A/N: Thank you for all your reviews and support! They mean a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much. Things are beginning to go South for our happy couple.
Sunday 15th September
Bella and Edward were walking along the river bank in Wallingford. There was distant laughter from nearby pubs, a cool breeze, and the moon reflected off the water. Edward had had a hard time convincing Bella to go to the Wallingford Bunk Festival with him, because she had a feeling something disastrous would happen, but she'd reluctantly agreed. Now, as they walked in the dark, hand in hand, all Bella's previous misgivings were gone.
"The day was incredible, Edward," she said, awed. "Thank you for taking me. The dancers, the scenery… it was all amazing. It was a perfect idea to leave the big cities and visit the smaller market towns."
"If you enjoyed it so much then we have to come back next year," Edward suggested.
Bella turned to look at him, happiness shining in her eyes. "Oh, can we?"
"Of course," Edward said. "We'll only be here a few more years before we have to move on. We may as well enjoy everything England has to offer. In fact, I heard today that the Sinodun Players perform a pantomime annually in January."
"The Sinodun Players?"
"The owners, managers and operators of the Corn Exchange theatre here in Wallingford. I'll be sure to take you to the pantomime in January."
The couple stopped walking and turned to face each other. Bella wrapped her arms about Edward, who pulled her closer to him, leaning down to kiss her passionately.
When she pulled away, Bella whispered, "Oh Edward… thank you. This is more than I deserve."
"No, Bella. You deserve so much more than what I can give you, but I'm going to do my best."
The two of them held each other, completely relaxed and blissfully happy, swaying gently in the peaceful night. But the calm was sadly short-lived.
A young woman, who must have been in her early twenties, came stumbling towards them, clothes ragged, hair a mess, and numerous cuts and bruises.
"Please," she cried, weakly, her voice hoarse. "Help. I beg of you!"
Edward pulled away from Bella and crouched beside the woman, who had collapsed.
"Miss? Miss, are you alright?" he asked.
As Bella watched, she had a sinking feeling this was the disastrous event she thought might happen that evening.
"She's unconscious. We have to take her to Carlisle," Edward said, scooping the woman into his arms. "Help me with her?"
Bella complied, numbly. She helped Edward settle the woman across the backseat in the car, before they drove to the hospital.
At least, that's where Bella thought they were heading.
"Edward," she said, slowly. "Why are we going home and not to the hospital?"
"Well, for one, Carlisle isn't on shift tonight. But also because… I can't hear her thoughts."
"But then how do we know we can trust her?" Bella asked.
"Why wouldn't we?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I have a bad feeling about all this. That something disastrous I thought would happen? I think it's this."
To Bella's dismay, Edward simply laughed.
"Bella, love, you're being paranoid. She's only human. What's she going to do to us?"
After a few moments silence, in which Edward did not seem to realise he'd hurt his wife, Bella said quietly, "I was only human once."
Edward pretended not to hear, though Bella was fully aware he had. Another few moments passed. The tension between them was palpable.
"Since when do we take home humans that can't be trusted?"
"You didn't seem to have a problem when it was you I saved and took home."
Bella bit back a retort, stung. That was different. Much different. They'd each gained the other's trust before Edward took her to meet his family. Now, Edward was blindly trusting a woman neither had known existed until only minutes ago, and he was asking Bella to do the same. But she couldn't. The feeling in her gut was making her sick with worry, and her mate brushing off those worries as nothing was not helping any. Again, Edward did not appear to realise he had upset his wife.
The moment Edward stopped the car, Bella threw the door open, slamming it behind her. She stormed into the house, ignoring everyone she passed, went into the room she and Edward shared and locked the door, sinking down and leaning against it. She could hear the muffled voices of Edward, Carlisle and Esme, and footsteps as the others went about their business. Bella did not know how long she sat there. A number of her family knocked on the door, but she ignored them all.
There was another knock. "Bella? It's Edward."
"Go away."
"Bella, this is my room too."
"I don't care. If you think you can belittle me, disregard my thoughts and concerns, and expect me to take it lying down, you will be sorely disappointed."
"Isabella, you are being unreasonable."
Fuming, Bella grabbed the picture of her and Edward from the bedside table. It was a wedding photo, taken at their reception by Emmett. The photo was beautiful, and the frame intricately patterned, but Bella didn't care. She threw it across the room with unnecessary ferocity, where it hit the wall and shattered.
