A/N: My Chapter.
I experienced the strangest feeling of déjà vu as I followed after Edward down the stairs. It was strange to me how structured life here was; lunch and dinner always served at the same time, every day. The redundancy of it all was something I had come to expect, so I was surprised when Edward broke the norm.
He approached a chair different from the one where he usually sat and pulled it back from beneath the table, and I realized suddenly that it was my chair, and that he was holding it out for me. I blushed and gave him a small smile. Rosalie rolled her eyes at our display, and Emmett seemed too preoccupied inhaling his food to notice. Jasper raised a questioning eyebrow at Edward, and Alice beamed at me; she looked as if she would explode from happiness.
The others had already started eating without us. In low voices, Jasper and Edward discussed their plans to go to town that afternoon. The rest of us ate in silence for a while, as was customary, but after a few moments I noticed that Alice was staring intently at her older brother.
"Edward?" she chimed in her sweetest, most persuasive voice.
Edward didn't even have to look up from his plate to take in her pleading, hopeful expression. This was the tone Alice always used whenever she wanted something. "Whatever it is, Alice; No."
Alice's eye widened innocently while her lower lip stuck out and trembled in a truly heartbreaking expression. Edward studiously ignored her while she pouted.
"Please, please, please, Edward?" She begged. Edward finally looked up to glare at her. The expression was truly frightening, but he wasn't able to maintain it for long; Edward was not the kind of person who was easily persuaded, but there was nothing he could deny his favorite sister. His face softened and I noticed his lips begin to gradually twitch up at the corners.
"Alright," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "As long as the two of you promise to behave yourselves."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Edward!" Alice sang, hopping up from the table to she fling her arms around him, bouncing up and down sporadically. The motion was twisting his body at an unnatural angle, and he tried not to grimace as she tightened her grip around his neck.
Everyone else at the table seemed relatively unaffected by the scene in front of them; it was undoubtedly something they had all seen before. But I, for one, was completely lost. I wasn't sure how Edward even knew what Alice was going ask, or how she knew what his answer would be. These silent conversations that went on between the two of them were confusing at best to an outsider.
"What are we celebrating?" I asked.
Alice suddenly released her vice-like grip on Edward, and bounded forward to throw her arms around me instead. She was still bouncing, and I understood immediately while Edward had grimaced when she hugged him; her grip was so tight that it actually was painful. "We're going to town with Edward and Jasper!" Alice cried. "We're going to go shopping!"
I forced myself to keep a smile on my face, but inside I was panicking. I didn't know the first thing about shopping. The thought of it terrified me slightly, but I wasn't about to ruin the day for Alice. "Oh," I said politely. "Well . . . that sounds like . . . fun."
Jasper grimaced, while Edward coughed out a short, hard laugh.
"What's funny?" I demanded.
Edward smile wryly. "You've obviously never been shopping with Alice."
--
Alice insisted that wear our best for the trip into town, and we even took the Cullen's finest carriage. Edward barely spoke a word to anyone on the way, so I was surprised when he chivalrously offered me his hand as I stepped down and out of the carriage. I took his arm, and we walked down the street together with Alice and Jasper.
The men needed to go to the bank to take care of some financial affairs. Alice whined and insisted that she and I be allowed to travel off on our own for a while. Both Edward and Jasper objected, but they gave in after a while, albeit reluctantly. Alice leaned up to kiss Jasper on the cheek while he muttered something about ". . . inappropriate for ladies to walk about town unescorted." I didn't get to hear the end of his rant, however, because Alice impatiently grabbed my arm and towed me toward a nearby dress shop.
We entered the tiny storefront, and I was immediately assaulted by the strong scents of patchouli, rose and cinnamon. The shop was small and closter phobic, every available surface covered by reams of shiny pink satin. We were greeted by a short and chubby woman with unnaturally red hair and overly rouged cheeks. She greeted Alice enthusiastically, while simultaneously ignoring me.
"Ms. Cullen, how wonderful it is to see you! To what do we owe this visit from our favorite customer?"
Alice gave her a warm smile, but then her expression turned shockingly business like. "We'd like to try on one of everything," she announced.
I suppressed the urge to groan. This was going to be even worse than I'd feared. "Everything?" I hissed. "We'll be here all afternoon!"
"Of course we will," she answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It takes time to pick out a whole new wardrobe."
"A new wardrobe? But Alice, everything you have is already so beautiful."
Alice rolled her eyes at me as if I were mentally slow. "Not for me; a new wardrobe for you, silly."
My eyes widened at that, but before I could argue Alice was dragging me toward the back of the shop. I blushed furiously as Alice and the shopkeeper alternated between stripping me of my clothes and forcing me into dress and after, and then having me stand on the pedestal in the front of the shop, much to my mortal embarrassment.
