A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews and support!
Huge thank you to Mel Cee for betaing~ everyone go wish her a happy birthday! :)
Disclaimer: This chapter covers some sensitive topics. If you have any concerns , feel free to reach out before reading.
We only have two chapter left...
Emmett rushed outside through the hospital revolving doors and bolted over to where Rosalie and Charlie were huddled.
"Edward's out of surgery. Bella's in with him now. He's going to be okay." He rushed out the words in a single breath, winded from running around.
Rosalie had an arm wrapped around Charlie, who was sitting in a fetal position on the bench. She hadn't moved in hours. Charlotte hadn't even spoken a word, which was so uncharacteristic for her.
Emmett stood in front of his fiancée and the remorseful, and obviously guilty, young girl. He felt for her. Anybody who grew up the way Bella, Edward, and Charlotte did had it rough. Day to day wasn't as simple as it was for Rosalie or Emmett.
They knew she was wrong, so wrong, but they couldn't help but wonder how or why she had done it. To sell out Edward, the only person who had consistently given her a chance, was terrible, horrific even. For her to have such disregard for her foster brother's safety—she hadn't even checked to make sure he wasn't home—this ran deeper than just the actions of a naive little girl. It was clear that nobody had ever stopped to explain to Charlotte right from wrong. That she had no one truly listen to her and really guide her in a positive direction.
Rosalie looked at Emmett and nodded in appreciation for the update. Despite Rosalie and Edward's differences, she never wanted anything bad to happen to him. Quite the opposite. She longed for him to find happiness, just like she had with Emmett.
Charlie made a gurgling noise, wiping her nose on her sleeve as she straightened out her position on the bench. She wore a grim smile and looked at Emmett, searching for some indication of what he thought of her and her actions.
They must all hate her.
She hated herself.
Bella definitely hated her, and for good reason.
Charlie inhaled a sharp breath, bracing herself for the tongue lashing she was sure to come but wanting to say her piece before then. Rosalie hadn't pushed her to speak, but Charlie knew she had to talk to someone. Most important, the police.
"Charlotte, I know you don't know me, but I just want to say I think you telling Bella the truth was very brave," Rosalie started, pursing her lips. She didn't want to startle the young girl or make it seem like she was judging her or taking sides.
"But I think it goes without saying that what you did was incredibly selfish and dangerous. I mean, Edward's lying in a hospital bed for God's sake," Emmett added, as he ran his fingers through his hair. This whole situation was way too stressful for someone as laid-back as he was.
Rosalie gave Emmett a pointed look, and Emmett knew to stop talking or else.
"Clearly," Rosalie muttered, choosing her next words carefully.
It was undeniable what Charlotte did was wrong and, in many ways, unforgivable. But she would have to answer to many people—the authorities, Bella, Edward—so Rosalie didn't want to add herself to the laundry list of individuals she needed to give her reasoning to.
If anything, she wanted to just be there for this clearly broken little girl. Because at one time, she was just as broken, and all she wanted was someone who would listen.
"I didn't want to do it. I know now how stupid it was. I should have known better and that it was too big of a risk even giving him the little bit of information I did. I could never have thought—How Tyler could've done this, I don't know…I just wanted him to love me. For a while, I thought he did. Then he started hitting me, and he pushed me to have sex with him, but I just couldn't. I didn't want to…I wouldn't. Not after what Laurent did to me as a child." She mumbled the last part, as she looked down in shame, thinking of a painful time in her childhood.
"What did he do to you?" Emmett roared, getting angry, his fists clenched at his sides. Edward never mentioned Charlie being abused.
"He'd come into my room at night and want to play a 'game' with me. He molested me for weeks right before he died," she choked out, her words barely above a whisper. Silent tears streamed down her face. Matching ones coated Rosalie's cheeks, as she was overcome with emotion from the reminders of her own past trauma.
