Back on my Wedding Day

Chapter 2: Pregnancy

"I-I..." Eloise paused struggling to find excuses for her bruises.

She glanced around the crowd, seeing the same expressions of concern on everyone's faces, except for Marcus, whose eyes were filled with anger while looking at his brother, Nathaniel.

"I fell on the stairs last night, Dad," she finally managed to utter, her eyes fixed on her father.

Her father stared at her intently for a moment before nodding his head believing Eloise's excuse.

"It's a misunderstanding, everyone," Eloise's father announced, walking toward Nathaniel and tapping his shoulder before addressing the guests.

"Nathaniel is a good man, we all know him. He's a good husband, and I'm sure he wouldn't hurt my daughter, right?" Eloise's father asked, looking at Nathaniel.

Nathaniel smiled and nodded, concealing the truth about their troubled marriage.

"I would never do that, Dad. I love Eloise too much to ever hurt her," he assured, his gaze shifting to Eloise.

He planted a soft kiss on her temple and locked eyes with her. Eloise swallowed hard, forcing a smile in response.

"We're fine, Dad. Sorry for the misunderstanding," Eloise said, her tone apologetic as she glanced at everyone.

Meanwhile, Marcus remained silent, his gaze locked on Eloise. He could see through her lies, knowing she was protecting her husband.

Eloise turned her attention to Marcus, and they locked eyes for a few intense moments. Eventually, Marcus smiled and let out a deep breath.

He turned to Eloise's father.

"I'm sorry for ruining your party, Mr Harrington," he said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Everyone knows how much I hate my brother, so I judged him too quickly," he added with a soft chuckle.

Marcus then turned to Nathaniel, tapping his shoulder.

"Sorry, man," he said, smiling at Nathaniel before walking away from the crowd.

All eyes followed Marcus as he leave. Nathaniel's hands clenched tightly, his anger evident as he watched his brother leave. Eloise, too, felt a surge of anger toward Marcus.

Eloise's father approached Nathaniel and Eloise, his voice filled with anger.

"What was that?" he demanded.

Nathaniel looked at Eloise's father with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I'll talk to Marcus. He hates me so much to the point that he will get every chance he could get to ruin me," he explained.

Eloise's father nods his head letting what happened slide. Eloise's mother on the other hand approached her daughter, still uneasy.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, looking at her daughter and Nathaniel.

Nathaniel held Eloise's hands and smiled at her mother.

"I could never hurt Eloise, Mom. You know how much I love her," he reassured.

Eloise's mother gazed at Nathaniel intently before nodding.

"Yes, I know," she said, turning her attention to her daughter.

"Just be careful next time, okay?" she advised.

Eloise smiled at her mother and nodded, taking her advice.

Eloise and Nathaniel stayed at the party for another hour, but tension hung in the air. During the drive home, both of them remained silent, and Nathaniel's face revealed his anger. Fear gripped Eloise as she knew where his anger would be directed.

Upon arriving at their house, fear consumed Eloise as she felt her hands grow cold. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as Nathaniel opened the car door, his angry voice making her flinch.

"Get out!" he shouted, his anger evident, causing tears to stream down her face as she stepped out of the car.

Her knees shook, and she whimpered in pain as Nathaniel grabbed her arm and forcefully dragged her inside the house.

They reached the living room, where Nathaniel threw Eloise onto the couch. Gasping for breath, he stared at his frightened wife.

"Why were you talking to Marcus?" he demanded, his voice seething with anger.

"I just bumped into him," Eloise explained between sobs, but Nathaniel ignored her words and slapped her hard.

"Did you see how those people looked at me? They treated me like a f*****g criminal! They judged me, Eloise!" he raged, gripping her face tightly and staring into her eyes.

"You're hurting me," Eloise pleaded through her tears, but Nathaniel only laughed and tightened his hold.

"Because you're a f*****g i***t! Why did you let Marcus see your bruises? Do you want to ruin me?" he spat, transforming into a monster before her eyes.

