You Have to Believe Me
:Disclaimer:
All of the characters used and the story concept belong to Stephenie Meyer. The text itself, excluding the final dialogue piece at the end, belong to me. Also, the quotes do not belong to me.
:Author Notes:
I think I may be the only one (or at least one of a few) that have written a story like this!
But anyway, besides that, I just have to brag, because I'm still stuck (happily) in my excitement. On Friday, the 14th of September, I met Stephenie Meyer! She did a book signing and interview at Barnes and Noble. !! So I've been feeling a little extra Twilight-y, as you can probably understand. : )
Moving on with the story-- please review at the end!! It's my fuel, guys. Help a teenage girl out a little bit?
:Summary:
He stepped back as if shocked by the touch of my hands. "Can't you please just think this through?"
"I have thought this through, Charlie, and it's over!" I screamed. "Marrying you was a mistake!"
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You Have to Believe Me
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"A sad thing in life is that sometimes you meet someone who means a lot to you only to find out in the end that it was never bound to be and you just have to let go."
-- Unknown
○○○ Renée ○○○
Charlie,
I can't express how sorry I am for doing this. I honestly don't see any other way around it. This has all been a mistake. I should have thought these things out more. Marrying you straight out of high school is my biggest regret, and if I don't get out of this now, neither of us will ever be happy again.
I'm taking Bella with me. We both know it's for the best. She needs a female influence in her life. We're both going to Arizona. I've already made the arrangements for a small house for the two of us. I insist that she visit you frequently. You're her father, I can't deny that, and it would kill her to grow up without you, never knowing you. I'm sure we can make the plans for this kind of thing when this whole situation gets a little easier to cope with.
I'll call you once we get settled in. You'll need to at least have that. I'll send the divorce papers as soon as I can.
I'm sorry that this didn't work out. I truly am. You have to believe me.
Love always,
Renée
I wrote the final words and put the tiny piece of paper with messy scrawlings on his bedside table. He was still asleep. I had made my side of the bed out of courtesy.
I had slowly been packing things inconspicuously over the past week into the back of my car. This moment had been planned perfectly.
I creeped to Bella's room to retrieve her. If all things went well, I would be gone soon and he would still have this one last night of peace.
I still felt bad. This was horrible to do this, but it must be done. It was a date that never ended, a conversation that didn't stop, a dream that got too out of a hand, and most of all, a waste of a pretty white dress with lace and a train. I couldn't stay here. I would be lying to not only myself, but to Charlie, too. I couldn't do that. Sure, it would hurt at first, but we'd both get over it eventually. We were both still somewhat young, and getting it over with early on would give us the chance to move on, grow up, and catch someone new.
Bella was sound asleep. She had no idea of what life would be like from now. She would grow up in hot Arizona, with her slightly crazy mother, away from her father who had hopes of becoming the next Police Chief of Forks, Washington. Bella might actually have a future because of me. Wouldn't that be wonderful? For not only me, but for her, too?
I was almost to the door when I heard the sound of the bedsprings disturbing.
I quickened my haste and slipped through the front entrance as fast as I could. Of course, he would hear the door, see the note, read the first few words, before figuring it all out.
No, no, no!
Sure enough, I was only fastening the safety belt on Bella's car seat before the front door slammed open again. Clad in his nighttime pajamas, Charlie rushed out barefoot, rushed, hoping beyond hope that he wasn't too late.
"Renée," he said hurriedly. "Please don't do this." He had my note in it hand.
I snapped the buckle and shut the door. "Charlie," I told him calmly. "You and I both know this was over a long time ago."
He rushed forward and grabbed my face roughly. "You don't mean that."
I removed his hands. "I mean every word."
He stepped back as if shocked by the touch of my hands. "Can't you please just think this through?"
"I have thought this through, Charlie, and it's over!" I screamed. "Marrying you was a mistake!"
He took a deep breathe and blinked rapidly for a few moments. "You have not thought this over thoroughly enough, obviously, or else you would have spoken to me about it."
"I know where you stand on this," I snapped. "And I know where I stand, too."
"Can I at least have some input on this situation?"
"What kind of input could you have? Besides my not leaving?" I snorted harshly. "You want to suggest some good Arizonian neighborhoods or something?"
"You're going that far?" he paled. "All the way to Arizona?"
"Yes," I said, trying to calm myself. "I've heard that it's absolutely lovely in the summertime."
"Sure, if you like melting," he muttered.
"And I suppose you would marry a paddle boat if you could, to get through all of the downpour?"
"I married you," he whispered.
"Obviously," I rolled my eyes. "And that didn't work out too fantastically, did it?"
"We can work things out!"
"No," I told him, trying to ease my tone. "We can't. It's best if we just… try and start over. And besides," I grinned in hopes of trying to make myself sound happier. "I'm so sick of this rain."
He was silent for a moment. I saw his eyes travel through the window to Bella. "Do you have to go so far?"
"It's best if she has a womanly influence on her life," I reasoned. "And of course, I insist that she visits regularly."
He sniffed a bit. I felt so bad.
But I needed to do this.
It needed to be done.
Or else neither of us would ever be happy again.
"Have you ever thought that this might be for the better?" I asked. "You'll meet someone new, someone who won't—" I laughed lamely, "leave you like me."
"Life is meaningless without you," I told me. "Can't you just—"
"Give it up, Charlie," I rolled my eyes. "It's over, okay? This is it, this is the end, this is goodbye." I opened my door and began to get it.
"Please, just one more chance?"
I got in and slammed the door. "No, Charlie." I started the engine.
"Renée, please—do you know what you're doing to me here? You can't just get up and go one night without even talking about it with me! Just come back in for the night and sleep it off—I'll even sleep on the couch, if you'd like!—and tomorrow, we can have a real conversation, a real heart-to-heart—"
"This is the end of us, Charlie," I told him once more. It began to rain. "I'm leaving you. I hate this place, and I need a new life." I looked behind me to make sure there was no random crowd of people or a dinosaur that I would hit with my bumper.
He grabbed the door. "Renée!"
"You're going to get wet, Charlie," I told him in a monotone. "Please just go inside and forget about me. Get a good night's sleep."
He made to open the door. "Renée, you are overreacting! Please, just reconsider!"
I turned sharply to look at him. "Goodbye, Charlie!"
"Renée, just come back inside, please, okay? You have to believe me, I am so in love with you.Stay in Forks for one more night, just one more, and then make a decision when you're more rational. We can work this out—"
"It didn't work out, okay? I really, really hate Forks!"
He blinked a bit more. I had the sneaking suspicion he was trying to hold back tears. I felt even worse instantly for saying those words, but he needed to hear them.
Without another word, I put the car in reverse and drove away. He was still standing in the driveway, staring after me, when I turned the corner.
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"There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn't the end of the world, it's the beginning of a new life."
-- Unknown
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