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Shattered Glass

Guest Louise_2983

By Guest Louise_2983
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KaiyaBlake Member

KaiyaBlake

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Oh my god, Oh my god. They kissed? :o:wub: And he wrote i still love you on the divorce papers :(

If he ever wrote that for me I'd run back to him and jump on him haha :lol:

She was pregnant and aborted the baby. That's so sad. It shows how much pain she was going through and how much she didn't trust herself anymore. Poor Belle.

Great great Chapter. Update sooon please :)

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Louise_2983 Member

Louise_2983

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Will you be putting Adelle back together at all and if so it better be for good this time, they are made for each other.

I was wondering, that when you have finished this fic, is there going to be a sequal to this sequal?

I may or may not put Aden and Belle back together. To be honest I haven't decided yet but even if I had I wouldn't give it away.

And as for a third installment, I'm not planning one at the moment but if inspiration hit then maybe.

Sorry for the lack of updates this week. I started my trainee solicitor position this week so been busy and too tired to write when I get home! Will update at the weekend :)

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Louise_2983 Member

Louise_2983

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Chapter 8

Her head bowed and tucked neatly into her chest she picked at the square label on the glass bottle she loosely gripped between her fingers. Her sleek hair fell forward, blocking her peripheral vision, as the last remnants of alcohol sloshed around in the bottle’s base.

A low hum emanated from the jukebox in the corner of the bar but her chaotic mind repelled it, as though they were two opposite ends of a magnet, as recent events, words and feelings threatened to overcome her and left no room for anything else to penetrate her being.

The bar was quiet and for that she was more than grateful. Bar a young couple, clearly in the first throes of romance and concerned with no one but each other, she was the only person there. Hidden away in a corner like the outcast she felt she was.

She was thankful for the lack of other people because it meant that for once no one was watching, no one was judging and no one was making assumptions about things they knew nothing about.

Suddenly the bottle she clutched was whipped out of her hands and replaced by a full version. He placed the empty one on the bar before sliding into the booth across from her. His strong arms and broad chest came into her line of vision first before she raised her head and was greeted by his familiar face and blond hair.

“Thanks” she smiled weakly as she lifted the bottle and took a gulp of liquid.

He watched her intently as she swirled the sweet liquid around in her mouth before swallowing it with a gulp. She knew he was waiting for her to speak, to broach the subject first, but she didn’t know what to say. Where to begin, where to end or where everything went in the middle.

“So,” he finally gave in as she ran her fingertips around the rim of the bottle.

“Did you catch up with Aden?”

She nodded as though he was watching her in slow motion.

“And?”

A tiny clink met his ears as she dropped the bottle onto the table which separated them and buried her head in her hands, her bare elbows resting against the wooden structure.

“Belle?” he questioned his voice brimming with concern.

“Did he hurt you?”

Her head immediately shot up in objection.

“No!”

She sighed and rubbed her temple in frustration.

“He would never hurt me” she insisted and despite the doubts which had soared through her earlier she knew in that moment that it was true. Aden would never hurt her. Because when he had told her

that he loved her, that he’d always loved her, he had meant it.

“You know him Roman, you know he would never hurt me. This is Aden were talking about for god’s sake!”

“I know. But he was pretty angry already and then what you said was...”

He didn’t need to complete his sentence. The adjectives were already swirling around both their heads.

Vile. Cruel. Unforgivable.

“The worst thing I have ever said or done” she whispered.

“Did he hurt you?” Roman repeated gently, doubt clearly still clouding him as he saw the pain in her eyes.

“No” she shook her head as she whispered.

“You can tell me Belle if he did. I love Aden like he’s my own but I’m not blind to the fact that he’s got flaws. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s lost it”

“That was a long time ago and that was Larry he wanted to hurt not me. We both know he’s changed since then”

“He has” Roman concurred before taking a sip from his own bottle and leaning back against the leather seat.

“But all this has been building up inside of him for a long time Belle and Aden has never been what you could call predictable has he?”

She smiled slightly at the mere suggestion.

