One Mistake

[Georgia]

Story Title: One Mistake

Type of story: Short/Medium fiction

Main Characters: Aden Jefferies and Belle Taylor, as well as Nicole

Rating: A

Genre: Romance, drama, angst...

Does story include spoilers: No

Any warnings: Yes, a couple of the chapters include sexual assault (rape)

Summary: Aden and Belle are in a relationship, but when Aden makes one mistake, will everything come crashing down? Will Aden’s life amount to that mistake, or can he fix the wrongs?

Chapter One: The (Almost) Happily Ever After Part

At the end of every romantic movie, the hero and heroine walk off together, ready to start a life of happiness, and no more pain.

I’m Belle Taylor, and I have finally got my fairy tale ending, with Aden Jefferies, the man who captured my heart against all odds.

We’ve been together for about three years now, on and off, but recently, we’ve been more on than off. In fact, we’ve actually moved in together, which is a big step for us.

I never expected to settle down in Summer Bay... I wanted to travel the world, and leave the small town behind me. I wanted to see the big sights, but Aden is enough for me.

I also never expected to be the girl who would sound that corny either, but love is supposed to do funny things to you... so that’s my excuse.

But now, everything seems to be falling in place. The pieces of the jigsaw are arranging themselves, and the bigger picture is breath taking.

I can imagine myself settling down with him, and getting married... and to quote his drunken confessions: “having little Aden’s and Belle’s running around”

“Belle”, Aden’s voice brought me back down to earth, and out of the thoughts that were randomly flying around my head.

“Yeah?” I questioned, a stupid smile obviously on my face, because Aden was looking at me warily

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m just smiling. People are allowed to smile without anything being wrong you know, so I’m just being a normal person...” I rambled, and watched Aden’s face for any sign of a reaction

“Now I know something is wrong. You only ever ramble when something’s wrong” Aden stared into my eyes, and I quickly tried to avert my eyes, because as soon as Aden looked at me, he could tell what was wrong

“I was just thinking that’s all”, I insisted, my face blushing a bright red, and my fingers fiddling nervously with the bottom of my shirt. I didn’t want Aden to know the kind of thoughts I was having.... it would probably terrify him

“About what?”

“About me and you, and the future”, I whispered, risking a look at Aden’s face to see what he thought of that

“Really? What do you picture?” he asked excitedly, sitting down beside me and grabbing onto my hand

Now it was my turn to act all weary and cautious. Aden was a man... he was supposed to shy away from this kind of talk... unless he was pranking me...

“Well, I dream of us having children, three little girls, and one little boy for you. Their names would be Lily May, Jessica Ann, Jamaica Rose and Alec Scott... we’d move houses, so that we could have a white picket fence... and it would have to be a beach house...”, I trailed off, making sure my voice sounded wistful... I wasn’t going to let

Aden beat me; I’d play him at his own game.

“That sounds so great. I always imagined having a big family, and we’d all be so close, and I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to them”, Aden’s tone was dead serious, and there was a joy in his eyes; one I hadn’t seen for a long time...

“You were serious?” I asked, my voice raising incredulously in the middle of the sentence

“Of course I was. Were you?”

“No. We’ve only just moved in together, and you’re thinking of children?” I exploded, denying the fact that I too had been thinking of a future

“Belle, I’ve almost lost you a few times, and there is no way that I’m ever going through that pain again. I never thought I’d find someone that I’d want to share everything with... but it’s you. I want to tell you everything; I want you to know everything... I want you to be my wife, the mother of my children... the person I spend the rest of my life with”, Aden whispered, his eyes never leaving mine, and his speech full of passion... passion for me.

“I think I want that too”

“Good”, he said simply, and leaned forward and kissed me, taking my breath away, before standing up and walking into the kitchen

“Now, do you want a drink?” he called, happiness clear in his voice. He’d obviously wanted to have that conversation for a while.

“A glass of water will be fine; I’m just going to get the mail”, I called back, and walked to the front door, a slight skip obvious in my walk

I practically ran to the mail box, as I had just noticed that my shirt was extremely long, and it looked like I wasn’t wearing pants.

Within less than five minutes, I was back inside the house, ruffling through the mail pile. Nothing for me, as usual, everything was for Aden.

“Aden, you have a bunch of letters” I called sourly.

“Are they bills?” he asked, walking into the room, two glasses of water in his hand.

“This one isn’t”, I told him, handing the envelope to him as soon as he had put the glasses onto the coffee table

Aden stared at the envelope, that little crease between his eyebrows deepening, a sure sign that he was confused.

Eventually, he ripped open the envelope, and his mouth dropped open in horror, the letter fluttering to the ground, as he ran out of the house, tears pouring down his

cheeks.

I yelled after him, but he didn’t even look round, so I walked forward, and cautiously picked up the letter.

Dear Mr. Jefferies,

I’m sorry that you have had to hear about this in a letter, but your father has passed away. He was struggling in prison, and we, the staff at the prison, believe he is now in a better place. He has left everything to you, and we wanted you to know that he spoke of you every single day.

Yours sincerely,

Warden Smith

My heart immediately went out towards Aden. He and his father had never been close, but at the end of the day... Larry was still his father.

Right then, in that moment, I knew that my happily ever after would have to be postponed...

[Georgia]

Thanks for the reviews. Amz.. this isn't my happy Adelle fic... that one is still in the making

Chapter Two: The End of Everything

WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT (RAPE) IS IN THIS CHAPTER....

I sat up for hours, waiting for Aden to come home, which he would... as soon as he was ready to talk to me.

The door swung open noisily, and I could hear Aden swear. It was after 2am, and he probably didn’t want to wake me up.

But then I heard him curse a few more times, and I realized that he was drunk. When he stumbled into the kitchen, my suspicions were confirmed. He couldn’t walk in a straight line.