Nine or so dresses later, I was modeling a tightly fitted red satin gown. It had a very low neck line, and a skirt that flowed down my body and flared out toward the bottom. The saleslady had insisted that it was of "the latest fashion" from Paris, but it was far too revealing for my level of comfort.
Alice walked around me in a circle to take in every aspect of the dress. "It's nice," she said thoughtfully. "But I think I like the other one better. It's much more flattering on you, and, well, it's blue. Edward loves blue."
I was suddenly contemplating the stunned look on Edward's face when he saw me in the royal blue gown, but my thoughts were distracted by a deep, husky voice: "I'm quite partial to this one, myself."
I whipped around to find Jacob Black leaning casually against the wall, a top hat tipped low over his face. He was staring at me with an uninhibited appreciative expression. I could have sworn I heard Alice hiss quietly from the corner.
"Ms. Swan." He swiftly crossed the room and hopped up to be on the same level with me. He took my hand, and then kissed it. "What a pleasure it is to see you again."
"Hello," I mumbled, feeling awkward. I wasn't sure exactly how to behave around this man, especially considering what I now knew about him.
"I saw you from the window," he explained. "I simply had to come in and say hello. You look so ravishing in that gown, and I thought perhaps I could take you out so you had somewhere to wear it."
I was taken aback by his boldness. It was inappropriate, but I was reluctantly endeared to him because of it. "That would hardly be appropriate," I answered as stiffly as I could manage.
"Impressive," Jacob murmured, seeming entertained. "That's very loyal of you. But I wonder; does he even deserve such loyalty? I've seen the way he treats you, forcing you to trail after him like a dog."
His words stung, but I forced myself to maintain composure. "What Edward says or does has no bearing on the matter of my own integrity," I told him icily.
Jacob chuckled. "Fair enough. But you should know; you're not the first woman in his life to earn such treatment. He likes to keep his lovers on a relatively short leash; he seems to have some trouble keeping them."
Before I could respond, a deep growl resonated from the corner. "That will be quite enough, Jacob." My muscles tensed and all of the hairs on my arms stood up as I took in Edward's low and deadly voice. I realized with horror that my hand was still resting in that of his mortal enemy, and I quickly yanked it behind my back.
"Ah, Edward," Jacob called as if they were old friends. "How good of you to join us."
Edward walked swiftly toward us. He pushed me behind his back and then glared at Jacob so that they were exactly eyelevel, their noses almost touching. "You are going to leaved, and then you are going to stay away from her. You will never speak to her again." It was a command, not a request, and his voice was so dark and intimidating that I couldn't imagine anyone bold enough to cross him; not even Jacob Black.
Jacob raised his eyebrows. "Overprotective, isn't he? Perhaps you should let Isabella decide who she spends her time with." Jacob leaned around Edward to wink at me.
Edward growled again. "She is mine," he hissed dangerously. "She belongs to me."
I stared at Edward in disbelief. Was this the way he truly thought of me? As a possession? Even after everything that had happened between us? I was suddenly hurt, not to mention inexplicably and irrationally furious. How dare he?
"I belong to no one," I spat viciously. "Least of all you."
I regretted the words the moment I had spoken them, Edward's eyes burned and his nostrils flared. Suddenly he has pulling me from the dress shop, his fingers wrapped around my arm so tightly they were cutting off my circulation. I heard Alice's call something to the saleslady about "putting the dress on my tab" as Edward dragged me down the sidewalk toward the carriage.
No one spoke on the way home, though I occasionally took a peek at Edward; his face was set like stone, his jaw held so tightly I thought it might snap. Alice shot me a few worried glances and I sank further into my seat; I knew I was in for it once we got home. The carriage pulled up to the front of the house, and without a word Edward grabbed my arm again and dragged me up the staircase to his bedroom. He locked the door behind us before spinning me around to face him. "You will not speak to me that way in public again."
This only fanned the flames of my anger toward him. "I will speak to you in any way I please!"
Edward pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and his forefinger, attempting to calm himself. "Isabella, the way you behaved this afternoon was unacceptable. Your mouth is becoming an embarrassment."
"I was fairly sure he meant it as an embarrassment to him, and this only made me more furious. You were fully aware of my mouth when you brought me into this house," I countered. "It's part of who I am, whether you own me or not. It's your own damn fault if you don't like it!"
It was then that Edward's temper bubbled over. "Yes," he spat. "It was my mistake. How silly of me to expect proper behavior from a servant. I should have known better; it seems no matter how much money I have, I can't transform a lady out of common trash."
I slapped him hard across the mouth, using all of my strength. He glared at me with such a furious expression that I found myself backing away from him in terror. Then I was overcome by guilt, as I took in the pain visible beneath Edward's livid expression; pain I had never seen upon his face before.
I whipped myself away from him, running into my room and slamming my door behind me with so much force that it shook around the hinges. Restrained sobs of rage and despair shook my entire body as I turned, ready to fling myself on the bed in anguish. Bu then I saw the tall slender figure standing in shadows by the window.
