Every Memory Repeats

Chapter 12

Isabella ran her finger's softly over her rounded belly, as she sat vigil by John's bedside. Her conversation with Marcus had gone sideways almost immediately. He started asking for a blood test, and telling her, she couldn't keep lying to John, but in Isabella's mind, she wasn't lying to John. There was a much higher chance of the baby being John's. John was a virile man, and they made love almost daily in the weeks leading up to their engagement party. Marcus had been one night. One lonely, sad, emotionally overwhelming night, when her best friend tried to comfort her, and her soul was breaking.

Isabella looked at her bare finger, and remembered leaving her engagement ring on the coffee table, next to the flowered centerpiece that Roman hated so much. The pain was too much. Much more emotional pain, and heartbreak than she had ever bore in her life.

Marcus's arms tightened around her, while she sobbed through her pain, and he whispered, "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Roman's...Roman's wife...came back," she cried.

"Roman's wife is dead, Isabella."

She laughed with ire, "Apparently not, because Roman just told me a few hours ago that he saw her on the pier last night."

"Why didn't he tell you last night?"

"I—I don't know," she said softly. "I don't know...but it's over. It's all over."

Smoothing his palm over her hair, he asked her, "Did he tell you that? Did he say it was over? Or did you just assume that?"

"Of course it's over! She's his wife! He's not going to divorce her! She's Eric and Sami's mother...he's moving her back into the house tonight. So, I left my engagement ring, and I moved out," she told him. "Better that I break things off, and know where I stand, then wait for him to break my heart."

"Hey...hey, look at me," Marcus said softly.

Isabella looked up at him, and whispered, "What am I going to do?"

"You've got me, and I would do anything for you. You know that."

"I do," she said, rubbing her face in his neck, and breathing in the smell of him. Her hand moved over the nape of his neck, and she moved her body closer.

"Isabella," Marcus moaned. "I know you're hurting, but sex with me isn't the answer."

She ignored him, and pulled his mouth down to hers, kissing him softly. Marcus couldn't refuse her, and he gave in to something he had wanted for months.

Now Roman was John, and the real Roman had returned. Isabella felt like everything had worked out the way it was supposed to. She was with John, and Marlena was with Roman. This was John's baby. It had to be. They would be married before the baby arrived, and if their son turned out to be Marcus's child, John would still honor his marriage vows to her. She knew innately that he would, and then they could work things out. They would work things out.

The door opened behind her, and Isabella turned, seeing Marlena enter. Just the sight of Marlena anywhere near John had her feeling anger and jealousy, but she smoothed her features, and said, "He hasn't woken up yet."

"That's fine," Marlena told her walking towards the bed, and checking John's vitals. "Marcus said he might not wake for awhile." After looking over her chart, and ensuring herself that everything was as it should be, she said goodbye to Isabella, and left the room.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Roman stared at Billie Reed in complete shock, "You're pregnant?"

"Yeah, that's what I just said," Billie told him, slouching into a chair in his office at the police station. "What are we going to do, because I just started dating Bo, and—and I've got a good thing going with him, you know?"