You assume I'm fine, but what would you do if I

Break free and leave us in ruins

Took this dagger in me and removed it

Gain the weight of you, then lose it

Believe me, I could do it

~ Taylor Swift, Tolerate It

BPOV

"Sorry I'm late," I gasped, falling into the seat as quickly as I could. I could have been on time, had I not been stuck in a meeting with Genevieve James and her parents for the last three hours. She was the new girl Renata had me working with. She had been acting since she was about five, and hit it big when she ended up on the latest popular teen drama a few years ago. That was also when Aro Volturi became her manager, essentially taking over her entire life.

He pushed her into music after her character had one song featured on her show, something she never had any interest in. He booked her on every possible talk show or appearance that could be fit into her schedule, even had her cut an album that she hated. It was released about six months ago, with a fair amount of success, but then he started pushing her to tour and she ended up in rehab for the second time at the ripe age of twenty.

Unsurprisingly, after she got out she cut ties with Volturi completely. Surprisingly, she still wanted to work, just on her terms.

The problem was that Volturi had thick pockets and thicker ties to just about everyone in the city. Which made it easy for him to slander her up and down the coast and for no one to want anywhere near Genevieve.

After I got out of my most recent of many meetings with her and her parents, I realized I was supposed to be meeting Carlisle and Esme for lunch in seven minutes. The meeting might have made me late, but it was an excellent distraction from the wonder as to why they wanted lunch in the first place. Considering the last time Esme asked me to lunch she told me to convince Edward to get a divorce, I was glad I didn't have too much time to speculate.

"No problem, dear," Esme said kindly, smiling over at me. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just a late meeting. Is everything, um, okay with you two?" I asked, not-so-subtly wanting to get to the point.

"It is," Esme said with a smile. "Carlisle's getting restless and looking for a new project, but I'm enjoying being home. I like being able to see my children and grandchildren whenever I want. I thought lunch would be a good way to distract him, and we hadn't seen you in a few weeks."

I frowned. "So, this lunch is just for… fun?" I asked, flinching at my own word vomit.

"Not if you don't think it's fun," Carlisle joked. It brought a small smile to my face, because it reminded me of the countless stupid little jokes Edward would spit out whenever he wanted to make me smile.

"I do," I insisted. "I just assumed there was something you needed and that's why you wanted to have lunch."

"Technically, there is a reason," Esme finally admitted.

I nodded, waiting for her to continue. She seemed to be struggling for the words, though.

"We know your parents aren't… around," she said carefully. "But, we just wanted you to know that we are. If you need anything."

My back went rigid and I spent a few minutes too long letting the flowers on my skirt distract me.

"I'm sorry," Esme blurted out quickly. "I didn't mean to upset you, I just wanted to – "

"No, it's okay. I know what you're trying to say, and I appreciate it. I just… " I hesitated, feeling more like I was sitting in Doctor Stanley's office than a private room at a little café. "Parents tend to hate me. And I don't want you two to end up hating me."

I watched a deep frown crease Carlisle's forehead. "Have you had issues with other boyfriend's parents?"

I tried to cover up my snort with a cough, but I didn't do a very good job of it. "No. Just my own."

"The problem in that situation wasn't you, Bella," Esme said quietly.

I nodded, chewing my bottom lip until it started to go numb. Their offer had been implied many times before, and I did appreciate it. But, there was an irrational part of me that assumed that if my own parents could hate me, it wouldn't take long for them to jump on board, too.

"Your next project could be becoming a therapist," I joked softly. "Because mine as told me the same thing repeatedly for the last seven months."

They both cracked small smiles.

"Does it help? Therapy?" Carlisle asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "As long as I don't overdo it."

Esme cocked her head to the side. "Overdo it?"

"I started really working at it… myself, I guess… at the beginning of the year. I spent a long time never talking or thinking about my childhood, then twice a week I was having to relive everything and it was just… too much. I just wanted to get the whole thing over with as fast as possible. I've been informed that's not really how therapy works, though," I sighed.

The whole parental concept clicked into place for me. I never understood it before, how some women had a close enough relationship with their mother to want to call her every day or how advice from a father could bring comfort no matter what your age. My own mother had absolutely no interest in even knowing me and my father only ever called to berate me.

