Chapter 33

The Unwanted Bride Of Atticus Fawn Chapter 33 ~AUTUMN~

I couldn’t believe Atticus had left me to go to Anya. I could never forgive him for this. He’s just proven that everything he’s said in the voice note was genuine. She would always come first. And I hated that I had to live with this for the rest of my life.

I already knew it was true, but to see him prove it on the same day I received the recording does not make any of this more manageable for me. Everything was changing for me in a split second. The image I had of Atticus in my head was slowly drifting away. Was the man of my dreams entirely made up? Was he indeed this horrible toward me?

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Gabriella asks me. “You can tell us if you need anything; we are here to help.”

“We are,” Lucy assured me. “The girls caught us up with everything you’re going through. We are here to help make it better.

Anything you want, tell us.”

There was nothing they could do to help the pain that I felt in my heart to know that, yet again Atticus had left me stranded to ensure that Anya was okay.

Every second I’m reminded of the voice note Anya sent me and how true everything was. How could it not be true when it came from Atticus’s mouth? He hadn’t said those words to Anya to make her feel better about the marriage; he said it because it was the truth.

After everything, I still hate how worried I am about Anya despite everything she’s done to me recently. Part of me wanted to go with him and ensure she was okay. The other half that won reminded me that she hated me and was desperate to separate us from each other. To me, this was just another plan of hers to get Atticus to leave me and run to her. Why would she send me that voice note and then try to harm herself? It didn’t make any sense. The only thing that made sense was the truth, she only did it all to separate the both of us.

Why did I ever think that marrying Atticus would be a good idea? I wasn’t thinking clearly; I thought that being near him would help make me happy; I thought that it would be like living a dream because I would constantly be around the man I was in love with. I realize now how wrong I’d been to think that way.

For the rest of my life, I’ll have to be reminded that Atticus loved Anya. Every day I would have to live with this truth, and it’s something I can’t put myself through. If Anya weren’t around, things would have been so much easier for us, but she wasn’t about to allow us to be happy. She will always be around because of Damon and Dante.

What had I done? I’d ruined my whole life by agreeing to this marriage.

I couldn’t keep this up. I had to find a way to stop this, to stop myself from hurting. But I couldn’t just ignore my feelings. I wish there were an off switch, one that I could use whenever I was around my husband.

“You don’t look too good,” Maya says as she guides me to a chair. “Would you like some water to drink?”

I shook my head, “I’m good, thank you.”

“I can’t believe Atticus is such an ass!” Gabriella hissed. “How could he leave you here for her? Sometimes men do the shittiest things, and I don’t know how we ever forgive them because they don’t deserve us!”

Wasn’t that the truth? Men were always screwing us over and then expecting us to forgive them as if nothing happened. Did they not realize the pain they put us through?

“Wow,” Arthur says, pretending to be hurt by her words. “Remember, your anger is towards Atticus, not me. We’re good; he’s not, we are. I hope he doesn’t make things rough for me tonight.”

Maya laughs, “I’m sure she knows that, Arthur. Do not worry so much. You’re safe. We know where to direct our anger.”

“Of course, you can say that since you made up with Kane.” Gabriella teases her. “Talking about Kane, the man hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off you for the entire night. If you weren’t already pregnant, you would have been again by the night’s end.”

Maya blushes and hits her arm. Gabriella was only speaking the truth; Kane was mesmerized by Maya the entire night. The man was in love. Insanely in love with his mate.

“We’re straying from the main point, and that’s Autumn. Let’s do something fun to cheer her up.”

“I don’t think I’m up for anything,” I confess. “I just want to get back home.”

Not to Atticus, but I need a place to rest and forget that today ever happened. Maybe I could return to my parents for a day; I would make up a lie and hopefully they wouldn’t question why I wasn’t with Atticus.

“Please stay one night, and tomorrow, I promise we will get you back home early,” Gabriella begs. “We hate to see you like this.

We at least want to make you smile once tonight; that’s all we’re asking for.”

I knew what I had to do. I kept making it easy for Atticus and pretending like whatever he did, didn’t affect me; all of that would change from today.

“I just have one thing I want to do,” I tell them. “Can you show me to the washroom?”

After following their directions, I shut the door to the bathroom.