“Aden?” I whispered, trying not to startle him too much

“Hey babe”, he slurred, “I didn’t realize you would still be up”

“I waswaiting for you Aden. I’m so sorry about your dad” I said softly, my eyes filling up with tears as I imagined the pain Aden was going through right now

“Who cares? He wasn’t a proper dad anyway”, Aden told me, before tripping over nothing, and landing sprawled on the floor

“But at the end of the day, he was still your father”, I whispered, struggling to help Aden off the floor. Eventually, Aden got the point, and helped me pull him to his feet.

“Let’s get you to bed”, I said quietly, trying not to breathe in the stench of alcohol that seemed to be flowing out of every part of Aden

“I don’t want to go to bed”, Aden sounded like a grumpy two year old instead of a twenty year old who had had too much to drink

“You can sleep off the alcohol”

“I just need you Belle”, he whispered, his eyes looking at the floor. My heart beat a little faster, and the tears started flowing down my face

I leaned forward and kissed Aden lightly on the lips, and sighed slightly as Aden deepened the kiss, and then groaned as he pushed me onto the couch, our lips parting as he landed on top of me.

“Aden, I really think you should just go up to bed...” I whispered, and tried to push him off of me, but he wouldn’t budge

“I need you Belle”

“Please Aden, not tonight. You just need someone to be here with you... but not this way. I’ll stay with you, I won’t leave, I promise”, I assured him, and he seemed to understand, his head nodding slightly

“Do you want to talk about your dad?” I asked, trying to change the topic

Aden’s eyes seemed to grow distant and he leaned forward and kissed me aggressively, before frantically unbuttoning my shirt

“No Aden,” I insisted but he ignored me, his weight pressing down on top of me, making it impossible to move a muscle

His hands were everywhere, touching everything, and I frantically tried to squirm away. Our intimate moments were supposed to be a celebration of our love... not a way to escape from the reality that was our lives

“Aden, no”, I said firmly, but his hands just moved to my pyjama shorts and tugged them down.

“Aden, stop”, I yelled at him, but he wouldn’t listen. His hands were fumbling at his own trousers, and I tried to get away, but his body was still pushing me onto the couch.

And then came the pain... unbearable pain. I tried to scream, but his hand was covering my mouth, his nails digging into my face, scratching at the skin.

I felt like I was being torn apart, my whole body aching in ways that I had never felt before.

I shut my eyes, and tried to pretend that it was Aden, the man I loved... but the pain convinced me otherwise. It seemed to go on forever and ever, and it seemed to get worse and worse.

And then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. Aden stood up and walked away, up the stairs and into our bedroom... leaving me on the couch alone, sobs racking my entire body.

The man I loved had just raped me, ignored my denial... all because his father had died. And now... everything I knew was over.

My body still hurt, and I looked down my body. My stomach was scratched, from where Aden had taken off my shirt, and there was a pool of blood at the bottom of the couch.... something that was never a good sign.

But I couldn’t stand up... my body and my brain keeping me firmly in place.

So I laid on the couch, my tears and the pain I felt, were constant reminders of what had just happened

[Georgia]

Thanks for the reviews guys... sorry about the lack of updates, I've been giving a lot of my inspiration to Dying for you to Notice Me, and my first few fan videos

Chapter Three: Calling Nicole

I laid on the couch all night, unable to move. I couldn’t hear anything, but the ticking from the clock... but I couldn’t see the clock, and couldn’t tell the time.

The sky behind the window grew darker and darker, and my eyes stayed wide open, the replay of the night constantly going through my head.

Eventually, the sky grew lighter and lighter and I could hear Aden stirring upstairs, before a loud groan, and the creaking of the stairs

“Morning Belle”, he called, his tone bright and cheerful, although I could see that his face was pinched and drawn, a certain sign that he had a hangover

“Where are you?” he questioned, before he walked around the corner. I could tell when he saw me, because his jaw dropped, and his eyes welled with tears

“Oh my god Belle... what happened to you?” he ran to my side, and tried to cradle me in his arms, but I flinched away

“Who did this to you?” he questioned, pain clear in his voice and his eyes, and in the way he attempted to push my hair out of my face

I cleared my throat, trying to find my voice. “You did this”, I whispered, and watched as his mouth dropped even further

“No I didn’t”, he denied, “but this isn’t the time for this. I need to get you to the hospital”, he finished speaking, and tried to pull me into his arms

“Get off of me”, I whispered, trying to pull myself out of his arms

He quickly put me down on the couch and kneeled beside me

“I would never hurt you Belle, you have to know that” Aden insisted

“Yesterday, I would have trusted you with my life... but today... you raped me last night Aden, ignoring the fact that I said no... because you were drunk. That’s not how you treat the people you love” I told him, wiping away the tears that were rolling down my tears

“Let me get you to the hospital Belle”, Aden pleaded, trying to pick me up again

“Let me go. Call Nicole... she can take me to the hospital”

“Belle, I’m your boyfriend. I can take you to the hospital” Aden told me, tears filling up his eyes as well

“Just call Nicole, and if you can’t do that, then give me the phone”, I yelled, sick of the way he was trying to make me feel guilty for him

Aden picked up the phone, and dialled Nicole’s number. I tuned out of the conversation, only paying attention again when Aden had hung up the phone.

“She’s coming over” Aden told me, his eyes desperately trying to meet mine

“Can you pack me a bag for the hospital? Just some books, and clothes”, I asked, and watched as he nodded, and ran up the stairs. I could hear him thundering around upstairs, and I waited for both him and Nicole to be ready

The knock on the door jolted me back down to earth.

“Come in Nicole”, I called, “the door is open”

Nicole swung open and walked in, her designer bag perched perfectly on her shoulder, and her hair straightened as beautifully as always.

I could tell when Nicole had seen me... her face dropped into a perfect o shape... a mask of horror.

“What happened to you?” she asked, but didn’t give me a chance to answer before she called for Aden, who came thundering down the stairs

“What happened to Belle?” Nicole demanded, ignoring me, and concentrating purely on Aden.

