Love Struck (The Taylor Brothers Book 4)

Annalise slowly walked out of the study after her aunt left the house, closing the front door shut with a loud bang. She know that aunt Emily meant every word that she had said. Annalise couldn't think anymore. Her aunt's words played and replayed in her head again and again. Shd didn't want to be the cause of a split between her uncle and aunt yet she didn't wish to marry Colton. She walked up to her room in a daze. Strangely no one came to talk to her about aunt Emily's irrational blackmailing. She placed her head in her hands hopelessly. The door opened and a pale Alexis and Aries came into the room.

"Anna, are you okay?" Asked Aries, worried and tensed. Annalise shook her head. She wasn't okay. How could she be after that conversation with her aunt.

"We heard everything that aunt Emily told you," said Aries. Annalise looked at him with surprise.

"How?" She asked quietly.

"We stood outside the door with Derek," said Alexis. Annalise nodded.

"Why don't you go to Nelson's house and discuss with him? After all you have only twenty-four hours to decide," said Aries. Annalise looked at him with hope liking his suggestion immensely.

"I think I'll do just that, Aries," said Annalise. The twins nodded and left. Annalise picked up the car keys and walked out of the house. It was just 7:30 in the evening and she could just go and talk to him. She drove over to his house in ten minutes. He hadn't come to work and Greg had informed her that he might be down with fever. She knew that she should have visited him but with so much going on at home, it had escaped her mind completely. She felt like she was being selfish. Parking her car in front of Nelson's house, she went up to his front door and pressed the doorbell and waited anxiously.

His mom opened the door and smiled at her. "Hello sweetie, what a pleasant surprise! Please do come in," she said with a smile.

"Hello, ma. Sorry to bother you so late. Actually I needed to see Nelson," said Annalise, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, it's not a bother at all, dear. You're welcome anytime. Nelson isn't at home now. He's gone to Carter's house," said his ma apologetically. "Do you want me to call him?"

"No no please don't bother, ma. I know Carter's house. I'll just go and see him there," said Annalise. She didn't want to bother Nelson's mom for her problems.

"Are you sure, dear?" Asked his mom.

"Yes ma," she said with a strained smile. "I'll come later."

"Sure. Take care," said his ma. Annalise walked up to her car and started the ignition. She drove down the road towards Carter's house at the end. Parking her car right in front of his main gates, she could see that a party was going on at full blast. Dance music was thumping in the background with sounds of laughter and shouting filling up the atmosphere. She walked up to the open main door and looked inside. The whole living room was emptied and young people were dancing, drinking and laughing. The air was hot and heavy with the smell of alcohol. She looked around everywhere but didn't find Nelson anywhere. She saw one girl standing in a corner, pouring herself a drink. Annalise decided to ask her.

She walked up to the girl and tapper her shoulder. The girl whirled around and stared at Annalise warily as if she were an alien. "Excuse me. Please can you tell me where Carter and Nelson are?" She asked her. The girl looked at her with disgust.

"Are you someone's sister too? Why's everyone looking for Nelson?" She groaned, rolling her eyes. Annalise didn't understand her and looked at her clueless as to what she was saying. "Well Nelson's upstairs in Carter's room and Carter's with him too maybe. I'm not sure. Go up the stairs. Second room to your left," said the girl.

"Okay, thanks, " said Annalise and pushed through the crowd towards the staircase. She just wanted to talk to him and get out of this place. Maybe listening to his ma and waiting for him at his own house would have been a better idea. She somehow reached the stairs and climbed up. There were many rooms, she noticed. She looked towards the left side and saw the second bedroom. Walking towards it, she saw that the door was closed. Hesitantly, she turned the knob and the door opened. She peeped in and froze at what she saw.

Her whole world crashed around her as she saw Nelson and a girl with long blonde hair, kissing one another. The girl's arms were around his neck. Annalise  froze not knowing whether to believe what she was seeing with her own eyes. Suddenly the girl released him and said hoarsely, "I'm pregnant with your child, Nelson." Annalise closed her eyes and also the door. Her whole body trembled as she realized what a fool she'd been.

He was having a physical affair with another girl at the same time and she had no clue? She was pregnant with his child? She ran down the stairs and out of the house as fast as her legs could carry her. No tears fell from her eyes although her heart shattered into a million pieces. The shock was too much to bear as all her hopes dashed. Starting her car, she drove home. She went upstairs to her room and locking her door, curled up on her bed. There were many knocks on her door till midnight but she was not in a mental state to talk to anyone.

The next day, it was ten o'clock in the morning and yet shd hadn't opened her door. When Alexis told Dean, he was too concerned and came up to break down her door. The others too came up to see what the matter was.

"Annalise hasn't opened her door since yesterday night," sobbed Alexis.

"Obviously, after the way mom spoke to her, blackmailing her, I would be surprised if she's alive," said Derek. Erik, Mike and Dean stared at him while their dad looked away.

"What's going on?" Asked Erik who was on a business tour for the last one week.

Derek told them exactly what their mom told Annalise last night. "Dad, how can you allow this?" Asked Erik with surprise.

"She didn't tell me that she would say all this," said their dad. "She just told me that she'll talk to Annalise about her future plans."

"I'm not liking the looks of this. I'm breaking open her door, " said Dean. They all agreed and broke down Annalise's door only to find her lying still on her bed. Alexis rushed towards her and so did Aries.

"Anna, what happened to you?" She sobbed. Aries touched her forehead.

"She's burning hot, uncle Edward, " said Aries. They checked her and decided to call a doctor. After twenty minutes, a doctor arrived to check her. Their housekeeper, Mrs. Grantham looked after her for the whole day. By evening, Annalise felt a little better and was sitting up to have her soup in her room when her aunt Emily strode into her room, followed by her uncle.

"How dare you complain against me to my whole family? Excellent melodrama you have put up. I'm really impressed," she said, clapping her hands.

"Really mom? That's all you have to say?" Asked Erik with disbelief.

"See? You've made them all revolt against me," continued her aunt, glaring at a blank Annalise.

"I don't know what you're talking about aunt Emily. I just gained consciousness a few hours back," she informed her, slowly.

"Yes, I told everyone, mom. I overheard everything that you told her last night, " said Derek.

"I'll marry Colton, aunt Emily. You can come back to your own house. My siblings and I will go away to dad's apartment till my wedding, " she said and everyone just stared at her with their mouths hanging open.

"No Anna. You can't do this to yourself. You love Nelson, " cried Alexis, as sobs shook her small frame.

"I have decided, Alex. Nothing can change my mind now, " she said. "Please start packing Alex, Aries and come and help me once you're done with your packing," she instructed.

Everyone came out of their shock. "No one's going anywhere. Emily, don't think you've won after forcing Annalise to accept your terms. You haven't because I'm now going to give you your divorce. You don't need to return back, ever after this. That's what you'd been threatening us with, right?" Said a furious uncle Edward.

Aunt Emily's face paled. "You know that I didn't mean it, Edward," said aunt Emily with a pale face.

"Take back your conditions and free Annalise, right now," ordered uncle Edward.

"Please uncle Edward. Nothing's going to change my decision now. I'm tired of all of this. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to pack my things without any disturbance, " she said  feeling too tired to talk.