Okay, so we're going to embark on a journey. A darker journey, one that will be around a different kind of Edward, a snarky, bossy Bella and a new Esme. It will be a drabble-ish type fic. The chapters will be between 1000 to 2000 words. Updates will come on Mondays and Fridays with teasers on Tuesdays and Saturdays on my blog. The link for the blog will be on my profile. The story is planned, but not pre-written.

*Tissue Warning*
*Angst Warning*

Chapter Thirty-Seven

BPOV

My eyes were trained on the shattered man in front of me. He was on the ground, chanting quietly numerous apologies and pleas for forgiveness. Tears were flowing down his cheeks and he seemed so lost. Rose came in when she heard the slap.

"Fuck me," she squeaked. "What the hell happened?"

"We were fighting. I kissed him and he wiped his mouth like he was disgusted with me. I slapped him and he fell to his knees, chanting numerous apologies," I said, feeling incredibly guilty for cause this whatever this is.

"Esme fucked him up, Bells," Rose murmured, squeezing my hand. I looked down at him, my heart breaking into a million pieces. "You need to get through to him, sweetie."

"How?" I choked out.

"Love him," Rose replied, kissing my temple. "I'll call Carlisle and see if he can help us."

She left us, walking to the kitchen. I sat down on the floor, staring at the broken, wrecked man in front of me. "Edward, can you hear me?"

"I'm so sorry. So sorry. Please don't hurt me. Don't hurt my mother," he whispered, tears flowing down his pale cheeks. "I'll do anything. Please … please!"

I inched closer to him, placing my hand on his knee. He jumped, pushing back and pressing his body against the wall. "Edward, I'm sorry. I won't hurt you. Please come back."

He curled up, hugging his legs. His face was pinched in pain. It looked like he was trying to make himself invisible. "Don't hurt her. I'll do anything you want. I promise. Just don't hurt my mom. She's all I have to live for. Please!"

"No, Edward, don't say that," I sobbed, taking his hand. He clenched his hand into a fist, refusing to move it, but gently I pried it away from his leg, seeing angry awful welts on his wrists. His cuffs were gone and I bit back vomit seeing the damage on his pale skin. "Edward, baby, please, come back to me."

He hit his head against the wall. "I tried to be a good son. I tried and I failed. I don't deserve anything good," he said, taking his hand back and burying his face into his knees.

"You are a good son, Edward," I whispered. "You are a good man."

"No, I'm not," he said, looking up. His eyes were empty, dead.

"You are, baby," I murmured, reaching to caress his cheek. It was red from my slap. I felt so guilty for hurting him and for causing this … whatever this was. He flinched when my hand came in contact with his warm skin. "Talk to me, Edward. You're safe here."

"I have to go back. I'm never safe," he choked out.

"Tell me, Edward. Please, let me know what happened," I said, running my thumb over his cheekbone. His face pressed against my hand and his eyes fluttered shut. "Trust me, Edward. Please?"

"She'll kill you," Edward muttered. "She'll kill my mom. She's already killed me. I wish I were dead."

My eyes widened and I shook my head. "No! Don't say that!" I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him closely. He was stiff at first, but something clicked and he pulled me onto his lap, sobbing brokenly. I held him tightly, gently rubbing his back. "I'm here, Edward. I'm not going anywhere. I promise to take care of you. Please, don't say that you want to die."

"You haven't lived my life, Bella," he said, his voice deep and hollow.

"Tell me, Edward," I replied, getting up and offering him my hand. "Tell me what happened. I want to help you." He took my hand and I led him to the couch. He followed me and sat down. He looked at me, his eyes still empty. "I won't hurt you. I'm sorry about hitting you."

"Compared to what I've had recently, that's nothing," he snorted derisively. "I deserved it."

"No. Edward, no one deserves to be physically hurt," I said, threading my fingers with his. I ran my other hand down his gaunt cheek. "Can you tell me what happened? How did you get roped in with Esme?"

"It's not a pretty story, Bella," he muttered. "You may hate me by the time I'm done." I shook my head, encouraging him to tell me. His eyes fluttered shut and a lone tear tracked down his cheek. He gulped and blew out a breath. "Okay, so you know that my father died in an accident. He was killed in a car accident. It was a drunk driver and he was decapitated. It was awful. I had just turned fourteen. The stress of my father's death caused my mom to fall into a deep depression, cascading into early onset Alzheimer's. Things got worse when we found out that my father had used his savings to back up the company he was working for. We were left with nothing. I tried to get work, but by the time I turned seventeen, the house was in foreclosure and my mom was getting worse by the minute.

"Shortly before my eighteenth birthday, I packed up my mom's belongings and mine, catching a bus to Seattle. Once we arrived, we moved into a small studio apartment. I struggled to find jobs. I was a high school dropout who didn't have a driver's license. I worked at a grocery store as a bagger and did odd jobs around the apartment, but it barely covered the rent. One day, I was walking home from work and ran into a beautiful woman. She was crying, saying that her fiancé had broken up with her. I apologized for her loss. The next thing I knew, she kissed me," he blushed.

"Let me guess, she propositioned you?" I asked, feeling inexplicably jealous.

He nodded, his blush deepening. "We went back to her apartment and I lost my virginity to this woman. I spent the night with her and the next morning, she had left a thousand dollars on her nightstand for me. I felt dirty and used, but I had enough money to pay for rent for three months, groceries and some new clothes for my mother. It was the first step on my path of darkness. I kept my job at the grocery store, but I would go out at night. I sold my body, Bella. The money I was making was providing a better life for my mother and for me."

"Were you safe with them?" I asked.

"The only time I wasn't was with the first woman," Edward said, frowning deeply. "However, I made sure I was clean after that mistake. After that, I always wrapped it up."

