Chapter 10: Tensions
Edward
Fuck…!
This is bullshit. Now what am I supposed to do? I left the hospital and sped down the freeway, heading over to Rosalie's parent's house. I dialed her number to distract me from breaking my own steering wheel.
"Don't let him get away!" I command Jasper. Jasper lunges for Emmett and I grab him. My consciousness is gone. Here I am, blow after blow, unable to bring myself to stop. It's liberating to release my frustration out on something, especially someone as foul as Bella's nauseating lover.
"The cops are coming!" I hear someone yell.
"That's enough Edward, we have to get out of here!" Jasper yells. But I can't bring myself to get up. The only thing that will be able to get me off this man is if heaven kills me. The only thing I can think about is how many times Bella had been beat like this.
Whatever that number was…
I planned on tripling it.
"...Edward?" I hear Rosalie whisper, her nerves evident by the shaking in her voice.
"Don't Edward me!" I spit, rage driving raw emotion into my words. "How fucking dare you take my daughter to some far away state without my permission! Have you any idea how worried I've been?" My fingers thrum against the steering wheel, creating a rhythmic tapping that did little to calm me.
"Really Edward?" Her voice rises, anger fueling her confidence. "Now, you want to play Daddy?"
"Rosalie..." I warn. I close my eyes and inhale deeply. However, her low blows and unfair attitude make my foot press harder on the gas, speeding me down the road.
"I know where you are and I'm coming to get you two." I respond, no room for arguments.
"...if we're there." She hisses, before the line goes dead, obnoxiously ringing in my ear.
"ROSALIE!" I yell into the phone. When there is no response, I throw my phone into the passenger seat and run a hand threw my hair. "Fuck..."
The drive is a blur. The only clear part of the ride is pulling into my in-laws driveway. I notice an old red chevy parked up on the grass. Is that Charlie's truck, I wonder? Is he still driving that old thing?
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see a white 24BMW pull into the driveway and park towards the side of the house a little further from me. The windows are tinted and it's too dark outside to make out the figure opening the driver's door. I only catch the bare minimum of his looks; he has tan skin, short spiky black hair, and is sporting a red shirt with a leather black jacket. He shuts the door behind him and holds a bouquet of flowers and a small brown teddy bear. What the hell? Has Renee gotten remarried? If so, how did I not know about this? Once he approaches the door he begins to knock, but comes to an abrupt halt. The figure stands back, then moves to knock on the door, and once again retracts his hand.
Eventually, he gives up and travels down the steps, back to the safety of his car. He leaves in a hurry.
What the fuck was that all about? I shake my head, focusing on my own issues. I can't fix everyone.
I take out my phone to dial Rosalie's number. "Hey, this is Rose. Leave a message." I roll my eyes and dial her again, this time with more force than previously.
"Hey, this is Rose. Leave a message." The same aggravating voicemail responds.
I snarl "So, you really want to play this game today, huh? Let's see how much you want to play when I waltz right in there." I snap my phone shut and head for the door. Now, I almost understand why the guy left in such a hurry. This whole set up is eerie. Before I can knock on the door it opens, revealing a tall man with a groomed, yet bushy beard. He seems stunned to see me as if I had suddenly fallen from the sky. He was probably expecting to see that other coward.
"...Charlie?" I prod awkwardly. Man he looks different. He's gotten skinnier, almost as if he's sick. "Is that you?" I ask incredulously.
Charlie's face hardens. "Edward, what the hell you doing out here?" His voice is still as deep and demanding as the last time I'd seen him. The dude never really sat well with me. To be totally honest with myself, he was very intimidating the first time I met him. But, I guess you could say that about all police officers. He was extremely protective over his daughters, and never was a jokey kind of guy. But, I remember him being particularly careful of Rosalie.
"I came here to see Rosalie." I explain.
"Uh, hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you just missed her." His stare continues to bore into me, clearly puzzled. "She said you were at the hospital...with Bella..." he says skeptically.
"What?" I growl. "Well do you know where she went?"
"Alice and Jasper came to pick 'em up. They really didn't tell you?" Things were starting to get a little weird. His tone of voice doesn't match his actions. He sounds concerned, but I'm beginning to feel as if it isn't sincere. He takes a cigarette from his back pocket and lights it. "You're a little far from home, pop star."