Twenty minutes at this table with Carlisle and Esme and I admitted more to them than I gave Doctor Stanley in my first month as her patient. They were easy to talk to and they asked questions not because they seemed to be digging but because they were concerned.

And that concern was all it took for me to give in. The awkwardness from the beginning of our lunch disappeared and we somehow effortlessly fell into a new relationship. We moved on from the heavy discussion of my childhood and onto more simple, happy topics. Esme was ecstatic that Edward had bought a new house and admitted that she had hated where he was from the moment he moved in. When I admitted I had no idea how to fill the place with furniture she eagerly offered up her and Alice's services to help.

When the topic turned to Masen and Lucy's birthday dinner that had gone from weeks away to a few days away in the blink of an eye, Carlisle reassured me that his parents didn't hate me.

I had told myself for the last four years since I moved here that I didn't need my mother or father, and I didn't. I was much better off without my biological parents. Providing the genetics was the smallest part of parenting, and the only part they ever really did.

My lunch with Carlisle and Esme showed me what I had been missing out on, though. And I was glad I didn't have to miss out on it anymore.

…Closure…

Because my life had a tendency to throw me every unfortunate curve ball imaginable, my newfound appreciation of the concept of parents was short lived. Not twenty minutes after leaving my lunch with Carlisle and Esme I walked back into my office only to find Charlie hovering over my desk, picture frame in his hands.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped, attempting to keep my voice low and my face from showing just how angry I was. Mostly because of the idiotic glass walls surrounding my office.

"You have step-kids," he said quietly.

I frowned, until I noticed the frame in his hand was the photo of Edward, Masen, Lucy, and I in front of the new house. I took a few steps forward and pulled it out of his hand as quickly as possible. It made my stomach churn, thinking of Charlie anywhere near Masen or Lucy.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I repeated. I took a couple steps away from him once I had the photo, and it was the first time I ever saw a flash of remorse cross my father's face.

"You changed your number. I tried to email you but I never heard back. Renee told me about the restraining order and I just… wanted to see you."

My blood started to boil, but I tried to keep my composure. "So, after I very obviously tried to cut all ties with you, you thought showing up at my office unannounced was the way to go?"

"I wanted to… apologize. To try to – "

"I don't want it," I sneered. "I don't want your apologies. I don't want anything from you."

"I'm sorry, Bells. I didn't know."

My ears started ringing, fifteen years of anger and frustration boiling over. "Yes, you did. I told you dozens and dozens of times." I shook my head, the blasphemy of it all a little astounding. "You have no idea how mentally fucked I am because of you… how much money I have to spend on therapy every week because of you. If you think coming in here with this half-assed apology is going to do anything for me then you're about as fucked up as I am."

The hurt on his face did nothing but make me more furious, because it was too little too late. And I was tired of him never listening to me, whether it was as a kid or all of the signs I sent that I didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

"I have a family now. I'm happy for the first time that I can remember. And I… I don't want anything to do with you anymore."

It felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders as the words spilled out of my mouth. I had spent a long time longing for Charlie to care, and it truly didn't matter to me anymore.

"We just need to talk," Charlie stuttered. "We can talk things over and figure out what to do from there."

I shook my head. "I tried to talk to you for years. I don't want to anymore."

"You're my daughter, Bella," he said, panic seeming to rise in his voice. "We can figure this out."

"I don't want to figure it out," I shrugged. I could see he was about to argue again, though, and it infuriated me. "If you ever come near me or my family again, I'll press charges against you for child neglect. I've already talked to a lawyer about it. I've got an excellent case."

It was harsh, but I didn't care. It was also partially a lie, because the statute of limitations would run out eventually. It got my point across, though, because I saw the fight finally fade away.

Charlie nodded, and I opened the door for him. I followed him through the office silently, the rest of the floor completely oblivious to the emotional turmoil that had just rampaged my office.

I stood next to him as we waited for the elevator, a few feet away for my own comfort.

"Don't come back," I muttered, the doors closing between us.

I walked back to my office, arms crossed over my chest to hide my hands clenched into tight fists.

"Did you see your dad, Bella?" Tanya asked, reappearing at her desk. She had been at lunch when I got back from mine.