I didn’t really care... I didn’t want to have to be the one to explain what had happened... it was Aden’s fault; he should be the one to confess to his sins

“I came downstairs and found her like this”, Aden mumbled, “she hasn’t really told me what happened”

Nicole quickly shut her mouth and rushed to my side, finally remembering the reason she was really here.

I could feel anger fill my body... it was bad enough that the man I loved had done this to me, but for him to lie about it as well was inexcusable.

“I promise that we’ll get the guy who did this to you Belle, he won’t get away with it”, Nicole promised, and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer

“Well, arrest Aden then”, I exploded, tears of anger filling up my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away, not wanting Nicole and Aden to confuse them as tears of pain. I didn’t want Aden to see me cry ever again

“What?” Nicole questioned, and I could see that she didn’t believe me

“Aden was the one who did this to me. I said no, but he kept going...” I stated, my voice detached and emotionless, my eyes trained on Nicole’s face, as I tried to take in her reaction

It didn’t disappoint. Nicole’s eyes hardened and she bit down on her bottom lip, as her hands clenched into fists.

“Nicole, my dad had died, and I was drunk”, Aden explained, begging Nicole to listen, to believe him

“That’s your excuse? You were drunk, and your dad had died? That’s just hypocritical Aden. You hated your dad because he was drunk and then you went and got drunk? And that gives you the right to hurt a woman like that, to hurt Belle?” Nicole screamed, her nails digging into her palms, and her eyes shooting daggers at Aden. It was then, in that moment, that I realized I had chosen the right person to be there for me

Aden’s bottom lip fell out, and his eyes filled with tears. He sunk to the floor, and started sobbing into his knees. I thought Nicole would go straight to his side, but again, she outlived my expectations.

She walked over to him, grabbed the bag, and then walked back to the couch.

“Belle, my car is outside... do you think you can walk that far, or do you want me to carry you?” Nicole whispered in my ear, and my eyes once again filled with tears, this time, however, they were tears of relief... she was going to help me

“Nic, I’ll walk. There’s no way you’d be able to carry me”, I reply, trying to lighten up the situation. Nicole let out one hard chuckle, before holding out her arm, and pulling me up out of my slump

I was sure that we made a bizarre sight... the pampered blonde holding onto a bag, and half-supporting, half-dragging a bent over brunette girl.

But I didn’t care, because I was getting out of the place that had housed me, and my pain, and in that moment, Nicole was my guardian angel.

[Georgia]

Thanks for reviews, and sorry about the lack of updates, however, I have good news ! I have finished writing D.F.Y.T.N.M, and I just have to post it, which means I have a lot more time to write this one. It will be about 11 chapters long

Chapter Four: More Bad News

I sat on the edge of the cold hospital table, concentrating on Nicole, as she talked to Rachel. She was out in the corridor, and I couldn’t hear her, or see her face, but I was desperately attempting to read her body language.

It had to be bad... Nicole’s shoulders were slumped over, and from the tiny part of Rachel’s face that I could see... it seemed to be moulded into a mask of sympathy

I waited impatiently for Nicole to come back. I had thought that nothing else could possibly go wrong, but from what I was observing, everything else seemed to be turning upside down.

Nicole strolled into the room, her body exuding anxiety, but her face a calm, serene mask.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, before she could ever sit down. Her face flickered with emotions that changed so fast that I couldn’t identify them. Eventually, it settled back into that mask... the one that was too perfect and still for a human

“Belle... Rachel says that there was a lot of damage”, she whispered, her voice cracking with undisguised pain.

“And...”

“You’ll never be able to have another baby”, she said quietly, her eyes avoiding mine, as if worried that I would hate her forever

I had never really thought about having a baby before, but now that the option was taken from me, I wanted to have a baby... I needed to have a baby.

“What do you mean by another baby?” I asked, my brain clutching at straws, no matter how small they were

“Apart from the one inside of you now”, Nicole said, meeting my eyes for the first time, confusion breaking onto her face

“I’m pregnant?” I questioned gobsmacked. They wouldn’t be able to tell I was pregnant so quickly, right?

“About 8 weeks along”, she answered my question, her eyes roving my face, as if looking for answers, but I had none to give

Eight weeks ago I had been happy with Aden, happy with my life, and now everything was ruined. This baby wasn’t supposed to be here, and it made me sick to think about having a baby with the man who ruined my happiness...

There was a small part of me though, one that was getting bigger and bigger every second, that was screaming for me to listen

This was my only chance to have a baby... my only chance to be a mother. Why should I suffer because of what Aden had done to me? And the baby... why should he or she be denied a chance to live?

“What would you do if you were me?” I asked Nicole. I wasn’t strong enough to come to a decision on my own, and I wouldn’t be strong enough to raise the baby by myself

“This isn’t my decision to make Belle”, she stuttered, and started fiddling nervously with her hands. I could tell she had an opinion, and I needed to hear it

“Spill”

“It will be difficult Belle. You’ll have to have a caesarean, and be monitored closely throughout the pregnancy, but this is your only chance to be a mother”

“So if you were in my shoes, you’d have the baby?” I summarised Nicole’s point of view into a brief sentence and waited for her answer

“I’d have the baby”, Nicole said softly, “but you won’t be alone Belle... you’ll have me”

My eyes filled with tears at the thought of Nicole putting everything aside to help me when I needed her the most. We had never been close, and for her to sacrifice that much for me was overwhelming

“Thank you”, I whispered through the tears, and reached for Nicole’s hand, squeezing tightly

“So you’re going to have a baby?” Nicole asked, making sure that she understood what was going on

“We’re going to have a baby Nicole... you’re going to be an aunty”, I corrected her. Nicole was irreplaceable to me right now, and I wanted her to know that

“You can call me Nic, all my close friends do”, she told me and smiled softly at me, before placing her other hand on my stomach

Aden may have taken away my happily ever after, shattered my heart into a million pieces, and made me lose my trust in other people, but he’d given me a baby, and Nic.