Rosalie had been forced to be intimate by an ex-boyfriend. It had taken her years before she could even consider having sex again. This was part of the reason why Emmett was her breath of fresh air. He made her want to be with him in every way possible. He was gentle and kind and treated her like she mattered.
Rosalie enveloped Charlie in a hug, whispering things in her ear only a survivor of abuse would relate to.
After a moment, Charlie felt safe to share more of her faulty reasoning. "When Edward got his fancy job and started getting busier, I felt left behind. So once I heard Bella was back in the picture, I thought things would be great again. I started an operation to get the two fools back together, thinking it would be like old times. I even recruited Tyler to help. Then Tyler became more demanding, wanting me to do things in order for him to give me simple affection because he said I 'owed him.' Irina worked so much that she was never home, and I had really nobody there for me consistently. Because of that, I was desperately trying to imitate the bond Edward and Bella had by clinging to Tyler," Charlie explained, droplets running down her face. Rosalie wiped them as they fell, but for every one she cleared away, another two took its place, so she moved her hand to run through her hair instead. "I just wanted him to love me. When me and my big mouth shared Edward's financial status to Tyler, he became obsessed. Always asking me about Edward and his family, making snide remarks about all the things the money could buy him. I brushed it off as him being jealous and wanting to sell more weed to get to the same place." Charlotte paused, looking between Emmett and Rosalie.
"So then what happened?" Emmett inquired, hanging onto her every word.
Charlie looked at Rosalie, making sure she wasn't judging her or going to send her away just yet. Rosalie gently smiled and continued brushing her fingers through the girl's hair.
"I became more 'demanding' of him—his words not mine—so he would withhold even the barest hint of affection until I told him certain things. After that, I started staying home more often, and that was when I distanced myself from Edward, figuring if he really cared, he'd come look for me and he did. But by then, Tyler had already started hitting me. I told Irina about it, and she grounded me, banished me from seeing him. Even my own 'mother' couldn't show me affection, treating me more like a chore than someone worthy of love. It wasn't long before I was lonely again so I reached out to Tyler." Charlie played with the hem of her shirt, and she hung her head in shame. Her breathing was heavy, and she winced, thinking about how easily she'd sold Edward out to someone who had never cared at all.
"I called him and apologized for everything. I told him I'd do anything to get him back. I thought he loved me as much as I loved him. Tyler asked me for Edward's address, promising that if I was a good little girl and just gave him that, all would be forgiven, so I told him. I should have known he was just using me, manipulating me just to get what he wanted. The physical abuse was bad enough, but the bruises would heal eventually. He messed with my head but I was too blind to see it. I think in the back of my mind, I was rationalizing that at least he hadn't forced himself on me. I can't believe how stupid I was." Charlie was bawling at this point.
Rosalie and Emmett looked between each other and then back at Charlie. Abruptly, she stood, wiping her face, a look of determination on her face as she took off toward the parking lot leading to the street.
"Charlotte, where are you going?" Rosalie shouted as she ran behind her, almost falling with her heels on the cobblestone pavement.
"Bella hates me. Edward is half dead because of me. I fuck everything up. I can see the looks on your faces. You hate me too, and once everyone else finds out what I've done, they'll hate me. You'll leave and I'll get in trouble. I'm going to go to jail, aren't I?" she yelled, waving her arms, practically having a meltdown. "I'm so broken. Nobody loves me. Why would they? I'm so alone. I'm just going to do everyone a favor and disappear." Charlie started for the corner but was intercepted before she could get far.
Emmett went behind Charlie to ensure she couldn't bolt.
"Charlotte," Rosalie ordered like she did with her restaurant staff. She waited until the girl looked her in the eye.
"What?" Charlie spat, closing her eyes, tears escaping as she covered her face. She was so ashamed.