"Oh, yeah," I muttered, hesitating outside my office door. "If he ever comes back… don't let him in, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded, looking a little confused. "I'm sorry if I – "

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm going to send you a list of a couple people. If they call or show up… don't let them in, okay?"

Tanya nodded again, and I retreated to my office. I flopped into my chair, turning with my back to with office and toward the large glass window in front of me.

I wasn't sure if it was the lunch I had with Carlisle and Esme, two people I had known for a handful of months that seemed to care more about me than Charlie ever did, but the guilt I was waiting to twist and turn at my stomach never came. I might have over reacted and said some harsh things, but it was a long time coming.

My head was a little fuzzy and my ears were still ringing, but eventually I turned around and typed up an email for Tanya.

…Closure…

The house was quieter than usual as I walked inside. It wasn't surprising, because I was a few hours later than usual. My impromptu meeting with Charlie had left me useless for an hour or two, so I stayed later to get a few things done to make up for the lost time.

That was the reasoning I told myself. Not that I was working later as a distraction. Because that was a habit I was trying to break. Approaching my problems head on was never a strong suit of mine, though.

"Hey," I sighed, walking into the kitchen.

Edward was wiping down the counter, a smile on his face as he looked up. "Hey."

I turned and went straight for the bar in the living room. Food didn't sound appealing, even though I knew I should have been hungry by now. Alcohol, however, sounded perfect.

Edward had a fully stocked bar. Some things were in those fancy crystal bottles, which were the ones I noticed he gravitated towards if he had a bad day. After taking a small sniff of one of them though, I carefully put it back in its place.

"Everything okay?" he asked, suddenly beside me.

"I need a drink."

He nodded. "Okay."

"I don't know what any of this is," I sighed, motioning to the half a dozen bottles in front of me. Mixology was a mystery to me. I usually just drank whatever Edward, or Rosalie before he came along, told me I would like.

"I'll make you something. Why don't you go sit down?"

I did as I was told and ended up on the couch a few feet away. I curled my legs up underneath me and pulled one of the throw pillows into my lap.

"I had lunch with your parents today," I blurted out, twisting my fingers in my lap until Edward walked around the corner and handed me a glass.

"Did something happen?" he asked with a frown, sitting down beside me.

"No, it was nice. Really nice, actually. But, then Charlie was in my office when I got back."

Even though my eyes were trained out the windowed wall in front of me, I could feel Edward tense up immediately beside me. "Charlie?" he muttered, though it was quiet enough that it might have been involuntary.

I nodded.

"What did he say?"

"He said he was sorry and that he wanted to talk things through, try to fix things."

"Did you?" Edward asked, tension clear in his voice. "Talk things through?"

"No. I told him I didn't want his apology… that I don't want anything to do with him anymore. He kept pushing, though, because the man has never listened to a single fucking thing I've had to say my entire life," I chuckled humorlessly. "He only dropped it when I told him if he ever came near me again I'd press charges against him for child neglect."

I twisted the crystal glass around in my hands. "If he had showed up a year ago and said those things… I would have been ecstatic. Now it just kind of makes me hate him even more."

His visit wasn't because he believed me. It was because a court deemed Tyler a threat. Because Officer Banner believed me enough to let Edward walk after the incident in Forks. Probably even because Edward obviously believed me, too. My opinion, my stories, they were never good enough for Charlie.

"I'm sorry," Edward whispered after a couple moments of silence.

I shook my head. There was nothing for him to be sorry for. I took a large gulp from the glass in my hands, frowning down at the deep maroon liquid. "What is this?"

Edward pressed his lips together. "Cranberry juice."

I frowned.

"I thought I'd get a clearer picture of the problem if you were sober."

His admission made me chuckle. I set the juice on the table in front of me and let my head fall to his shoulder.

A life where I was still as unknowingly miserable as I had been before Edward flashed before me. If Charlie had shown up and said those things to me when there was a big part of me that still longed for him to care, I would have fallen for it. I would have accepted his apology even though he didn't deserve it and it would only be a matter of time before he broke me again.

I was living an incredibly unhealthy life before. I worked nonstop and I never put myself ahead of anything or anyone. My mental health was about as bad as it could be because I ignored it about ninety-eight percent of the time. It would have been easy for Charlie to worm his way back in.

