Originally, Edward had dreamed that while Julia went abroad, he could spend time with Bella. In fact, Edward had even gone as far as taking a 7-day leave to realize all the plans he had made as a form of retribution for the difficulties and lack of attention he had given to Bella lately.
However, until today, on the third day of Julia’s stay in Milan, Bella had been avoiding him instead. Not only could they not meet or sleep together, but even facing Edward seemed like an effort for her.
Edward had tried many ways and efforts to melt Bella’s heart. Even tonight, when he accompanied Bella to her prenatal check-up, Bella remained silent all the way home.
“Bella… how about we stop for dinner first? You must be hungry, right?”
On the way home, Edward took the initiative to invite Bella to dinner. Instead of accepting his offer, Bella didn’t respond at all, as if she had a toothache.
Tired of Bella’s rejection, when they arrived home and were on the second floor, Edward grabbed Bella’s arm and forced her to enter her room. Edward immediately closed the door and gently pressed Bella’s body against the wall of the room.
“Edward, let go!”
Bella tried to resist, struggling with all her might to break free from Edward’s grasp. But because he was much stronger, her actions yielded no results.
“No… I won’t let you go until you explain what’s really going on.”
“I’m fine,” Bella replied coldly, then turned her face away, intentionally avoiding looking at the man in front of her. Bella knew her heart was easily swayed. She was afraid that if she looked at him, she would weaken.
“You’re lying!” Edward lifted Bella’s chin, forcing the beautiful woman to look at him. “Look into my eyes. Why are you avoiding me and acting so cold like this? Did I do something wrong to you?”
Bella sighed and then laughed sarcastically. How could Edward casually ask? Didn’t he feel like he had committed a fatal mistake?
Edward nodded.
“Oh, come on! If I did make a mistake, please tell me directly. Don’t just stay silent like this. For God’s sake, I can’t read your mind, Bella.”
Bella became even more annoyed. She was frustrated that Edward didn’t seem to feel like he had done anything wrong to her. Yet, he had made the same mistake repeatedly.
“You want to know what your mistake is?”
“Of course. You can be honest with me.”
“You’ve made a lot of mistakes, Edward. In the past month, you’ve been neglecting me more. Even the other day when Julia was sick, you only made food for her without caring that I obviously hadn’t eaten.”
“Oh my God, Bella. You misunderstand. I didn’t mean—”
“Wait!” Bella cut him off quickly. “I’m not finished. Not to mention, while Julia was home, you both seemed very intimate. You even seemed to deliberately show it off in front of me. I’m tired, Edward. I’m tired of being hurt every night thinking about you making love to Julia!”
Edward fell silent. Seeing Bella speak with a trembling voice touched his heart. He realized he had made a mistake.
“Bella… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset and angry like this.” Edward took a slow breath, trying to explain to Bella so she wouldn’t misunderstand. “I didn’t ignore you at all. Several times I tried to meet you. But I always failed because Julia suddenly caught me. And again, I couldn’t easily take you out while Julia was at home. She even suspected and accused me of having a relationship with other women. Finally, about the food, I intentionally didn’t make it for you because I was still upset. Do you forget that the night before, you danced intimately with Kairos? I was jealous. But regardless, I apologize for making you so angry.”
Edward tried to reach for Bella’s body. But she quickly brushed Edward’s hand away. She even pushed him away.
“Enough, Edward. Stop this foolishness. I know I’m wrong and too foolish for falling in love with a man who clearly has a wife like you. From the beginning, I should have known my place and not hoped to be your partner in the future. After thinking it over, it seems my status is nothing more than a woman to satisfy your desires or warm your bed when Julia isn’t around.”
“Bella, stop it! You can’t think like that. I never considered—”
“Then what? Then what do you think of me? A friend for fun? You only come to me when you need, Edward!”
“Bella… I beg you.”
Bella shook her head.
“Enough, Edward. I think our relationship has gone far enough.”
