CHAPTER FOUR
974 Words
Anna Pov
I said yes to Trevor's proposal three days later.
"You're making a mistake," Samantha said when I told her. We were at her apartment, she had insisted on seeing me after I stopped answering her texts again.
"He's changing. He really is, he bought me this necklace and he's been so sweet lately."
"Anna, that's called love bombing. He's manipulating you into staying."
"You don't know him like I do."
"I know enough. I know he's abusive, i know he's controlling. I know he's slowly killing who you used to be." She grabbed my hands. "Please don't marry him. Please."
"I already said yes."
"Then say no. It's not too late to change your mind."
But it felt too late. It felt like I had already committed to a path I could not turn back from.
"He added me to his will," I said. "And he bought me a house in my name. He's proving that he's serious about us."
Samantha's face fell. "Oh, Anna."
"What?"
"Those are just things. Material objects he's using to trap you." She squeezed my hands. "A house doesn't mean he loves you, money doesn't mean he won't hurt you. These are tools he's using to make you feel indebted to him."
"You're wrong, he loves me. He's just showing it in his way."
"His way is manipulation." She let go of my hands and sat back. "But you're not going to listen to me, are you?"
"I want you to support my decision."
"I can't support something that's going to destroy you." Tears filled her eyes. "But I'll be here. When it all falls apart, when you finally see the truth. I'll be here."
We barely spoke after that. The distance between us grew wider every day.
The wedding was set for three months away. Trevor wanted it fast, said there was no point in waiting when we both knew what we wanted.
I started planning, looking at dresses, choosing flowers. Going through the motions like a robot programmed to execute a task.
Cameron, Trevor's personal assistant, helped with a lot of the arrangements. He was a quiet man. Tall, dark skinned and always professional but sometimes I caught him watching me with something that looked like concern.
"Are you okay, Mrs Green?" he asked one day. We were not married yet but Trevor insisted everyone call me that anyway.
"I'm fine. Why?"
"You just seem... sad." He handed me a folder with venue options. "If you need anything or someone to talk to. I'm here."
"Thank you, Cameron. But I'm okay."
He nodded but did not look convinced.
Two months before the wedding, I was cleaning out my old email account when I found something that made my heart stop.
Messages from Jimmy. Dozens of them, all sent over the past two years.
"Anna, are you okay? I haven't heard from you."
"I saw you at the grocery store last week, you looked thin. Are you eating?"
"Please let me know you're safe."
"I don't know what happened between us but I still care about you."
"If you need help, call me. Any time."
The messages went on and on. He had never stopped checking on me, never stopped caring.
Guilt crashed over me like a wave. I had left him without a real explanation, had abandoned him for a man who made my life hell and he still cared enough to send these messages.
I wanted to respond, apologize. Wanted to explain. But what would I even say?
Instead, I closed the email and tried to forget I saw them.
But that night I dreamed about Jimmy. About is calm voice, his patient smile. The way he used to hold me like I was something precious instead of something he owned.
"You okay?" Trevor asked the next morning when he found me staring into my coffee.
"Fine. Just tired."
"You've been tired a lot lately." He studied me. "Are you having second thoughts about the wedding?"
"No. Of course not."
"Good. Because I'd hate to think you were getting cold feet." He smiled but there was a warning in his eyes. "We're in this together, Anna. Till death do us apart."
The phrase sent chills down my spine.
I told Samantha about the emails from Jimmy when she called to check on me. She was the only person I still talked to even though our friendship was strained.
"You should go back to him," she said immediately.
"I can't just go back. It's been two years. He's probably moved on."
"Those emails say otherwise. He still cares about you, Anna."
"But I hurt him, i left him for another man. Why would he want me back?"
"Because people who really love you don't stop loving you just because you made mistakes." Her voice softened. "And honestly, going back to Jimmy is a thousand times better than marrying Trevor."
"What if he rejects me? What if he's angry?"
"What if he's not? What if he welcomes you back with open arms?" She paused. "You won't know unless you try."
"I'll think about it."
"Don't think too long. You're running out of time."
One month before the wedding, everything changed.
I woke up feeling sick. Not the normal kind of sick. Something different, my stomach churned, my head spun. I barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up.
"Food poisoning," I told Trevor when he asked if I was okay.
But it happened again the next day and the day after that.
Morning sickness.
I bought three pregnancy tests from three different stores. All of them came back positive.
I sat on the bathroom floor staring at those two pink lines and feeling my world tilt sideways.
I was pregnant with Trevor's baby. One month before a wedding I was not even sure I wanted.
- Writer