"I don't know what I would do without you," I admitted in a whisper.

Edward was the catalyst of the change, and I knew it. I never would have taken any of the steps to get better on my own because I was scared and confused and had no reason to try and better myself.

Then I found myself sitting in a dressing room with bright green eyes frowning down at me and a stomach full of fluttering butterflies and I wanted more than the mediocre existence I had grown accustomed to.

I should probably be able to say I was getting better for myself or that my life wasn't so dependent on another person, but I couldn't admit to either. I was alone for a long time and sometimes knowing I got to see Edward at the end of the day was the best part of my day and that was okay with me.

"It's a good thing you don't have to, then," he said quietly, gently pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

…Closure…

"I can't wait for the fight," Alice sighed happily. She was leaning comfortably against Jasper, smiling at me.

"Fight?" I asked, only half paying attention. We were in a private dining room at a restaurant downtown for Masen and Lucy's birthday dinner. Her, Jasper, and I were in a circle on one side of the room along with Carlisle and Esme. Edward was off to the side, talking with Masen and Lucy. The table was set and ready, but we were missing three groups. Irina and Demetri, Irina's parents, and Edward's grandparents.

"Yeah, whatever fight you and Irina are going to get into," she said matter-of-factly.

I took a large sip of the drink Edward had ordered for me. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was a little fruity and a lot delicious. "I'm not getting into a fight with her tonight."

The disappointment was blatantly obvious on Alice's face, causing chuckles throughout the group. "What?"

"It's Masen and Lucy's birthday. The least I can do is not get into a screaming match with their mother."

"Oh, this dinner is a disaster every year. You and Irina fighting would be a nice change of pace, I think."

"It's a disaster?"

All four people surrounding me scoffed.

"Irina's parents practically disowned her when she got pregnant," Jasper explained. "They see the kids once a year, give them a card and some cash, then spend the dinner mumbling under their breath about how Edward ruined their daughter."

I snorted. Edward took care of Irina for seventeen years, even when she ended up with another man. Her parents' views seemed on par with Irina's logic, though, so it wasn't all that surprising.

"You know, I think people really overlook the whole living-with-another-man-for-seven-years part of the story too often," I mumbled under my breath, taking a sip of whatever fruity concoction Edward ordered for me.

Alice's chuckle brought me out of my frustrated haze.

"No," I said, mostly to myself. "If the night is already a disaster, I'm not going to add to it."

"But you get to say everything we've wanted to say for years!" Alice wined. It didn't escape my attention that no one else was trying to stop her from convincing me to get in a fight with Irina.

"Apparently," I sighed, chewing on the straw in my cup as my eyes anxiously darted toward the door every few seconds. "Letting my anger get the best of me isn't a 'healthy way to handle my emotions' or whatever," I grumbled, using air-quotes around the word-for-word quote from Doctor Stanley a few days ago.

My anger that tended to go off without much warning was now solely focused on Irina these days. I did kind of enjoy getting into fights with her, mostly because she always deserved it. And, I really did hate her.

Masen and Lucy invited me to their birthday dinner, though, so I wasn't going to end the night in a fight with their mother. Because I was pretty sure they were starting to miss her, so constantly fighting with her would only cause more issues.

I looked down at my dress, straightening the material over my abdomen. It was new, because I realized this morning that because Rosalie helped me pick out just about every piece of clothing I had, a majority of the dresses were too low cut to wear to Edward's children's birthday dinner or to meet his grandparents who already had enough to hate me for.

It was a good excuse to spend the afternoon with Rosalie, though. I was starting to feel like I barely saw her, now that she was so wrapped up in school and I was spending most of my nights at Edward's. I left work a few hours early and she helped me pick out the modest, asymmetrical baby blue dress. It was tight, well fitted throughout my body, but she told me it had to be if I was also going to be having dinner with Irina.

My eyes drifted off to where Edward was standing with his kids. They all had giddy smiles on their faces, keys to the two new cars parked outside in their hands.

Edward had spent half an hour explaining his thought process to me, but I still had no idea why he thought they needed new cars after one year of having their old ones. Something about the safety features being upgraded or them having more experience driving now. I was pretty sure he just liked buying cars. Masen and Lucy also didn't seem to mind.