“Bella…” Edward called out with a tone of sadness, hoping Bella would forgive him. “Please don’t be like this. I genuinely care for and love you.”
“Oh yeah? Prove that you really love me. From the beginning, you should have been firm by making a choice.”
“What do you mean?”
“Yes. Make your choice. Divorce Julia and marry me. Or go back to Julia and please forget about me.”
Edward was startled. Bella’s proposed choice left him speechless. Edward knew eventually he would have to choose. Besides, Kairos had also said the same thing before.
“You can’t answer, can you? Then get out of my room immediately!” Edward snapped out of his daze after a moment of silence. At that moment, Bella pushed him out of her room.
“Bella… don’t be like this.”
“Don’t ever come to see me until you can make your choice.”
Making sure Edward had left the room, Bella slammed the door. Afterwards, she cried out of frustration with Edward’s behavior, feeling like he had been playing with her heart.
Bella could have told Edward that the baby she was carrying was his. But seeing Edward’s indecisiveness, she decided against it. She thought, what’s the point of telling him if he can’t even make a firm decision?
Besides, there was no guarantee that when Edward found out the baby was theirs, he would immediately marry her.
Edward couldn’t shake off what Bella had told him. He was still thinking about it, so he consulted Samuel the next day. Truly, he was at his wit’s end. He didn’t know what else to do to win Bella’s heart and stop her from being continuously angry with him.
“You’re asking the wrong person about love like this, Edward.”
In his office, Samuel sighed. He had been listening to Edward’s lamentations for an hour.
“Besides, I’ve never been involved in a complicated love triangle like this. You should ask Kairos, who is famously a playboy with girlfriends everywhere.”
Now, it was Edward’s turn to sigh. He was reluctant to ask Kairos for advice. Instead of getting advice, he would probably get a free lecture from him.
“You know Kairos is in Italy right now. His phone is completely unreachable. How can I ask for advice from that thug?”
Samuel laughed. What else could he do? Kairos was the one who understood women among them.
“If you think logically, the sensible way to win over an angry woman is to give her many gifts. Especially since you said Bella’s birthday is coming up soon, right?”
Edward nodded.
“Yes. I know from Clara that Bella’s birthday is in two days.”
“In that case, buy her the things she likes as gifts. And most importantly, you have to make a decision for Bella.”
“So, you think I should make a decision right away?”
Samuel nodded repeatedly.
“Of course. I’m asking you seriously. Do you love Bella?”
Without much thought, Edward nodded.
“I love Bella, Samuel. In fact, after thinking about it, I love Bella much more than Julia.”
“In that case, make your choice immediately. Besides, Bella is not a toy or a doll. Like Kairos said, don’t be greedy and just want what’s convenient for you. When Julia is around, you sleep with Julia. And when Julia isn’t there, you hope to sleep with Bella. You’re acting like a scoundrel if you behave like that.”
Edward sighed. He jabbed Samuel lightly when he called him a scoundrel.
“I’m not like that, Ed. All this time, I’ve been too confused and torn trying to find the best way to end things with Julia peacefully.”
“What? Divorce peacefully?” Samuel laughed, finding Edward’s words amusing.
“Yes. I just don’t want any conflict after this. You know Julia is well-known. I’m worried she’ll get angry and refuse, then spread rumors to the whole world that Bella is a seductive woman who has stolen me from her side. No, I don’t want Bella to bear this burden.”
Samuel was also puzzled and troubled. Truly, Edward’s problem was very complicated. But, according to Samuel, there was a big reason why Edward had to marry Bella immediately.
“Just so you know, Edward. Actually, Kairos has the answer to the dilemma you’re facing. My advice is to make a decision quickly. After that, try to keep contacting Kairos so he can help you solve all these problems quickly. Honestly, Kairos has everything you need. He even has a big secret that you may never have imagined until now.”
Samuel’s words made Edward think. He swore to make a decision soon. After that, he would resolve all these problems so they wouldn’t drag on.