[Disclaimer] Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] Welcome to another update and thanks for reading my story.

**36*

"You need to calm down." Esme stated, while she leaned back against the couch in her apartment. It felt odd to have Carlisle here with her. Like this place was their dirty, little love nest now. She had never considered the possibility of falling for a married man. It made her feel cheap. He was making her feel cheap and she hated that more than anything. They couldn't go on like this. Something needed to change and it needed to happen sooner than later.

"She's pregnant. What would you consider to be an appropriate reaction to such news?"

Esme sighed and poured a bit more wine into Carlisle's glass. "You're still in love with her. I should have known."

"No," Carlisle croaked. "It's not like that. I'm just so…so,"

"The word you're looking for is jealous, Carlisle. Why would you be jealous if you didn't still have feelings for your wife? Not that I have a right to blame you for it. I'm just the other woman."

Carlisle took a big gulp from his drink. The alcohol was helping a bit to calm down his nerves. Was he really jealous? He cared for Renee but the feelings were more of a platonic nature. They got along but the two of them were just so incredibly different. What he felt for Esme was so much more. He had never believed it to be possible to feel so much for a woman.

"Is she going to keep the child?"

"I think so. Renee always wanted to have more kids. It's my fault we don't have any."

"Vasectomies are reversible." Esme stated.

"Not in my case. Don't you think I've considered that option? We've even considered a donor. There's a long road down on the way to adoption."

Esme nodded. "Now, I get it. You're not jealous because she cheated on you. What makes you so angry is that another man was able to give her what you couldn't. Is this some kind of male pride problem here?"

"Yes…no…maybe you're right."

"You see, it would be pretty hypocritical to be angry at Renee for cheating. What you're doing with me. How would you call that?"

"It's complicated." He breathed. "It's so goddamn complicated."

"It's not. Buck up. Tell your wife that your marriage isn't working anymore. A divorce is not the end of the world."

She grabbed his glass and pushed it away. "You should go home now, Carlisle."

"Esme, please, I can't drive anymore after the wine I had."

"Good, then tomorrow. But you're going to sleep on the couch. I'm tired of being your whore."

xxxx

When Bella walked down the stairs the next morning her mother was sitting in the kitchen. Renee's eyes were red. She had cried herself to sleep last night. This was the first time her husband hadn't come home an entire night. Carlisle was going to hate her for the rest of his life.

"Mom, you look horrible."

"I'm okay, kid. I'm okay. I got what I deserve. Can you do me a favor and take your brother to the park or something? I don't want him to see me like this."

Bella hugged Renee before she went upstairs to wake up Alice and Eddie. The girls decided to take the boy out for breakfast. Should they find a place where they could get soy milk and other vegetarian food for him.

When they entered a coffee shop a bit later, Eddie rushed toward the table where Jake and his Dad were sitting.

"Hey, Jake." Bella greeted him. "How's your puppy?"

"The thing is over forty pounds now." Jake's father mumbled "It's going to be calf-sized in a few months."

"Can I come and visit it?" Eddie pleaded. "Please, Jake, please."

"Maybe," the black-haired little boy stated. "But only when you are nice to me."

"I'm always nice. What's that you're eating there?"

"Hash browns and bacon. You should try it."

"Yuck! Bacon is from pigs. They are cute. How can you eat them?"

Jake grinned and stuffed another slice of bacon into his mouth. "It tastes good. Try some."

"No, I can't do that. You are so mean for eating animals. You're not a wolf that needs meat." Eddie whispered.

"Maybe I am a wolf. How would you know?" Jake teased him. "This tastes so yummy."

Eddie's green eyes watered and Bella quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him with her to the other side of the café.

"I hate Jake."

"You need to stop letting him provoke you. Please, don't cry. No tears, Eddie. If you cry now, Alice and I will bring you home again."

"But I feel bad for the pig. It wouldn't want to end up in Jake's stomach. And he's not a wolf. I'd know that."

Alice hugged him and placed the menu in front of him. "What do you want to eat, little lion?"

"Waffles. There's no animals in waffles, right?"

"Right," Bella stated. "Waffles sound great. We should all have some. Do you want some juice? They make if fresh here."

While they waited for their order to arrive, Alice played with the ring on her finger. It wasn't an engagement ring. She and Bella were still too young for that. But a ring was a ring nonetheless. It was so beautiful. Bella really loved her.

"Pretty ring." Eddie commented, slurping his orange juice.

"Yes, sweetie. Bella got it for me for my birthday. That was very nice of her, wasn't it?"