I got caught staring, Edward's eyes flashing to me. I smiled over at him, taking a final gulp of my drink as he winked at me. I watched the door behind him open, two pairs walking in. Masen and Lucy quickly surrounded Irina and Demetri as Edward turned to greet his grandparents.

"Can I get you another drink, Miss?" a waitress asked, taking the empty glass from my hands.

"No, thank you," I said, regretting the words as I watched Edward lead his grandparents towards us.

They were both in their mid-seventies, but they looked excellent for their age. They seemed to be in great health, too, walking confidently beside their grandson. I remember them looking older, maybe a little more intimidating, at Alice's wedding. Maybe I was just more nervous, then.

"Grandmother, Grandfather, this is Isabella Swan," Edward said, his arm wrapping around my waist as he stopped right beside me. "Bella, this is my grandfather, Edward Senior, and my grandmother, Elizabeth."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Cullen… Mrs. Cullen," I smiled, shaking their outstretched hands and doing my best to keep all of my tension in my left hand as it squeezed my small clutch. I was nervous and when I was nervous I tended to over compensate by blabbering on and the last people I wanted to blather on to were Edward's grandparents.

"Ed and Liz, dear. None of this Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," Edward's grandmother, Liz, said with a kind smile. Her hair was gray now, but I could picture her with the same pale blonde hair that Carlisle had flowing down her shoulders. Her eyes were a similar, bright, pale blue, too.

"Carlisle tells us you've got our grandson quite smitten," she continued with a smile.

I felt my cheeks burn. "Oh, well, the feeling is mutual," I stuttered, feeling Edward's arm tighten around my waist.

"Good," she nodded firmly. "It's what he deserves, after all these years."

"Edward says you just graduated from UCLA?" Ed asked. He seemed much more skeptical of the situation than Liz did, though not overly hostile at all.

I nodded. "Almost a year ago, now."

"Prestigious school," he observed.

I understood what he meant immediately. "I got a full ride scholarship out of high school."

I watched his lips twitch with a smile, his eyes gleam as I answered his unasked question. I had assumed, after hearing that his grandparents were so religious, that they'd hate me for the affair or the divorce. That all seemed secondary to whether I was with Edward for the right reasons or not, though.

I didn't need him to pay off any student loans. I wasn't with him for his money. I was with him for him, and my answer seemed to tell them both that.

"Smart girl," Ed nodded. He shot me a look of undeniable approval that made my nerves melt away.

They were quick to return, when who I assumed was Irina's parents walked through the door. The woman looked to be an older version of Irina, her blonde hair faded but still similar to her daughter's. Her father was nothing special, with short brown hair that would soon be overtaken by the gray growing in.

They completely ignored the entire Cullen family, Masen and Lucy excluded. They didn't greet Carlisle or Esme, didn't even look at Edward. While it was a pretty shitty way to handle the situation, I was a little relieved it was looking like I wouldn't have to say a word to them.

We all sat down to dinner, then. As promised, I was sitting just about as far as possible from Irina and Demetri. I caught her staring at me a couple times, but was able to ignore her as I worked on not making an idiot of myself in front of Ed and Liz.

As usual, Edward had been right and I had worried myself sick over meeting his grandparents for nothing. As soon as Ed made a nearly identical joke to asking if I was old enough for wine as the waitress went around pouring glasses, any remaining tension was gone.

"I heard an interesting rumor the other day, Edward," Esme started. "Apparently you're in talks to host the Academy Awards next year."

"Oh, I started that!" I exclaimed, probably too loudly. "You heard about it?"

Esme was nothing short of Hollywood royalty. I was surprised my little rumor had reached her.

"You started it?" Edward asked, looking over at me with a raised brow. "What if I don't want to?"

I shrugged. "Then you won't do it. It's nice to have options, though."

"I have a manager and agent that are supposed to handle those kinds of things," he teased, thankfully no real anger in his voice or on his face.

"Yes, but you tell them not to book you anything."

"I tell you the same thing."

"Yeah, but I don't listen. Your show is doing good and I think you could… expand your horizons. If you wanted to."

My eyes darted up to Edward, half expecting him to be a little mad I didn't tell him about the rumor. The odds of it actually amounting to anything were small, but it was good publicity. Thankfully, I only caught the end of a soft smile and wistful glance before his attention was pulled away by his grandfather.