“He didn’t hurt me Roman. I’m the one who hurts him remember? I leave, I reel him in and then I leave”

“Belle, why are you so determined to paint yourself in the villain in all this?” Roman half chuckled as Belle downed the last of her drink and gestured to the barman to bring another.

“When life gives you a role you’ve just got to play it I guess. Only I did it so well that I got typecast and now it’s the only role I can ever get”

“Belle, you were the one who fell apart. The one who missed out on the love and support people who cared wanted to give you because you were ill. You were the one who missed almost 5 years of

Jamie’s life. You missed his first word, his first steps, his first day at sch-“

“I know all this Roman!” she snapped, warm tears welling up in her pained eyes as another drink was placed in front of both of them and the barman made a hasty exit sensing the tension.

“I know what I missed! You don’t have to remind me”

“You didn’t miss all those things because you didn’t care did you?” he looked at her knowingly, raising his drink to his lips as she silently shook her head in response and a tear began to trail down her

soft cheek, taking a sloppy mixture of mascara and blusher with it.

“You’re hurting as much as he is and that does not make you the bad guy”

He smiled at her as she pushed her bottle around the table almost as though she was playing table hockey.

She bit her lip nervously and contemplated what to say next. She felt so alone. With Irene gone there was no one in Summer Bay she felt she could truly confide in anymore. No one in life she could

truly confide in. In her stubbornness, her desire to be independent and to get through things herself without the help from others she honestly needed, she had pushed away anyone and everyone she could ever have spoken to.

Aden wasn’t an option. Aden may never be an option again after everything that had happened. He was the only person she should really be discussing all this with but she just couldn’t.

Geoff was pretending not to judge but she saw it in his eyes every single time he so much as glanced in her direction. And besides she suspected that any previous arrangement the pair had had for confiding in each other had emerged more from convenience than actual friendship or closeness.

Nicole had listened to her and actually offered her mature advice without sniping and judging as she had expected but they had never really been friends. They had never disliked each other as much as they had previously been keen to portray but Belle knew they would never really have a true friendship. Nicole would never be someone she could completely confide in. Especially when her loyalty clearly was, as it should be, with Aden.

And then there was Roman right there in front of her, right place at the right time and obviously willing to listen but she didn’t know whether she could talk. She wanted to but Roman was Aden’s confidante and she was worried that if she herself confided in him it would be yet another thing she had done wrong.

“I know you’d normally talk to Irene about things like this and I’m not the most obvious choice but if you need someone to talk to...” he spoke softly as though he had read her mind.

“He told me he loved me” she blurted out before she could analyse whether she should or not any longer. She’d bottled everything up for so long she felt like all she’d been waiting for years for someone to dare to shake her and watch all her problems and fears and regrets come exploding out.

“I accused him of abusing our son and he told me he loved me, still loves me” she laughed to herself.

“And what did you say?”

“Nothing” she laughed again.

“I left. That’s what I do!”

“Belle” Roman sighed.

“You don’t seem surprised”

“That you left?”

“No, that wouldn’t surprise anyone would it? You don’t seem surprised about what he said”

“I’m not. Just because you push a feeling so far away you start to forget you ever felt it, it doesn’t mean you never did or that you ever stopped really feeling it”

“What was his first word?” she suddenly looked directly at him, her bright blue eyes dulled slightly by the mist of emotion clouding them.

“What?”

“Jamie’s first word. I missed it and I try to forget that every day but it hurts, it really hurts”

“It was Daddy” Roman admitted hesitantly.

“I’m glad” she told him sincerely, a small smile creeping across her face. Aden was clearly the father she always knew he would be to their son and she was glad.

“Aden missed it too”

“What?”

“Aden wasn’t there when Jamie said his first word. Nicole was babysitting. Belle, you could have been here for every day of his life and you would have still missed things. It’s inevitable. You can’t be

there every second”

“I missed 5 years Roman, it’s not like I just popped out for a few hours”

“No, it’s not. But you’re here now and maybe it’s time you stopped dwelling on the things you missed”

“I’m just going to miss more and more everyday Aden refuses to let me near him”

“He said he loves you but he still won’t let you see Jamie?” Roman asked, surprise flashing across his eyes.