Rosalie stalked over to where the shell of a girl stood, and she grabbed her shoulders. "Listen to me clearly. You made a mistake. A very stupid, dangerous one. One that you're probably going to hate yourself for for a long time. But you are not broken. You are not alone. You have us. Running away isn't the answer. You need to do the right thing now. You can fix this." Rosalie hissed, furious that Charlie didn't see how special she was.
Charlotte shook her head back and forth, being stubborn. "I'm nothing." She winced, and she closed her eyes and saw Edward on the floor in his office once more.
"Look at me!" Rosalie sneered, gripping her shoulders tighter. Charlie shook her head no. "I said look at me, dammit!" she demanded.
Emmett walked closer. "Rosie." He drifted off, seeing the stern look on her face.
Charlotte peered up at the confident, beautiful woman before her. Rosalie looked like she had it all.
"A long time ago, I was you—a confused and lost little girl. You need support. Stop pushing people away. Stop choosing what's not choosing you. Stop self-destructing. You are worthy of love. Tyler's a horrible waste of space. He didn't deserve you. Not the other way around," Rosalie barked, her eyes narrowing as she got more passionate. "But now you need to come clean and help. Help your friend. Your brother. They love you, and eventually, they will forgive you. But you have to do the right thing by turning Tyler in, and you have to give them time."
Charlie nodded, crying harder. "I know," she whispered and looked up at Rosalie. "Will you come with me?" she asked, so softly Emmett didn't even hear it.
Rosalie nodded once. "Emmett, pull the car around. I'll text Alice and let her know we will be back later."
"Oh my god, and can you believe he was a veterinarian overseas. He said he was called to help the ignored animals that were displaced because of war. But then he saw the human carnage, so Jasper came back to the US and went back to school to become a trauma surgeon. I mean how amazing is that?! We were talking and he told me cats are his favorite. I'm telling you, Bella, he's perfect. Move over McDreamy. Hello, McKitty." Alice giggled. She was like a giddy school girl with her first crush.
In the time Bella had known Alice, she had never seen her so obsessed with a guy. She was happy her friend was happy. If anyone deserved something good in her life, it was Alice.
"So you mean to tell me that the person who operated on Edward, my Edward, is a vet?" Bella gasped in horror, holding back a laugh because she was only half joking. Jasper must have been properly qualified and licensed to practice medicine on humans, otherwise the hospital wouldn't have allowed him in the operating room.
"Yeah, it's amazing I'm still here," Edward chimed in, grinning from ear to ear, enjoying this banter between the two women. Bella needed some happiness after this whole ordeal.
Bella's face fell. While Edward's remark was meant as a joke, she was still very much traumatized with how close of a call it was. Edward sensed her discomfort and squeezed her hand, reassuringly. She smiled at him, lovingly.
"He's an excellent surgeon." Alice huffed, crossing her arms like a petulant child.
Over the last week of Edward's hospital stay, Alice had gotten close to Dr. Whitlock. Or Jasper as he insisted on being called. Very close. There were hushed whispers, text messages, and cafeteria lunches. They were joined at the hip. Alice had even shared some of the details of her situation with Maria during their lunch "dates." She had been making progress in being a bigger part of her daughter's life. They spoke on the phone daily, and before Edward had been shot, her parents had agreed to an overnight visit at Alice's place in the city. It had taken some begging on Maria's part, but her parents had pulled Alice aside for a long talk, and they had to admit that she had really grown up and was a responsible adult. Alice wanted a more formal arrangement, but while she waited for a court date to revisit her parental rights, her parents had agreed to these informal meetings. Alice was hesitant to bring up the fact that she had a daughter to Jasper, unsure if it would scare him off before they even got started, but she couldn't lie about Maria. She was determined to have her be a part of her life, and anyone she got into a relationship with would just need to understand that. Jasper had shocked her by listening patiently, and then without a shred of judgment in his tone, he asked if she had a picture to share with him. Turned out, he not only had a soft spot for kitties, but he was a proud uncle and couldn't wait to be a father someday.
