Forbidden Heat

D-Day

Life went by as smoothly as it could be with paparazzi buzzing around trying to get a glimpse of you

and your husband together. There was news if we were together and there were gossip if we weren’t

seen together such as when Edward would go out on public events without me by his side. No matter

what we did, the press and those random people had something to say about it.

I couldn’t leave the mansion to go anywhere without an army of bodyguards with me for the first two

weeks after the news of our wedding leaked out. Edward considered moving me even further out from

the city to get us further away from the reach of the paparazzi, but I had refused. The reason was

simple, we did nothing wrong so why the earth did we have to run and hide?

I appreciated Edward’s presence by my side for the whole of the first week when he also decided to

work from home to keep me company. I wasn’t sure if things had died down on the third week onwards

or I had simply gotten used to all the unwanted attention.

“Natalia, why are you frowning again?” Edward asked as he pulled me into a warm hug.

I hugged him back as I rested my head on his chest. I could hear his heartbeat and it felt so comforting

to know that he was here with me. I had gotten used to relying on Edward and living together seemed

to be working well for both of us.

“I was just wondering when all of this will die down,” I replied honestly with a sigh.

“I know you want to go out. You’ll be able to do that soon, I promise. Until then, stay cheerful and take

care of yourself for me and for our baby, ok?” Edward said encouragingly before kissing my forehead.

“I know…thank you for being here with me, Edward,” I replied as I got on my tiptoes and kissed his

cheek.

I didn’t miss Edward’s subtle choice of words when he referred to the baby as ‘our baby’. Just as we

had agreed that day on the cruise, this baby was now mine and Edward’s and everything Edward did or

said was truly aligned with that belief.

Without me realizing it, time had ticked by, and the date mentioned in Zak’s note to me was fast

approaching. At first, I was fixated on the date and waited for it by counting down the days; however,

with many hectic things going on, I was too busy just surviving and taking care of my body and mind for

the baby’s sake. When I realized it, the date mentioned was finally arriving tomorrow.

Since I couldn’t make out the significance of Zak’s note and since it didn’t seem to have any worrying

contents, I had not discussed it with Edward. I decided to adopt the ‘wait and see’ approach because it

wouldn’t make sense if I overreacted to everything. With all the unwanted attention from the media, I

haven’t seen Zak since my wedding let alone left the house since then.

I enjoyed dinner with Edward, and we watched a late night movie together before heading to bed. I had

to admit that spending time with Edward helped keep my mind off things and I completely forgot about

the fact that the date that Zak had written was tomorrow.

That was the reason why I couldn’t quite understand the huge ruckus that ran through the entire

mansion the next morning…

…

I woke up to the sound of screaming, cheering, and loud chatters. I knew something was offnovelbin

immediately because the staff were normally quiet especially in the early mornings when they knew

that I was still in bed. This sudden change in the atmosphere in the mansion was felt immediately by

Edward and me. Edward bolted upright into a sitting position in bed, and I could tell that he was beyond

annoyed.

I watched as Edward rubbed his eyes which were still red from sleep in such an adorable way. His

face, however, showed that he was in a bad mood and hated what he was hearing.

“What the hell is going on…and so early in the morning!?” Edward yelled as he grunted and swung his

legs off the bed.

“Edward…” I called his name softly.

“You stay here…I’m going to go outside and see what on earth is going on,” Edward grumbled.

He was already heading out the bedroom door before I could say anything.

I was glad that Edward did not sleep completely naked last night, or he would have walked out of the

bedroom in that state without a second thought. He was probably too sleepy to realize that even now,

he was topless.

I sat up in bed and stretched. I thought about what activities I could do to keep boredom at bay while

I’m still stuck in the mansion while I waited for Edward to return to bed. The voices and sounds outside

had subsided somewhat but in its place, Edward’s mobile phone was vibrating non-stop in our

bedroom.

Whoever that was calling was very persistent. The phone rang multiple times and the person dialed

Edward’s number non-stop, trying to get in contact with him. I knew it was bad manners to look at who

was calling but…there’s supposed to be no secret between husband and wife so…

I glanced over at the mobile screen where I saw Lucien’s name. Why was Lucien calling so early in the

morning? Why was he so persistent in reaching Edward?

I hesitated as a sense of dread filled me. Something…bad must have happened for him to be calling so

early in the morning. I connected the line and started to put the phone next to my ear when…

“Stop! Don’t take that!” Edward shouted as he burst through the bedroom door, slamming the door hard

against the wall as he opened it.

I froze in shock at the panic expression on Edward’s face. What is going on?

--To be continued…