“We didn’t really talk about Jamie. We talked about us...what used to be us”

“And you and Aden are separate from Jamie?” Roman’s right eyebrow was arched higher than the left as he looked at her.

“Two separate things?”

“They have to be!” she insisted knowing that would never really be the case. Jamie’s entire existence had depended on “Belle & Aden” as an entity. If there had never been a “Belle & Aden” there would

never have been a Jamie.

“I can’t do both Roman” she whispered so quietly Roman had to read her ruby red lips as they moved.

“I don’t get it”

“Argh!” she exclaimed slamming her bottle down on the table with so much force that Roman visibly flinched.

“He just makes me so angry!”

“Jamie?” Roman questioned her confused.

“Aden” she clarified.

“Why couldn’t he just pretend to hate me? Why did he have to tell me that he loves me? It just makes everything more complicated and I didn’t think that was possible! Do you know what he did? What

he wrote on the divorce papers?”

“Erm, that he wanted a divorce?” Roman guessed, shrugging his shoulders casually.

“I still love you. I still love you! Instead of signing the stupid things he wrote I still love you! And of course now it’s all my fault because I didn’t read them properly! He petitioned to divorce me but

I didn’t read all the way to the last page so I ended our marriage not him apparently! What normal person wouldn’t get divorce papers and take them to mean I don’t love you anymore? I want you out

of my life? Why couldn’t he just tell me to my face?”

Roman didn’t speak as she fumed silently.

“Everyone blames me for not coming back. Even I blame myself for not coming back! But he could have come after me. Irene knew where I was. He didn’t have to send stupid hidden messages! He

didn’t even have to follow me, all he had to do was call me”

“And you would have come back?”

“All I needed was for him to say we could make it ok” she whimpered.

“Belle, it had been three and a half years when he sent you those papers. He didn’t know what you were feeling or thinking. Maybe he didn’t know if it could ever be ok again”

She gulped down her drink as he watched her in silence.

“And what about now?” he asked as she lowered the empty bottle to the table.

“Now he’s married” she sighed in frustration.

“We tried to stop him marrying Kirsty but he swore that was what he wanted”

“We?”

“Me, Nicole...Irene”

“Irene?!” Belle’s eyes widened in shock.

“She knew you Belle, she knew you wouldn’t stay away forever”

“But if he loved Kirsty then where I was or what I was doing shouldn’t have even come in to it”

“I thought we’d already established it was you he loved? Still loves?”

“But you didn’t know that then right?”

“Not for definite but we had our suspicions. We just wanted him to think it through. He told us it was what he wanted so we accepted it”

“None of that matters now anyway, he married her.”

“Do you love him?” Roman enquired as if her answer was all that mattered.

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is Jamie. I want to be a part of his life, to be there for him. I want to be his mother Roman. Whatever there was or is between me and Aden, none of that matters, all

that matters is Jamie”

“Do you really think you can keep him separate from everything else?”

“I have to”

***

“Well what an exciting Bucks night this is!” Nicole exclaimed as Jamie beat Aden for the third time on some ridiculous racing game on the Wii. She was sure Aden was letting him win.

“I told you I didn’t want a Bucks night anyway” Aden insisted as he accepted the drink she had poured for him and slouched back into the sofa as his son entered his name on the high scores leaderboard. So far he occupied spaces 1-10.

“I know, I know” Nicole sighed as Roman entered the room and her voice dropped to a lower pitch imitating Aden’s.

“Just a quiet night in, no fuss”

“Exactly”

“I still say a typical Bucks night would have been more fun!”

“You would never have known that though would you though, not being a Buck and all?” Aden made a valid point.

“I’m Best....”

“Best what? Roman’s Best Man” Aden’s laughed.

“Well I was Best Woman la-“ she suddenly stopped both realising that Jamie was in the room and that Aden’s expression was now one of horror at the mere mention of last time.

“Aunt Nicole?” Jamie chimed up sweetly from the sofa and she dreaded to think what he was going to ask and whether Aden would kill her for it.

“Yes sweetie?” she replied hesitantly.

“What happens on a ypical Bucks night?”

“Typical Jamie” Aden corrected.

