Anabel Unraveled (9 page)

I felt the color drain from my face.

“Anabel! What on earth were you thinking?” The vein was really throbbing now.

I crossed my arms and exhaled, leaning against the door. “You really want to know what I was thinking, DAD?” I pushed open the door to my room. “I’m a girl. Jared likes girls. So, I figured I had a shot, and I was thinking that maybe if I slept with him, he’d get me off this awful island. BECAUSE I HATE IT HERE! I HATE IT, AND I’M SICK OF YOU, AND I WISH YOU WOULD JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!” I started crying. “For once, Daddy, I wish you would think about what your choices do to me every single day. I’m lonely. I’m afraid I will never get away from here, and all I want to do is get as far away from you as possible.” I choked back a sob. “I hate being here so much. I’m going to bed. Goodnight.” And I walked into my room and closed and locked the door. Then I threw myself on the bed and sobbed hysterically for a few moments. I had visions of myself as a middle-aged spinster who didn’t even have a cat, living with my father. I prayed to God that He would find a way to get me out of here.

True to form, about two minutes later he started knocking on the door. “I told you to leave me alone,” I called.

“Well it’s been awhile since you said that, so I thought maybe you had changed your mind. Women do stuff like that,” asserted Jared.

I opened the door and stared at him. “Are you serious?”

And he gave me a wolfish grin. “May I come in?”

Chapter 9—Anabel

I started to feel sick. No, no, this wasn’t good. I caught Sam’s eye and he nudged our lawyer, as was the signal, and our lawyer asked to take a break.

I hurried down the hall to the bathroom, and threw up three times. When I was through, I walked over to the mirror and stared at myself. Then I slowly unbuttoned my coat and took a look at my belly.

I couldn’t hide it for much longer. I was four months pregnant, almost five, and I was definitely showing. The morning sickness had not subsided as the doctor said it would, and any sort of weird smell triggered the nausea. Thinking about Jared coming to my bedroom that night made me sick to my stomach, and without a clear course of action, my desperation was becoming greater. Sam’s advice the other day had been to stand up straight to hide it, but the baby was growing. I didn’t know who he thought he was kidding. It had sure been easy for Matt to spot it, I reflected. Today the dress that I was wearing clung to my belly and made no effort to hide the fact that there was a baby in there.

So here it was. I was carrying Jared’s child. One time, apparently, is all that it takes. Sighing, I studied my reflection. I was so pale. I splashed some water on my face and was drying it off, willing myself to hold it together, when Marilyn barged in. “Annie, are you okay? Sam said to leave you alone, but I saw your face go all white and—oh my goodness!” She gaped at my stomach. “Please tell me that’s not what I think it is.”

I stared at her. “Go on, ask me.”

She swallowed. “Are you . . . Annie, are you pregnant?”

“No, just super fat.” I threw away the paper towel and turned to face her. “You can’t tell anyone. Please. I’m not ready yet.”

“Well you can’t hide it forever . . . that bump is only going to get bigger,” she stated matter-of-factly. “Besides, wearing your coat all day long is going to make you even more uncomfortable. I wondered why you were doing that.” She hugged me, but I stood limp in her arms, unwilling to return her embrace. Marilyn knowing caused all sorts of complications that I didn’t quite know how to deal with. She smoothed my hair. “Oh sweetheart, you poor thing . . . is this baby—”

“Yes, it’s Jared’s. He doesn’t know. He doesn’t know that his spawn is making my breasts sore and my ankles swell and is the reason I can’t keep any food down.” Tears pricked at my eyes. “Marilyn, what am I going to do? As much as my brother wants to pretend otherwise, I can’t hide this for much longer, and when this comes out things are going to be so much worse for all of us!” I exhaled, reminding myself it was important to breathe.

“So you’re going to keep it?”

Being asked this question made me angry. “I’m going to take this opportunity to remind you that my mother kept my brother. Besides, it’s a bit late for that.”

“I see,” she told me, but I could tell she didn’t.

“But at some point I have to tell Jared, and Sam already wants to kill him, and who knows how he will react.” I ranted in such a fashion for at least a few more minutes, until I stopped crying and while my eyes were very red, I was no longer sniffing.