"Oh you think I'm being unreasonable? That's rich, coming from the person who insists on blindly trusting someone who we know nothing of, and instead of hearing his wife out, disparages her."
"I do not disparage you!"
"Are you sure about that?"
"Isabella, I expect you to trust this woman because I do. I am the man and therefore, I know better."
Bella could barely contain her anger. Shaking, she opened the door, and stared at her husband. The man stood there was spouting supercilious declarations, rather than gently spoken words of love. The eyes that bore into Bella's were cold and stony, rather than warm and tender.
"You were born in 1901. You grew up with Victorian views on women. I get it! But now you are living in the twenty-first century! Your views have to change alongside society's!"
But Edward wasn't even listening anymore. He was looking past her, at the shattered remains of the photo frame.
"You broke it," he said, his voice dangerously low.
"I did," Bella responded, defiantly.
"Bella, you are being ridiculous. I will not tolerate this nonsense."
"Oh, so it's Bella again? I don't give a damn what you will and will not tolerate, Edward! If you insist on treating me as an insolent child, so be it. But do not expect me to bow down to you and your orders because you are a man and I am a woman. If you want our room, take it. I'm leaving, and don't you dare follow me. I don't even want to be in the vicinity of you anymore!"
With that, Bella pushed past Edward and ran down the stairs, straight into the arms of Emmett. Edward had made to follow her but was stopped by Jasper, who pinned him against the wall by his throat.
"Don't make another move towards her if you want to keep your head," he threatened.
"She's my wife!" Edward spat.
"Yes, and she is also my sister. Nobody who hurts my sister like that gets away with it."
Emmett led Bella away from the stairs to the living room, where Carlisle and Esme were tending to the young woman. Rosalie, Alice and Jacob were all there, looking furious. Renesmee was clinging to Jacob, sobbing.
"Oh Renesmee! I'm sorry!" Bella cried, guilty that her daughter had witnessed that spectacle.
Renesmee ran to her mother, throwing her arms around her.
"It's not your fault, Mum. It's Edward's. I can't believe he said those things to you."
"Me neither, darling. I can't believe it either." She looked over at Carlisle. "What are you going to do with her?"
"Well, I think I'll keep her here a few days, to keep an eye on how she heals. We'll need to find out how she got in this state, and I think we can trust her."
"Why? Has she said anything?" Bella asked.
"No, but Edward trusts her and I trust his judgement."
Everyone gaped at him except Esme, who was watching him in disgust, and slowly shifting herself away from him.
"You can't be serious?" Rosalie yelled. "After everything he said to Bella, you trust his judgement?"
"Frankly," Carlisle said, "Edward was right. Bella is his wife and she should listen to him."
Bella could hardly believe what she was hearing. Edward was one matter, but Carlisle was another entirely. True, they had both sometimes made their mates follow their orders, and implied that they knew better, but it had been so mild Bella just assumed it was the male mate's instinct. Now though, she realised that was not the case.
"I- I need some time. Alone," Bella choked out, before running to her study and locking the door behind her. Sobbing uncontrollably, she sank to the floor, back against the door. She drew her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.
Things had changed so drastically in such a short period of time. Was it truly only hours ago she and Edward had been walking along a river, happy and carefree, so completely and utterly in love?
Where did they stand now?
Monday 16th September
The next morning, Bella grabbed her bag and shoved in everything she needed for the school day. When she opened her study door, a pile of neatly folded clothes lay waiting, most likely put there by Alice. Bella felt a surge of gratitude towards her.
Once she was dressed, Bella quietly slipped out of the house, getting into her car and driving to school, unwilling to have an encounter with Edward, that would undoubtedly lead to them coming to blows with each other. After spending the entire night crying, Bella was glad to have some time to think.
All too soon, Bella arrived at school. She grabbed her bag, locked her car, and went straight to her tutor group room. It would still be a while before students started arriving, and she was in no mood to see any teachers.
"Bella?"
Bella jumped slightly, realising she'd been staring at the blank computer screen for what must have been fifteen minutes.
"Oh! Kyle!" Bella said, seeing the teacher standing in the doorway.
"Good morning, Bella. Are you feeling alright? You look a bit ill."
"No, no. I'm feeling fine," Bella hurriedly said, trying to rearrange her gloomy face to her usual bright one.
"Are you sure? Well, these are for you," he handed her a folder with a few sheets of paper in. "You'll be covering a year ten English class period four."
