Chapter 2

If only our sweet innocent Isabella knew what went down that night of the accident. Oh how she would've slapped Noah across the cheek.

Not all have the best intentions with her heart and should I even be daring to mention her life?

To be stabbed in the back like that, I wouldn't have been so tolerant of it all like she has been for forever.

•●•

December 18th, 1999

"Noah I am 8 weeks pregnant with your child for God sake!", Amia declares to Noah in a fit of rage.

"You are what!", Noah bursts out. For such an emotionless guy, anyone can tell the anger brewing in his eyes. 

"What were you expecting to happen? You were careless that night. You were the one telling me to trust you", tears were streaming down Amia's cheeks, making her look weak and extremely vulnerable, "and I did – I fucking did."

"I was drunk Amia. You know I wouldn't have done what we did that night with you and you know that.", Noah says while passing the length of the living room. "Besides you are Bella's best friends for goodness sake and I'm here fucking fiancée, I love her more than life itself.", Noah says.

With tears still pouring like waterfalls from her eyes Amia asks, "But I love you more and you know that, don't you?"

Millions of thoughts make themselves comfortable in the comforts of Noah's brain. His serebrum threatening to explode by the lightning speed thoughts seem to travel into his mind. Amia's crying just pushed him further over the edge of a massive breakdown. 

"Can you just shut up!", he yells out. Seemingly not able to take this any longer. 

This is just too much to take in. Isabella would surely leave me if she finds out about this. She has been nothing but a ray of sunshine on the darkness I call my soul. Isabella brightened me up, she is the one that made me feel again and yet again I screw up the one thing that's worth living for.

Without saying another word Noah marches out of the living room. Amia hot in his tail as he slams shut the front door. 

"You'll pay for this Noah, I swear!", Amia yells from the porch where she is left a teary mess in her Nike sweatpants and oversized sweater.

"I'll make sure to hurt in ways beyond his imagination.", Amia mumbles to herself as Noah's Range Rover disappears into the abyss known as the New York roads.

•●•

A couple of hours later into the day I received a message from Bella.

Hi hun. My friend Lilly has invited me to her first art exhibition at a gallery in downtown New York. Would you care to join me? It would be lovely to have you as company, since I'm almost one hundred percent sure that Lil would be too busy to keep me company.

Seeing this message and especially her name popping up on my screen angers me in an incomprehensible manner. 

Isabella has always had it all since University. Not only was she always the top achiever, but also amazing in everything she attempted. 

There was no problem getting a guy to like her, since every guy in school wanted her to be theirs. 

Out of all the male gender grovelling at her feet for attention she chose to date the one guy I liked more than I could express in speech or writing.

Noah Seyit Stepanov.

He was supposed to be mine, not hers. I'm the one carrying his child.

While all the thoughts keep entering my brain I texted Isabella, she was my best friend after all.

Hey Bell I'm not feeling up to it. I've been quite sick lately. I'll rather not take any chances and stay home. Have fun tho.

I pushed the send button and shortly after threw my phone onto the coffee table as I reached for the remote to watch some television.

As I flip through the channels I finally settle on a series playing on television. It seems interesting enough to keep my thoughts off certain topics.

About two episodes into my new found thought, a knock resonated from the front door. 

It's probably Noah coming to his senses. 

So with a smile set on my face I proceed to the front door where the knocking is coming from.

As I was about to leave a sassy remark, Isabella's bright smile greets me. In her hands there is a pot still steaming from the hot content it beholds. The aroma of chicken smelled in the air.

"Sorry to just pop up at your home without any notice. You said that you were not feeling quite that well so I decided to bring over my famous chicken and vegetable noodle soup. The best cure for any type of sickness.", she says while walking past me, making her way to the kitchen I assume.

After closing the door behind me I follow her leaf into the kitchen where I find Isabella dishing up some of the soup into a bowl. 

"Go and lay down. I'll bring you the soup and some freshly made bread in just a bit.", Isabella says while cutting two slices of the freshly baked bread I only seem to take notice of now.

"You are too kind Bella. I couldn't have asked for a better friend than you.", I say almost throwing up in my mouth as the words leave my lips. 

She looks up and smiles at me kindly like she always does. That smile that makes one believe that she hasn't caused any harm to any person in her lifetime.

The smile that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside once has just taken the form of a sadistic mocking in my mind.

That is the smile that catches everyone's eyes and pulls them into the trap that is her, Isabella Costello. 

One with such sugary sweet words that you would do anything that she says, but I'm not falling for that anymore.

I'm done and I'm ending things today.

I leave to the lounge room where my fur blanket lay tossed over the armrest of my couch.

After taking a hold of it I walked to where the television was still playing in the living room to only find Isabella placing the tray with soup, bread, orange juice and a bottle of flu medicine on the coffee table.

"I'm sorry that I have to leave so soon since I just got here, but Noah just called to ask me to come over and I still need to get ready for Lilly's exhibition.", Isabella explains while wrapping me up in a warm hug.

"It's fine. You are truly too kind to me.", I layer on the icing a bit thicker. 

"But you aren't feeling well. It wouldn't be right for me to just leave you in this condition.", she says.

After about ten minutes of persuasion she finally leaves. 

