Our Accidental Forever
Chapter 37: Altering The Contract (2)

Chapter 37: Altering The Contract (2)

Arec’s POV:

"And what if I don’t want to stay in this... arrangement forever?" Ella looked down at her hands, her fingers tracing the edge of the chair’s armrest.

I swallowed hard. "Then we’ll end the marriage when it makes sense. But I’ll still be in the child’s life. We’ll make it work."

The silence stretched between us, heavy and uncomfortable. I could see the conflict in her eyes, the uncertainty gnawing at her. She was struggling with this just as much as I was. But I had to make her understand, I wasn’t going to abandon her or the baby. No matter what.

This is my responsibility, and I don’t plan on running away from it.

"Ella," I said quietly, leaning forward. "I know this isn’t what you signed up for. It’s not what I signed up for either. But we’re in this now. Together. And we need to make decisions based on what’s best for the child. That has to be our priority."

She nodded slowly, though her expression remained conflicted. "I just... I don’t know if I can do this, Arec. I don’t know if I can stay in a marriage that’s built on a contract. It feels so... fake and uncomfortable."

I clenched my jaw, trying to push down the frustration building inside me. "It’s not about the contract anymore, Ella. It’s about the baby. We have to stop thinking about this as just a business deal. We have a real responsibility now."

She met my gaze, her eyes searching mine for something, reassurance, maybe. Or hope. "Are you ready for that? Are you really ready to raise a child with me, Arec? Or are we just going to keep pretending like this is something we can control?"

I didn’t know if I was ready. But it didn’t matter. The baby was coming, and we had to face it together.

"I don’t have all the answers," I admitted. "But I know one thing. We need to figure this out, Ella. Together."

She exhaled slowly, her shoulders slumping as the weight of the conversation settled on both of us.

"And if we can’t figure it out?" she asked softly.

I hesitated, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it," I said. "But for now... we need to decide. Are you ready to commit to raising this child together? Or are we still considering ending this marriage after the contract period?"

Her eyes widened at the question, her breath catching as the gravity of the situation hit her. I watched as the uncertainty played across her face, and the tension between us seemed to tighten like a vice.

Ella’s POV:

I stared at Arec, my heart pounding so loudly I could barely hear my own thoughts. His question hung in the air, heavy and unavoidable. "Are you ready to commit to raising this child together?" I didn’t know how to respond.

I wasn’t even sure I knew what I wanted. The contract had been simple enough: a marriage for convenience, nothing more. But now... now there was a baby, a real living thing that would tie us together in ways I had never imagined.

I felt the weight of Arec’s gaze on me, watching, waiting. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes, tension, maybe even a hint of desperation. I knew he was just as conflicted as I was. We had both been thrust into this situation, neither of us prepared for what came next.

I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. "I... I don’t know, Arec," I said softly, my words shaky. "I never expected this. I don’t think either of us did."

He nodded, his jaw clenched, though his eyes never left mine. "I know. But we have to decide, Ella. We can’t ignore it anymore."

I blinked, my mind racing. How did I feel about this? About Arec? About this baby? It was all too much, too fast. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be a mother, let alone be tied to a man I had only agreed to marry for the sake of a business arrangement. But the baby... the baby changed everything. It wasn’t just about me anymore.

I tried to take a deep breath, but it felt shallow, as if the air wouldn’t fill my lungs completely. A sense of dread crept in as I realized that this wasn’t just some decision I could make lightly. Whatever I chose, it would affect the rest of my life. And Arec’s. And our child’s.

"Our child."

The thought hit me like a punch to the gut. It was real. This baby was real, and I couldn’t pretend otherwise. I couldn’t push it to the back of my mind anymore.

"I don’t know if I’m ready," I whispered, more to myself than to Arec. "But I also can’t walk away. Not from this."

Arec’s face softened, though his expression remained serious. "Ella... I understand. But this isn’t just about being ready. None of us are ever truly ready for something like this. It’s about deciding if we’re going to face it together."

I looked at him, my heart aching with the weight of his words. Together. That was the key word, wasn’t it? Could we really do this together? Could we make this work, even if we didn’t love each other? Even if we hadn’t planned for any of this?

The tension between us was glaring, and I could feel the anxiety building in my chest. But beneath all the uncertainty, there was something else, a small flicker of resolve. I didn’t know what the future held, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that we were in this together now, whether we liked it or not.

I took a deep breath, my voice steadier this time. "We need to alter the contract. This changes everything."

Arec nodded, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyes that made me feel like I had made the right decision. "We’ll talk to the lawyers."

The words felt like a lifeline, something solid to cling to in the midst of the storm. It wasn’t a solution, not yet, but it was a step forward. A step toward figuring out what came next.

We sat in silence for a moment, the gravity of the situation settling in. Arec reached for his phone, dialing the number of our lawyer, and I watched as he spoke in low tones, explaining that we needed to make some changes to the contract.

As I listened to him, I couldn’t help but wonder what this would mean for us. Would we be able to co-parent this child without falling apart? Could we manage the expectations of a fake marriage while raising a real baby?

The thought terrified me, but at the same time, I couldn’t let fear control me. I had made my decision, and now I had to see it through. There was no going back.

Arec hung up the phone, his expression as serious as ever. "They’ll meet with us tomorrow to go over the new terms."

"Okay," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at me with an intensity that made my skin tingle. "This is going to be hard, Ella. I don’t want to sugarcoat it. But I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure we get through this."

His words sent a jolt through me, and for the first time in what felt like hours, I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe we could do this. Maybe, just maybe, we could figure this out together.

But then, just as quickly, doubt crept in. What if it didn’t work? What if this baby only made things more complicated? I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away. There was no point in worrying about what might happen. We had to focus on the present, on what needed to be done now.

The next day, we sat in the lawyer’s office, the weight of our decision hanging over us. The lawyer, an older man with a stern face and sharp eyes, went over the contract, highlighting the changes we needed to make.

"So, you’ll be amending the contract to include provisions for co-parenting and custody arrangements?" the lawyer asked, his pen poised over the paper.

"Yes," Arec said, his voice firm. "We’ll need to outline how long we’ll stay married for appearances, how we’ll raise the child, and what role we’ll play in each other’s lives once the contract ends."

I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat. This was real. We were actually doing this.

The lawyer scribbled down notes, his expression neutral. "And you’re both in agreement about these changes?"

Arec glanced at me, and for a moment, I saw something flicker in his eyes, something like uncertainty, or maybe hesitation. But then he nodded. "Yes. We’re in agreement."

I hesitated, my heart racing. This was it. The moment where everything became official. I wasn’t just agreeing to a contract anymore. I was agreeing to raise a child with Arec, to tie my life to his in ways I had never imagined.

"I’m in agreement," I finally said, my voice barely steady.

The lawyer nodded, making the final notes before looking up at us. "I’ll have the amended contract ready for you to sign by the end of the week."

Arec and I exchanged a glance.