Begin Again novel Chapter 17

It took Eden fifteen minutes to get to her parents' penthouse. She knew they were both livid judging from the cold, silent way they regarded her when she came in.

Both, professors at Rock Union University, prided themselves on being rational, thinking people who used words instead of fists, and the quieter and calmer the tone, the better.

"I'm sorry you found out the way you did," Eden apologised as soon as she sat in the loveseat facing the endless pool on the deck.

"Is it Simon's?" Erica McBride asked in her breathy voice, hope lighting up her small face.

Eden always thought she'd easily be the prettiest woman in the room if she could smile more. She had the same slanted brown eyes like her. Her olive skin was smooth and ageless, thanks to the copious amounts of skincare products lining her vanity station in her enormous walk-in closet upstairs. Her brown hair was always kept in a chic bob, and she wore very little makeup. But she was still striking enough to inspire many a love letter from the disillusioned, tortured writers who flocked her English 101 lecture.

For a Literature professor, whose specialty is romantic poetry, there was nothing remotely soft and romantic about Erica. She always had a pained expression on her face, as if being happy would suck the very life out of her.

"It's not Simon's," Eden said and held her gaze challengingly. But it's her father who charged into the battlefield first with all his accusations.

"No wonder Simon left you, you were doing shit behind his back," Steve McBride said calmly, his hands resting loosely on his slightly rounded stomach, a growing result of his indulgence on good food and fine wine. Even in the heat of a fierce battle, he never raised his voice, no matter how furious he was. It was something Eden had always appreciated in the past as a child. She’d found it reassuring somehow. But as she got older, she’d slowly come to realise it was his brand of intimidation.

She often wondered if her parents were always this way before they met each other, cold and aloof. Or if one had moulded the other into a glacial statue.

"Simon cheated on me first, Dad. He left me for one of my closest friends. He humiliated me, and I don't know how else to explain this to you," Eden blurted. She was tired of always defending herself and seeking their love and support. They were her parents; their loyalty should be to her and her alone.

"You must have done something to push him into that woman’s arms!" Steve carried on.

"You are unbelievable!" Eden lost it, stunning both her parents with her harsh tone. She never raised her voice at them, or anyone for that matter because they'd taught her well. "He hurt me! He humiliated me! I'm your daughter!"

"What about our humiliation?" Erica pointed out as she tapped a manicured finger on her chin thoughtfully.

Eden gawked at her, open-mouthed, flabbergasted by the nonsense spewing out of her mouth. Somehow, Erica had found a way to make her pain and heartbreak all about her.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Eden gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes heavenward. "Your humiliation? You didn't have to call a hundred people and tell them you won't be getting married because your fiancé ran off with one of your best friends! You didn't lose your dog in a custody battle you were never informed of. You are not hanging on to a goddamn engagement ring like a tacky-ass person because it's the only reminder of the four years you poured all your love and attention into something that wasn't meant to grow!"

"You need to calm down," Steve put up his hands, but Eden rounded on him too.

"No, you need to face facts and let go of your stupid dream of being on the university board!"

"How do you know about that?" Steve cringed visibly, his ears turning as red as a traffic light.

"I'm not stupid, Dad. Simon's father is the chairman of the board," Eden blurted and pressed her hands firmly on her lap. "You wanted to use my marriage to earn your spot on the board. I can't believe you'd try to take such an easy way out. You taught me better than that!"

For the first time since Simon broke things off, she saw something close to shame in her father's eyes as he hid his face in his gigantic hands, the thinning crown at the top of his head shimmering brightly under the massive chandelier dripping from the ceiling.

"I'm your daughter," Eden added softly. "My broken heart, my hurt, my pain should have been your only concern. But somewhere along the way, you forgot who your child is. But that's okay because I've learned something from all of this. Now that I'm going to be a mom, I pray I don't turn out to be a shitty parent!"

"You can't possibly be planning to keep that child!" Erica, silent all along, finally had an opinion.

"Watch me!" She chewed the nail on her right thumb, a terrible habit she always regressed to whenever she's troubled or angry.

"What will people say, our social circle, my friends, you can't be bringing a bastard's child–"

"Whoa!" Eden shrieked at this. "First off of all, my baby's father is not a bastard, and I don't care what you or anyone thinks. Like it or not, six months from now, this baby is coming."

"Unless you tell us who the father is, the baby is not welcome here," Steve spoke up, the unreasonable demands back again.

"I guess this is it then," Eden stood up and grabbed her purse. "Be well, Mom and Dad!"

With her back stiff as a board, and her head held high, she eased out of the penthouse. She only fell apart in the lift as it spirited her away to the ground floor, her heart smashing into irreparable pieces. She knew they were still angry over Simon, but she would never have imagined they'd outright reject her baby.

"We'll be okay," she touched her still-flat tummy as she sobbed her way to the waiting cab.

Back at her apartment, Eden locked herself in her room, refusing to come out at dinner time. When everyone got ready for work the next morning and had breakfast, she was still buried under her covers, her eyes swollen shut from all the crying.

Sometime after the morning traffic rush, she called her manager and asked for some time off. Her boss didn't care how long she took, but she gently reminded her it would be unpaid leave since she was still on probation.

Eden didn't care about losing money for a few days, holding on to the last bit of sanity she still had was far more critical.

She took a shower, got dressed and headed to Anderson Logistics. She paced for a while outside the curved-front facade, a few feet from the entrance, thinking about the best way to break the news to Liam. Her friends were right; he deserved to know the truth. But she'd make it clear she didn't expect anything from him. She had no intention of disrupting his perfect life.

She was about to head inside when a long line of dark luxury cars with tinted windows, about five or so, followed by an SUV pulled up. She hid behind a potted palm tree and watched the fanfare with huge curiosity as all the doors spilt outward and an impressive number of guards jumped out of two of the vehicles, running ahead to clear the entrance.

Liam, looking dangerously sexy in a black suit and crisp white shirt with the first two buttons left open, came out moments later, a statuesque woman on his arm. His silver cuff links glistened in the morning sunlight, dazzling her as much as his smile when he glanced down lovingly at the woman beside him.

Dressed in a red fitted pantsuit and chic heels, her long dark hair flowing down her back, her face hidden behind massive shades, she was a vision of elegance, exactly the type her baby's father with his very high standards would go for.

"Mr and Mrs Anderson," a tall black woman, probably in her late fifties or so approached the couple. "The board is waiting, Sir."

The black-haired woman, Eden guessed was the mystery wife, said something to Liam and he laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He looked content. She had no right to destroy his happiness.

Her heart heavy, a river of tears pooling in her eyes, she watched him disappear inside the air-conditioned building, convinced she's making the right decision by keeping the truth from him.

She returned to her apartment, sad and deflated, and cried herself to sleep again.

Her grandma called hours later. She'd heard the news from her Mom.

"Do you want to come up for a few days?" She offered.

Eden tearfully accepted the invitation. "Yes, Grammy."

A few days away from Rock Castle sounded like a good idea. The mountain air will be good for her.

Her friends came to see her off at the airport and promised to pick her up in a week. After too many rounds of tearful hugs and kisses, as if they all knew it would be a while before they saw each other again, Eden headed for the boarding gates to catch her Blue Mountains bound flight.

The few days she was meant to stay with her grandmother turned into weeks.

Then months.

Then a year.

And finally, two.