What If This Storm Ends?
Chapter 1
"Esme…" I cried into the phone and I heard it click. I knew my friend and roommate would be here in a flash.
I laid on the bed crying not believing my boyfriend Alistair was being such a jerk.
Esme rushed in "Bella, what's wrong?" she asked concern in her voice.
"Alistair. He's being all crazy because I need to go home for Christmas vacation." I cried.
"What?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes." I sat up and shook my head, wiping away my tears and smiling a little now. "This is kind of crazy, right? I mean we've been dating for three months, where does he get off thinking he can tell me what I can and can't do?" I broke into a fit of giggles with Esme.
Looking back on that first fight with Alistair I should have realized that he was a crazy motherfucker and NEVER gotten involved with him.
But he always apologized, bought me flowers, took me to dinner, and said the right things. The fights were few and far between, partly because we were both so busy with school. He was busy with med school and I was busy getting my computer graphics and web design, yes I was a nerd.
So our relationship worked great, we had the same great group of friends.
My roommate Esme Cullen and her brother Carlisle Cullen was Alistair's longtime friend and frat brother, they were in med school together as was Esme's new boyfriend who had just transferred from Canada Edward Masen. He was nice, kind of quiet. Alistair didn't like him, said I wasn't to be around him because he always looked at me like I was a piece of meat. Yeah right, I was as plain as you can get. I didn't even wear makeup unless Alistair insisted because we were going someplace fancy with his family.
He didn't mind Carlisle, he was quiet and kept to himself. So he was safe, we only talked about Forks, a place we had in common. My dad was Police Chief there and his uncle was the local vet, who I knew well, he'd taken care of my pets growing up and I told them it was a small world because I knew his cousin Emmett as well. They told me he was taking over for his dad and he'd married his high school sweetheart. That didn't surprise me. He Rose were inseparable.
So, see… Carlisle was a safe place, practically family.
Oh how simple life used to be….
That was then…
This is now…
"What the fuck Isabella? Can't you do one fucking thing right?" Alistair smack me across the face.
"I did what you asked me to do! You asked for the Gala to be on Saturday September 19th at 8pm. In the Bubble Room, that's what I made up! Everything is just as you asked! This is just the fucking rough draft, awaiting your approval!" I cried.
"Who the hell wants to come to a party at 8pm Isabella? Who? We're not teenagers and we're not senior citizens." He spat.
"Then what time do you need?" I asked.
"Has the room already been booked?" he roared.
"Of course. We've got it set for all day so it can be set up." I raised my hands in exasperation.
"Just leave it then. If no one shows, you'll pay later, such a stupid bitch." He shoved me to the floor and my head hit the corner of the desk.
Just then our teenage son comes running in, just home from school, great.
"Mom, again!" he growled.
"Garrett. Don't!" I laid a hand on his forearm.
"Mom, someone's got to stop this bastard." I felt a tear slide down his face.
"You'll be in college soon and then I can safely leave." I hugged him close.
"Mom." He whimpered.
"Shhhh…" I held him close.
"God damn it! Why do you have to coddle him! No wonder he's a fucking wimp!" Alistair growled as he walked back into my office.
"What the fuck do you want?" Garrett got between Alistair and me.
"Oh little boy. Be glad you're under age or I'd teach you a lesson." He sneered.
"GO ahead." Garrett taunted.
"Garrett." I laid a hand on Garrett's back.
"Listen to your mommy, boy!" Alistair spat. "Go to your fucking room, your grounded." He shoved him out of the way as he approached me like I was his next victim.
"If you don't stop coddling that boy, when he turns 18, I'll show him what it's like to fight as a man." He pulled my ponytail and kissed me hard. Then something he usually only did when he was drunk or high he rips my shirt and shorts, pulls his pants down with one hand and forces himself into me. All the while he's biting me pulling my hair, pinching me and choking me. I can't scream, I can't fight, and I'm pinned to the wall. He's so, so much stronger than I am. I'm crying, he tells me if I don't stop I'll be sorry, I can't, it hurts, bad, so very, very bad.
When he's done, he drops me to the floor, lands several blows to my ribs with his Italian loafers and spits on me, calling me a useless piece of shit. I must black out, because when I awake I'm in a small doctor's office, everything's blurry, everything hurts.
"Bella, you're awake!" Esme, my oldest and dearest friend.
"Garrett, is he ok?" I croak out in a barely there voice.
"Yes, he's shook up. But OK." She patted my hand. "He's talking with Carlisle right now. They didn't call the police, we know the drill sweetie." Esme sighed.
Alistair's family had so many people on the payroll it wasn't funny. Esme and Carlisle came from that kind of money as did Edward, but they weren't those kind of people, but Alistair, of course he was.
"I'll drive you two home, you're all bandaged up and I want to make sure he's not there." Esme sighed.
I just nodded, feeling numb inside.
"Wait! Can Garrett stay with you and Edward for a few days, I don't trust Alistair right now or even ask Carlisle." I sighed.
