Chapter 32

Song:

"Face Down," Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

**Long ass author's note at the end that might be worth a look.

"No. Absolutely not, Bella. I won't allow it."

Her head snaps up, her eyes narrowing on me. "Excuse me? You won't allow it?"

I close my eyes and shake my head when I realize the way that sounded. "I really don't want you to go."

"I'm going." She snatches her bag off the dresser, grabs her keys, and heads toward the door.

Without thinking, I reach for her arm and grab her before she can get too far away. "Stop, Bella, please. I—"

"Let me go!" She shakes me off and wrenches the bedroom door open, storming down the hallway toward the front door with me hot on her heels.

Still in her playpen, Zoe's cries get louder as we disappear from her sight. I hesitate for just a moment before I bolt through the front door, stumbling down the porch steps to catch up to Bella. "Wait. Can't we at least talk about this?"

She spins on her heel and juts her chin at me. "What is there to talk about? You're trying to forbid me from doing something I need to do."

"But you don't need to do this. There's no good reason for you to go. What could you possibly have to gain from going to the hospital?"

She squares her shoulders. "I need to talk to her."

I reach out and cup her cheek. At first, I worry she'll pull away again, but she doesn't. Instead, she stands there, thawing just a little at my touch. "Baby, I know you're upset, but you don't know if she'll even see you."

"I have to try. I'm … it's my fault she's there in the first place."

I shake my head. "No, it's not. You had nothing to do with any of this."

She pushes my hand away. "Don't you get it? I'm the reason she's in there! If I would've pressed charges, he wouldn't have hurt her. Hell, he wouldn't even be here!" Tears well in her eyes, and her voice cracks. "He wouldn't be trying to take our daughter, and he wouldn't have hurt someone else. It's my fault he's part of our lives right now." The sobs she's been holding back finally break free, and all her bravado from a few minutes ago evaporates as she breaks down, collapsing against my chest.

"No, baby, no. None of this is your fault." I kiss the top of her head and hold tight to her, running my hand up and down her back. "None of it. You did what you thought was best at the time. You got away from him … got away from a horrible situation, and I'll be forever grateful that you protected yourself like that." I pull away just enough to cradle her cheeks in my palms. "You kept yourself safe. You kept Zoe safe. That's all that matters. What he did after you left is one hundred percent on him."

"I still want to see her, Edward. Please don't try to stop me," she says softly.

I sigh and pull her back to my chest. A mile-long list of reasons why this is a bad idea rolls through my head, but in the end, I know she needs this. "Okay," I murmur, her body relaxing in my arms, "but I'm coming with you."

I call Mom, and she's more than happy to watch the baby for us. In fact, when I walk into her office, she hardly spares me a second glance, her focus entirely on Zoe. The center she works in is family-friendly, and it's nothing for someone to bring in their kid or grandkid, so I feel more than okay leaving her with Mom for a few hours. All her coworkers seem to smell the baby powder in the air and descend before I can make it out the door.

"You think she'll be okay?" Bella asks as I slip back into the car.

"She'll be fine." I check my mirrors and pull away from the curb. "She lit up when she saw Mom."

Bella merely nods, her focus on the passing scenery. I want to ask her what she's thinking, how she's feeling, but I'm not sure even she knows. So, the rest of the drive toward the hospital is silent. The closer we get, the more tension I start to feel. But it's nothing compared to how I feel when the building comes into view.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I murmur as we idle at the stoplight just outside the hospital campus.

"Yeah," she says softly.

"We can go home and—"

She turns to me with pleading eyes. "If nothing else, I need to encourage her to talk to the police."

I nod, turning back to the road and driving toward the parking garage.

One of the few details Jenks was able to give us was that Victoria wasn't talking to investigators yet. The only things he knew were that another domestic disturbance call was made about Riley's apartment, Victoria had been taken to the hospital, and Riley had disappeared before the authorities had arrived. Now he was wanted for questioning.

As we step through the automatic doors and walk toward the information desk, the reality of what we're doing here hits me. I also realize, maybe too late, that we may not be able to actually see Victoria. But Bella walks straight to the desk without any hesitation.