Edward, Ed, and Carlisle ended up in a deep discussion about Masen and Lucy's new vehicles, while Liz asked me for every single detail about the new house. Which led to an extremely overwhelming conversation with her, Alice, and Esme and interior design that went right over my head.

The dinner went surprisingly well. I didn't say a word to Demetri or Irina or her parents. They kept to themselves on their side of the table, and I stayed to my side. All in all, it was probably the most pleasant night I had ever spent in their company.

As our dinner plates were taken from the table, I felt my phone vibrate a few too many times in my clutch. I pulled it out, intending to turn it off, until I saw the news notification.

Ashley Graves Arrested for Drug Possession at House Party in LA.

"Shit," I snapped, frowning at the phone call that was now flashing across my screen. I stood from the table, too quickly and surprising everyone around me.

"I'll be right back," I whispered to Edward, quickly leaving the private room and heading toward an empty hall near the restroom.

I answered the call quickly, before it could end. "Hello?"

"I didn't know who else to call," Ashley's voice came from over the phone, small and shaky.

"Where are you?"

"A police precinct on Hill Street."

"How much is your bail?"

"I wasn't arrested. Or, I was. But they're not charging me with anything. I just… need a ride."

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't go anywhere, okay?"

"Okay."

I hung up the phone and immediately squeezed my eyes shut. My back fell against the wall and I tried to remember the breathing exercise Doctor Stanley recommended for whenever I felt overwhelmed or angry or any combination of the two.

This was the kind of situation that always fascinated me in school, trying to figure out how to get your client out of a sticky situation and making sure the public didn't destroy them come morning. It was completely different when I had to deal with it and not just write a paper about it, though.

After giving myself a few minutes to try and catch my breath, I headed back toward the private dining room. The door swung open in front of me right as I was reaching for the handle. The relatively calm and enjoyable birthday dinner I had left must have somehow imploded in the few minutes I had been gone. Irina's parents stood in the doorway, furious stares now locked on me. I took a large step to the side, out of their way.

"I hope you're happy," Irina's mother, whose name I didn't even know, snapped at me.

Nine times out of ten, whenever anyone said I hope you're happy they meant the exact opposite. Problem for her was I had a very short temper, and no longer cared about following Doctor Stanley's rules now that I had a client sitting at a police station.

"I am," I smiled. I might have been suddenly very overwhelmed, but that didn't mean I wasn't blissfully happy that their daughter was no longer married to Edward. "Thank you."

They huffed off, not taking too kindly to my sarcasm. I took a couple hesitant steps into the room, not quite sure how things could have gone to hell so quickly.

Irina and Demetri were collecting their things, looking maybe a little more remorseful than I had ever seen either of the two appear. Irina was whispering something to Masen and Lucy, both of which looked more annoyed than anything. The Cullen side of the table looked pissed. Every one of them. Edward stood off to the side, talking with Carlisle.

"Turns out we're just as good at fighting as you are," Alice said, spotting me in the doorway.

"Better by the looks of it."

I headed in Edward's direction, hoping I wasn't the sole cause of the fight. I didn't want to cause more destruction to Masen and Lucy's lives than I already had. And it had taken quite a bit of effort on my part to try and make sure something like this didn't happen.

"Hey," I said quietly. I reached for Edward's hand, which was clenched into a tight fist. "Everything okay?"

I watched both him and Carlisle try and erase the frustration off of their faces.

"Yeah," Edward said, though his delivery through clenched teeth seemed to prove just the opposite. "Who was on the phone?"

"Oh, a, um, client," I stuttered, trying to keep a little client-publicist confidentiality. Even though I was sure there were a hundred headlines like the ones I had seen already floating around. "I have to go."

Edward frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Well, no. But, picking someone up from a police precinct might be less stressful than whatever just happened here."

"Shit," Edward sighed, wide eyes on me. He fumbled through his pocket, pulling out his valet ticket. "Here, you can take my car."

I shook my head. "I'll just call an Uber and get mine, its fine."

He was already shaking his head before I finished my sentence. "I'll get a ride home with someone. Come on."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me quickly out of the room, like he didn't want me stopping to talk to anyone. After a quick word with the valet, Edward pulled me to the side outside the restaurant, away from the foot traffic on the sidewalk.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly. He didn't seem it.

