Upon receiving the significant news conveyed by Samuel and Kairos, Edward fell silent instantly. Suddenly, he was rendered speechless, running out of words. He was torn between shock, disbelief, wondering whether what was told to him was a joke or indeed a fact.
“You must be joking. This can’t be happening.”
Edward shook his head, trying to deny the reality just presented to him.
How could he not be surprised? Just imagine, he had just found out that Bella had been pregnant all this time from their relationship. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized it until now.
“This is impossible, Sam. How could Bella be carrying my child? This must be a mistake.”
“You’re such an idiot!”
Kairos snapped angrily. The man cursed in frustration at Edward’s displayed stupidity.
“You’re asking ‘how could all this happen’ to both of us? This kind of question should be asked by me or Samuel. Besides, don’t forget, Edward Darkwood, you’ve bedded Bella countless times. You’ve taken advantage of her presence to satisfy yourself in bed. You scoundrel!”
Edward couldn’t defend himself. For this, he didn’t deny a bit.
“I know what I did was wrong. But here I’m asking when could this pregnancy happen? Meanwhile, Julia’s IVF process was successful. That’s what confuses me. How could two seeds merge into one in the same womb?”
Then Edward turned to Samuel. He looked at the man as if asking for further explanation. Somehow, Edward felt there was still something being hidden from him.
“Sam, tell me. Is there something I don’t know?”
Samuel nodded. Slowly, he explained to his friend.
“I’ll try to explain. I hope you listen carefully because I won’t repeat this important information twice.”
“Alright,” Edward replied.
“At the beginning of the examinations, when Bella underwent hormone therapy, I was surprised to find out that she was already pregnant during the examination.”
“Could it be Bella got pregnant by someone else?”
Kairos immediately punched Edward’s arm while sighing loudly. Even before Samuel finished speaking, Edward interrupted with irrelevant ramblings.
“Can’t you keep quiet? Do I need to help plaster your mouth? What’s so hard about listening to Samuel’s explanation first?”
“Oh my, Kairos.” Edward exclaimed. He was just asking. “Why are you so emotional? I should be the one angry here.”
“You? Angry? It’s truly unworthy, Edward. Your mistakes and stupidity are equal. I’m sure having a son like you is a curse for Uncle Eduardo.”
Samuel was irritated. He asked both arguing men to shut up.
“Can I continue? If not, I’ll just leave. I have a lot of work piled up today.”
“Please continue,” Kairos replied afterward.
“Alright. So, let me clarify again that Bella couldn’t possibly be pregnant with another man. Why? Because two weeks earlier and during the first examination, her condition was still empty. And at that time, Bella was already living in your house, where her movements were very limited.” Samuel explained at length. As much as possible, he used gentle and digestible language for Edward. Understandably, Kairos had mentioned earlier that Edward’s processing speed for such matters was slow. “Moreover…” Samuel continued. “Due to the limitations, Bella couldn’t even go out to meet her mother. So, how could she get pregnant by another man? After I confirmed this, initially Bella was afraid to confess. But, after being convinced, she finally agreed to be honest and admitted that she accidentally had intercourse with you before.”
Edward fell silent. His brain was working hard. Trying to remember events from months ago. Trying to dig up information while sorting through incidents involving himself and Bella.
“Why worry, Edward,” Samuel interjected. “Don’t you remember telling me about the time you came home drunk? Then accidentally forced Bella to serve you?”
Edward was startled. Now he remembered the incident. That night, he indeed drank and came home drunk. Edward remembered bumping into Bella when he was about to enter the room. He even remembered holding and pulling Bella to come upstairs to his bed.
“Oh my. So, the baby Bella is carrying now is the result of our accidental intercourse?”
“Tsk.” Kairos’s scoff sounded loud. “Accidental, you say? I bet you coerced and intimidated Bella until you both had intercourse.”
“Kairos… why are you so eager to blame me?” Edward protested. Just imagine, from the start, Kairos had been so eager to blame and corner him as if he were a major criminal who deserved heavy punishment.
“Because you’re the main suspect here.”
“I’m aware I’m wrong.”
Edward sighed deeply. Tired of always being blamed. He tried to restrain himself so his emotions wouldn’t get triggered. Besides, there were still many explanations from Samuel that he needed to hear.
“You don’t need to doubt,” Samuel said again. “The baby Bella is carrying is indeed your flesh and blood, Edward. In the last examination, I managed to take a DNA sample from the baby she’s carrying. And after examination, the result, as stated in the envelope you just read, is that the baby is 99. 99% indeed your flesh and blood.”
“If Bella knew from the beginning and was sure that the baby in her belly was my flesh and blood, why didn’t she immediately demand accountability from me?”
Not Samuel, but Kairos reacted once again. Enveloped in annoyance, the man even rose from his seat.
“Samuel, do you have poison? Or maybe a lethal injection? If you do, please inject Edward immediately instead of continually displaying his stupidity.”
“I’m just asking, Kairos. What’s wrong with that?” Edward debated defensively. He thought there was nothing wrong with his question.
“You’re entitled to ask. But, ask something more substantial. Haven’t you ever considered why Bella would conceal this big news?”
Edward shook his head innocently.
“What could it be?”
“Of course, because she’s afraid of the cobra, Julia Estelle! The wife you so love turns out to be cheating behind your back.”
Kairos deliberately emphasized the sentence, full of meaning. Let Edward be offended.
“That’s right, Ed.” Samuel nodded. He confirmed Kairos’s statement. “I tried to force Bella to be honest. I thought you deserved to know the truth. But, Bella seemed scared at the time, thinking she had received a lot of money from Julia. She even signed agreements and all sorts of things. Bella was worried about being asked to return the money she had received. Especially if Julia decides to prosecute the case. For these considerations, Bella chose to keep the truth about her baby’s status secret.”
Edward sighed repeatedly. Suddenly, his head began to ache. These past two days, it seemed like God was enjoying playing with his emotions. Who knows what else would come after this.
“Edward… don’t be silent,” Kairos urged. “I hope you’re still sane. Or do you want me to accompany you to get your heart or mental health checked? Maybe they’re not functioning well.”
Edward didn’t say anything. The guilt within him piled up even more upon hearing this truth. It made sense why Bella recently demanded certainty. Furthermore, perhaps she pushed for marriage because of the baby she was carrying.
What was truly regrettable was when Bella revealed the truth about Julia’s affair, Edward didn’t believe her at all. Instead, he yelled and accused Bella of spreading malicious rumors.
For God’s sake, did Edward even deserve forgiveness from Bella at this point?
“I have to find Bella immediately,” Edward muttered. “I have to locate Bella and apologize to her. No matter what, I have to take responsibility.”
Samuel nodded in agreement. It was indeed proper for Edward to act this way.
“You indeed need to take responsibility, Edward. The issue now is whether Bella will forgive you.”
“I will try,” Edward replied confidently.
“In that case, good luck with your search. I pray you find Bella as soon as possible.”
Kairos uttered these words with a meaningful grin. It was as if he was scheming something else. Who knows what else he was preparing next.