The woman behind the counter smiles up at us as we approach. "Hello, how can I help you?"

Not skipping a beat, Bella says, "My cousin was brought in late Saturday night, but I don't have a room number."

"What's her name?"

"Victoria Winters."

Bella side-eyes me, and I know as soon as we're alone I'll be asking her how the hell she knew Victoria's last name.

With a few taps on the keyboard, the receptionist finds what we're looking for. "She's in room 1706."

"Thank you." Bella grabs my hand and pulls me along toward the elevators.

I reach out and press the up button. "Since when do you know her last name?"

"Jenks told me when he called earlier."

"What else did he tell you? You haven't told me much," I ask as we step into the elevator.

She waits until the doors close and we're alone. "He said it was pretty bad. She had to have surgery last night." Bella presses herself into my side and slides her arms around my waist.

She says nothing else as we ride up to the fifth floor. Following the signs, we eventually get to Victoria's room. I expect Bella to walk right in, but she gets a foot away from the door and freezes.

"What's wrong?"

She looks over her shoulder at me. "Maybe you should wait out here."

"Bella." Her name escapes me on a groan. "I really don't want you out of my sight. What if—"

She places her hands on my chest. "I'll be fine. There's only one way into her room, and I'll have you standing guard." She kisses my cheek. "I'll be fine."

Reluctantly, I let her go. She slips out of my arms and through the door into the room. I take my post at the partially open door, my arms crossed over my chest and my eyes scanning the busy nurses' station at the other end of the hallway. There's not much sound other than the quiet murmurs of a hospital and beeps of machines in other rooms, so when I hear Bella's voice from inside the room, I can hear practically everything.

"I wanted to come and see you. Make sure you were okay."

"You shouldn't have come," Victoria replies. Her voice is rough, like it's painful for her to speak.

"I'm not here to upset you. I just … I thought you might want to talk."

"What the hell would I want to talk to you about?"

"Maybe … maybe about what happened," Bella says softly.

A hollow, brittle laugh escapes Victoria. "I definitely don't want to talk about that." A few beats of silence pass before she rasps, "I don't even want to think about it."

Several more moments pass before Bella speaks, and when she does, her voice shakes. I don't have to see her to know she's wringing her hands. "I know how you're feeling."

"How could you possibly know how I feel?" Victoria snaps, her voice rising.

"Because he hurt me, too."

The conversation that follows is one no one should have to hear their partner have, and this is the second time I've had to endure it. Bella's recollections from that night, from the weeks and months leading up to the night he didn't stop, rip through my chest like a white-hot branding iron, burning places already singed by the truth. And when she comes to the end of her story, the relief in her voice is palpable.

But I know she'd go through that pain a dozen more times if she thought it would help Victoria.

"I should have pressed charges that night, and if I had it to do over again, I would. Then he wouldn't have been able to hurt you. I'm so sorry."

There's no reply, no reaction from Victoria like I expect. Only silence.

"I want to help you," Bella continues, "in whatever way you need me to. If you want to press charges, I'll be right by your side. You won't have to face him alone. I'm tired of being afraid, and I don't want that for you."

It's several minutes before Victoria murmurs her reply. "I don't want to be afraid either."

Beside me Bella is quiet as we walk back to the parking garage. I haven't asked her any questions since she walked out of Victoria's room, but I don't need to. I overheard enough to give me a clear picture of what happened to her.

But seeing the way it's affecting Bella hurts.

Despite all of that, I can't help but feel hopeful, a little lighter than I did walking in. And all of it is because of the woman at my side.

I bring her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles. "What you did … I'm in awe of you, baby."

She shakes her head. "I didn't do anything."

I stop and turn her toward me, wrapping my arms around her waist and tugging her closer. I nudge her chin up so she meets my eyes. "You did. I would bet money she wouldn't have agreed to press charges if you hadn't talked to her."

"All I did was talk to her."

"It was so much more than that." I search her eyes. "You gave her the courage to make that phone call. You did that. You astound me every day with how strong you are."

"Well, now, maybe. But not too long ago I was afraid of my own shadow."

"Those days are behind us. And as soon as that bastard is caught, we can put this whole nightmare behind us."