I looked through my contacts on my phone and dialed the number when I found what I was looking for.

“Mrs. Fawn.”

“You can still call me Rivera, Peter,” I tell him.

He was our family’s lawyer. But he has always been kind and loyal to me. I trusted him; it’s the only reason why I called. Anyone else, I wouldn’t trust them to keep this a secret.

“What can I do for you?” He asks with a chuckle.

“I want you to prepare divorce papers for me,” I answer him.

There is a pause on the line, “you just got married. Are you sure this is what you want to do? Do your parents know what you’re up to?”

I exhale loudly, “No, they do not know this, Peter, that’s why I called you. You’re the only one I trust with something like this. I want those divorce papers by tomorrow morning.”

“I don’t understand. You know they can ruin my life if they find out I did this for you.” He reminds me.

I sigh, “I promise they won’t find out. This is not going to be made public.”

I’m not even sure if I’m going to go through with this. I’m angry and not thinking logically. Maybe I’ll change my mind by tomorrow, but for now, I knew that I wanted those papers. And I planned on giving them to Atticus. I know it’s the last thing he’ll be expecting from me, and that’s what I wanted, to shock him just like he did to me tonight.

I want him to feel what it’s like to feel betrayed by the person you married. To do things that your partner hated. I know this was a drastic decision, but I was ready to treat him the way he treated me.

Instead of putting him first, I was putting myself first.

. . . . . . . . .

~ATTICUS~

I rushed into the private hospital; this was where Damon and Dante had brought Anya to. It was the safest hospital of our kind.

We knew the owners well, and they’d given her one of the best rooms available.

I was happy that they did, I still cared for Anya, and she only harmed herself because of me. I felt guilty, like this was all my fault.

I was too harsh on her; since the beginning, I’ve been too hard on her.

“Mr. Fawn.” The receptionist greets me. “How can we help you today?”

“I’m looking for Anya Edwina,” I tell her. “What room number is she in?”

“Number ten.” She answered me. “It’s to the end of the first floor. It’s a big room; you can’t miss it.”

I nodded and ran in the direction she pointed to me. My heart drops when I spot the room, I’m scared of what would be waiting for me behind that door. I push open the door and rush inside. I scan the room for her or my brothers. Damon is the first person that I see, and he’s holding his head in frustration. He looks like he’s just been through hell.

When the door closes, he looks up.

“You’ve made it.” He says as he spots me. I squeeze his shoulder before moving toward the bed. Anya’s eyes are closed, and multiple machines are hooked up to her. It’s a terrifying sight to see. I never once thought that I would have to see her like this.

We always kept her safe and away from all harm. It was difficult seeing her like this for the first time.

I took a seat on the chair next to her, Dante was on the other side, and he looked pissed. Maybe he’s angry with me; he knows I’m to blame for this. I try to speak to him, but he ignores me. I turn to Damon instead; at least he was the calmer one between the two of them.

“How is she doing?” I ask Damon.

“Not good.” He sighs, “not good at all. The doctors are trying their best; she was close to losing her life, Atticus. I felt everything flash before me in those few seconds. It all happened so fast. I had to move quickly to save her; I’m glad I got to her in time. This could have turned out differently for all of us. She might not have been here if I didn’t see her when she fell out of the boat. I was lucky to have been there at the right time. I can’t believe she did this without thinking about the rest of us and what would have happened if we’d lost her.”

My brother looked traumatized, and I can’t imagine how much harder it must have been for him to have witnessed everything right in front of him.

Hearing this was not making this entire situation easy for me. It was making it a hell of a lot more difficult to handle my emotions.

I kept remembering the way I treated her when she tried to hug me that night. I was so concerned about Autumn opening the door and seeing us that I didn’t recognize Anya’s cry for help. She needed me that night, I knew she was acting out, but I chose to push her away.

I didn’t know what the f**k to do anymore. It was wrong to keep running to her side, but how did I not show up when something like this happened? She nearly died. How could I ignore something like that? And it wasn’t just her that I was there for; I was also trying to support my brothers during this difficult time. We always stuck together.

“I think you should look at this,” Damon says as he hands me a letter. “Anya had written this for you before she tried to take her life. She wanted you to have it.”