Bella skimmed through the lesson plan and nodded. "That will be fine. Thanks Kyle."
Kyle turned to leave but hesitated. "Bella, are you sure you're alright?"
"Of course!" she said, trying to sound convincing. "Why do you ask?"
"You just don't look at all like your normal self."
"Oh, well… just a bit tired. Didn't get much sleep last night."
Kyle eyed her suspiciously. "If you're sure…"
"I am."
"Well then, have a good day, Bella."
"Thank you, Kyle. You too."
As Kyle left the room, students began to drift in, sitting in their allocated seats. At twenty to nine, Bella shut the classroom door and looked around the room, sighing. It was going to be a long day.
School had finished hours ago. It was six o'clock and Bella was the only teacher beside Ashley who was still there. The headteacher watched as Bella busied herself with writing lesson plans, flicking through books, and typing on her computer.
"Bella," she said, softly. "What are you still doing here?"
Bella looked up at Ashley and sighed.
"Lesson plans. I'm trying to find more interesting and engaging things for the students to do."
Ashley studied Bella for a moment. She didn't look happy to be here working. She looked strained.
"Bella, are things alright… at home?"
"Oh, yes. Yes, everything's fine," Bella lied.
"Don't lie to me, Bella."
Knowing Ashley would see right through any lie she uttered, Bella said, "My husband and I… we're going through a rough patch of our relationship."
"But on Friday, you said that Edward was going to take you out for the day," Ashley said, confused.
Bella nodded. "He did. It was- it was incredible! Oh, I enjoyed myself so much. We both did. But… we had an argument when we were leaving."
Ashley considered this more a moment. "Well, there's no use sitting around here, forcing yourself to work extra. You need to face him. Talk to him. Don't do this to yourself, Bella. This disagreement is taking its toll on you."
Bella smiled, wanly. If only it were that simple.
"Alright Ashley. I'll go home and… discuss the source of our argument with him," she said, fully meaning it.
But when she got home, she saw Edward waiting there with Renesmee watching, helplessly. Everyone else was at work still.
"Bella," Edward said, coldly and condescendingly. "We need to talk."
Bella narrowed her eyes at his tone, her willingness to talk vanishing. But she refused to back down, and become the subservient, weak-minded wife Edward wanted her to be.
"Oh, I couldn't agree more," Bella retorted.
"Do not take that tone with me," Edward instructed.
"I could say the same to you."
"Isabella!" he said, sharply. "Your insolence is becoming a problem. It is ruining our relationship."
"My insolence?! Edward, in case you haven't noticed, our relationship was just fine up until yesterday evening when you found that damned woman and trusted her while belittling your wife. If anything, you're the reason our marriage is falling apart!"
Unbeknownst to the arguing couple, or Renesmee who was focused on her parents, the young woman Edward had insisted on taking home the previous evening was peering through the window, watching appalled. This wasn't how the plan was supposed to go. She was supposed to befriend the Cullens- all of them. Dunstan would not be pleased.
But, she thought, her presence was splitting up the family. Edward and Bella's marriage was falling to pieces, and the doctor had taken Edward's side, while the rest had taken Bella's. The family were not united, and the bickering within was dividing them. Perhaps, when the time came to eliminate them, it would be easier.
Outside, Bella and Edward continued to shout at each other, while Renesmee watched aghast. She sighed with relief when she saw Rosalie and Jacob pull up in their car, for her parents were standing far too close to each other to be safe; she could no longer be sure that the verbal fight would not become a physical one. Jacob grabbed Bella's arms and pulled her away, as Rosalie did the same with Edward.
"Contrary to what you may believe," Bella yelled, shaking Jacob's hand from her arm, "I am not weak-willed or submissive or powerless! I do not require a man telling me what to do because he thinks I'm some poor damsel in distress who needs a knight in shining armour to rescue her! I need a man who will listen to me, take into consideration my thoughts and concerns, and accept me as who I am, rather than trying to mould me into someone I never was and never can be!"
"Isabella, as long as you are in this marriage with me, you will do as I say!"
"As long as I'm still in this marriage with you? Well there's a simple solution to that, isn't there? I refuse to be married to a sexist, misogynistic man who believes I am incapable of thinking for myself."
Everyone grew silent, watching Bella, knowing what she was going to say next.
"Edward, we're getting a divorce."