She sighs. "As wonderful as that sounds, all I want to do right now is go get my baby."

I kiss her lips before releasing her, only to wind our fingers together as I lead us toward the parking garage. "Come on. I'm sure she's missing her Mommy, too."

It's past midday, and unlike when we dropped Zoe off this morning, all the parking spots in front of Mom's office are full.

"Just see if there's a spot around the corner."

I shake my head. "It's too far. I don't want to leave you alone that long."

"Then I'll come in with you."

Satisfied, I find an open spot around the corner and halfway down the block. "Come on. Let's—"

I'm cut off by the sound of Bella's cellphone ringing.

She glances at the screen and looks up. "It's Victoria. I need to answer this." At my disapproving look, she says, "Go on and get her. I'll probably be off before you get back."

My jaw tenses as I breathe through my nose. "I don't want to leave you alone, Bella."

She kisses my pursed lips. "Then lock me in. I'll be fine." Without waiting for me to reply, she answers her phone with a gentle "Hello."

I make a show of locking the doors as I get out, getting a nod and playful roll of her eyes in return. But I also get a whispered "I love you."

In a hurry, I jog toward Mom's office, eager to get back to Bella. But when I step inside, Zoe is nowhere near ready to be picked up.

I take in the naked baby on the changing mat. "What happened?"

An exasperated gust of breath escapes my mother. "Well, she was only messy after she got into the cookies, but then right after you called to say you were on your way, she had an absolute blowout." She nods toward the plastic bag beside the changing pad. "Those are going to need to be soaked."

I get to my knees and take over for my mother so she can wash her hands, tickling Zoe's belly as she babbles up at me. "Did you make a mess for Grandma?" She rambles back at me like she's answering my question. "That's what I thought. Let's get you dressed so we can go see Mommy."

At the sound of her mother's name, she kicks her legs and wiggles around in an attempt to crawl away, so dressing her is that much more of a challenge. But I manage to get a fresh diaper and onesie on her. Good enough.

As I'm gathering up all Zoe's things, Mom asks, "In a hurry to get out of here?"

"Yeah, actually, I am."

"What's up? You never told me who you were going to see at the hospital."

Knowing I can't get out of it, I give her the abridged version of what happened. When I get to the part where Riley is still unaccounted for, Mom's face goes pale.

"And you left Bella alone?"

With everything back in Zoe's bag and my daughter in my arms, I head toward the door. "She's locked in the car. And she has her phone. She's fine, Mom." But even as I say the words, I'm not sure I believe them.

Mom mumbles something about it being lunchtime anyway, and she walks out with me. With Zoe in my arms, I'm not as quick going back to the car as I was going into the building, but Mom still has a hard time keeping up with me.

"Would you slow down a little?" she says with a huff.

I laugh but don't slow my pace. I'm still chuckling as we turn the corner, but the moment I do, my chuckle morphs into a strangled cry.

My car's passenger side door is hanging open, and there's glass everywhere. My heart thrashes in my chest and my blood runs cold when my brain comprehends what my eyes see.

Bella.

Without another thought, I drop the backpack and pass Zoe to my mother.

"What—"

"Bella," is my only reply as I take off running. I force my limbs to comply, running faster than I ever have.

I have no idea where they are. I don't know if he grabbed her and shoved her into his car. He could be long gone for all I know, but instinct drives me forward. When I finally reach my car, I see Bella's abandoned phone and her purse in the footwell. Looking around at the mess, I see drag marks through the shattered glass, like someone's feet were pulled through it. It's my only clue, and I take off again.

I'm almost at the next street when I hear it. It's quick, and just as quickly muffled, but there's no mistaking it's Bella, screaming for help. With everything left in me, I run toward the sound. When I reach the dim alleyway behind the next street's storefronts, my eyes jump wildly around until they land on two figures against the wall. Riley's back is to me as he holds Bella up against the bricks while she fights against him.

The fucker has his hands on my wife, his hand over her mouth. The terror on Bella's face, and the tears streaming down her cheeks … all of it has me seeing red.

"Get the fuck away from her, you son of a bitch!"

