Thank you, as always, for reading and for your patience. I had a great birthday weekend, and thank you again to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. I love you all! I'm on vacation right now, and I start school two days after I get back, so I'm not really sure of an update schedule.

We hear a little more from Bella in this chapter. Fair warning, there are so extremely unsavory topics here and sensitive issues. If this kind of thing bothers you, I don't advise reading Bella's portion.

… …

Edward Cullen

Our conversation ended up leaving me with more questions than answers, but then again, that seemed to be a continuing trend so I shouldn't have been surprised.

Working with…or rather, working for Mrs. Hunter was pretty lowkey. She didn't ask a lot from me, and I was still able to spend time working on things for Mr. Hunter. That way, I didn't feel like I was totally out of the loop in the business side of things and I still got to earn a little experience. Plus, the pay increase was more than worth it.

But I had to admit that working so closely with Mrs. Hunter was also affecting me in ways I didn't fully understand. She was so…detached, and I could feel the sadness inside of her reflecting back to me. After just a few weeks, it became apparent to me that she had no one else; she was living a lonely existence like a songbird in a gilded cage.

She never complained, though. And she kept herself busy- especially with cooking and baking. I have no idea what she did with all of that food, but since at least some of it went my way, I wasn't complaining.

It had been a short amount of time, but I was beginning to think that this arrangement would be a good thing for both of us. I felt like I was making a difference. Yeah, this wasn't exactly a career, and it was nothing like I had expected, but I was happy right now with where I was.

Maybe Mrs. Hunter just needed a friend. She needed support, and I was more than happy to give it to her if she would accept.

The details were fuzzy, and I would probably never really know, but I wasn't going to try and pry into her marriage or family life. It wasn't any of my business, and so far, I hadn't actually seen or heard anything horrible going on. I just had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that wouldn't go away. I wasn't going to leave now.

… …

Isabella Hunter

After our wedding, it had taken me two years to get pregnant. We hadn't really been trying especially hard, but James had been happy to hear the news and that resulted in a much better attitude towards me. I had thought, foolishly, that a baby would be a new start for us, and that maybe things would change.

That idea had lasted for a month, before James came home belligerently drunk one night and used his fists to show me how little he cared.

I had lost the baby, and for the first time, I realized what my husband was really capable of.

After that, I had interest in bearing that man's child. But he had different ideas, so I had to get creative. First, I went to a free clinic and got a birth control prescription. At the time, I hadn't know that some of my husband's "assistants" were really there to keep an eye on me, so my plan was thwarted as soon as one of them called James from the parking lot of the clinic, where they had followed me to.

He had been furious, and that was when he stopped letting me drive myself places. Trying to order birth control illegally and online got my credit cards taken away, and attempting to not have sex with him ended in a split lip and being forced to, anyway.

I knew how badly I had screwed up. I had basically sold myself to this man without realizing who he really was, and now I was paying the price. But there was something tying me to him, something I couldn't put into words or process mentally. I also knew that despite his behavior towards me, he would never let me go. In his eyes, I was his property. I was there for him to look at and touch, but no one else was allowed to. Even if I did get away from him, I had absolutely no way to support myself and he would not give up looking for me until I was back under his heel.

And now, I have more to worry about than just myself.

I hadn't been able to get pregnant again on my own after the loss of my first baby, and I had honestly been okay with that. I didn't want to bring a child into my world, and I still struggled to come to terms with losing my first pregnancy. But now that I was pregnant again, I was eager to meet my baby.

It had taken invitro-fertilization in order for me to get pregnant this time, and I wasn't surprised when James requested only male embryos be used. He was getting older, and I knew he wanted an heir to leave his fortune to and pass on his legacy through. No matter how much I feared my husband, I had to admit that he was brilliant and a shrewd, well respected business man. He was good at playing that role; to everyone but me.

… …

Baking has always soothed me. I learned a little when I was young- just the basics to get myself properly feed, but after I married James and found myself all alone in a big house with nothing to do, I took it upon myself to learn more.

I had gone a little overboard buying new appliances, tools, and utensils, but I had never had something that made me feel so capable. James had put his foot down after I spent thousands on all of that, plus cooking lessons from a chef at the cooking institute. But the damage was done, and I had finally found something that I loved.

That hadn't changed in the past ten years, and not even James could take it away from me.