Marilyn looked at me with loving eyes, the same way she had looked at me when I was a little girl, and she squeezed my hand. “It’ll be okay, honey,” she promised.

I managed a small smile. “I don’t see how,” I contended. “You are right though. I am extremely uncomfortable wearing this stupid coat every day.”

“You know,” she commented, “hiding this isn’t going to make it any better. In fact, I think it’s making it worse.”

“What are you suggesting? That I prance in there and show off the baby bulge for the entire world to see?”

Marilyn attempted to smile at me. “I merely think it would help you to not keep it to yourself any longer.”

I looked in the mirror, watching the red start to fade away. I straightened my shoulders and then said, “You know what? You’re right,” I smiled. “Why should I be afraid of this? He can’t hurt me anymore. I may as well tell him right now!” Over Marilyn’s protests that perhaps I ought to think this over, I slung my coat over my arm, blocking my stomach, and I marched down the hallway and came into the hearing room.

Matt saw me, and I saw his face change when he noticed I wasn’t wearing my jacket. He looked like he might try and stop me, but I glared at him full force and he took a step back. I nodded at him and walked to the front, trying not to lose my nerve.

Jared was talking to his lawyer, and Sam was hovering nearby. I walked up behind Jared and tapped him on the back. He turned around, surprised to see me. “Hey,” he got out.

I smiled. I hadn’t been sleeping well and was probably delirious. “Hi Jared, how are you?”

“I’m fine,” he responded. “Anabel, are you alright?”

“Well, no, I’m not, Jared. I need to tell you something.” I was grinning like a fool.

He smiled back cautiously, probably surprised I was making an attempt to be civil. “Well okay, do you want to go somewhere and we can talk, because—”

“No, right here is fine.” But then, staring into his eyes, I lost my resolve.

“You know what, I’m sorry, I can’t do this,” I turned to go, but he caught my arm.

“Now hang on a minute,” he demanded. “You and I aren’t done here, you know.”

“Let go of me!” I shrieked, and as I yanked myself away from him I dropped my coat. And that was when he saw my stomach.

“Anabel,” he gasped, his eyes wide, “what is that?”

I giggled, the hysteria in me rising. “What do you think it is, Jared? It’s been almost five months since you, well . . .” I trailed off.

He was staring at me like he’d never seen me before. “Don’t play around. Are you saying that—?”

There was nothing to be done now. “Well, now you know. Jared, you knocked me up.”

I heard a few gasps and my brother was staring at me, shaking his head. Some of the press people, who had been allowed into the hearing room during the recess, pulled out their cameras and started snapping away. I turned so they could get a full view of my swollen abdomen and beamed at the cameras. My life had turned into a circus; I may as well have a little fun.

That was when Jared grabbed my arm and pulled me back toward him. “I don’t believe this.”

“Well believe it, sugar dumpling, you are my baby daddy. I think it’s a girl.” Insanity caused me to start giggling again. The situation really was kind of funny, I thought, and the look of intense horror on Jared’s face was giving me a sort of perverse pleasure. Good. He should suffer everything that I did from the moment I realized my period was late to having to ask my sister-in-law to buy me a pregnancy test to all of the physical discomfort that ailed me on a daily basis.

“But Anabel, we only had the one time, and—”

“Let me explain something,” I bellowed at him. “My date of conception was April 26—the one and only time in my life that I have had sexual intercourse. So apparently, Jared, taking my virginity was not enough for you, and you just had to leave a memento for me to remember you by!” I was angry now. Sam appeared at my side.

“I think this discussion should continue outside of the hearing,” he hissed at the both of us. “Sorensen, you can come to dinner with us tonight. You know that we’re staying at Blair House, you may meet us around six and we will discuss this.” He yanked my arm and pulled me back to our table. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you. I really don’t, Anabel. I want to kill you right now. We agreed to keep this quiet—”

“Marilyn saw my stomach,” I explained. “It was only a matter of time.” He looked like he wanted to retort, but we were interrupted by the Committee filing back into the room. “I am tired of lying about things, Sam.” I leaned back in my chair. “This whole thing is tearing at my heart, and maybe you can go on with the deception, but I can’t.”

Ms. Fischer retook her seat. “Where were we?”

“Ma’am?” I stood up.

“Yes, Miss Martin?”

