A/N: I'll let you get right to it. But there'll be an important announcement in the end. Please make sure you read it.
Chapter-11: Heart You, Hurt Me
A momentary relief.
A fleeting reprieve from hurt and sadness which lasts for just a moment.
And after that moment is gone, the hurt returns more intensified than before.
The moment Bella's phone rings with his name flashing on the display is one such moment for her.
"B, will you ever pick up your phone?" Rosalie's irritated voice breaks through Bella's train of thoughts.
"Hmm?"
She looks up to find her sister standing in front of her with a hand perched on her hip to show her annoyance. "Your phone, B," she repeats, holding out Bella's cell phone on the palm of her hand. "It's been ringing all morning."
Bella turns her face away from the phone, not feeling up to another chat with Jessica Stanley, her former classmate and now coworker. "If it's Jessica, please tell her I'm in the bathroom," she pleads with her sister.
Rolling her eyes, Rosalie smirks at her. "It's not Stanley," she says with a wiggle of her eyebrows. "In fact, I think you would want to take this call."
Bella's eyebrows pull together as she reaches for her cell phone; one look at the caller id and she feels her heart beat faster. "It says Edward ..." she gasps, looking up at Rosalie.
Rosalie grins and backs out of the room.
Bella waits till she's sure Rosalie is out of earshot before pressing the answer button. "Hello?" she says softly into the phone, her breath catching in her throat in anticipation.
Without any greeting, his voice comes from the other side of the phone. "I just called to leave a message for you."
"About what?" she asks, feeling butterflies fluttering around in her stomach simply at the sound of his voice.
I missed you, she wants to tell him. I love you still, her heart aches to say to him; but she remains quiet.
"Um … yeah," he stops, and she hears him take a deep breath. An image of him running his fingers through his hair comes to her mind as he always does when searching for the perfect word to describe his feelings. After what feels like years, she realizes her lips have turned upwards in a true smile at the thought of him.
He clears his throat, gaining her attention. "So I know it's not the protocol in cases like ours," he says. "But I thought I'd give you a heads up because of your health and all."
He's rambling, she realizes. He must be nervous. The shaky tone of his voice reminds her of the first time he asked her out on a date. "Heads up about what?" she asks, smiling still.
"You should be getting a mail some time today," he answers slowly. "From my lawyers."
Three words. Three small seemingly inconsequential words. That's all it takes to make her world tumble out of its axis. "Lawyers?" her voice sounds hoarse in her own ears when she asks.
"Yes," he says in a quiet voice. "Why drag this along when it's meant to an end?"
A long moment of uncomfortable silence descends upon them as Bella tries to think of how to answer him, but then decides to keep her mouth shut.
It's he who breaks the silence. "I'm setting you free. Goodbye, Bella."
With those words, he hangs up, leaving her heart shattered in her chest as the phone drops through her numb fingers.
A/N: Thoughts? Share them with me and leave a review.
Now about the important stuff. I don't often share about my RL here, but I've been quite sick these last few weeks. I'm scheduled to undergo a surgery on Monday. It might be a week (give or take) before I can get back to you guys. So please keep me in your prayers and remember that I love each and every one of you. You guys make my days brighter.
Thanks for reading.
See you in a week.
Love you all.
Ann