The boy nodded his head. Bella reached her hand out to Alice's and caressed her girlfriend's hand. "I'm happy that you like it."

"I love it. But you shouldn't have spent so much money on me."

Bella's cell started vibrating loudly in her handbag and she pulled it out to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Bells, it's just me. I wanted to know if everything is okay with you after the whole kidnapping drama."

"Charlie! I mean, Dad. Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"How's Renee?"

"Okay." Bella murmured. "She's okay, Dad."

"That doesn't sound very convinced. What's wrong? Are the police still investigating? They are only doing their job. There's no need to be nervous.

"I know. Officer Biers has told us that he offered you a job down here for helping them track down Evenson."

"Bells, you know I like it here in Forks. What would I do there in Florida?"

"Maybe you're just too old to start something new. Am I right?"

"No, you're not. I just like my job the way it is. The money he offered was good though. This Biers sounds like a pretty reasonable man to me."

"Yes, he's okay I guess."

"Now, tell me what's up with your mother. She's not blaming herself for what happened, is she?"

"No."

"Bells, can you give me an answer that's longer than one word?"

Bella covered the receiver with her palm and sighed. "I'll be right back. Charlie is too fucking curious."

She walked outside and leaned against a bench in front of the café.

"If I tell you, you have to promise me that you won't make a comment."

"I try to. You should know that."

"Okay, if you say so. Mom and Carlisle had an ugly fight last night."

"About what? The kidnapping?"

"No, it doesn't have to do with that. Dad, she's pregnant and the baby is not from Carlisle. This is really, really bad."

"Pregnant?" Charlie repeated. "Are you sure? How far is she?"

"I don't know, a few weeks maybe? Mom went to see a doctor. She's so miserable. Carlisle is probably going to divorce her now."

"She's pregnant. Renee is pregnant. She's pregnant."

"Dad, are you even listening to me? Mom and Carlisle are getting divorced. I don't think he's going to forgive her for that."

xxxx

"Where are the girls?" Carlisle asked Renee when he entered the house. He had been driving around since the early hours of the morning, trying to brave himself for the unpleasant conversation with his wife.

Renee grabbed another tissue from the box next to her and cleaned her nose.

"I asked Bella to take Eddie outdoors for a while. I don't want the boy to see me like this."

"You look bad. Have you been crying the entire night?"

"What does it matter? I'm the evil cheater here. I deserve your hate."

Carlisle shook his head. Then he sat down next to Renee and squeezed her hand.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It was rude."

"You were jealous. I understand."

He nodded. "I was…but not in the way you think I was. I'm jealous because this other man was able to give you a child. I know how much you wanted to have another kid."

"Carlisle, we've talked about this again and again. I never understood why you decided to have the vasectomy. I do now. You were scared that you could father another child who's like Alice. That's the reason, isn't it? Well, it doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done. We can't turn back the time. That's impossible."

"No one can do that. Look, there is something I need to tell you. I should have told you weeks ago but I was a coward."

"Tell me what?"

He took a deep breath before he spoke up again. "I've fallen in love with somebody else. It's not just a sex thing. I care for her. I care a lot."

"With whom have you fallen in love with? Oh let me guess, it's one of the nurses you work with. Am I right?"

"You're quite close. It's…it's Esme, Dr. Platt. You can yell at me now, if you want to. I deserve it."

Renee raised her hand and Carlisle didn't even flinch when she slapped him.

"Get out of my eyes! Pack your shit and leave this house. I don't want to see you anymore!"

"Renee, please, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I've tried to fight my feelings but—"

"You don't have any feelings at all! I don't give a shit whether you are sorry or not! I hate you! God, I hate you so much!" Renee yelled at him. She stood up from her chair and bucked forward with a loud whimper. "Aaahhhhg! Oh fuck, why does this hurt so much?"

She collapsed on the kitchen floor and pressed her hands against her abdomen.

"Don't touch me." she snarled when Carlisle kneeled down next to her. "I hate you. Ouch…oh…ouch."

"You can still hate me after I've checked on you. Do you have cramps?"

"Yes." Renee whimpered. "It hurts."

"How bad are they?"

"Like bad period pains, maybe a bit stronger."

"Can you try to stand up again? Slowly. Be careful. I'll help you."

"Am I going to lose the child?" Renee whispered anxiously as Carlisle wrapped his arm around her middle to help her up. "Please, I don't want to lose this baby."

"I don't know yet whether you're going to have a miscarriage. We should get you to the hospital as soon as possible though."