“I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m pregnant.” My brother let out an audible groan, and I heard more murmurs throughout the room. I didn’t care. My life was spiraling out of control at an alarming rate, and this was my poor effort to at least pretend I was in charge. “Jared Sorensen is the father, in case there was any doubt, and I predict the baby will be born sometime in January.” I retook my seat. “That’s all.”

She rubbed her eyes. “Is there anything else you wish to share with us, Miss Martin?”

I contemplated this. “No, not today, I don’t think,” I conceded. I turned to my brother. “Do you have anything, Sam?”

He shook his head and stared at the table. I smiled up at Ms. Fischer. “I think we’re all set, ma’am.”

“Very good. Mr. Sorensen?”

Chapter 10—Jared

“I’m sorry about the trouble I caused you with your father,” I apologized.

Anabel rubbed her eyes. “It’s okay. I’m used to it.” She grinned. “Don’t worry. There aren’t any cameras in here.”

“No? I’m surprised.” And comforted. I didn’t want to think about how Jonathan would respond if he found me in his daughter’s room.

“My father promised me that he wouldn’t put any in, but there are some in the library, so let’s stay out of there.” She settled back on her bed. “What do you want?”

“Anabel,” I sighed, “what’s going on with you? One moment you seem fine, and then the next you’re kissing me, and then the next moment you’re spurning me, and—”

“You broke my trust,” she snapped. “I just wanted to put you in your place.”

I almost laughed out loud at her, but then I thought better. So I switched tactics. “Alright, so you were mad at me. I get it. But what did I do to offend your delicate sensibilities to the point where you felt the need to shove your tongue down my throat?”

“Why, so you can learn how drive women to these extremes?” she retorted.

Now I did laugh at her. “You’re feisty, Anabel. I like that.”

She glared at me. “I was angry because I saw you going through my personal effects without my prior consent. How’s that?”

“You mean your desk. There’s a good reason for that.”

“I would love to hear it,” she murmured, softening. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s a major invasion of my privacy, and you had no need to sneak around. I would have shown you if you had just asked.” She pushed some hair out of her eyes.

“I guess . . . I’m sorry.” I sighed. Poor kid, she looked overwhelmed and uncomfortable. I decided to go easy on her, in an attempt to ignore the feeling that was clawing at the pit of my stomach. “I was just treating you like I would treat any other job. It’s nothing personal. It never occurred to me to ask you if I could root through your desk.”

“Find anything interesting? I don’t think I gave you a chance to tell me earlier, when I screamed at you.” She grinned flirtatiously.

“Nothing abnormal,” I confirmed. This was getting awkward. “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” I stood to leave.

“Don’t go,” she begged. “Please.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to be alone, Anabel.” I didn’t look at her.

She stood up. “Look, I’m sorry about everything, I was angry. I spoke to Sam, and he told me that you were just following his orders,” she acknowledged. “My dad saw us kissing, but he concluded it was my fault. Which it was,” she continued. “I just wanted to get back at you, and that was the best way I could come up with.” Now she was next to me, touching my arm and forcing me to look at her. “Please don’t go,” she appealed, looking like she was about to cry again. “I really don’t want to be by myself right now.”

“I don’t think—”

“Look, otherwise I’m going to be stuck watching chick flicks and crying. Please tell me you’re not angry with me,” she implored.

“I’m not angry with you.” That wasn’t it.

“Well what then?” She stared into my eyes. “Did I repulse you that badly?”

“No, Anabel. It’s just I don’t trust myself with you right now.”

She looked surprised, and a little flustered. Her cheeks reddened. “Oh,” she stammered. “I see.”

“Let me give you a life lesson, Anabel,” I warned, “don’t start what you can’t finish.”

Her eyes widened. “You can go now. Forget it.” She turned around and slumped back on her bed.

Knowing full well she was probably moments away from waking up her brother in the middle of the night again, I tried a different strategy. “Anabel,” I offered in a much gentler tone, “my half of the species is full of dogs, okay? And you brought out that side in me, and my way of not having your father—let alone your brother—kill me is to push you away.”

She was still scowling, so I continued. “I can’t sit here and pretend like I don’t feel something between us, because I do. And that’s why I need to stay as far away from you as possible.”