Ah, there it is. "You know what, I think you're right. I'll just head home for the night."
"You sure about that, pop star?" He mocks, attempting to get under my skin. "You know I've been reading up on ya. You're in the tabloids, on TV, everything. Did you really honestly think...I wouldn't find out about what you're doing behind my daughter's back."
I clear my throat and shift away from his gaze. "I'm handling it, sir."
"Handling it?" He questions. He laughs and takes another swig of his cigar, purposefully causing smoke to billow in my face. "The only thing that's going to get handled...is you." He throws his cigarette and crushes it under his shoe the moment it hits the ground. He takes a step closer to me, forcing me to back away.
"That's my daughter. When her mother and I proposed the idea of marriage to you two, I didn't say be stupid."
"Proposed?" I parrot. "Do you honestly think I meant for any of this to happen?" I motion around myself vaguely, referring to the disaster my life has turned out to be in its entirety.
"You should have thought about that a long time ago before you decided to get drunk at a party and screw your life away. You knew what you signed for son. I don't have to go there with you."
"You people are crazy!" I snap, walking away in a temper.
"You can't run from your mistakes forever!" He calls after me, and I can picture the stupid expression on his face without needing to see it for myself. I try to take the high road, but I fail, spinning around to meet his gaze head on.
"You know I'm really tired of being ridiculed for my mistakes! I've always owned up to them." I confess.
"Is that what you call this?" He looks me up in disgust, descending the steps with fire in his eyes. "Do you know how many times my daughter has called her mother over you? Woman, after woman, and you'd think by now with a daughter involved you'd catch a hint."
"That exactly what I'd call this." I growl as he finally reaches me, the both of us now face to face. "And what have I failed to see, Charlie? Huh?"
"The only thing you've owned and made clear is that you could give a shit less about Charlotte and Rose."
"Charlotte is my life." I deny instantly, appalled he'd ever accuse me of betraying my daughter.
"No, Charlotte is your mistake." He corrects. My body went numb, and I began to feel fire burn in my hands. I wanted to punch this man right in the face, damn the consequences. The adrenaline kicks in fast, but I can't find it in myself to raise my arm. Charlie continues his rant, spurred on by the reaction he receives from me. "And the more and more you cheat on Rosalie, the more and more she'll begin to feel that too."
"You know what?" I hissed, trying to control my voice. "For the past four years I have been nothing but eaten alive by the public, my fans, and even peers. It doesn't matter how many hit songs I produce, how much money I give, how many times I tuck my daughter into bed, or how much love I have desperately tried to give my marriage. THE ONLY THING...you people see...is a monster." Charlie stares down at me as if he's ready for a fight. "And you know what?...eventually...when someone tells you something often enough...you start to believe it." I laughed without humor. "Let's not measure the love this monster has for his daughter, oh no, let's define it as how many times he tucks his daughter into bed, brushes her hair, or how many tea parties he makes it too."
Charlie looked away from me as if I'd said something that hit a nerve. I hoped it did, I hope he felt at least half of the pain him and his wife inflicted upon me all these years. "But do they ever grant the monster the opportunity to explain how desperately he wishes to have a connection with his daughter? At the end of the day...that same monster has to make sure she has the bed she gets tucked into, has however many brushes she wants, and a normal childhood like the one I was never granted." Charlie looks down at the ground and continues to avoid my gaze. I feel a spike of satisfaction flicker through the anger and despair.
"It's one thing to be ridiculed by someone about how you don't spend as much time with your family as you should. Imagine being ridiculed by the whole world. Then, let's see how good of a job you do with that kind of pressure." I turn around, slide into my car, and slam the door shut with all the force I'd wanted to use to drive my fist into Charlie's nose.
The last picture I had of Charlie was this sorrowful look on his face as if he wanted to say something, but had been stopping himself. I take a deep breath and head out the driveway.
Fuck
Alice
I helped assist Bella up the stairs to Jasper and I's cabin. The moment we got in she peeked around at the beautiful interior design of the infrastructure and snorted. "Damn, is this really yours?"