"Rosalie, what are you doing in my room?"
--
She was standing with her back to me, her arms folded across her chest. She did not turn as I approached tentatively from behind.
"What are you doing in here?" I repeated. I hoped she couldn't hear the way my voice was shaking.
She finally turned, and her expression was not friendly. "I've come to make you an offer," she stated evenly.
"What could you possibly have to offer me?" My tone was rude, and I knew it, but I was in no mood at the moment to play guessing games with Rosalie.
"Your freedom," she stated simply.
My reaction must have been something to see, because her lips curved up smugly at the corners. Shock was clearly painted across my face, but I forced myself to regain composure. "My freedom is not yours to give, Rosalie."
Rosalie shrugged. "Perhaps not," she agreed. "But I am a mistress of this house. That ought to count for something."
I tried to wrap my mind around what she was proposing, but it seemed far too ridiculous to even be real. "Edward will be furious," I hedged.
Rosalie waved her hand dismissively. "Let me worry about Edward."
Rosalie's sudden willingness to grant my freedom made me immediately suspicious. "Why are you helping me?" I demanded.
"I'm not helping you," she responded. "I'm helping me."
"I am . . . confused."
Rosalie sighed. "Edward is the oldest, Bella. If he marries, the entire estate will pass to him. With you gone, the estate will pass to Emmett . . . and me, vicariously."
Under normal circumstances, the thought of Edward wanting to marry me would have made my heart soar, but I was still too angry with him to even consider that as a possibility. "Edward would never marry me, Rosalie. That much was made clear this afternoon."
"Maybe not today," she allowed, "But his anger will fade eventually. I've seen how close the two of you have become, and you will only get closer as time goes on. Edward has been alone for a long time, Bella, and out of his loneliness I think he might convince himself that he loves you enough to marry you."
"And that's that supposed to convince me? You'll have to do better than that if you want me to leave."
Rosalie sighed again. "I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, Bella, but it's for your own good: It's dangerous to delude yourself into thinking that you and Edward could ever be together. He might have feelings for you today, but that, too, will fade. The two of you are from different worlds. He doesn't love you, and he never will. Nor should he; you don't belong together."
Her words burned my heart like venom, and I wished so badly I could deny that they were true, but I didn't have the strength left in me to argue. She was merely confirming what I had known all along; it had never made sense for him to want to be with me. Tears stung at my eyes, and I convulsively swallowed back a very large lump that was forming in the back of my throat.
Rosalie seemed wholly unaffected by my emotional response. "Here, take this," she said, thrusting a small velvet pouch into my hands.
"What is it?" I whispered.
"Your worth," she stated simply. "The amount of money Edward paid for you. It's more than most people make in a month. You should be able to live on that for a while."
I nodded woodenly, unsure if I would wake up any moment now and discover all of this to be some ridiculous, hideous dream.
It wasn't.
Next she handed me a thick grey cloak with a hood. "Wait until dark, and then put this on. You should be able to sneak out the servant entrance undetected."
I nodded again, finding myself not quite capable of forming words.
"Goodbye, Bella," she said as she breezed past me. I tried not to notice the triumphant smirk that was plastered across her face. Then she was gone, and I was left alone again to contemplate my thoughts. A hollow feeling replaced the area where my heart once was, and my body was consumed by a seeping, numbing cold. I slumped to the floor and buried my face in my hands, squeezing both sides of my skull to drive out every memory from this most wretched of days. I was unable to rid myself of Rosalie's words, still echoing in my head.
The two of you are from different worlds.
You don't belong together.
He doesn't love you. He never will.
I was overcome by pain, a pain so deep and excruciating that it seemed to me as if person would have to be on the verge of death to experience it. In my mind I found myself replaying the past seventeen years of my life, and wishing that I could take back so many things. I wished I had never been born, but most of all, I wished I had never come to live with the Cullens. Spending the rest of my life in a factory could not have been worse than this; than being misled and humiliated and to having my heart ripped out by the only person I had ever really cared for. I could not bear it, and despite the shame and cowardice I felt, I decided to run; away from him, away from everything, and most of all, away from myself.
A/N: So I'm sure by now you've noticed the good cop / bad cop routine we have going on here. It was entirely unintentional on our part, but this is just the dyanmic that has developed while we've been writing this story: Rosette supplies the amazing (did I mention amazing? A-MAH-ZEENG) lemons, and I provide the much-needed drama. So before you get all mad and criticize my little plot twists and cliffhangers, remember that they're an important part of the story.
What can I say? It works for us.
Anyway, since this is the last update we'll make before the upcoming holiday, we'd both like wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. Whether it's Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza or Eid you celebrate, we hope you all have a great time celebrating with your friends and family. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing our story; it's the best gift you could have given us!