Alice got a faraway look as she thought about Jasper and how he just might be perfect for her. She sighed, uncrossing her arms, and smiled at the pair.
"Oh Alice is in love," Edward sang, sitting up in the hospital bed, hiding a wince for Bella's sake. "How's Embry?" he inquired, giving Alice a break from the teasing.
Alice had taken him to her apartment while Edward was in the hospital. He was being released today, but Alice decided she'd keep him an extra day so that Bella and Edward could get settled at home before having a dog underfoot.
"He's perfect, cuddling with Caius constantly. I don't think he's going to want to go home," she warned, looking out the door to see if the dear doctor was the one coming to release Edward from the hospital.
Not spotting his blond head, she decided to bring up a topic they'd been avoiding all week long. "Charlie called this morning," Alice broached, looking at Bella hesitantly.
Bella's eyes narrowed at the mention of their former foster sister's name. In the days since the shooting, her anger over Charlie's carelessness had only grown. Thankfully, she had the good sense to stay out of sight. Unfortunately, the concept of "out of sight, out of mind" didn't work because every time Bella saw Edward lying in that hospital bed, she was reminded of the person who had put him there.
"Oh yeah?" Edward asked, his eyes widening at Alice over Bella's reaction.
Alice nodded. "She calls me or Rosalie every day for updates." Alice wasn't going to divulge how close Charlotte was getting with Rosalie. It would just further aggravate Bella.
Bella huffed to herself and rolled her eyes. She had no idea what Charlie was playing at, acting like she cared all of a sudden. Edward and Alice exchanged a glance. Bella was still so angry at Charlotte. While Edward wanted to hear her story, Bella refused to even take her calls. She barely wanted to hear her name. After all, she was the reason Edward was shot. She brought that monster into his world. She had been trying to take a nap in the chair in Edward's room a few days ago, and she'd overheard a whispered discussion between Alice and Edward where she told him that Charlie had gone to the police to turn Tyler in. Bella thought it was probably just a way for her to save her ass, and she couldn't care less about her cooperating with them.
"That's nice of her," Edward commented, taking a deep breath.
"Yeah, real nice," Bella muttered. Now she was the one crossing her arms like a petulant child. Edward reached out to grab Bella's hand and give it a squeeze. The couple stared into each other's eyes, and Bella's shoulders softened as she saw the love there.
"Did I tell you Jasper kissed me?" Alice squealed like a little girl, trying to take Bella's mind off her hatred for Charlie.
"What? Already? You guys aren't even a thing yet, are you?" Bella inquired, laughing a little at how fast Alice and Jasper were moving.
"Maybe we are." Alice blushed ten shades of red.
At that very moment, there was a knock at the door. "Knock knock," Dr. Whitlock announced, entering the room when he saw Alice nod. "I'm here to spring you, man." He beamed at Edward.
"Finally." Bella breathed out a sigh of relief, caressing Edward's cheek.
"Now, Edward, we talked about the protocol. I'm not going to nag you twice, but don't pull your stitches. Don't overdo it. Go to physical therapy. And meet Dr. Volturi a week from today to check on your wound. Otherwise, I think you're good to go," Jasper instructed, giving a wink to Alice. He turned back to Bella and Edward, who were sharing a celebratory kiss, and he remarked, "I would lay off the sexual activity until your appointment too." He laughed and Alice joined in.
The doctor started for the door and then remembered something, turning around to speak. "Oh and Alice, we are definitely a thing." He winked once more and left the room.
Alice and Bella burst out into hysterics, and Alice started doing some sort of happy dance to which Edward started laughing so hard it hurt.
"Oh no, mister. You heard Dr Whitlock—no physical exertion." Bella straightened her white towel around her form.
She had just exited the ensuite bathroom, and Edward was on her like glue.
Truth of the matter was they both missed connecting in a physical way. They had just gotten each other back from a long time apart before Edward's shooting, and they were still ravenous for one another.