Even though I was so grateful for Nicole, and the baby, I would have traded it all back in a second... just so that I could be with Aden again, before his dad had died, and before that night.

“Do you have any names for the baby?” Nic asked, jolting me from my thoughts

“Nic, I only just found out I was pregnant... I don’t have names yet”, I laughed, and Nicole soon joined in

“I can get a bit carried away sometimes”, she defended herself, her hand still on my stomach. I placed my hand next to hers, and stroked a small love heart. Even though I had only just found out about the baby, I already loved him or her.

“Do you think it’ll be a boy or a girl?” I ask Nicole, trying to escape the feelings that are flowing through me.

They keep alternating, and one minute I feel so low, and I hate everything that’s happening to me. The next minute, I’m excited and falling in love with the miracle growing inside me. And then I remember that this baby wouldn’t be counted as a miracle if Aden hadn’t taken away all my other opportunities.

“I think it will be a girl”, she whispers softly, and I can tell she’s already falling in love with the baby. That’s a good sign, because I’m going to need all the help I can get.

[Georgia]

Thank you for the reviews This story will be updated more frequently now, I promise. This one is quite a short chapter... just a filler really. Oh, and this story will have 10 chapters....

Chapter Five: Arguments

“You have to tell him”, Nicole said, for the fifth time since we had left the hospital. Despite the fact that Nicole hated Aden, she still believed that he had a right to know.

“Why should I? I can’t trust him, and I don’t want to have him in my life anymore”, I repeated myself. Nicole had already heard my arguments, and I could tell she understood, but she had never had a close relationship with her father until she was grown up, and she wanted the baby to have the best lifestyle possible

“Belle, I know he’s done the worst thing ever, and I know that you can’t trust him... I get all that, but it’s not the baby's fault. If she or he grows up without a dad... well, she’s going to blame herself. It’s what I did... I thought Dad left because he didn’t love me”, Nicole said sadly

Listening to Nicole, I realized just how little I knew about her. I had always assumed that she was a pampered snob, but there was so much pain in her past. I longed to help her, but even though her voice was sad, her eyes were fierce, and I could tell she wasn’t in the mood to delve any further into the past

“What if he wants to get involved with the baby though Nicole? I wouldn’t be able to deal with that”, I whispered, my eyes cast down towards the floor

We were staying with Irene, who thankfully wasn’t asking any questions. I guess she just assumed that Aden and I had broken up... after all, it had happened a lot. I didn’t want to get into the details with Irene, and I was sure that I never would. It was better for everyone involved – and a lot less painful – if only the three of us knew what had really happened that night

“Belle, you have already been so brave, and I wouldn’t suggest this if I didn’t think you could deal with it. I think that if you do this, you’ll be thankful later on in life, instead of wondering what would have happened if you told Aden”, Nicole explained, before pulling me into a hug

I stiffened, freaked out by the close contact, but I make myself tolerate it. Nicole has done so much for me already, and I don’t want to reject her, or push her away by being silly.

After all, she isn’t the one who hurt me

Luckily Nicole lets go soon enough, and I smile weakly at her. I hope that some of my gratitude is conveyed in that smile

“Do you want me to call him for you?” Nicole asked. I had a feeling that she was taking advantage of the fact that I hadn’t flat out refused to involve Aden, but right now, I didn’t care. All that mattered was that I had someone who cared enough to think about what was best for me and the baby

“Nicole, not now”, I said softly, making sure it didn’t sound like I was reprimanding her

“Belle...”, she began to complain, but I quickly and effectively cut her off

“I’m not saying no... just not now. I don’t think I can deal with everything just yet... it’s all happened so fast... I just need some time on my own, to take it all in”, I explained, and I could tell that Nicole understood.

Her face softened, and she smiled gently at me, before standing up and walking away

“Where are you going?” I called after her, scared that she was sick of me already

“You need time on your own to absorb everything, I get it”

“Nic, I didn’t mean away from you... you and the baby are the only things keeping me sane right now... I just want to spend the afternoon with you... figuring everything out”, I strung my thoughts together, trying to make Nicole understand what I meant

“Well, chick flicks and chocolate always help me understand my problems”, Nicole said shyly, trying to read my expression to see if she had got her answer right

It was perfect. I didn’t want her to make a fuss over what happened. Despite the fact that I felt like falling apart, I didn’t want people to treat me like I was strange, or try and stay away from me. I wanted to be normal, despite the fact that Aden had taken that away from me

Nicole grabbed my hand, and pulled me to the couch, gently pushing me down, before rushing to the DVD cabinet, and opening the drawers. She spent a couple of seconds looking at all the choices, before spinning around triumphantly, holding a DVD in the air

I smiled slightly when I saw that she was holding Titanic. Although it wasn’t necessarily a “chick flick”, it was my all time favourite movie. Getting lost in the mess that is Jack and Rose’s lives would distract me from the problems that were looming in my own.

Nicole smiled in return, and slipped the DVD into the player, before rushing back to the couch.

Time flew as we got immersed into the all consuming love story, with the heart-breaking ending... it completely overshadowed my emotions, and I was grateful for that, even if it would only last for a little while.

[Georgia]

Thank you for the reviews, it makes writing worthwhile to know that people are enjoying it

Chapter Six: Telling Aden

I braced myself as the doorbell rang. I had managed to put it off for a few days, but as Nicole kept reminding me, I needed to tell Aden.

I knew that as soon as he was inside, he would apologise over and over again, and beg me to take him back. He would say that it was a mistake, and that one mistake shouldn’t get in between our relationship.

But I didn’t want to hear it. After what he had done, I would never be able to trust him... never be able to look at him with love in my eyes. Everything we had shared had been tainted now, and I hated to even think about him, let alone see him

“Come in”, I called, not wanting to get up to let him in. I wouldn’t be able to deal with that... the close proximity...

