"Has Edward ruined your life?" Tori asked with concern in her eyes.

"Very much so, and I can't talk about it. Tori just trust me," I said as she nodded. "When we go back out there, James is going to sweet talk you and then he is going to try to worm his way into your life. Just don't let him."

"You need to tell me what is going on right now, because you are scaring me. You were so happy," Tori said as I looked down at my feet. I knew I couldn't tell her the truth, but then Alice's words came back to me.

"Things aren't always what they seem," I said to her as her eyes grew wide.

"Edward hits you?"

"NO! He doesn't hit me. After we got married, I found out about a family secret of his that I can't tell you. If you started dating James, he would pressure you to marry him before his thirty-fifth birthday. I bet you anything he is thirty-four," I said as she nodded. Once we were done with our bathroom stuff, we headed back to the table.

"So, what are you boys up to tonight?" Tori asked with a smile.

"Not much, sweetheart. Edward told me some really good things about you," James said, moving closer to her. She glared at him and then rolled her eyes. I had to laugh.

"My name is Tori, not sweetheart," she said as Edward chuckled. "You look kinda old for me anyway," she said as I bit my lip.

"I'm not that old. I'm thirty-four. I'll be thirty-five in October," he told her as she nodded.

"Awesome," she said with a fake smile. "Bells, I'm tired. Let's go and the boys here can stay and enjoy their beer," she said as I stood.

"What?" James asked. "We just got here! Have a beer with us."

"James, this is going to come off sounding like I am a complete bitch, but whatever. I get this weird vibe from you, and I have this urge to run away from you. So, yeah, I don't want to hang out with you now, or ever," she said as I smirked. She grabbed my hand and we headed for the door.

"That was the funniest shit," I said as we laughed.

"Did you see his face? He looked like I hit his puppy or something," she said, making us both laugh even harder. "How did you know he was thirty-four?"

"Lucky guess."

"Can I ask you something?" she asked, sounding completely serious.

"Yeah…"

"I've heard rumors about the Cullens. Someone once told me that they are involved with the mob. Now, I have this nagging feeling that those aren't just rumors," she said as she nudged me with her elbow.

"Why didn't you ever say anything to me about it?"

"Bella, I thought they were probably just rumors, and then when I saw Edward's eyes, I truly believed that they were."

"Edward's eyes?" I asked confused.

"If someone was to attack you, what would be one thing you would remember about him?" she asked as I nodded.

"His eyes," I said, looking at the ground.

"Thanks for warning me," she said sincerely, looking straight ahead.

"Everyone deserves a choice." We walked in silence for a little ways when we saw Edward drive past us.

"Who was the guy at the bar?" she asked.

"Liam. He is my bodyguard," I said as she laughed.

"I pity the poor guy," she laughed out.

"He said I'm going to be a challenge and that I'm feisty," I responded with a laugh. "If you don't want me to watch Seth anymore, I understand."

"Nah, I trust you, B. Then again, I kinda like having a mobster next door; it makes me feel safe," she said as I shook my head at her.

"You're crazy."

"Think about it. He will protect you at all cost, you get to give your kids the world, you have a huge, caring family, and if you ever get in trouble with the law, he would be able to get you off," she said laughing.

"Tori, I feel like I have to look over my shoulder all the time and I don't ever want anything to happen to the kids. Edward could be killed at any moment. Fuck! Any of us could be killed!" I stressed, throwing my hands in the air.

"I think the mob people would rather kill each other than their families," she said.

"True; so I just have to wait to be a widow again," I said as I looked back to the ground.

"Are you more scared about what will happen to you and the kids, or to him?" she asked sincerely.

"Both," I admitted. "I hate him for not giving me a choice. I wouldn't have chosen this life with him if I knew," I told her.

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing I can do. I'm married to the mob for life. Wanna learn how to shoot a gun with me?" I asked her.

"Hell yes!" she said enthusiastically. "I won't tell anyone. I would have said something about the rumor sooner if I would have known it was true. I'll ask the person who told me, to see if they might know anything else."

"Who is it?"

"I'm not telling you. Your husband would find out and that person would be killed," she said as I swatted her. "I'll see you later," she told me as we walked up to our houses. I hugged her and headed for my home. It felt like deja vu as I walked up to the porch. Edward was sitting there waiting for me, but instead of the worried look he had the first time, he was scowling at me.

"Did you tell her about my family?" Edward asked, very pissed off.

"No. I wouldn't air other people's dirty laundry," I said as I tried to get past him. "I told her no more than Alice told me. I guess she was just smarter than I was," I said as I shrugged.

"Why did she ask about his age?"

"That guy looked like he was forty years old," I said as Edward chuckled. "I'm going to bed."

"Bella," he said as he stood in front of the stairs. "I truly love you. I'm sorry I had to lie, but I'm not sorry for loving you or marrying you," he said as he hugged me tightly to his chest. I wanted to hug him back so badly, but I stopped myself. I didn't know if I could ever get over his lies.

"I'm really tired," I said as he released me.

I walked into the house and headed for my room. I thought for sure Edward would have followed me, but he didn't. Maybe he finally understood the fact that I needed space. Whenever he was around the house, he was up my butt. I washed my face and dressed for bed. As I was turning down the covers, Edward walked in. He took his coat off and I saw his gun. He kinda looked sexy with it, but I never would have told him that. He took it out of his pants and clicked a couple things on it.