"Baby, I'm fine," Edward stressed, wrapping his arms around her torso. "Dr. Volturi even said I was fine last appointment. I think his words were, 'healthy as a horse' in fact." His eyes narrowed, trying to break her resolve.
Edward knew how traumatized Bella was over the shooting, and so was Edward, which was why there was no denying they both needed therapy. Not to mention, before they had sex again, Bella wanted to get on birth control. While condoms were great, she wanted an extra layer of protection so to speak. When Bella had mentioned it, Edward was puzzled.
"Why do we need both? We can do one or the other and should be fine, baby," he reasoned, sitting up in bed.
Bella handed him a tray of food that housed a turkey sandwich on rye. She patted Embry's fur, ensuring that he didn't get too close to Edward and accidentally hurt him further.
"I just want to make sure there are no babies in our future," she mumbled, her eyes cast to the floor.
This wasn't a great time to be having this conversation, but Bella knew if they had any chance at a future, they needed to have these hard discussions.
Ever since hearing about Jane dying during childbirth all those years ago, Bella had a paralyzing fear of getting pregnant and dying and subsequently leaving her child with the possibility of foster care. Edward being shot only strengthened her resolve. The traumatic event only proved to her how delicate life was and how Edward could also die. She explained all this to Edward, unable to look at him, knowing this might be the end of them.
Edward would be a wonderful father, Bella knew this. And she couldn't—wouldn't—rip the opportunity from him because of her damage.
She was damaged, she argued.
Edward nearly ripped his stitches, pulling her to him in the bed. Bella scolded him as he gently held her.
"You are not damaged. You have fears. We all do. It's perfectly normal after what we both went through as children," he resounded, cradling her face in his hands.
"I wouldn't say any of this is normal. I wouldn't even use that word in the same sentence as myself." She snorted a laugh and then bit her lip. Edward grinned because at least she could joke about it.
"Who wants to be normal anyways? If you didn't have fears, then I'd be worried," Edward assured her, shooing Embry away from his sandwich.
Bella picked at her fingers nervously. Edward gathered her hands in his in an effort to get her to stop.
"Bella." He urged her to look at him. "I don't care if you don't want to get pregnant one day. Fine. We'll get more dogs or even a cat. Or if you want kids but don't want to get pregnant, there's always adoption. Who the hell knows what the future holds. But what I do know is that we don't have to decide that now." He grabbed her chin so she would look him in the eye. "All I want is you. I love you." He peppered her face with kisses until she pushed him away gingerly, insisting on making something for Embry to eat.
Wouldn't want the poor dog to feel shafted, especially since he was missing his pal, Caius.
Their conversation only further proved how desperately they both needed therapy. Bella agreed and they were making an appointment for next month once Edward was more mobile and steadily on his way to recovery.
"Maybe we can do other things that don't require thrusting," he joked, shaking his hips slightly. "No birth control required either." Edward waggled his eyebrows, suggestively.
Bella's resolve was faltering, as Edward rubbed up and down her arms. When he kissed her neck, sucking on the spot that made her toes curl, she was a goner.
"Fine, but you are just going to lie there. I'll do all the work," she deadpanned, as she dropped her towel.
Edward stripped free of his clothes, needing a little help from Bella to get his shirt over his head. She told him he should wear button downs but he wanted comfort.
Bella lightly pushed him back on the bed, straddling him as she kissed his chest, around his wound area, and all the way down to his rock hard dick.
When she enveloped him into her mouth, he let out a guttural moan. "I could get used to this." Edward smirked, leaning up to watch her pleasure him before flopping back onto the bed, steadying his breathing.
Bella resisted the urge to hit him. She'd get him back for that, she vowed, smiling to herself, because they had time. Forever in fact.
"You know it's like Fort Knox getting up here now, man," Emmett complained, carrying bags and bags of food. The building management company had fired Kebi since she had continued to fail to do her duties, choosing instead to make out with the janitor, which was how Tyler had been able to get up to the apartment without being announced.