The door swung open, and I squeezed my hands into clenched fists, before sitting on them, so that I would resist the overwhelming urge to stand up and hit him in the face

“Belle, what did you need to talk to me about?” a small voice came from just inside the door, and I looked up in shock

It sounded nothing like Aden, who had always been such a confident person, with a positive outlook on life. He sounded more like a mouse, timid and freaked out.

“Come in, sit down”, I repeated my earlier words but added on the end sentiment, trying to project a polite tone, but failing dismally

Aden sat down next to me on the couch, but when I recoiled in fear, he realized it was a mistake, standing up and moving to a chair opposite me

Everything was silent. I had no idea where to start, and Aden had no idea what was going on. I wished that Nicole was sitting next to me... she wouldn’t be afraid... she’d know just what to say, and what to do

“Belle, there must be a reason why you’ve called me here”, Aden reminded me, and I had to forced myself to stay seated, instead of run upstairs and give in to the growing nausea

“Nicole said I had to tell you”, I rambled, forgetting about the fact that Aden had no idea what was going on

“Start from the beginning babe”, he teased, the same light-hearted teasing he had maintained throughout our relationship

For a brief second, I thought that none of this had actually happened, but then I remembered everything that had happened, and I scowled at him

He seemed to sense his mistake, because his smile dropped from his face

“Sorry Belle”, he murmured, and waited for me to explain what was happening

“Baby... 8 weeks... little baby... pregnant... Nicole... only chance... miracle... love... keeping her...” I rambled, and Aden sat quietly, until I could see that he had put the pieces together

“You’re pregnant...” he gasped, and I nodded

“This is fantastic! We can be a family Belle, we’ll be perfect. You, me and our little baby, it’ll be amazing”, Aden exploded with excitement, and for the second time this evening, I recoiled in shock

“What are you talking about?”

“You can’t do this by yourself Belle”

“I’m not by myself. I’ve got Nicole”, I hissed, already annoyed at his assumptions

“Nicole isn’t the father of this baby”, he replied, seemingly oblivious to my tone, and how close I was to hitting him

“But she’s closer to this baby than you’ll ever be”, I said venomously, and getting vindictive satisfaction when Aden’s face dropped into a mask of horror

“You can’t mean that”, Aden stammered

“Aden, I only told you about the baby because Nicole said that you would want to know. There is no way that I can deal with this, and there is no reason why I should. The only reason I’m keeping the baby is because you’ve ended any chance of me having another baby”, I exploded, but not with excitement like Aden... I was completely, 100% angry

Aden didn’t say anything. I think he was still trying to make sense of my words. It had been a long time since the last time I had lost my temper at Aden... I think my anger was a foreign concept to him now, we had been happy for so long

The silence was stifling. I had nothing left to say to the man who used to occupy such a large place in my heart, and he had no idea how to talk to me anymore... there was a strong chance that his words would be taken the wrong way

“Belle, I know I hurt you, but can’t you remember how great we were together...” Aden pleaded, trying to remind me of all the happy times we had shared

I remembered... I remembered everything.

All the break-ups, all the make-ups... and the night that had ruined it all

“Yes, I remember, and I want you to know that I had a lot of fun, and I loved you... more than I’ve loved anyone else”, I whispered, intent on breaking whatever was left of this relationship

“But you don’t love me anymore?” he summarised, but his last word raised at the end, making it sound like a question

“There’s a part of me that will always love you Aden... we went through a lot of things together... but I don’t trust you, and I don’t actively love you anymore...” I explained, hoping that it made sense

“Can you at least move back home, so that we can raise the baby together?” Aden asked, desperately clutching at straws

Home meant back to Roman’s house... the place where all this had happened... I felt sick just thinking about it

“I’m not moving back to Roman’s. This is my home now... until I can save enough money to buy an apartment... but I’ll think about letting you be involved with the baby” I sighed, annoyed at myself for giving in so quickly

But if this was the last baby I would ever have, and Aden was the father... Nicole was right, Aden needed to know... and if he kept his distance from me, I saw no reason why Aden shouldn’t know his son or daughter...

Aden hovered awkwardly, and I wanted to throw him out of the house, but I could tell he had a question for me

“What?” I snapped, my patience already stretched past breaking point

“You said this was the last baby you’d be able to have... what did you mean by that?” Aden asked, after a short hesitation. I was sure that he didn’t necessarily want the answer to the question, but there was a part of him that had to know

“There was a lot of damage and Rachel said that I wouldn’t be able to have another baby... it was just a fluke that I was pregnant at the time. Rachel took pity on me, and said that I’d be able to carry this baby... but it’s going to be difficult”, I said softly.

Aden’s eyes filled with tears, and he quickly turned on his heel and ran out of the house. For a brief second, I was tempted to run after him, but then I realized that he probably wanted to be on his own right now.

So I went to my bedroom, and laid face down, allowing myself to cry out all the pain that kept filling me. I knew that Nicole would find me as soon as she got home, but for now, crying instead of talking would work just fine

[Georgia]

Chapter Seven: Shopping for baby things

I look like a whale. A beached whale... and I hate it. My clothes don’t fit anymore, and I waddle. Nicole tells me that I still look fine, but I know that she’s wrong. I’m six months pregnant, and I haven’t talked to Aden since that night... in fact, he left Summer Bay the next day

Nicole said that he’d come back closer to my due date, but I don’t expect him to. I didn’t even tell him the due date or how old the baby is... and to be honest, it’s easier this way

But today isn’t the day for worrying about Aden, or how fat I look, because Nic and I are going shopping for baby stuff.