He spins around as I reach him, and my fist is already flying. His nose crunches under the impact, and he stumbles back. Bella slips out of his hold and stumbles away. As much as I want to go to her to see if she's okay, the blind rage I feel for the worthless piece of shit finally at my mercy propels me forward. Blood pours from his face, but it's not enough to slake the thirst I have for the rest of it.

The pure, unadulterated loathing I've carried around for months suddenly has a target, and I grab him, slamming him up against the brick wall.

"You like to put your hands on defenseless women? Huh?" I slam him against the wall again, this time his head hitting the bricks. "Why don't you come at somebody your own size and see what happens?"

He catches me off guard with a knee to my stomach. But as I curl in on myself, I push forward, shoving my shoulder into his gut, bringing us both to the ground. I blindly throw punch after punch, all while people shout from somewhere in the distance. Riley gets in a few hits—a couple to my face and side—before he all but gives up, a disturbing laugh bubbling out of him.

"Edward! Stop!" Bella's voice cuts through the murderous haze, hands pulling at me from behind just as I get my hands around the monster's neck. "Edward, stop. This is what he wants!"

Before I can squeeze the life out of the asshole, I'm yanked to my feet and pulled away, my arms held at the elbows from behind. My chest is heaving, and my heart is pounding against my rib cage. New and unfamiliar voices rise around me as I stare down at Riley. He looks over at me, his bloody smile sending a chill down my spine.

"Oh my god, Edward. Are you okay?" Bella's suddenly in front of me, her hands smoothing over my face, her fingers touching a sore spot on my lip. "Are you hurt?"

I shake off the hands holding me and pull Bella into my arms. My heart is still pounding, and my whole body is shaking. But the instant she wraps her arms around my waist, relief washes over me, and I feel like I can take a breath for the first time since I heard her scream.

I bury my face in her hair and squeeze her more tightly. "I don't give a fuck about me right now. Did he hurt you? God, I was scared outta my goddamn mind, baby. You weren't in the car, then I heard you scream, and—"

"I'm okay. I'm okay."

We stand there, wrapped in each other's arms while chaos continues to swirl around us. It doesn't even register at first that someone is standing guard over Riley until he asks if he needs to call the police.

"I'm good," Riley says, rolling over and shakily standing up. He sways on his feet, and someone reaches out to steady him.

"I really think you need to see a doctor, man." The nameless onlooker glances my way before turning back to Riley. "That guy fucked you up pretty good."

"I just need to walk it off." Riley inches his way toward the mouth of the alley.

"Don't let him leave!" I shout. "The police are looking for that son of a bitch."

Confusion spreads through the small crowd, some people shouting to call the police and others calling for someone to make sure I don't leave, and Riley uses the chaos to try to slip away.

"Watch him," I shout. I take a step in Riley's direction, but Bella's hold on me tightens.

"Don't. Please."

All it takes is her whispered plea to stop me in my tracks. I pull her back into my arms to shield her from the mess surrounding us. "I'm sorry."

"You … he could have—" Whatever composure she had completely falls away, leaving her sobbing against my chest.

The desperation in her voice makes my stomach twist. It was only sheer luck that I got to her in time, that he didn't hurt her more than he already had.

I hide my face in her neck, murmuring, "I'm fine. But what happened? God, tell me he didn't hurt you."

Her hands twist in my shirt, her hiccuping sobs quieting against my chest. "I'm okay."

I know she's not. I know there's more to talk about. I need to know what he did, what he said to her. But for now, I only want to hold her.

Over Bella's head, I watch a protective crowd gather around Riley, most wearing employee uniforms of the stores whose rear doors line the alley. "Where were they ten minutes ago?" I think to myself. There's no way I can do what I really want—tear the motherfucker apart. For months I've been hoping for this scenario, waiting for Riley to show his true colors and give one of us the opportunity to make him permanently disappear. But as I look around, I realize there are too many witnesses. As much as I want to, I've lost any chance of doing any lasting damage to the garbage leaning against a filthy dumpster.

The baby's cries cut through the chaos, and both Bella and I spin around. Mom is hovering behind the crowd around us, cradling Zoe against her shoulder, but she stays in the background, thank god. I don't trust myself not to eviscerate Riley if he were to try to even look at Zoe right now.