Since the shooting, Edward's apartment had been a revolving door of visitors. Between Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, Carlisle, even Jasper added himself in the mix, there was always someone there checking on him or just hanging out.
Charlie wisely knew better than to show her face. Bella had made it clear to anyone that asked, hoping they'd pass the message along, that she was forbidden from stepping foot into the apartment.
Edward had finally FaceTimed Charlie after many missed calls and texts from the girl. Rosalie nagged Edward into hearing what she had to say, much to Bella's dismay. They spoke for almost two hours. Edward told Charlotte how betrayed he felt by her. He'd always tried to make her a part of his life.
Charlie expressed her grievances on feeling abandoned by not only him but everyone, and she also confessed some of her abuse to him.
Edward couldn't believe he hadn't known what Laurent did to her, but he and Bella were in their own little bubble back then, just trying to survive. Plus they were kids themselves. He had mixed feelings about her confessions because he was also angry that she had been jealous over his reuniting with Bella. At the same time, he could see how truly remorseful and guilty she felt. He was at a loss on how to handle the situation. He respected Bella's position, but if he turned his back on Charlie, it would just prove her right about what had led her to act the way she did in the first place.
Charlotte's sins were eating at her. She'd lost weight, her cheeks sunken in, and wasn't sleeping, dark circles beneath her eyes. She was withering away. Becoming a shell of the silly, vibrant girl who he'd once known.
Edward knew he had to find a way to forgive her because Bella certainly wasn't going to come around anytime soon.
He also was happy to find out she was working with the police. With Charlie's confession and footage from the surveillance cameras in the lobby and the elevator, the authorities were able to apprehend Tyler and bring him into police custody.
Now Tyler and Charlie were waiting for their punishment to be doled out. While Charlie had been cooperating, she wasn't likely to get off scot-free. That didn't stop Rosalie from paying for a fancy, hot shot attorney to represent her.
"What's with all the food? Are we having a party I didn't know about?" Edward asked, puzzled with all the bags Emmett was dragging into the kitchen.
"No, but we have some news that needs celebrating," Rosalie bragged, her heels clacking against the floor. "Jasper and Alice are on their way up too."
Edward and Bella exchanged a look between them. "What news?" Bella inquired tersely.
She wasn't too pleased with Rosalie getting so chummy with Charlie. It felt like a betrayal even though Rosalie insisted she wasn't condoning what Charlotte did. She just felt obligated to help the lost teen girl.
As soon as the elevator dinged, announcing Alice and Jasper's arrival, the reason behind the impromptu gathering was revealed. "We're married!" Emmett and Rosalie gushed, simultaneously.
Edward's jaw went slack and Bella was taken aback.
"What?" Edward laughed, in disbelief.
There had been no talk of their wedding since Edward's shooting. Surely if they had gotten married, the best man, Edward, would have been there.
"Yeah, man, we decided that life is too short and that either one of us can be lying half dead in a hospital bed at any time, and we don't want to lie about our status like you, missy!" Emmett shook his finger at Bella, who hung her head.
"La la la, I'm not hearing any of this. I'm not interested in being fined for a privacy breach, guys," Jasper whined, holding a flower arrangement. Alice was hot on his tail, carrying a half opened cake box.
"Sorry, Jasper," Bella said, ashamed, peeking up at him through her bangs.
Jasper winked. "It's okay, dear. I'm sure if the situation were reversed, I'd do the same." He looked at Alice, lovingly.
"Congratulations!" Edward hugged Emmett and then gave a half hug to Rosalie. They were never going to be the best of friends, but she made his friend happy so he would do his best to try to get along.
"Congrats!" Bella chimed in, hugging them both.
Embry barked and ran to Alice, smelling Caius on her clothing. He knocked into her with such force that she landed on her butt. The cake was tossed midair and landed all over Alice.
