Chapter Thirty Five

Bella

I have no idea how long I was locked in this cold dark room but eventually I heard a key in the door and the light spilling in forced me to shade my eyes.

"Bella what are you doing in there silly? I've been looking for you. If you want to play hide and seek you should tell me, that way I'd find you more quickly. Come on May has dinner waiting"

He held out his hand and when I was slow to take it he grabbed mine and jerked me up,

"Its not polite to keep people waiting especially when May went to a lot of trouble for you."

I was so dry I couldn't reply I just coughed and rubbed my eyes and he looked at me critically,

"You look terrible. After dinner get yourself in the bath and try to do something with your hair, its a mess. Don't let yourself go just because you think you've got your man"

I ignored his words, concentrating instead on the aroma of hot food. May brought my dinner through on a trolley with silver dish covers and put them on the table in front of me, taking the lids off with great ceremony but I saw her eyes flick anxiously at Edward,

"Is that to your liking?"

I looked down at the gammon steak with new potatoes and salad that sat in the dishes and nodded, my mouth watering.

"Then say thank you to May Bella, where are your manners?"

I managed a croak of thanks before draining the glass of water by my plate then helped myself and started to eat slowly. Swallowing got easier as I drank more and I started to feel almost human again by the time I'd finished.

Edward pulled my chair back for me with a smile and walked upstairs with me chattering about his trip into the city. It sounded as if he'd been to a concert and spent time in a museum but I was too tired to take much in. He ran a bath for me and stood arms crossed waiting for me to undress. I knew it was useless to object so I took my clothes off slowly dropping them to the floor before stepping in the bath. The water was pleasantly warm and he handed me the shampoo then picked up my clothes and put them in the laundry bin. I stayed in the bath until the water was almost cold rather than get out and see Edwards eyes running up and down my naked body.

"Come on Bella, the waters cold."

I stood up and he passed me a towel from the heated rail and I wrapped it round myself walking through to the bedroom looking for my dressing gown. It was missing from its place and Edward smiled and pulled the towel away.

"You are so beautiful Bella."

He took me in his arms and I froze.

"What's wrong Bella?"

He stood back and looked into my face his eyes flashing dangerously but I was too weary and depressed to hide my distaste.

"Oh, not good enough for you any longer. Prefer my animal brother do you? Well lets see how fussy you are after this"

He threw me onto the bed and ripping off his own clothes crushed me into the mattress taking me roughly. I couldn't help the tears but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of screaming or struggling. When he finished he rolled off with a smile,

"See Bella, that's a real man for you. You wouldn't get that from Jasper Whitlock"

"No he wouldn't lower himself to rape a woman. That seems to be your speciality."

The slap knocked me off the bed onto the floor and he followed me to the floor pulling me up by the hair and spitting in my face.

"How dare you talk to me like that. I should kill you now."

"Go on then."

His jaw tensed and I waited for the killing blow but it never came. Instead he hit me in the face and as my lip split he dragged me back upstairs to the dark room and threw me back in,

"You stay there until you learn some manners"

I heard him talking to himself as he walked away, his mind seemed to be fracturing more quickly now. I squatted in the corner and hugged myself in the dark. The room was colder, or maybe it was just that I was naked, I couldn't tell. I held my mouth until my lip stopped bleeding and wondered just how long I would be in here this time.

The room smelled bad but there was nothing I could do about that, I had no access to a bathroom and I'd held on as long as I could. I'd been sick too but I think that was anger not illness. By the time the door opened again I was shivering and I looked up expecting to see Edward but it was May. She looked over her shoulder then came in holding a torch in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. She didn't speak but passed the bottle to me and I drank it greedily.

"Thank you"

My words were a croak again and she nodded then put a hand in her apron pocket and took out a sandwich wrapped in grease proof paper. I took it with a shaking hand and devoured it in seconds forcing it down a sore and still dry throat.

"I'm sorry Mrs Cullen but we dare not help you any more than this. Mr Cullen told us before he brought you here that he knows a lot of people and we'll never get another position if we cross him. We don't have any savings and this is our home, he'll make us homeless and we have nowhere else to go."

She was almost in tears as she explained and I smiled in understanding. When I finished she took the paper wrapper and went back out shutting the door. Barney had told me he didn't have a key to these rooms but May had got one from somewhere, obviously she was doing as much as she felt safe doing.

The next time the door opened it was Edward, he looked in and wrinkled his nose.

"God it stinks in here, what have you been doing Bella. I think you are going crazy hiding in here like this. Come on"

He stretched out his hand but I pressed my body against the corner and wrapped my arms around me.

"Oh so you still don't think I'm good enough for you. I heard you talking to him on the phone."

"What? Who?"

"Whitlock, I heard you."

"Edward I don't have a phone"

"Don't lie to me. I heard you"

"Where's the phone Edward? Where am I hiding it? You're crazy not me"

I know I shouldn't have shouted back at him but I was so angry and cold and I couldn't help myself.

He came in towering over me as I crouched there then pulled me up by my hair.

"You have a bad attitude Bella and it needs knocking out of you. I'll do it because I love you."

He slapped me then threw me down on the floor and raped me again but this time I fought back. I scratched and bit and tried to poke his eyes out but none of it did me any good and when he finished he threw me into the corner cracking my head against the wall.

"Next time you will do as I tell you without question or you'll get more of the same Bella until you do."

As he slammed the door I burst into tears and cursed him loudly, shouting until my throat was too sore to allow sound any longer, then I lay down and cried myself to sleep.