"I don't think Carlisle's would be safe. That's probably the first place he'll go." Esme's face tightened.
"What Es?" I asked.
"Nothing." She shook her head.
"We've never kept secrets, don't start now." I pleaded.
"Carlisle, he wanted to beat the shit out of Alistair this time. Something snapped." She shrugged.
"Why? It's not the first, nor the last. We all know this." I shook my head.
"You can leave Bella." Esme took my hand.
"Right. I can leave. He'd kill me for sure. Everyone in our circle knows that." A tear slipped down my cheek. "I'm just glad I can still work, thank goodness computer programmer's work from home." I said sarcastically.
"Bells, there's always a way." She gripped me tightly, but mindfully of my wounds.
We headed to the house and thankfully he wasn't there, she'd text Carlisle and found they were at a bar and Alistair was getting drunk.
I had Garrett pack several days' worth of clothes and thankfully Edward and Esme's son Anthony was friends with Garrett and they were just a grade apart, Anthony a junior and Garrett a senior.
"Bella are you going to be OK here?" Esme asked worried.
"Yes, just stay by your phone." I hugged her tight and then kissed my son and told him how much I loved him.
As luck would have it Alistair didn't come home for several days, I was able to heal and Carlisle even came by with Esme to check in on me.
"Bella, glad to see you're looking and feeling better." Carlisle smiled.
"Yes, a little. My ribs still hurt though." I grimaced.
"You'll be happy to hear that Alistair is going to Chicago for a medical conference, he leaves tomorrow and will be gone for at least a week. They want him to speak on the heart surgery technique he just perfected." Carlisle smiled.
"Pfffttt, talk about the God complex." I shook my head.
"Did somebody mention my name?" Alistair strolled in and kissed me softly on the forehead and took the wrap from Carlisle as he was wrapping my ribs.
"I can do that Carl." He motioned him out of the way and I saw the way Carlisle hesitated for a moment, but then thought better of it.
"I'm so sorry Bella. I've been so stressed over this conference and having to speak about this new technique and then Garrett has been hiding his college acceptance letters, did you know that?" he whispered with venom.
"What? No!" It caused me to turn quickly and twist my body to look at him and shit that hurt.
"Oh, so your sweet little boy isn't so innocent after all." He twisted his face into a nasty smile.
"He has to have a reason Al." I protested.
"Oh, I'm sure he does." He said condescendingly.
"Can we please not do this now?" I begged with my eyes, seeing as we had company.
"Of course love. We'll talk later. You can help me pack tonight. We'll order Chinese. Carl here has offered to take me to the airport in the morning." He punched him playfully in the shoulder and kissed me softly.
I sighed inwardly, hopefully this would be a good night.
We said goodbye to everyone and ordered the Chinese.
Alistair brought me the stack of letters and we sat on the couch going through them.
"Maybe he's just wanting to go through them and figure out what he really wants first." I started off, trying to keep things light and not argue.
"Why wouldn't he come to you? He's a mama's boy through and through." He spat.
"Just for that reason. Maybe he wants to do this on his own. He's got to stand on his own two feet at some time Al." I tried to be loving and rub his hand.
"Oh, now you want to touch me?" he snapped.
"Alistair, I do love you. I just don't like you most of the time because you think you have to use your hands to hurt me or your words to bring me down. I don't understand." I shook my head.
"I love you too Isabella, but you just don't know your place. You won't stay in line." He ran his hands through his hair.
"Look, I don't know what you think you by 'keeping me in line' but we've been married for 18 years and I've always done what I've wanted and you've reacted at times and others you haven't." I shrugged.
"Isabella, when we first started dating who told you where you could and couldn't go? When we got married who told you what you could and couldn't wear? I never touched you in the beginning because let's face it, you wouldn't have married me, right? And then you never would have given me an heir, no matter how disappointing he is, he's still my heir. And of course you got pregnant right away, I was thrilled! Of course I treasured you, I worshipped you, I knew you were mine forever then." He sighed.
"Of course I am. I love you. I do." I put my hand on his face and he grabbed it and twisted it behind my back with a sickening snap, making me scream.
"NO. YOU. DON'T!" He screamed in my face. "I see the way you look at other men, you yearn for them to touch you! You want them to make love to you!" he threw me on the floor and storm up stairs, slamming the bedroom door. I laid on the floor, I guess blacking out from the pain, only to wake up in a white sterile room with crystal blue eyes staring at me and not the soft concerned ones of my friend Esme.
No, these were of her brother… Carlisle.
AN:
So the journey begins…
The abuse is not over for Bella…
She WILL NOT leave until her son is away for college…
Only a few short months… It will seems like years…
We'll get into her and Carlisle soon, but it will have to
Start slow and build… Nothing will happen until she leaves her husband.
Bella is a good woman… Even if he doesn't deserve it… Carlisle will surprise us…
He seems like a push over… He's not… I promise…
I hope you'll enjoy this older Bella…
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