My hands closed over the flimsy piece of paper; I slowly opened it; I wasn’t sure if this was something I wanted to read right now.

The guilt was already eating me alive. I move away from him and lean against the wall; I want some privacy while reading it.

‘Dear Atticus, I know that you’ll be reading this after my passing. I know you may be wondering why I did what I did, but I’m doing this for both of us. I can’t stand the thought of seeing you with another woman; it’s even harder for me knowing that it’s Autumn.

I’ve lost both my mate and my best friend at the same time. The pain is too much for me. I’m sorry for everyone that I know I’m going to hurt from my selfish actions tonight. I wanted you to know how much I love you. That’s why I’m doing this. I keep coming between you and Autumn, and I don’t want to do it anymore. It’s not my intention to separate the both of you. I can’t stop my actions sometimes, and it’s only because it’s hard for my body to accept you with her. I’m tired of trying to be strong for both of us. I realize that you’re ready to move on from me. I realize that you don’t love me anymore, I can feel you slowly drifting away from me, and I rather die than live to see the day when I’m no longer the number one woman in your life. I’m sorry for loving you this much and for being selfish when it comes to you. Goodbye Atticus. I hope that one day you can forgive me. It should have never ended this way between us. Love Anya.’

My hands were shaking as I leaned against the wall, staring at her pale, unconscious face. I can’t stop the tear from flowing down my cheek. I didn’t know that a letter could have such a strong effect on someone. I was fighting hard to hold everything together. I walk over to her motionless body and kneel on the ground beside her. I gently held her hand in mine, “I’m so sorry, Anya. I’m so sorry for everything. I hope that you can forgive me. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry or push you to hurt yourself. I’m sorry for all the promises I had to break. You deserve better. You always have.”

“She does deserve better.” Dante snaps. “That’s why Damon and I will be by her side every second of the day, making up for your betrayal.”

It hurt to hear my own brother say something like that to me. Hurting Anya meant that I was also hurting both of them; it’s why he was so angry with me.

“Dante —”

“I don’t want to hear what you say, Atticus.” He hissed. “I can never forgive you for this. She told me all the things you said to her.

You’re the one that pushed her to do this to herself. You’re the one that’s been making this entire situation harder on her.”

His words didn’t make me feel any less guilty than I already felt. I didn’t know what the right thing to do anymore was—trying to push Anya away so that I could make my marriage with Autumn work had pushed Anya to her breaking point. I was the reason she was in this hospital bed.

How could trying to do the right thing turn into something so wrong? I was having a constant battle within myself. A part of me was crazy about protecting Autumn, and another made sure I ran to Anya’s side. I was conflicted about my feelings; I didn’t know how to explain or act on them.

I’ll have to fix my relationship with Dante after today; I’ve never seen him this angry with me. I didn’t want today to cause a strain on our brotherhood.

“Where is Autumn?” Damon asks me. “Did you leave her home?”

I swallow; the reminder of where I left her didn’t make me feel better. I had screwed up my life in all possible ways to do so in just one night. Everyone was hurting because of me. It seemed I was the problem; I caused trouble wherever I went. Anya was in here because of me, and Autumn was hurt because I kept putting Anya first.

“She stayed back with Austin’s family. She’s getting along well with the women there. Making new friends.” I explain.

Autumn was good at making friends. People loved her quickly.

Damon knows by my response that it isn’t as simple as I’d made it seem. Anyone would realize that Autumn and I argued when I chose to come here tonight.

“You should get some sleep,” I tell Damon. “You also, Dante. I can keep an eye on her until she wakes up. It’s the least I can do after everything I’ve put her through.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Damon tells me.

“I’m staying by her side.” Dante says as well. “I can’t trust you to take good care of her anymore.”

I nodded. I understood that they weren’t going anywhere until they knew she was safe from danger. I would have done the same thing as they were doing.

. . . . . . . . .

It was the next day, and we were still waking for Anya to regain consciousness. I’s been an entire night of torture for the three of us as we waited for updates on her.

None of us had slept, and we weren’t planning on getting any until she’d awakened.

I called Arthur last night to give me an update on how Autumn was doing; he didn’t get to say much before Gabriella grabbed the phone and ended the call. Apparently, they were also pissed at me.