"Something smells good."

I had gotten used to Edward; less jumpy when he came around. None of the other assistants had been so kind to me, or so personable. None of them had been cruel, but I knew that I couldn't trust them and they didn't bother to hide what their real job was.

Edward was different. Even though he had only been here for a few weeks now, there was something about him that made me let my guard down. Maybe it wasn't the wisest thing, but I couldn't help myself. Part of me felt that I didn't have that much fight left to give, anyway.

"I'm making cookies," I explained, turning slightly to look at him as I stirred. "Does peanut butter sound good to you?"

"Delicious," Edward said. "Do you need any help?"

I thought about turning down his offer, but I didn't. "Sure. You can go ahead and start lining the cookie sheets with parchment paper, if you don't mind."

He did so, and we worked together in silence for a few minutes.

"How are you doing?" He asked, glancing up from his task. His green eyes were so deep and kind that they caught my attention every time I looked into them, so I turned my head away

"Fine," I answered, touched that he had asked and that he kept asking. No one had really asked me that in a long time. "Still having some stomach issues, usually late at night, but that's it. It'll be worth it though, in the end. When he's here."

Edward nodded. "I'm sure it will be. If you don't mind me asking…you and Mr. Hunter keep referring to the baby as a boy. How do you know?"

"That's okay," I said, my voice low. "We selected the gender ahead of time, and used in-vitro to get pregnant." Maybe I shouldn't have told him that; keeping my cards close to my chest was what had allowed me to survive so far, and suddenly I felt myself going against the rules I had set.

But his reply was simple, and didn't make me feel bad. "Oh, I see."

"Do you have any kids?" I asked, in spite of myself. I probably shouldn't let myself get too invested in Edward- he could have his position changed again tomorrow if James wanted it that way. It usually wasn't worth it to try and form connections with the people paid to be around me.

"No," he replied, chuckling. "I just graduated with my master's degree and now I'm trying to get my career started, so I guess now isn't really the time to start a family."

"Are you married?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"No," Edward said again. "I dated my last girlfriend all throughout my undergraduate degree, but we broke up a year ago. I hadn't really had a serious girlfriend since."

"That's probably good," I said conversationally. "You're too young and busy to get into all of that right now."

He laughed again, shaking his head at me. "I'm only like three years younger than you, Mrs. Hunter."

I laughed back, and felt the empty feeling inside of me subside, just a little bit. "You can call me Bella, Edward."

… …

"What, aren't you happy to see me?"

James had startled me when he burst into our bedroom late at night, and I had dropped the book I was reading.

"I just didn't expect you," I said honestly, trying to keep my voice even. "Are you staying tonight?"

I recognized the neediness in my voice, and I hated myself for it. I was afraid of this man, but I was also terrified that he would leave me for someone else. That thought was especially scary now; I'm pregnant with no way to support myself or my child if James decided that I was no longer worth his time. I might not have wanted to be with him intimately myself, but if he was asleep in my bed, then I knew that he wasn't with anyone else.

"Maybe," James said offhandedly, staring at his phone instead of looking at me. "Not if you're still getting sick."

"It's been better later," I replied, my hand dropping to my stomach.

"Good," he said, finally dropping his phone on his nightstand and looking at me. For a moment he looked handsome, and not so scary. I had to admit that he was good looking, even in his late forties. His light hair was grey at the temples, and there were wrinkles on his face, but his features were handsome in a strong, classic way. But all that outer beauty meant nothing when he was cold and hurtful on the inside. "Get undressed," he commanded, almost offhandedly, as he began to strip out of his own clothes.

Panic coursed through me. "It's late," I said weakly, my hand still on my stomach.

"And? It's not like you have anything important to do tomorrow. Or ever, really." His comments, as always, stung, but I would gladly take them if it meant nothing would happen between us tonight.

"You've had a long day," I said. "Get into bed, and I'll give you a massage. Then you'll get a good night's sleep."

"All I need to get a good night's sleep is right here," he said crudely, leaning over and shoving his hand down the waistband of my shorts. "Now get undressed. And don't make me ask again."

Tears were gathering in my eyes, but I did as he asked.

… …

I hope you can understand that Bella is in an obviously abusive relationship and struggles to deal with it. She can't just get up and walk away. Even if she had the chance, there are some mental barriers there right now that mean she won't. All in good time : )