"My hair!" Alice whined, "I just trimmed it." Cake coated every surface of her.
Jasper covered his mouth to stifle his laugh. Everyone else didn't even try to hide their laughter. Joy was much needed with this crew, even if it was at poor Alice's expense.
"Oh Bella, I can't believe it." Esme breathed into the phone. "They took him into police custody. I'm so worried about him." She sobbed, muffling herself on the other end of the phone. Esme was distraught that Carlisle was brought in for more questioning early this morning.
Bella and Esme had gotten close since the revelation that they wanted to adopt her came out. There was no use in crying over things that couldn't be changed, so they did the only thing they could do. They moved on and tried to form a relationship in a new way.
Bella loved having a mother figure to speak to. Edward beamed with pride that his pseudo aunt could give Bella a piece of what she was desperately missing.
"I'm so sorry, Esme." Bella inhaled sharply, looking at Edward and filling him in on Carlisle's arrest this morning.
"Edward's calling Felix," Bella updated Esme, biting her lip. She was worried about Carlisle's fate.
She'd gotten rather close to Carlisle as well, which had surprised her since Bella was still apprehensive around men she didn't know well. After all, she had many bad experiences with them.
Edward paced the bedroom as he stood on hold with Felix's secretary.
"Edward, I was just calling you. Are you home?" Felix barked, sounding jittery.
"Yeah?" Edward said, but it came out as more of a question.
"Turn on channel two," Felix demanded. It sounded like he was rustling through papers.
Edward mouthed "channel two" and Bella relayed the message to Esme as well. Edward flipped on the TV and turned to the correct channel.
"Investigators at the scene have ruled the cause of death to be an intentional drug overdose. Numerous bottles of Vicodin were found around the victim's body.
Theodore Robert Masen, better known as "Ted" Masen was found dead early this morning by first responders called to the scene by his maid.
Recently, Mr. Masen has been under investigation by the SEC for fraud and tax evasion. Rumor has it his position as CEO of Masen Point Financial was up for review with the board.
His death comes just weeks after the passing of his late wife Elizabeth "Liz" Masen who died from heart failure.
Eyewitness reports indicate that upon entry to the home, authorities found incriminating evidence against the Masens in the form of video recordings.
There is mounting proof of illegal business dealings and the formation of shell corporations as a means of tax evasion. The tapes are said to have been recorded by Mrs. Masen prior to her death in an effort to "make amends." Sources state that she goes into detail over how she and her husband planned to frame her brother-in-law, Carlisle Cullen, as a co-conspirator behind the fraud.
As if there weren't enough of a scandal against this family, their adopted son, Edward Masen, was shot earlier this month from a home invasion. Investigators are not sure if the crimes are connected but are going to explore every avenue until justice is served.
Detectives have ordered that Carlisle Cullen and long-time business partner of Mr. Masen and dean of Princeton University, Alistair Denali, to be taken into police custody pending further investigation into their involvement in this evolving situation.
We have been told that an official press conference is to be held this afternoon, so stay tuned to hear the latest.
Back to you, Jeanine.
"Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god," Esme kept repeating over the phone.
Bella's eyes widened as the news was being revealed. "Holy shit!" She covered her mouth with the palm of her hand.
Probably not the most sensitive thing to say about the news of Edward's adopted father committing suicide.
She chanced a glance at Edward, attempting to gauge his reaction. He placed his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him, wanting some support. "Wow," he said, breathless.
So many emotions crossed through Edward's mind.
Sadness. Shock. Grief. Guilt. Hurt.
But most importantly, relief.
He was relieved the hardest part of his life was over.
Edward's life was turned upside down when he was adopted. He desperately wanted to be wanted. He craved a family.
This blinded him from seeing his real family had been by his side all along.
Edward tightened his grip on Bella. He wasn't letting her go.
This was his second chance. A real chance.
A/N: Let me know your thoughts and predictions for these last two chapters. :)