A/N: Hey! Yes I did change the name of the story. I've been toying with the idea for awhile and decided to do it after I updated last time, which is why there was no note. I think The Ties That Burn fits better than Tied To New York.

A huge thanks to my ladies, Paige, Sherry, Tiffany & Cristina xx

Chapter 10

When I arrived home, I found Maggie in the kitchen with Nora, sitting drinking a cup of coffee. As soon as I saw her my anger flared. She had deliberately manipulated me and caused me to make a scene. Not only that, but she had caused more problems in my already failing marriage. I wanted to cause her a world of hurt, let her know that I wasn't some meek pushover. I was the wife of a mafia boss and if she was going to mess with me then she was going to feel my wrath.

I marched over to her and grabbed her by the hair. I yanked her by the hair of her head, pulling her off of the stool she was sitting on. She let out a scream as she scrambled to find her feet. Nora let out a gasp and I think Liam may have shouted at me to let her go, but I wasn't paying any attention to him. "Bella, what the hell, what are you doing!?" Maggie screamed as she clutched onto my hands, trying to free her hair.

"You think you are so funny, don't you?" I hissed. "Sending me over there, making me think my husband is cheating."

"I have no idea what you are talking about!" Maggie shouted, with an innocent expression on her face. If I didn't know any better, I might have believed her.

"Isabella," Liam said sternly, grabbing my arm. "Let her go."

"No," I snapped, "not until she admits that she was trying to play me."

"Isabella, honey," Nora pleaded. "Let the girl go. Whatever has happened, there is no need to resort to violence." Maggie started sobbing, that was when I noticed how both Nora and Liam were looking at me, like I was the one in the wrong. Couldn't they see her for what she was, for what she had done? I reluctantly let her go and growled in frustration. Liam moved me away from her as if he didn't trust me not to attack her again.

I threw my hands up in a sign of surrender. They were clearly buying into her bullshit and I wasn't going to stand around to watch. "I want her out of my house," I ordered Liam before I went in search of Bruno, wondering why he hadn't come to investigate all the commotion. I found him lying on my bed, in some sort of food coma. Since Nora had come into our lives she had started feeding him, overfeeding him. He was slowly getting fat and lazy. Though part of that was my fault since I hadn't been walking him, not since the last time that I had gone on a walk and lost eight hours.

I sat next to him, stroking his fur, unaware of anything else until someone called my name. "Isabella?" I looked up to see Liam standing in the doorway. "I thought I would come and check on you, make sure you are okay."

"I'm fine," I snapped, still annoyed with him.

"You sure?" he asked, walking into the room. He came over and sat down beside me on the bed. "You don't look fine. What was that all about with your friend and what was that about back at the club?"

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter." I didn't expect him to understand, nor care.

"Tell me," Liam said, reaching out and lightly touching my arm. "Come on, we've known each other for years. I worked for your father. I hate seeing you like this. I know that you and Maggie have been friends for a long time, it's not like you to fight."

"Yeah, well, people change."

"You've changed," he said, reaching out and stroking the side of my cheek. "You're no longer the little girl I used to watch growing up, you're a woman now. A beautiful, strong woman. I hate to see you sad and hurting. You know you can talk to me, right? I know it must feel like at times that you have no one, but you have me. You can talk to me. I'm here for you."

For some reason this conversation just felt strange, wrong even, and the fact that it was taking place on top of my bed didn't help the feeling of unease that was now growing in the pit of my stomach. I let out a fake yawn. "Thanks. I'm kinda tired. I think I'm gonna go to sleep. Can you let Nora know that she can go home now? Edward should be home soon and then you can go too." For some reason I felt the need to remind him that Edward would be coming home soon.

Liam nodded, but never said another word. I watched him walk out of the room, breathing a sigh of relief when he was gone. I then cuddled up with Bruno and closed my eyes, not bothering to undress. I just wanted to lay there with my one true friend, my loyal companion.

I must have drifted off to sleep because I woke up at some point during the night with Edward moving me under the covers. I moaned at the movement. "Shhh, it's just me," he assured me. "Close your eyes and go back to sleep. I was just moving you because you were cold." I reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him to me. I wanted him to hold me. I wanted to know that he was no longer mad at me, that he still loved me. I sighed in contentment when he didn't fight me, but rather climbed into bed behind me and held me tight against his chest. I closed my eyes, allowing sleep to take me once again, knowing that one way or another we would make it. We would find a way back to each other.

When I woke up in the morning Edward was still sound asleep. I got up and let Bruno outside to potty before switching the coffee machine on and heading for a shower. I knew Edward and I needed to talk, especially about what happened last night. I just hoped he believed me when I told him that Maggie was the one that told me about the club.

By the time I got out of the shower and dressed, he was already awake and sitting at the kitchen island. I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down beside him, wondering which one of us would be the one to break the silence.

"You know, I keep going over it again and again in my head," Edward began, "trying to figure out what the hell I've done to you to make you think I would ever cheat on you, but I'm at a loss. So you'll have to help me out here. Tell me. Why the hell would you think that I would do that to you?"

"I didn't, I don't," I said, focusing my full attention on the mug in my hand. "I let Maggie get in my head. I don't know why she wanted me to think that you would do something like that, but she did. Maybe it was because those guys approached us or maybe she gets her kicks out of starting drama. I don't know. She's always been a little twisted, but I know I shouldn't have gone to the club. I was just so mad. The thought of you with another woman made my blood boil."

"What guys?"

"Huh?" I said, looking at Edward, confused.

"You said something about guys approaching you."

"Oh. When we were at the mall. Two guys about our age approached us and asked to sit with us. I tried to get Maggie to leave, but she wasn't having any of it. She even suggested that I have some fun with one of them. That was when I reminded her I was married and then she accused you of cheating. She said everyone does."

"I don't want you hanging around her anymore. She was supposed to be a good friend for you, but she sounds like nothing but trouble." I was relieved that he had taken me at my word instead of siding with Maggie, as I was sure Nora or Liam would have told him about me attacking her last night. Perhaps he was giving me the courtesy of trust so in time I would do the same for him. "Now, tell me about these guys."

I shrugged. "There isn't much to tell. They approached us and I tried to get Maggie to leave, when she wouldn't and she didn't like I wasn't staying to hang out with them, she told me about the club and I went there."

"Do you remember their names?"

"One of them was called Victor, but I can't remember the other's name. They said they were brothers. They had a strange accent, but I'm not sure where it was from."

Edward sighed. "I don't want you going around on your own anymore. I don't know who these guys are, but I don't like that they approached you and that you were unprotected." I opened my mouth to protest, but he held his finger up. "Don't fight me on this Isabella. If you'd had a guard then last night wouldn't have happened. They would never have allowed you into the club."

"I don't need a babysitter," I hissed.

"Don't you?"

"I don't want some random guy following me around, Edward."

"It won't be some random guy. What about Liam? You know him. You seemed comfortable with him last night."

Something inside of me told me this wouldn't be a good idea, but I couldn't voice that opinion, not without a reason to back it up. I knew if I told Edward that Liam made me feel uncomfortable, he would mostly likely end up dead and I didn't want that. Maybe I misread things. I had been a little out of sorts last night.