As soon as the front door shuts, I pick up the food and throw it away in the sink and turn on the garbage disposal.

Just like that, the most brilliant idea surfaces inside the drowning mess of thoughts in my head. 

She'll be going to Lilly's event tonight. I honestly don't know why people would anyway want to attend her art exhibition, because she isn't even that good.

Picking up a paintbrush and making a few disfigured faces and lines upon a canvas and everyone suddenly claims it to be art. My foot I say to all those foolish uncultured creatures.

But back to the plan...

I know exactly what I'm going to do, little miss perfect aren't going to be so perfect after I'm done with her. 

She will be equivalent to Lilly's disfigured paintings. 

With a dark grin spreading on her lips, one similar to the grin the devil himself would be spotted in. 

The chills that run down one's spine after witnessing it would certainly crawl down your spine like a lone drop of water running down one's exposed back.

•●•

This is such a huge mess. One that I certainly can't just sweep under the rug and ignore it like it would go away on its own accord.

That night never should have happened. If Isabella finds out about this I would not even know how she will react to this. 

As I pace the length of my office a knock on the door snaps me out of my thoughts and back to my physical reality.

"Not now!", I say loudly, not wanting to be disturbed while trying to figure out what to do with the situation I found myself in currently.

"Well I think you would rather love to see me.", Isabella says while entering my office with a bright smile. In her hand she carries containers from which comes the most lovely aroma.

That smile surely makes you feel like everything is going to be alright although I'm not so sure it will be this time.

How do one explain to one's fiancée that you have slept with their bestfriend on a business trip? 

Not to mention when she has always been so loving and kind towards you, literally just being the perfect person.

"Is something wrong Noah? You look off today.", she enquires with concern whirling around in her irises. She places the food on my desk and raps her arms around my torso from behind. 

My Bella is quite tall and therefore is able to rest her chin on my shoulder blade. 

"I did something bad that would in honest opinion destroy you.", I blurted out, unable to stop the words from spilling from my lips.  Which is worse that it came out in a toneless voice without even giving away a slight sliver of remorse.

Her arms feel limp to her sides as I turn to face her. 

Those light hazel eyes of hers are suddenly shades darker than they were just a few moments ago. 

Suddenly my heart starts to fasten the pace it beats at, my breathing becomes irregular and it feels like I'm about to break out in sweat at any given moment. 

"Noah start talking please, you have already mentioned it so there is no use of the silent cloud dawning on you now.", Isabella says in a tone that is so calm that should've put me at peace, but actually made me more anxious to declare my dark and broken truth.

She'll not only lose me, but her best friend too. Amia meant the world to her and for us to betray her like this must probably, no cross that out, definitely be the worst thing that has ever happened to her.

I stare right into her eyes. They are full of emotion. Swirls of haze, anxiousness and something deeper that is seemingly harder to catch on.

My lips part and the words spill like milk from my mouth, "When me, Amia and John went away for the conference meeting in Los Angeles, on the 25th of October, something happened. I have never told you this but my mother and father died on that date 12 years ago in a car accident. The drunk driver was so intoxicated that he lost control over the truck he was driving and crushed my parents in the process. Annually I would rather drink myself into a state of numbness. Amia showed up at the hotel's bar where we stayed at. She practically begged me to rather just go to bed and stop drinking. I did go to my room, but she insisted on getting me room service, she said that I needed some water and food in my body to feel better. The pizza and water arrived and I thought it well for her to stay and enjoy the delicious Italian treat with me. We started talking about work and soon I told her why I drinked that night. One thing led to another and the next morning I wake up to find her next to me in my bed.", the tears glistening brightly in Isabella's a few moments ago started to roll down her delicate cheeks. The pain that she is feeling was inflicted by me and therefore I feel tenfold the emotion she does.

The silence between us, her crying in utter silence in front of me breaks me in ways that I never thought I could. 

"Say something.", I let out in a soft voice as I was trying to pull her in for a hug as she moved away. "Please, your silence is worse than the hatred I thought you would inflict upon me.", I confess. Indeed her silence broked me. It would have been better to have her attack me, but this...

"Why did you tell me?", Isabella asks. I never thought this is what she would ask me, but somehow it breaks me more.

"She is pregnant.", I confess. Her eyes are now as dark as the night and skin as pale as snow flakes.

"I'm going to Lilly's art exhibition tonight.", she says calmly while wiping away every trace of her tears. "I would've loved for you to join me, since you haven't met Lilly yet and she has been a big part of my life, but it seems like you have rather urgent matters to attend to.", she kissed me on the cheek on her way out.

•●•

December 18th, 1999 at 22:18

That luscious head of brown locks can never be mistaken for another's. 

As she steps out of the venue I start the engine of my car. Better to be prepared, right.

The weather as cold as always sizzles down upon her and my white car. Therefore I turn on my wipers.

She seems to be deep in thought as she makes her way to the road crossing. While she is so distracted I pull my car from its hiding spot and zoom in full speed across the road. 

There is no way I can turn back now and with that thought  Isabella is in front of me and just like that she is gone. 

I have the urge to look back, but it is safer for me to just speed off. My baby and me come first from now on and some fake claiming friend stealing my man's attention is definitely not in the equation.