"I'm… fucking furious."

I pressed my lips together, keeping myself from asking all of the questions that flooded my mind. There wasn't time for them right now.

"Doctor Stanley told me that whenever I start to get that angry I should take a deep breath for four seconds, hold it for seven, then exhale for eight. Although, she also recommended yoga, and yoga is the fucking worst, so you should take that advice with a grain of salt."

I got a small chuckle out of Edward, a tiny smile tugging at his lips as he looked down at me. Warm fingers brushed some errant hair behind my ear. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when his car pulled up beside us.

"Let me know where you are, okay?" he asked quietly.

I nodded. "I don't know how late I'll be. I can just go to my place and then – "

"No. Come home."

I didn't argue because I liked going home to him.

"Okay," I said, sliding into the driver's seat. "Thanks for the car."

Edward leaned in, smiling down at me. "You can keep it if you want."

My loud laugh broke whatever tension was remaining from inside. The most ridiculous part of his comment was that I knew he was completely serious.

After a quick kiss Edward closed the door. As I drove away, I watched the small smile I had been able to bring to his lips disappear.

…Closure…

Picking up the average person from a police precinct was probably a pretty frustrating process. Picking up a girl whose picture could sell for six figures to the right publication from a police precinct was a nightmare.

Paparazzi had the place surrounded. They zeroed in on me as soon as I crossed the street. Unfortunately, I wasn't only known to be Ashley's publicist and they probably hoped they could get a few extra bucks with my photo as well. Which led to me attempting to do that breathing exercise I mentioned to Edward as I walked through the front doors.

Once I had Ashley safely in the car, she was silent. I had been to her house a few times and knew where to take her. As frustrating as the situation was, I enjoyed the quiet after the odd night I was having.

I followed Ashley inside. She didn't bother to flick on a single light, instead stumbling toward the couch and plopping down face first. I gave her a few minutes, sitting in a chair across the room, before I asked anything.

"Are you on anything?"

Ashley sighed, sitting up and pulling a pillow into her lap. "No."

"Are you lying?"

"No. Colton is an asshole. He took me to this party and things got out of hand and a few people disappeared and then suddenly the cops were there."

Colton was her boyfriend. I had met him in passing a few times and didn't need more of an introduction to know he was an asshole.

"I know I messed up and this is bad but I just… Everything is so hard now. Men with cameras stalk me wherever I go and everything I post online is dissected and judged and taken out of context and I have no what I'm doing."

I stayed in my spot, letting her get it all out.

"Every day I have no fucking idea! Like, look at you. You're all put together and in a pretty dress and you've got a boyfriend that doesn't leave you to get arrested."

My snort interrupted her. "Anyone that knows me will attest to the fact that I have no fucking idea what I'm doing either."

It was Ashley's turn to snort.

"Oh, it's true. I have no goddamn idea what to do about this whole thing. There are a dozen different ways we could play it and I don't know which would be the best in the long run. I had one client eight months ago and now I've got five fairly high-profile ones and I've been making shit up as I go along since I graduated."

I got up and sat next to Ashley, pulling another spare pillow into my lap.

"So… you're winging everything, too?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm pretty sure everyone is winging everything. At least, I hope so."

Ashley sighed and nodded, eyes on the dark room surrounding us.

"Thanks for picking me up."

"You're welcome."

"I don't want this job to ruin me."

Her honesty took me aback. Everything was hard. Everyone had problems. It was how you reacted to those problems that dictated how you ended up. Ashley could become one of the many in this city that turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with the pressure and standards. She could decide it was too much and quit and go to college and find a completely different path. She could try to stick it out, maybe attempt to change the narrative the industry tried to make every woman follow.

I could have let my childhood ruin me. I could still be stuck in a dangerous situation or still be naïvely telling myself I was fine when on the inside I was slowly dying. I could be tolerating my life instead of enjoying it.

The situations were night and day, but the choices were pretty similar.

"You can still get out if you want."

Ashley was quiet for long enough to make me wonder if she had fallen asleep.

"I don't want out."

I nodded. That was all I needed to know.

A/N: sorry for the wait on this one, but I hope you enjoyed it! See you next time :)