me.
“A boy,” she whispered, more to herself than to me.
I moved toward her, touching her arm lightly. “Adele, this doesn’t change anything.”
“I know,” she responded softly. But her eyes were far away.
This was always going to be hard. But now we had a new layer, a new life to navigate. And I wasn’t sure how the hell we were going to make it through.
But for her, for us—I had to try.