Tears continued to flow down her cheeks, but Nathaniel seemed unaffected. He gazed at Eloise without a shred of pity, his sole focus on releasing his anger by hurting his vulnerable wife.

"Please, it hurts," Eloise begged, but Nathaniel forcefully released his grip, causing her face to turn away from him.

"Leave! Get out of my sight!" he shouted, causing her to flinch once again.

With trembling knees, Eloise ran toward their bedroom, locking the door behind her, terrified that Nathaniel might come in and hurt her again.

Eloise sank to the floor, her back against the door, and covered her mouth, suppressing her sobs.

She remained in that position for several minutes until she calmed down. Gathering her courage, she unlocked the door and stepped out to find Nathaniel.

She made her way to the living room, where she had left him, but he was nowhere to be found. Stepping outside, she discovered his car was gone.

Rather than worry, relief washed over her, knowing that her husband wasn't home. She loved him, she knew, but there were moments when she wished he wasn't around because during those times she felt safe.

Returning to their room, Eloise stared at herself in the mirror once again. Slowly, she removed her makeup, revealing the bruises she had been hiding. Pity consumed her as she looked at her reflection.

Being married to Nathaniel had been her dream. She had loved him since they were children, and when he reciprocated her feelings and asked for her hand in marriage, she eagerly accepted.

Eloise believed her dreams were finally coming true, but little did she know that her fairy-tale marriage would become a nightmare.

She let out a deep breath, stood up, and removed the gown she was wearing. Naked, she scrutinized her body in the mirror, revealing the bruises Nathaniel had inflicted upon her.

She wanted to give up on their marriage, but she couldn't find the courage to walk away. Hope still lingered within her, hoping that their marriage could be fixed and that Nathaniel would change.

Eloise smiled at her reflection, seeking solace in the belief that everything would be okay.

Afterwards, she headed to the bathroom for a quick bath. The cold water eased the pain of her bruises, and when she finished cleaning herself, she lay on the bed.

Staring at the ceiling, she tried her best to fall asleep, but sleep eluded her. Part of her waited for Nathaniel to come home.

After hours of waiting, she heard footsteps. She turned to the side and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep, fearing that if he found her awake, they would fight again, and he would hurt her once more.

After a while, she felt the other side of the bed sink, and warm arms wrapped around her waist. Nathaniel snuggled close, planting gentle kisses on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Love," he whispered. Tears welled up in Eloise's eyes as she heard those words. She did her best to suppress her sobs.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again, holding her tightly.

Eloise continued pretending to be asleep, and after a while, Nathaniel grew quiet. Several minutes passed, and Eloise cautiously turned to face her husband, sleeping.

Smiling, she looked at him.

"You will change, right?" she silently asked Nathaniel, who was deep in slumber.

Eloise leaned in to kiss him before snuggling against his chest.

When Eloise felt Nathaniel's warmth, she drifted off to sleep. Yes, she was scared of her husband, but she couldn't deny the fact that he also brought her moments of peace. The love between two people could be a contradiction, deeply entangled.

The next morning, Eloise woke up to the feeling of someone kissing her cheeks.

Opening her eyes, she saw Nathaniel smiling at her.

"Good morning," he greeted her.

Eloise rubbed her eyes, trying to focus on her husband's face.

"Good morning," she replied, a smile forming on her lips.

"I cooked breakfast for you," Nathaniel said, looking at Eloise with affection. Without warning, he scooped her up and carried her to the kitchen.

Sitting her gently in a chair, Nathaniel proceeded to set the table with the food he had cooked.

A wide smile spread across Eloise's face as she watched her husband's actions. However, her expression turned sour, and her stomach churned when the smell of garlic reached her nose.

She immediately covered her mouth and rushed to the bathroom, vomiting. Nathaniel followed her, holding her hair and rubbing her back soothingly.

Once Eloise finished, she faced her concerned husband.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes filled with worry.

"Yeah," Eloise weakly replied, mustering a smile to assure Nathaniel that she was fine.

He looked at her intently for a moment, and then a question escaped his lips, leaving Eloise wide-eyed.

"Are you pregnant?" he inquired, anticipation filling his eyes.