I poured myself a glass of moscato "Trust me, it took us a minute to get Jasper's parents the say so to rent out this Cabin. This is where they spent their summers with him. By this time last year, they couldn't keep up with it anymore. So, I called in some people and we had it remolded" I looked over to Bella who was still in awe of everything she saw. Wood crafted chandeliers, beautiful brownstone wood, big pyramid windows, and beautifully woven made furniture. I was proud of what we created, but I had no idea it would cause this reaction. Especially not from Bella. Bella wore a Dukes of Hazzard t-shirt that looked to big for her, and some dark blue jeans with black converse.
"You know" I started, "Since, I'm going to be here in Washington for a minute. I was thinking that maybe we could catch up for old times sake."
Bella turned around puzzidely. Her messy brunette hair swung around her face and hid some of her bruises. "...you're staying here?"
"Well, yes. I figured moving back to California might be too much to talk about. Especially under the circumstances" She bit her bottom lip and ran her hands through her hair. "Hey, is everything okay?"
"No, no" She raised her hand "It's okay, I'm sorry. Just got a lot to-"
"Think about. Listen, I understand" I reached my arm out to touch her shoulder, but she flinched away. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized her near jerk reaction.
"Oh, Alice...I'm sorry"
"It's okay" I whispered "Well...um...are you hungry?"
"Nah, I think I just want to jump in the shower" She grabbed her bookbag.
"Up the stairs to your left. Oh, and feel free to pick your room. Jasper and I just want you to feel comfortable. I'm going to get dinner started. Not sure when Rosalie and Charlotte will be here, or if they've even eaten." Bella never replied, she just gave a slight nod and headed up the stairs.
I took a deep breath and flung my coat on the couch. This should be the easy part. Suddenly, I heard keys rattling and the back door opened.
"Hello" I heard Jasper announce. My heart exploded in excitement.
"Alice" I heard my sister call out.
"Rosalie," I exclaimed, running towards the door. Once I turned the kitchen corner heading towards the back I was knocked almost to the ground and she embraced me.
"Alice" Rosalie breathed, "Oh my God, I'm so happy to see you"
I held onto her tight. This was exactly the hug I needed "It's so good to see you too big sis"
"I love you" We said in unison.
Rosalie and I sat by the fire place, wine glasses in hand, sporting our matching pajamas. We have yet to say a word to each other. By this time it was one o'clock in the morning. Jasper had put Charlotte to bed and Bella never left her room. Rosalie sat there daydreaming by the fire. It had been four years since I'd seen my sister. Had it really been that long? For a split second, I could hardly remember why we had spent so much time apart. Had I done something? Did we just disconnect? Seeing Rosalie for the first time since Charlotte's birth feels surreal. I guess I just felt like when Rosalie had her she just sort of...changed.
"Thanks for letting me use your clothes," She broke the silence.
"I'm surprised you can still fit in them," I poked.
Rosalie cracks a smile, taking a sip of her wine. "Same old Alice, do you ever do anything other than compare?"
I laugh. "Nah, I don't do stuff like that anymore." I put my glass down, tilting my head back on the couch. "Besides, you can't compare where you don't compete."
Rosalie throws a pillow at me and I catch it, throwing it back to her. She couldn't contain her giggles and it did nothing but make my heart smile. This moment reminds me of all the good times we've had as a family.
"So...are you going to tell me what happened? Or are you going to make me start?" I ask.
Rosalie shakes her head "Being here just brings back so many memories. Forks high, parties...homework," She snorts into her glass, "...Just makes me confused as to why I ever even left"
I sigh. "Well mom didn't make it easy for you after you got pregnant." It's strange to admit the truth out loud so openly.
"Yeah, my cheating husband didn't make it easy for me either..." She rolls her eyes and places her glass down by the fireplace.
"Rosalie, you could have told me." I interject.
"And said what Alice? That I live in a ten million dollar mansion, with five maids, a nanny who waits on my hand and foot? Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds?"
"It's better than hearing nothing at all!" I snap. "I mean, geez Rosalie, not even a text to tell me you needed help."