Apparently, babies need a lot of stuff, and Nic, who has been reading hundreds of baby books, has decided that I’m seriously behind

It scares me that I know so little about babies, when I’m about to be a mother, but no one knows about my fear. Sometimes I think that Nicole should be the mum... she’s been reading up on all of this stuff, while I’ve been crying and trying to escape the pain that is still following me everywhere

“Belle?” someone calls and I can immediately tell its Nicole. I’ve become so close to her that she is almost a part of me. Her voice is as familiar as Irene’s and Aden’s... plus no one

else is comfortable enough to come into Irene’s house without knocking first

“Coming”, I call back, beginning my waddle to the main living area, still thinking about how I didn’t feel like a mother

“So, are you ready for shopping?” Nicole exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes and winced at her enthusiasm

“I suppose... as long as we get to stop for lunch along the way”, I replied, and then it was Nicole’s turn to roll her eyes

“You’re always hungry Belle”, she teased, and a scowl grew on my face. I hated people making fun of my weight, or anything that affected my weight

“Geez, lighten up”, she said, before walking up to me and placing her hand on my stomach. “Hello beautiful baby, how are you?”

I loved Nicole like a sister, but right now, I was sick of it. This was supposed to be my baby, yet she seemed closer to him or her than I’d ever be

Although I had been excited at the idea at first, I had grown to realize that I was holding a part of me back. After Aden had betrayed my trust that way, I had learnt not to rely on people. Nicole was an exception, because she had been there for me from the start of this mess

“Let’s go shopping”, I said, faking enthusiasm

Nicole, although she knew me better than anyone else in the world, didn’t realize that I was being sarcastic, and I was kind of grateful. I didn’t want to be just another part of Nicole... I wanted to be me, and that was something that I’m constantly terrified of losing

***

The ride to Yabbie Creek was uneventful, and less than an hour later, we were shopping. Nicole wanted to start with a crib... after all the baby needed somewhere to sleep

Nicole was a force to be reckoned with... no one realized that I was the mother-to-be, as every assistant was showing Nic everything she wanted: cribs, nappies, buggies... hundreds of little bits and pieces that made no sense to me

I just sat back and took the back seat. Every now and then Nicole would ask me for my insight, but when she realized that I wasn’t very helpful, she just let me sit quietly in the corner

I wanted to get involved but I had no idea how to do it, how to rush around being a super-mum before the baby was even more.

Not ‘the baby’, I mentally reprimanded myself... my baby. The thing growing inside of me was my baby... my little miracle.

I could feel my heart beat quicker when I said the words ‘my baby’, but then images over clouded that feeling... images of Aden hovering above me, refusing to stop... and I feel physically nauseous

“Nic, we need to leave”, I yell, my eyes unable to see where she was. I felt like my whole body was spinning around, and I could feel the floor rushing towards my face

“Hang on, I’m in the middle of something right now Belle”, she called back, obviously slightly annoyed about the interruption

I grabbed onto the corner of a clothing rack, and managed to keep myself upright, but the images wouldn’t go away... Aden was still there, still hovering above me, not letting me go.

“Nic now”, I yell, even louder than before. I need to get out of here, to run as far away as I can, to escape the memories that won’t leave me

Nicole turns around and I can tell that she’s seen me by the gasp that slips out of her lips.

“God Belle, you’re green”, she whispers, running straight to my side

“Get me out of here”, I beg, and she pulls me up, her arms supporting me. A few frantic shop assistants flapped around, trying to help, but they were making everything worse

We finally got out of the store, but Nicole didn’t say anything until we were sitting in the car, plugged in.

“What was that all about?”

“I saw something”, I whispered, not wanting to share the images that were still haunting me. Nicole was my closest friend, but this was something I needed to keep to myself

“What?” she asked and I realized that I wouldn’t be able to keep this a secret

“Memories of that night”

Nicole didn’t say anything but I could tell she understood.

“Nic... I’m scared. I want to love this baby, but every time I think of the baby, all these images of Aden come back to me, and it hurts so bad”, I whisper, tears already welling up in my eyes

“Belle, don’t ever think like that”, Nicole says fiercely, “you will be an excellent mother”. Her tone is harsh, and I realize that I can’t argue with her, so I nod, and pretend that I understand what she means...

She doesn’t see that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to escape these memories, or the pain that haunts me, even when I'm asleep.

[Georgia]

Thank you for the reviews guys... I'm not too sure about this chapter, so any critiscm will be appreciated

Chapter Eight: Aden’s back

“Belle... its Irene... Roman called me this morning to let me know that Aden’s back in town. I’m sorry darl”, Irene called through the door, before leaving the house. She was already late for work, stressed to the breaking point about Belle, and the collapse of her relationship with Aden from no apparent cause

I sat up in bed, horrified that Aden had come back so soon, and also extremely mad at myself. I was driving Irene insane... she had no idea why I was so upset all the time, and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t just tell her

A tap at my window distracted me from my thoughts, and I briefly forgot about hating myself.

“Who is it?” I called nervously, pulling my quilt up to my chin, trying to hide from whoever was at the window

“It’s Aden, let me in”, the reply drifted back, and I quickly got out of bed and opened the window, not because I wanted him inside, but because I was scared that he was going to fall

“I didn’t know you would be coming back so soon”, I said quietly, once Aden was inside and I was back under the covers

“Well, I thought about stuff for a while, and I’ve realised that I need to talk to you... you deserve to know the truth”, he explained, before sitting cautiously on the end of the bed.

I shifted my legs up slightly, so they wouldn’t be touching him, but didn’t say anything, allowing him the chance to explain himself

“I ran away because I was scared. I wanted to be involved, and you smashed that dream”, he began, but I opened my mouth to interrupt. How dare he say that I smashed that dream?

“Belle, calm down... I’m not finished... just relax”, he soothes me, before I’ve even had a chance to yell at him.

“But it let me think about stuff... and I realized that I can’t do this... I can’t be involved with the baby, even if you’d let me”, Aden whispered, his eyes staring at the jeans that were covering his legs

“What do you mean?”