"How long did you …" I trailed off.

"For about six months. I managed to get my mom some help for her Alzheimer's and she was doing much better," Edward said. "I even used some of my money to get a tattoo to represent my family on my ribs." He ran his hand through his hair. "About a month after my tattoo had healed, I was back working the streets. Several men came up to me, saying that I was invading their turf. I said I'd leave, but they were determined to make an example of me. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital covered in bruises, stab wounds and broken bones. Seated next to me was a gorgeous woman, reading a magazine. I shifted. She smiled at me, introducing herself as Esme Platt."

"How did she find you?" I asked.

"One of the police officers who had found me used Esme's services and gave her a head's up. She acted like she was my mother, making medical decisions for me. She was sweet and promised to help me get back on my feet. I asked her how long I was in the hospital. She said it had been a week. I started to struggle, worrying about my real mother. She put my mind at ease, explaining that one of her employees had looked in on her. I relaxed slightly, but every bone in my body was aching. Upon my release from the hospital, I went back to Esme's condo. My mother was staying there. While I recuperated, I was treated like a king, an honored guest. My mother received the same care. I thought my luck was changing. However, that was not the case.

"Esme pulled me aside one day. I was almost healed. She handed me a piece of paper. It was a bill. All of my medical expenses, my mother's medical expenses, legal fees and rent were included on this bill. It was a seven figure number. I asked her how I could even begin to pay her back. I didn't have that kind of money. She told me that I could work it off. She handed me a contract, describing how I'd pay her back. Essentially, I had to do what I was doing before, but for a fraction of the cost. I signed the contract and thus began my foray into indentured servitude," he frowned. "At first, it wasn't as bad as it was now. I lived in a shared apartment with a couple of other men while Esme arranged for my mom to be placed into a nursing facility specifically for Alzheimer's and dementia patients. I trusted her to make that decision. Jasper was Esme's boy toy until Alice swooped in to free him. Then, her twisted desires turned to me. I became her boy toy."

"What did she do to you?"

"What didn't she do," Edward spat bitterly. "She broke me, Bella. If it weren't for my mother, I would have ended it long ago. Then, you came into my life and I felt normal for the first time in almost eleven years. Then, upon my return from Napa, she sabotaged our relationship by sending you to the nursing home. She saw that I was marked by you and decided to put her own marks on my body." He licked his lips, his skin paling. "I can't tell you all that she did. I'm disgusted at what she did to me. She took what was left of me and killed it." His cell phone beeped. He got up from the couch, reading the text. His already pale skin turned a ghastly white. "She wants me back. I have to go back."

"No, stay here, Edward," I pleaded.

"I can't, Bella. I want to stay. I know that if I don't, my mother will suffer the consequences. I have to think about her," Edward said, his voice cracking. He looked at me, his eyes filling with tears. "I want nothing more than to stay. I know that with you, I won't be in pain and that …"

"Then, let me help you!" I cried. "What can I do?"

"I don't know," he frowned, tapping out a response on his cell phone. "Felix will be here in ten minutes. I have to go back."

"Do you still have that cell phone?" I asked.

"I don't know. Esme has not allowed me into my room upon our return from Napa," Edward muttered. "It was hidden underneath my bed, along with any extra money I'd received from you or from any other clients. I pray it's still there."

"And what about Jared? What happened to him?"

"I don't know. This was the first date I'd been on since …" he sighed. "Esme said that Felix was driving me and would be my driver from now on. She doesn't trust me."

"Do you trust me?" I asked.

"I do. I'm so sorry for how I acted at the nursing home. I pushed you away in order to protect you from Esme," Edward whispered, scrubbing his face. "

"Then, let me try to help you. I'll try to find out what happened to Jared," I murmured, walking over to him. "Also, let me try and help your mother."

"One step at a time," he said, giving me a tiny grin. He blinked and ran his fingers over the garnet necklace that I wore. "You didn't throw this away, bellisima."

"Why would I?" I said, taking his hand in mine. I kissed his palm. "It's the most beautiful piece of jewelry I'd ever received."

"Unlikely, but thank you for saying that," he snorted. The Town Car pulled up into the driveway. Edward blanched, turning a sickly gray. "I don't know when I'll see you again, or if I'll ever see you again, Bella, but thank you for trying."

"I'm not giving up, Edward," I said, snaking my arms up his shoulders and taking his face into my hands. "Esme is going to get what's coming to her. I promise you!" He looked at me dubiously. "That bitch is going down."

"We'll see," he said, leaning his forehead against mine. He inhaled deeply and banding his arms around my waist. "Can I kiss you, Bella? I want to make it up to you for how I behaved."

"Please," I breathed. He dipped his head, brushing his lips against mine. It was tender and tentative, almost like he was afraid of hurting me. I felt dampness on my cheeks and I noticed that Edward was crying. "Don't cry, love."

"I'm just trying to remember you and commit your sweetness to memory," he said. His phone chirped. He looked down at the screen, scowling. "I have to go. I don't know when I'll see you again, but …"

"I will see you again, Edward," I vowed. He smiled crookedly, kissing me once more before ducking out of the family room. Rose greeted him, guiding him out of the house. I sat down heavily, wrapping my arms around my stomach. Rose came back to me, wrapping me into a hug. "We're going to take that bitch down, Rose."

"I know, sweetie. Carlisle and his police detective friend are on their way," Rose said sympathetically. "Esme won't know what hit her."

A/N: So, what do you think? I totally glossed over Edward's torture, as promised. I may stay with Bella so we can talk to Carlisle and Emmett, the police detective who was trained by Carlisle. Leave me some loving. Please?