Page 50 of Fool Me Twice

“I don’t think there ever was a baby.”

Peter slumped down into a nearby chair. Dr Philips’s words hung between them as he tried to process the information. He felt as if his whole body had collapsed in on itself and his legs could no longer hold his weight.

“But why would she do something like that?”

“I think you’d know more about that than me.” He cleared his throat. “There’s something else too.”

Peter barely registered what the doctor was saying. The pain in his chest felt like an actual physical blow that just kept coming and coming. He felt bereft, empty, grieving the loss of something that had never been.

Were there no depths that woman wouldn’t sink to? He inwardly seethed, his grief giving way to anger, a white-hot burning rage building deep in his stomach. How could anyone be so cruel? How could they do that to another human being? Especially someone they professed to love?

“One of the staff noticed a powerful smell of alcohol on her breath, so we ran some tests and her levels were way above what is considered normal. And we found bruises, some older than others, which could indicate that perhaps she fell over or hit herself against something. Of course, we’ll have to wait until she wakes up and we speak to her to find out what’s really been going on, but in my personal opinion, I think Shari may need some professional help after she’s been discharged.”

Peter half listened, his mind still trying to process not only his grief and shock, but also the depths of pure evilness that had to exist within a person to make them do something like that. “She’s got staff for everything,” he mumbled. “I’m not even sure she wipes her own arse anymore,” he added facetiously.

“That’s not the kind of help I’m talking about here, Peter.”

“He’ll come around,” Anya said, watching Evie push her food around the plate after Jaxon had hung up on her. “It was a shock for him, that’s all.”

“I know.” She nodded, swallowing hard. “But he was so angry with me, Anya. He has never spoken to me like that before.”

“He’s probably just looking at it from the other side and thinking how he’d feel if someone tried to keep him away from his child.” Anya touched her belly as she spoke.

Evie sighed. This was the day she’d always dreaded, the day that Jaxon threw it back in her face. “Just like with him and Peter?”

“No,” Anya said firmly. “Jaxon doesn’t blame you for what happened.”

“Doesn’t he?”

“No,” Anya insisted.

“Peter made his decision then, just like this time, when he packed his bags and left.”

“To be fair...” Anya let out a small laugh. “You didn’t really give him much choice, did you?”

“I suppose not,” Evie admitted, swiping away a couple of stray tears with her fingers. “Anyway, he’s going to have his own little family now, with his wife, so he’s not going to be interested in this one,” she said, pointing to her abdomen. “And I don’t want my child to grow up feeling like second best to his legitimate child. I saw how that bitch treated Jaxon, and I won’t put this little one through the same thing.”

“But that was her, not Peter,” Anya reminded her. “She did all that behind his back, without him knowing.”

“I know,” Evie said grudgingly. “But I don’t want him coming back here because of some sense of obligation.”

“Wait... are you trying to tell me you have feelings for Peter?”

“You know what they say about first love and all that shit?” she said ruefully.

“Oh my God, Evie, this is perfect. Don’t you see? Peter loves you and you love him.”

“You are such a hopeless romantic, Anya.” Evie smiled at her daughter-in-law and thought for the thousandth time how sweet and naïve she was, always wanting to see the best in everyone. “Peter doesn’t love me.”

“Of course he does. Anyone can see that, and if he knew you had feelings for him and you were carrying his child, he’d be on the next plane back to you, I’m sure of it.”

“No,” Evie said firmly, determined to put an end to Anya’s fantasy happily-ever-after ending. “I told you, I don’t want him coming back here because of some sense of responsibility to the baby. If he comes back, it has to be because he wants to and not because he feels he has to. And aren’t you forgetting that he’s married, and his wife is also pregnant?”

“But it’s you he loves, not her.”

“He’s made his choice, Anya. Now leave it,” Evie snapped. “If Peter goes ahead with the divorce, then that’s up to him, but I can’t be the reason he breaks up his family. Not now there’s a child involved. I’d never forgive myself and neither will the child.”

Anya reached over and touched her hand lightly. “But you still have to tell him about this baby,” she said gently. “He has a right to know.”

---