“That’s what I said! Ypical!” the four year old shouted slowly at his father as if he was deaf.

“Well,” Nicole smiled at Aden cheekily.

“Nicole!” Aden and Roman warned in unison.

“The guy getting married goes out with all his friends and has lots of fun” she explained and saw Aden breathe a sigh of relief at her censored explanation.

“What do they do?” Jamie asked looking up at her expectantly, clearly unsatisfied with her response.

“They drink a lot and play games and look at girls-“

She giggled as Aden’s hands quickly shot over his son’s young ears.

“With all their clothes off” she finished with a chuckle and after she had been silent for a short time Aden removed his hands from either side of Jamie’s head.

“Why do girls take their clothes off?!” the four year old boy asked in horror as Aden groaned.

“Because it gets hot” Aden tried to quickly answer so they could get off the subject as soon as possible but still intrigued Jamie turned to face him.

“Daddy why do you want to look at girls with no clothes on?” he asked, disgust still clearly etched on his face.

“I don’t Jamie” he replied shooting a scornful look at Nicole.

“But Aunt Nicole said-“

“Sometimes men at Bucks nights like to look at girls with no clothes on” he admitted.

“But why? Girls aren’t even nice with clothes on Daddy!” he exclaimed as Aden, Nicole and Roman all burst into laughter.

“I’m a girl Jamie!” Nicole reminded him.

“Please don’t take your clothes off!” the young boy instantly pleaded.

“Why would I do that?”

“This is Daddy’s Bucks night and you said girls take their clothes off at Bucks nights!” he looked petrified as he answered her.

“No one is going to take their clothes off Jamie” Aden reassured his son.

“Because it’s not an ‘ypical Bucks Night?” he asked hopefully.

“Yes. Girls only take their clothes up at proper Bucks nights and no children are allowed at those” Aden nodded.

“Do you like to look at girls with no clothes on Daddy?” Jamie looked up at him as Nicole and Roman both bit back laughter. He would kill them later.

“Only if I love the girl” he finally settled on what he felt was the most appropriate response and both Nicole and Roman looked quite impressed by his answer.

“But you can still love her with clothes on can’t you? Why would anyone like girls with no clothes on?”

“You’ll find out when you’re older trust me” he replied, gently kissing his son’s forehead.

“Now bedtime”

“But Daddy!” he protested.

“No buts! It’s going to be a long day tomorrow and little boys need lots of sleep”

“But Da-“

“I’ll read you a story” Nicole offered knowing how much he loved to be read to.

“Alright then!” he replied as he headed towards the staircase but only got two steps up before turning back.

“I want Daddy to read to me” he insisted as he always did.

“Brush your teeth and I’ll be up in 5 minutes” Aden told him as a beaming smile illuminated his son’s face and he practically skipped up the stairs.

“Awww” Nicole gushed as Jamie disappeared up the stairs.

“It’s so cute how much he adores you. Only wanting to be read to by his Daddy”

Aden shrugged.

“He was just worried you’d read to him naked”

“Shut up!” she laughed throwing a cushion at him. He caught it and hugged it to his chest.

“Seriously, if you’ve scarred my son for life I’ll sue” he joked.

“Please! Kids grow up so fast these days we’ll only have to blink and girls with no clothes on will be his main interest!”

“She’s right” Roman nodded.

“When Nicole was born she looked so innocent. That lasted all of a day”

“Oiy!” Nicole exclaimed hitting him playfully on the arm as Aden laughed.

Suddenly she came over all serious and pulled an envelope and a scrap of paper from their hiding place between two cookery books on a nearby shelf.

“Now Jamie’s gone we have something for you” she told him, handing them over.

“You didn’t have to get me anything” he told them genuinely.

“What is it?”

“Read it” Roman nodded towards the scrap of paper which Aden unfolded with caution. As he read what was scrawled on it anger began to bubble inside him.

“Where did you get this?” he asked.

“Irene”

“So it is what I think it is then?”

“Belle’s home address” Nicole replied before Roman could respond.

“And the envelope’s from me. A return ticket to LA. We’ll look after Jamie”

“I’m getting married tomorrow”

“You don’t have to be” Roman told him.