"I didn't know how to, okay?" She snaps back. She crosses her legs and buries her face in both her hands. "You and Jasper were so happy, Bella seemed happy, and I didn't feel like part of the family anymore. It's almost as if something in me broke. Even to this day I still don't know what it is, but I just couldn't do it anymore. Mom had put so much pressure over our family to portray this perfect image and I didn't want to be a part of it." she confesses.
"Be real, Rosalie. You didn't want Charlotte to be part of it."
Rosalie takes a deep breath and stares at the mat before her, "...If she would have said one thing to my daughter I would have just lost it. I don't care if she was the town's family doctor and had all these credentials. People only saw that side of her, but I know the real side; the side that has a way of pinning people against each other, and twisting the truth!"
I place my hand above hers. "Like she did with us?"
Rosalie peers up at me and nods slowly. "I couldn't let that happen to my daughter. I didn't want her to be another prop in her crazy web of lies. I'd rather be gone, away from everyone, and just another mistake than have to cover up another lie."
"I'm sure she has her reasons."
Rosalie waves me off. "Like what, Alice?"
"I'm not defending her, Rosalie..." I begin. "I'm just trying to say maybe there's an underlying reason."
"What 'reason' can you possibly give that will justify a parent abandoning her own daughter; and forcing a loveless marriage on me just to add more torture. I've wasted four years of my life covering up some stupid fairytale that doesn't even exist!"
I inhale deeply. "Regardless if you want to hear it or not, it was you who chose to stay."
Rosalie's eyes widened. "Excuse me?" she guffaws, offended.
"I'm sorry I just-"
"You just what?!" She exclaims.
"C'mon Rose, calm down." I console.
She stands up, flinging her arms out in fury. "Calm down?! Do you have any idea what I've been through? Any idea what she would have put me and my daughter through had I not married that man? Are you out of your mind? " As her voice grows louder, a nervous Jasper jogs down the stairs, standing between us. Rosalie continues to shout obscenities and lunge for me, but Jasper pulls her back.
"Rose, I'm sorry. I was just trying to help." I lift my hands in surrender.
"Fuck you Alice!" Rosalie shouts hysterically, tears brimming in her eyes.
"HEY!" We hear a new voice shout from the staircase. To the right of us stands an angry Bella. She's wearing an oversized T-shirt with plain checkered pants. "My niece is in there sleeping."
Rosalie looks at her as if she's seen a ghost, "...Bella?" She gasps, but it had come out like a question. Almost like she doesn't believe the woman standing there is her sister. "What?...what happened to you?" Rosalie shook out of Jasper's grasp and slowly walks up the stairs to meet Bella.
They stand there in silence, eyeing each other up and down. Rosalie places a hand over her mouth and she slowly lifts her right hand to touch Bella's swollen eye. Bella flinches away.
"Don't!" She growls and stands back.
"Bella?" Rosalie whispers again, her mouth gaping wide open. "What...what happened to you?"
"I guess you aren't the only one who doesn't believe in fairytales..." Bella scoffs.
"Okay ladies!" Jasper interjects, "I think that's enough for tonight." Bella gives one last scathing glare to Rosalie before she stalks away. Rosalie stands there, lifeless, flinching as Bella shuts her bedroom door.
Jasper walks over to me, kissing my temple "Are you okay?" I avoid his gaze and just bury my head into his chest.
"No..." I whisper hoarsely.
Edward
"Thank you," I tip the security guard and enter my studio suite.
I had decided not to go after Rosalie. I needed the night to clear my mind. My knuckles were swollen and I needed to soak them off. Besides, if I were to visit Rosalie now it wouldn't have been healthy for Charlotte. I didn't want her to see her parents fight. Out of all the things Rosalie and I couldn't agree on, keeping our arguments between her and I is the number one rule.
As angry as I still am about Charlie and I's encounter, he's the least of my worries. There was only one thing I couldn't get out of my head.
Bella...
The only thing I wanted was to know if she was alright, and there was only one person I could trust who would give me the answer. Once I got into my apartment I noticed that the lights to my studio were off. I used my flashlight from my phone and turned on the nearest light.
"Hello, Mr. Cullen." A voice speaks up behind me.
I turn around, instantly growing angry "Jane? What the fuck are you doing here?"
"We need to talk." She intones blankly.
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