"Go get her," I say, gently urging Bella toward my mother. "Take care of her while we sort this shit out." What I don't say is I want her as far away from Riley as she can physically get.

She runs her hands over my face. "I love you," she says softly, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

I brush them away with my thumbs. "I love you, too. But Zoe needs you right now."

With a nod, she pulls away, keeping our hands linked until the distance between us is too great. When I turn back to the clusterfuck in the alley, a wave of fresh anger washes over me. With purposeful steps, I walk over to where Riley stands, some nameless stranger hot on my heels in case I do something stupid, I'm sure. But with people still watching me, I can't do what I really want to do. It takes every shred of self-restraint I have not to knock his ass back to the ground and stomp on his head.

"What the fuck were you doing here?"

Riley's eyes meet mine, and that same slimy, smug smile returns to his face. "I just wanted to have a chat with an old friend."

"You—"

Before I can even make a move toward him, one of the onlookers steps into my path and grabs me by the arm. "Watch it, man. I don't want to have to restrain you."

I puff up, looking past the asshole blocking me from getting to Riley, my agitation and anger only growing the longer I look at him. "Try again, asshole. You had my wife pinned against a wall. She was fucking screaming!"

Just as someone else grabs my other arm to keep me from taking another shot at Riley, two patrol cars roll up. Their flashing lights make me dizzy and make my head pound, but not nearly as much as the questioning does. Accusations are slung around, and eventually, an ambulance shows up. I can't keep the murderous expression off my face as the EMTs check Riley over.

What I'm not expecting is to be cuffed and shoved into the back of a police cruiser.

A/N: So, that happened. I'd say I'm going into hiding, but I'm curious about your thoughts on this one.

The rest of the chapters are in my beta's hands, and I'm currently working on the epilogue, so the end is in sight! When I hit complete, this will be 36 chapters, including the epi.

*Deep breath* A note on GRs …

I've come to the realization I've been a little too lax with my Guest Review moderation. I've approved reviews in the past I probably shouldn't have, simply because I feel everyone is entitled to their opinion, good or bad. And you can go back and see the many negative GRs I've approved in the past. But lately, I've received more than the usual that are more than just opinions. They're more "soapbox" and berating, some even turning their rant into something political, which is totally bizarre to me. One has even gone so far as attacking other readers. I won't allow that. I also don't have the time or energy to respond to the insanity.

From now on I'll be deleting any that fit the above description. If you happen to be someone who's been leaving those kinds of reviews, no one else will see them but me, but maybe that's your intention. If so, that speaks more of you than of me. But if you're genuinely trying to start a conversation, log in as we'll discuss.

I've tried my best to strike a balance between realism and fictional romance and still keep it entertaining, but at the end of the day it's fiction, and fanfiction at that. I also offered warnings about the content way back in chapter 1. If you're still reading and somehow upset with where it's going—which you shouldn't be, 'cause you know, the warnings—no one is forcing you to continue reading it. For the rest of you still enjoying the story, thank you for sticking with me.

*exhale* Okay, with all of that out of the way, on to something more fun.

You still have until 7:00 AM, EST on 10/18/21 to submit your entry to the A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words images contest: Halloween 2. It's primary a Facebook contest, but we have an Instagram page as well. This round is 1000 words or less with an image to go with it. And with the low word count required—remember, it's 1000 MAX, there's no minimum—it's the perfect opportunity for newbies to join in the fun! All the entries will post on 10/18/21, but at last check, we only have one, so get to it!

Remember, you can come chat with me on FB in my group, Sunshine Fics. We're creeping up on my fifth fic-versary in December, as well as the fifth anniversary of my FB group. I'm working on some games and trivia to celebrate, possibly a fic giveaway and maybe even a video chat and read-along during the month of December, so come join us! It should be a lot of fun. I'll hopefully be working on a new story in the coming weeks, and I'll probably be teasing pics and blurbs as I go. I'm also on Twitter at CSunshine1220 if you want to follow me there.

"See" you soon!

Be kind.
Stay safe.
Stay well.

Lots of love,
~Sunshine