The Wrong Wife: Beauty

The Wrong Wife: Beauty Chapter 2

The Wrong Wife: Beauty

Chapter 2

Sometimes in life, there are choices that those we love make for the simple reason that they love us and no matter how hard we try to free ourselves from the very notion that could possibly be our destruction, turns out to be what ultimately puts the pieces of our life together. Annabelle McHendricks was, in this moment, trying to grasp at the pieces of her life.

"Rachel, you can't be serious!" Annabelle cried, staring at her sister with horrified eyes. What Rachel was suggesting was so far from a possibility, that she herself dare not believe it. "It's impossible!"

Annabelle shook her head, trying to erase the words that her older sister had spoken moments ago, it was impossible. Hours earlier saw them with Colton Abbey as he proposed marriage to her older sister, which to her relief, Rachel had said no.

Which left the two of them sitting in Rachel's room as they both contemplated a way to solve their father's debts, their debts. Annabelle could see no other alternative, they would have to sell their house and she knew that it would destroy her.

"Belle, think about it. You love him, I don't." Rachel whispered quietly and Annabelle's eyes shot towards her sisters in complete astonishment. "It wasn't that hard to guess."

Annabelle looked down at her hands, her cheeks flushed. "Was I that obvious?"

"Not at first, but when we were kids... You always seemed to cling to him, I could never understand why."
Belle shook her head, a small smile gracing her features. The Colton Abbey that she remembered had been so different from the man he was now that no matter what he did or who he became, she would always love him.

"Annabelle, Rachel, come out come out wherever you are!" Colton laughed gently, his feet pounding against the grass as he frantically searched for his two friends. "This game only works if you're actually good at hiding!"

Rachel giggled and crawled out from underneath the log she had been so obviously hiding under. "It also doesn't help that you're so good at this! You never let me win, ever!"

Colton grinned at her and crouched down to her level, eying her warily. "This is the reason you never win, you always come out before I find you."

Rachel frowned, "what? No I don't..." Her nose crinkled as she realized that she had always appeared before Colton ever found her. "Well...Whatever!" She huffed and jumped to her feet. "Let's find my sister."

Colton nodded, smiling. "I have a feeling I know just where she might be hiding."

Annabelle grinned, pressing the palm of her hand to her mouth, trying to muffle the sound of her breath. She knew that her hiding place was getting old and that she hid in the same spot every time the three of them played hide n seek, but she wanted Colton to be able to find her. Colton was her best friend and she wanted him to know every little detail about her life, including this. It might not be for long, a few minutes at most, but it was times like these that she felt she could really be herself. She didn't have to hide from her sister, nor Colton and she felt that she was free to be who she really was, scar and all. Her ugly birthmark seemed to disappear into oblivion every time she was near Colton, because he saw her for who she truly was.

"Belle!" Rachel called, her voice drawing ever near to where Annabelle was hiding.

Annabelle stifled her giggle.