"Do I need to sleep with this?" he asked me as I laughed at him.

"No, I think you're safe," I said as he smiled.

"I've missed your laugh." That quickly sobered me up. "I only ask because my mother tried to kill my father when she found out about the Mafia stuff."

"I would never stoop to your level," I said as he locked his gun up. "How do you even get away with dealing with people? I mean, don't you go and threaten them?"

"What are you getting at?" he asked, sounding completely confused.

"Your eyes are unlike anything I have ever seen in my life. If I were to see you, I would never forget your eyes," I said as he smiled.

"I've worn contacts before, but they cloud my vision. I mostly where sunglasses," he said as he finished undressing.

"But if you were killing them, it wouldn't matter right?" I asked as he rolled his eyes at me.

"You know what? I'm trying to be honest with you, and all you are doing is mocking me," he said as he lay down in bed.

"Mocking you? I'm the joke in this marriage. I'm sleeping in the same bed as a murderer," I snapped as he grabbed my arms and made me look at him.

"Enough!" he said between clenched teeth. "You need to get over it. There is nothing you can do to change anything. Will you forgive me so we can just move on?"

"I don't think I can. I have kids..."

"And I take very great care of our kids! They are fully protected! No one is going to hurt them or you! They would kill me first," he said, letting go of me.

"Awesome! So now I just have to wait to be a widow again? Do you not understand that I gave you all of the love I had inside of me and all you did was lie? So this is how the rest of my life is going to be spent? Correct me if I'm wrong," I said as I faced him, "but I'm supposed to fake my happiness, constantly watch over my shoulder so I can protect my kids, and worry every time you leave this house, because I don't know if you are going to come back?"

"I don't want you to have to fake your happiness. I want you happy, baby. Talk to Alice, she can explain things better. She and my mother know your side more than I do."

"I don't want to talk to anyone. I don't want to talk to you, but again, I have no choice. Edward, I don't know what you want from me!"

"I want us to be the most in-love couple - like we used to be. I want to kiss you and have you kiss me back. I want to hug you and have you relax, not stiffen up like a pole. I want your eyes to light up when I walk into the room. I want you to smile and laugh. You walk around like you are going to burst into tears at any given second. You don't even smile or anything, anymore. I need my wife back," he said as he touched my cheek. I told myself I wasn't going to cry, but when I saw the tears and sadness in his eyes, I couldn't hold back my own. I hated myself for crying, for being so weak. Edward moved closer to me and I automatically stiffened. I couldn't help it. It scared me to my core to know that he was killing people, or even hurting them.

"Just kiss me, please," he begged as he lowered his lips to mine.

"No," I said as he held me tighter. He pressed his lips to my dead ones. If I allowed myself to show him my love, I would only hurt more in the end. I had to put some distance between us in order to protect myself.

"I hate when you say that word," he said as he kissed my lips more. "Kiss me," he demanded. He kissed me harder, but I was able to keep my lips still. "Goddamnit! KISS me!" he yelled, making me flinch.

"I can't! If I kiss you and you die, it will break me, and I don't wanna be broken," I said as I cried. "If I kiss you, that will mean I forgive you, and I'm not ready do that. If I kiss you, I will want you, and that is not something I want right now. I don't even know if I'll ever want that again," I said through my sniffles. While in the middle of my rant, I was pushing closer to him without realizing it, and he was crying right with me.

"I want you to want me again. Please tell me what I can do to make it better, Bella. I love you so much and I don't want to be without you," he said as he held my face in his hands. I hated that he was getting to me. I hated that his tears were having an effect on me. "I know I did this all wrong, but it is what it is. We have to move on because we are together until one of us leaves this earth," he said, making me sob even harder.

"I don't want this," I said as he hugged me. "I don't want to wait for you to be killed. I don't want to be kidnapped or raped because you pissed off the wrong people. I don't want one of my kids hurt because someone wants to hurt you. I don't want any of this," I cried.

"Baby, none of that is going to happen. One thing that all Mafias have in common is that we protect our families with everything we are. No one goes after family members. We would all rather kill the person we're after, anyway," he said wiping my tears. "You are safe, I promise."

"I don't think I can mentally handle all this," I said as I calmed down slightly. "I'm going to Forks in the morning. I'm going to spend time with my family..."

"Bella, don't do this..." he said with a broken sob.

"I won't tell anyone anything..."

"I can't let you go. I will have to get you and bring you back. Do you just want to keep finding reasons to hate me?" he asked, starting to get angry.

"Just shut up! Let me fucking talk!" I said as I glared at him. "What I was trying to say is that I just need a little distance! I will be back sometime Sunday. If you show up, blow up my phone, or bug me in any way, I may be too tried to drive back. You can't do a lot, but you can at least let me have a day," I said as he stared at me. I wasn't even sure he was listening.

"You will come back?" he asked quietly.

"I have no choice," I said with no emotion.

"If you don't come back, I'll come and get you," he said in a serious tone.

"I know."

"Kiss me," he said as I looked down. "One kiss…please?"

I wanted to say no so badly, but I knew he was hurting, too. He was giving me my day, so I gave him his kiss. His whole body relaxed into me. He needed reassurance just as much as I did.

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