Now I was left wondering what she was doing and whether or not she was still pissed at me for leaving her yesterday. The more I thought about it, the more I got angry with myself for leaving her there. I should have insisted she’d come with me, f**k, I could have lifted her and taken her with me. Anything would have been better than leaving her and making her think the worst possible things about me.

“Anya!” Dante gasps, and all three of us rush to the side of her. She blinks a couple of times before her eyes settle on the three of us before zeroing in on me.

“I’m sorry.” She cries. “I’m sorry for scaring all of you and thinking about only myself. Please forgive me. I was wrong. I’m so sorry.”

Her apology squeezed my heart, threatening it to explode. “Don’t apologize. I’m the one that needs to apologize for everything, Anya. I’ll be more careful now and choose words that don’t hurt you. I promise to do better from now on.”

Dante hugs her, and Damon does as well.

I excused myself, giving my brothers time alone with her. I knew she wanted me there, but I had plenty on my mind. Now that I knew she was out of danger, I couldn’t get Autumn out of my head.

The voice note was staring me in my face. I never got the chance to listen to it. I wasn’t sure that it would change anything now.

I’d ruined chances for Autumn and me to have a good relationship after running out on her last night. She stayed back with people she barely knew; I left her there on her own.

The least I could have done was have a vehicle sent back for her. Anything would have been better than just walking out on her like she was just some average person in my life. I kept messing things up in every direction that I turned. Nothing was going well, my entire life was a f*****g mess, and I had no idea how to fix it.

I pressed play; I had to at least listen to what had her upset with me to know how to fix it. I knew I had a lot of making up to do after yesterday. This was an excellent way to start.

As the voice note begins to play, my blood runs cold. This couldn’t be what I thought it was.

The more it played, the more it was confirmed. This was everything I’d promised Anya on my wedding day. Promises that I regretted making.

How did she get this recording? There wasn’t anyone else but Anya and me in the room at the recording time. And I was sure that I didn’t record our conversation. That only left Anya.

Would she stoop so low to push Autumn and me further apart? How could I question her when she was still recovering from almost drowning?

I walk back into the room, and Anya sits on the bed, eating. It’s just the two of us in here now. Damon and Dante left to get her some get-well presents. They were about to shower her with hundreds of gifts.

She smiles brightly, it’s an innocent smile, but there is only one thing on my mind after listening to that voice note. And that was finding out if she was the one that had sent this to Autumn. It would mean that she had evil intentions from the start. It can also prove that she was the one that posted that video of us from the engagement night. I don’t want it to be true. I don’t want to believe that Anya was this sneaky. I also don’t want to start an argument after what happened just a day ago.

I’m conflicted about what to do.

“I’m so happy you came back to see me, Atticus.” She whispers with a twinkle in her eyes. It’s the happiest I’ve seen her since I’d gotten married. “I thought I had lost you for good, but this proves that you still care for me. You still have me in your heart. I’m still the most important woman in your life. I feel like the luckiest girl alive with you by my side. Thank you for coming for me.”

“You’re that happy that I came back just to make sure you’re okay?” I ask.

She grins wider, “I am. So so happy. Can’t you see it, Atticus? Can’t you see how happy you make me? No one else does this for me but you.”

“If I made you that happy by coming here to see you, can you give me something in return?” I question her.

She pauses, unsure of how to respond to that. I’m not one to ask her for favors; I knew this would have surprised her.

“What is it that I can do for you?” She asks hesitantly.

“I want you to answer me truthfully,” I explain.

“Answer you?” She asks, confused. “But you haven’t asked me any questions.”

I unlock my phone and found my chat with Autumn. Without a second thought, I pressed play on the voice note.

I paid close attention to her expression as my voice filled the room. Her face goes a pale white, and she can barely look me in the eyes.

“Did you or did you not send this voice note to Autumn?” I ask.

She goes reticent, trying her best to avoid me.

“I don’t feel too well, Atticus.” She says as she hides behind her blanket.

“Anya,” I say through gritted teeth. “Did you record me when we were in the spa room? We were the only two people in there. I didn’t record us. That leaves you. Did you record me and send that voice note to Autumn?”

I push the chair backward, and it flies into the wall. “I can’t believe this.”