“You don’t have any right to interfere like this” he half whispered, still calm as he tried to reign in the anger and confusion soaring inside him.

“No we don’t you’re right” Nicole admitted uncharacteristically.

“But we want you to be happy. And if there is even a tiny part of you that still wants Belle then you owe it yourself and to Jamie to at least try”

“She doesn’t want me...us”

“You don’t know that Aden”

“It’s been 4 years! And she signed the divorce papers didn’t she?”

“So did you” Nicole raised her eyebrows at him.

“Because it’s over. It’s been over for 4 years. I’m marrying Kirsty tomorrow because it’s what I want!” he insisted, raising his body from the sofa, slapping the paper and unopened envelope down on the

table.

“So thanks for caring but I won’t be needing these”

“As long as you’re sure mate” Roman replied.

“I’m sure” he insisted as he headed upstairs to read to his son.

***

The early morning sun streamed through the tiny gaps in the blinds, gentling tickling her bare skin as she wondered how much longer it would be before the unwelcome intrusion of her alarm clock invaded her semi slumber. Figuring she had at least another few minutes she snuggled into the pillow, attempting to stretch out across the bed as she did so. But her body’s path was prevented from taking advantage of all the space she‘d thought was available, by some sort of unidentified sleeping object in her bed.

She panicked momentarily, her eyes remaining tightly shut as she prayed for this all to be just a dream, a dream from which she would wake up any second. But almost immediately she calmed down. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Johnny, she had no need to worry. She must be back in LA. She couldn’t remember coming back or why she had come back but that was the only explanation which made sense,

She forced one unwilling eye open in order to check the time, predicting that mere seconds were remaining before her alarm blasted her into the world of the living, but almost instantly she clamped the eye tightly shut again and inwardly screamed.

There was no clock.

Cautiously she let her eyelid rise again. There was no clock, this wasn’t her room and yes, the briefest of glances to her left confirmed that there was a man next to her. And he wasn’t Johnny. He was still fast asleep, his plump lips slightly open and his blond hair tousled.

Instantly the events of the night before came flooding back.

“Oh my god!” she whispered to herself, “What have I done?”.

She covered her eyes with her hands, unable to look at the scene before her for a second longer. Then a horrifying thought hit her. She open her eyes to peek under the covers, the sight of last night’s dress crumpled on the floor answering her question before she’d even looked. She cringed with embarrassment before glancing at the sleeping figure next to her and assessing her chances of making a break for it without waking him.

She had to get out of here. Now. But how? She couldn’t use the duvet to cover her because yanking it away from the grasp he currently had on it would surely wake him. She could just make a run for it to her clothes she supposed but knowing her luck he’d wake up at the most inconvenient moment and there was no way on earth she was going to be caught parading around starkers in his room. Even if he had apparently seen it all before.

She scanned the floor and spied his disregarded shirt mere inches out of her reach.

“Damn!” She cursed her rotten luck, could this day get any worse? Realising there was only one thing for it she slid down the bed slightly and then hung the top half of her body over the edge, leaning out as far as she could without losing the duvet’s protection and grabbed until she finally managed to get hold of the shirt.

Some difficult manoeuvring ensured that she retained the duvet’s protected of her modesty as she put the shirt on and then she slid carefully out of the bed, over to her clothes and quickly began to dress, again trying to show as little flesh as possible.

She dressed within minutes but the location of her right shoe proved elusive as she searched high and low for it. Silently she wondered how she could have been so stupid, yes she’d been angry and drunk and the two never make a good combination but how had it led to this?

Where had she left her identity last night? she wondered because the girl who had ended up here definitely wasn’t Belle Taylor. Then she remembered, she’d swapped her identity for that last vodka and

coke. She’d have to remember to pick it up later.

Finally locating her shoe she slipped it onto her bare foot and quickly exited the room, closing the door quietly so as not to wake him. She ran down the stairs only to be met by voices as she reached

the bottom.

“My Dad had someone in his bedroom last nig-“ Nicole stopped mid sentence as Belle appeared before her.

“Belle?!” Both she, and Aden, exclaimed in unison.

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