“I want to be a father, don’t get me wrong... but whenever I think about you, or the baby, I feel hatred. I hate myself for what I did to you... I saw what you looked like the morning after, and I can’t get that sight out of my head. I’m not strong enough to stick around Belle”, he explains, and I feel my heart jump into my mouth

“Aden, if you feel like that from remembering what I looked like; imagine what I’m going through. When I think about being a mother, I feel physically nauseous because I remember what you did to me. Nicole seems to love the baby more than I do... god, I can’t even call it my baby... it’s always the baby, or it. I’m going to be a terrible mother”, I hiss at him. Nicole may not have listened to my concerns, but Aden will, and I know he’ll tell me the truth

“Belle, I can’t exactly say you’ll be able to get past this, because that would be beyond hypocritical. I’m here telling you that I’m never going to be able to be a father to the baby because of what happened between us, so I can’t say that you’ll be different”, he said softly, his eyes sympathetic.

I nodded... that made perfect sense, and confirmed what I had been feeling. Until the baby was born, I wouldn’t know if I could take care of it. Judging by Aden’s confession though, my feelings seemed to be spot on.

“I’m terrified”, I admitted to Aden, and his arms quickly found their way around my waist. I didn’t flinch away from his touch; instead I buried my head on his shoulder, and sobbed into his shirt

“Belle, it’ll all be ok”, he whispered, his hand stroking my hair

“Nicole loves the baby more than I do”, I say quietly, and Aden’s hands stop moving, resting softly on the top of my head

“I’m sure that’s not true”, he reassures me, but now I’ve started talking, I can’t stop

“She knows what to do... we went shopping for baby things, and the shop assistants all thought she was the mother. I just sat in a corner, and wallowed in self-pity. I had to remind myself that it was my baby... not the baby”

Aden didn’t say anything, but his hands start moving again, and he makes soothing noises under his breath. Although there are tears in my eyes, a laugh bubbles from my lips.

“What’s so funny?” he questions, which makes me laugh even harder

“The thing that’s made us talk to each other again is discussing how we can’t be parents to the baby”, I explain, but once I’ve said it out loud, I realize what I’ve just said, and that it isn’t funny at all.

Aden smiles slightly at me, but I know he’s questioning my sanity.

“Don’t worry about me”, I say softly, “I’ll be fine... I always am”

“I know”, he replies, before placing a soft kiss on the top of my head.

“Thank you Aden”, I whisper, and he quickly disentangles himself from me, and gets off the bed.

“Love you Belle”, he says simply and climbs out of the window, leaving me to contemplate the conservation we just shared

A/N: I wanted this chapter to show just how much Belle is struggling, and how the person who hurt her the most may be the person who can help her the most...

[Georgia]

Thank you for the reviews guys... this is the second last chapter, but I'm thinking of a sequel (if you'd be interested in reading it anyway ) I'll give you more details at the end of the next chapter

Chapter Nine: Telling Irene, with a twist...

I’m eight months and two weeks pregnant, and I still haven’t told Irene. At first I thought I was just giving myself time to adjust to everything, and then I thought I should let Irene enjoy her life a little longer, before she had to worry about me... now I realize I’m just trying to put off the inevitable, and I can’t do it anymore.

I waddle out of my room, thankful that Annie and Geoff are at youth camp, and that Nicole is unpacking the hundreds of baby items she has bought

“Irene”, I call, unable to walk much further. I was so skinny before all this happened that I don’t look too fat now, but I’m still not used to all this extra weight, and it makes it a pain to walk very far

“Coming darl”, she calls back, and I can see her flame of red hair walk into the room. She comes and joins me on the couch, quickly grabbing my hand, a habit that she has fallen into over the last couple of months

“I have something important to tell you”, I said softly, my eyes concentrating on Irene’s forehead, so that it made it look like I was staring into her eyes, while I was actually not able to see much at all

“Shoot”, she replies, and I gulp loudly. Irene has done so much for me over the years, and I can’t believe this is how I’m going to repay her.

“I’m pregnant”, I say so quietly that it’s a wonder she even heard me in the first place.

“I know darl”

“You know?” I repeated Irene’s words. They didn’t seem to make sense... how could she know? I had only told Nicole and Aden, and Rachel...

“Nicole told me the whole story a couple of weeks ago. She was waiting for you to tell me, but when you got to six months along, she started to lose patience...” Irene explained, and my eyes welled up with tears, of both anger and happiness

Nicole was kind enough to tell Irene what was going on, when I wasn’t strong enough to face up to it, but it wasn’t her secret to tell.

“At first I was mad at you for not telling me straight away, but when Nicole told me the rest of the story, I completely understood. You’re being so brave, and strong... I’m proud of you”, Irene whispered, tears forming in her eyes as well

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you Irene... at first I thought I was protecting you, but then I realized I was just delaying everything... I’m not that brave or strong... I’m terrified”, I cried, and Irene put her arms around me, hugging me tightly

“Irene, can you loosen your grip a little bit? You’re hurting my stomach”, I asked, wincing from the pain that was shooting through me

Irene quickly let go, and looked at me in shock.

“Belle, how far along are you?” she asked, and it took me a while to understand what she meant

“I’m umm... 8 months and 2 weeks pregnant”, I spoke quickly, but I was completely confused. I had no idea what was going on

“We need to get you to a hospital”, Irene yelled, and I jumped up in shock.

“Relax Irene... I’ve been having regular check-ups, everything is fine”, I tried to reassure her, but couldn’t speak clearly when another pain shot through me

“Belle your water has just broken”, she informed me, and I looked down in horror... this was too soon... I wasn’t ready... I hadn’t made a decision yet...

I took a minute to calm myself down, and when I spoke again, my voice was level and my emotions were in check.

“Call Nicole please, and tell her to meet us at the hospital. Then we’ll get in the car, and you’ll drive us up to the hospital... I’ll ring Rachel on the way”

Irene quickly followed out my instructions, and within five minutes we were sitting in the car. I pulled out my mobile phone that never left my pocket, and called Rachel. She answered on the first ring

“Dr. Armstrong here”

“Hey Rachel, its Belle”

“Hey, how are you?” she asked, the professional tone immediately disappearing from her voice. She was in friend mode now, which wasn’t what I wanted, or needed.