I was trying my best to stay calm since we were still in the hospital, and she was still recovering, but it was damn hard.

“I came here; I left Autumn by herself so that I could come here and make sure that you were okay. I still consider you Anya; I still care for you but do you care for me? Do you care for Autumn? I keep putting a strain on my relationship with Autumn because I want to protect you, but how can I protect you when you keep doing things like this? How can I trust you? How can I be your friend when you keep betraying me?”

“Friend?” She says the word like its poison to her. “Why do you think I want you to be my friend?”

“I’ve had enough of this.”

Before she can say anything else, I’m out of the door. I had to get back to Autumn. I had to apologize for acting like a fool. I had to beg for her forgiveness. I was wrong about everything. I should have never come here, I thought I was doing the right thing, but it was a big mistake.

I was such a fool.

Damon spots me as I head to the jeep, “where are you going?”

“Back to Autumn,” I shout. “She’s still with Austin and his family.”

“Autumn’s home.” He shouts back. “You don’t have to go far to get to her.”

Was she home? What was she doing at home? I was sure that she would have found any opportunity to avoid me after what I’d done. And that’s what I would have deserved to begin with.

“How do you know that?” I ask.

“Mom called; Autumn looked visibly upset when she returned home this morning. She wanted to know if you had anything to do with it.” He explained.

Ah, f**k.

“What about Anya? Where are you going?”

Before he can finish, I’m already driving out of the parking lot. I didn’t want to hear about Anya. I was tired of letting her control me like this.

My mind is racing for ways to get Autumn to forgive me. Would showering her with presents get her to forgive me?

I dialed the flower shop and requested two thousand roses delivered to our home. I stopped on the way and bought a giant teddy bear as well as a dress that I knew would look perfect on her. I knew none of these things would be enough, but I wanted to do as much as I could to get her to forgive me. I would leave everything in the car and surprise her later with it.

I didn’t think Autumn was anything like Anya; gifts wouldn’t be enough to make her happy. But I wanted to at least try. I didn’t want to apologize to her with only words. I wanted to do something special, something that would make it hard for her to not forgive me for how stupid I’d been all along.

I pulled up to the house and practically jumped out of the jeep as I raced into the house.

“Atticus!” My mother shouts as she tries to stop me.

“Where is Autumn?” I demand from her. “I need to see her.”

“We need to talk.”

“I need to see her first. Please. We can talk after.” I assure her.

She sighs, “she’s in your room.”

I nod, “thanks, mom.”

I ran up the stairs and straight into my room. The door flies open, and I find her sitting on the bed with a paper in her hands.

She looks up at me; she doesn’t even look surprised to see me. The usual sparks in her eyes are not there, and it bothers me to the point that I want to tell her about it. She doesn’t look happy to see me. What else should I expect after what I’d done to her?

I checked the time on my watch, wondering how long it would be before the roses arrived.

“We need to talk,” I tell her as I shut the door. “There is plenty that I have to say to you. I listened to the voice note, and I—”

“I want a divorce.”

I pause, dumbstruck. I refuse to believe that I’ve heard her correctly. She couldn’t have possibly just asked me for a f*****g divorce.

I step toward her, and she puts her hands out to stop me, “I need you to keep your distance from me, Atticus. I want to keep a clear mind when I’m giving these papers to you. I need you to sign them today.”

“Autumn,” I growl. “We just got married. I can’t f*****g divorce you.”

“If you can leave me stranded so that you could go running to be there for your ex-girlfriend, you can also take the time to sign a paper, Atticus. It’s not that hard. I just need your signature.” She snaps.

“We’re not getting a divorce. We got into this because our parents forced us. Do you think you can just say no to them now? Do you think they’ll allow their names to go down in the gutter because you suddenly decided that you don’t want to stay married to me?” I demand.

“Our parents don’t have to know about it.” She says. “That’s the whole point of it. We can stay in the same house and act like we’re married, but they don’t have to know anything. That way, you can keep seeing Anya whenever you like. It wouldn’t be like betraying me when you leave me to run to her side anymore. It would be completely normal and the least of my worries. That way, I can also meet new people, ones who want to spend time with me, and that won’t leave me to go to their ex.”

What the f**k? New people?