“My water broke about six minutes ago, and I’m in a lot of pain”, I explained, ignoring her question. I needed her to be Doctor Armstrong again.

“Oh god, come to the hospital straight away. You’re in premature labour Belle, and by the sound of it, the baby won’t take very long to get here”

“Thanks Rachel”, I said quietly, my face screwing up as the pain surged through me again. I quickly hung up the phone, and concentrated on the screen, trying to decide if I should message Aden and let him know what was going on, but then I remembered that he had left town, and he wasn’t strong enough to be a father

Irene pushed her foot down harder on the accelerator, her eyes welling up with tears when she heard me scream out in pain

Less than four minutes later, I had been rushed through the hospital, and into the delivery room. Everything was a blur... Nicole and Irene were standing on either side of me, squeezing my hands, and then people were telling me to push...

All I could hear were screams, and frantic cries for me to be strong, and carry pushing. It felt like hours until Rachel told me that I had done a great job, and the baby was out.

It took a while for the screams to fade from my ears, and even longer for me to be able to speak properly. Rachel waited patiently, and then told me what had happened

“Belle, the baby was born prematurely, but only two weeks before the due date, so everything will be fine. You were incredibly brave and strong, and you have a healthy baby boy”

Nicole and Irene burst into tears, and hugged each other, while I sat quietly, staring straight ahead. I felt empty inside

“Do you have a name?” someone asked me, and I nodded. I’d been thinking of names for a while, in an attempt to love the baby

“Ben Jefferies”

Everyone smiled at me, and the midwife who was holding Ben came over to me, holding the baby in outstretched arms

“You can hold him sweetheart”, she said nicely, but I couldn’t make my arms move

“You can give him to Nicole... I’m still really sore”, I lied, and Nicole quickly reached for the baby, Irene turning to stroke his face as well.

After just having a baby, I was more alone than ever.

[Georgia]

Chapter Ten: Sacrifice

Ben was crying, but I tuned him out. I’m in the middle of packing my final bag, and if I heard Ben cry, I might just change my mind, and that wasn’t a good thing

The chat Aden and I had shared, as well as my own suspicions, had made up my mind. I thought I had been strong enough to look after Ben, after all, he was my miracle baby, but every time I looked at him, I saw Aden, and the memories of that night flooded back to me

I couldn’t do it anymore. I was too afraid to connect to my own baby, and Ben deserved better than that

He deserved someone like Nicole, who already loved him more than anything else in the world. I knew that Aden felt the same way as me... he had already told me that when he looked at Ben, all he could see was the end of our relationship

Ben was just a reminder of the mistake Aden had made, and all the pain we had had to live through.

I knew it wasn’t his fault, and that was why I had to leave him. I’d never be able to love him... not properly...

It didn’t matter that Ben was my miracle child... I just couldn’t be his mother. I’d have to survive without a baby, because I definitely couldn’t look after this one.

So I put out all of the baby clothes, and lined up everything Nicole would need to look after Ben. Then I pulled out a pad and a pen, and began to write the letter that would explain it all... I was too much of a coward to hang around to talk face to face...

Dear Nic,

You are the best friend that I’ve ever had, and the only person I could ever trust with Ben. You love him Nicole, more than I do, more than I ever will

I thought I was strong enough to do this, to have this baby, but I’m not. Ben is a constant reminder of everything that happened, and it’s tearing me apart

I can’t look at him without seeing Aden, and I’m afraid to touch him. That’s not the life I want for him... I love him enough to give him what I can’t... a mother who can look at him without flinching, a mother who can rock him back to sleep without thinking of the man who raped her

Don’t try and call Aden either Nicole... he left earlier today... he can’t look at Ben either... all he can see is the sight of me lying on the couch...

It’s kind of ironic that leaving Ben is what enabled us to have a proper conversation. I feel like a rotten mother, but deep down, I know this is what’s best

Nicole, I know this is a lot to ask, but please... Ben is practically your son anyway. You are always with him, and that used to drive me insane... I thought that you were better than me, and now I realize that you are.

I’ll promise you one thing though Nic... you will never hear from me again. I won’t show up in the future and demand my son back... he is yours now and forever

I love you Nicole and thank you for everything you’ve done. I’ve never done anything to deserve such an amazing friend, but I got you anyway.

Eternally grateful,

Belle

I folded the letter and put it next to Ben, who was still crying. Tears pricked my eyes... I wouldn’t be here for any of his birthdays, or Christmases... but this was better for everyone

Everything I had written was true. Nicole was a better mother to Ben than I was... maybe if this had been a normal situation, I could have raised Ben, but after everything that had gone on... I just couldn’t.

My bags were packed, and Ben was ready. I just had to wait for Nicole to come home, so that I knew Ben would be safe, before walking out of the back door, and sliding into my car that was waiting for me.

“Belle?” Nicole’s voice called from the kitchen. She was right on time... she could never stay away from Ben for too long

“In the bedroom”, I yelled back, getting ready to leave the room, and the house... and their lives

“I’ll be there in one second, I just want to unpack some of the groceries I brought home”, she explains.

The brief second is all I need... I grab my bags, and walk out of Ben’s life forever.

I had no idea where I was going to go, and I had no idea how I was going to survive... but I had to get out of here...

Once upon a time I fell in love with the most wonderful man in the world

Everything was perfect, life couldn’t get any better

But then his father died, and I was attacked by the man I trusted most

I was told I would never be allowed another baby, apart from the one growing inside me

I loved this baby... and I tried to avoid all the pain and bad feelings that went with it

But then I realized I couldn’t do it anymore...

So I left... I ran away... all because of...

One Mistake

A/N: This is the end of One Mistake, but not the end of the story... (if that made sense). I liked writing this fic, and it turns out that a fiction I was thinking of writing was the perfect sequel to this story. I hope you guys will all read that one as well (it's gonna be called: 'For Ben'), and thank you for all the comments you have given me

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