It felt undeniably weird to come home with David absent. But my heart sang as I surveyed the laid back, quiet white house with its mediterranean accents and tiled floors. Its tranquil garden, rippling pond and turquoise pool made me smile softly as I placed my bags in a pile in the hall. This felt like coming home.

Dobby came running to greet me, his tail wagging madly. I laughed and crouched down to give him kisses and scratches.

My gaze fell onto a large picture on the mantle of Rose and David on their wedding day.

"Was he very angry?" I asked, turning to face Rosalie.

She took off her sunglasses and placed them on the small table beside the front door and looked at me ruefully.

"Yes he was. Mad and sad. We've been together for over twenty years, you know, it was alot to lose."

I went to her and slid my arms around her neck. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she smiled. "It was worth it to get to this place in time- with you."

"Do your children know?"

"They only know that their father and I are separated."

I nodded. I knew that. No one was to know about our relationship until Rosalie was ready to reveal it to her family and ultimately her fans.

Rose leaned in and pressed a possessive kiss onto my mouth and I melted into her.

"We will work it out." She murmured, pulling back.

She took my hand and towed me with her towards the living room. She left me to open the sliding doors. Cool air rushed in and it felt wonderful on my warm skin.

I sat down on the plush sofa and watched Rosalie. Part of me was still reeling with disbelief. Was I really here with Rose? Alone. My heart leapt at the thought. I finally had her all to myself, I could barely contain my happiness, it flowed through me like warm, sticky honey, exhilarating and delicous.

There was an entire wall dedicated to pictures of David and their family. I didn't resent it, but I was curious.

Rose came to sit beside me, her hand finding it's way onto my leg with a familiarity which made my pulse leap.

"Why did he insist on being there when we were together?" I asked softly. It was a question I'd long been dying to ask.

Rose looked pensive and but her lower lip briefly. "Maybe because it was all he had of me and I gave it to you. He's been impotent for over a decade now and the only way we could be together was much the same as you and I are." She paused and I could sense she was wrestling with whether or not to tell me something. "I've always been distant - physically. I've never really enjoyed sex. Not until you. He never got to see me like that with him."

I smiled at her and reached out to stroke her face with my fingertips. I was entirely in awe of her. "Did you always know?"

Rosalie didn't even have to ask me what I meant. "Not until you. Maybe it's always been there, but you brought it to life. That need, the desire to have you, it was born the very first time I saw you in that cafe."

So it hadn't been one sided! My cheeks heated up and I knew I was blushing.

Damn.

Rose smiled at me, her face heart stoppingly beautiful. "Did you always know?"

I shook my head slowly. "I lied to myself for so long I believed it. That's why I eventually got a divorce. The lies were suffocating me. I just had to get away."

Rosalie leaned in and slowly framed my face with both her hands. They trembled slightly as she raised my face to hers. "I'm so fucking glad you decided to follow your dreams, beacuse they led you to me."

My heart was trembling as I leaned in and captured her plush lips, separating them with my tongue.

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.

"I want you in here with me, if that's okay?" Rose asked as she placed my bags on the floor in her room.

I surveyed the massive bed beside the huge low window which overlooked the lush garden. Its crisp white cotton bedding looked super soft and inviting. I suddenly imagined going to bed with Rose and not coming up for air until tomorrow or maybe even the next day.

"It's more than okay." I whispered, smiling at her.

Rose gazed at me, her fantastic eyes intense and a little fierce. My heart skipped a beat as she came towards me. Excitement gripped me and embarrassingly, I was panting a little.

Rosalie kissed me with fierce possessiveness which made my blood sing. Every part of me pulsed with need as the woman I loved kissed me senseless. I was alive in a way I'd never been except with her.

We fell and landed on the bed. The curtains were not drawn and the bright sunlight played hopscotch across the sheets as a light breeze danced through the trees and shrubbery beside the window causing the leaves to flutter. We undressed each other slowly, savouring each second.

There was no shyness nor hesitation between us. Bold daylight revealed all and our eyes ate it up ravenously. The dappled sunlight kissed out skin as we writhed together, straining to be closer, always more, never enough.

I whimpered as Rosalie's long, elegant and talented fingers pushed inside me, her body moving against mine in synch with her hand. I touched every inch of her I could reach, exploring texture and satin smoothness, the scent of her skin beneath my nose and the taste of her on my tongue.

We were addicts together, getting high on each other. With no witnesses or prying eyes our intimacy knew no bounds and we drowned in each other. What a magical, happy death! I'd never been this happy and connected with another human being.

My fingers toyed with her slippery warmth and I sunk my fingers into her with painstakingly slow, breath stealing enjoyment. Her gasp and shiver of delight fuelled my own arousal.

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.

Things moved rapidly where Chloe was concerned. Rosalie sent an email to Scott, requesting a meeting and she even provided him with plane tickets for him and Chloe.

The result was a bewildered and angry Scott turning up at Rosalie's house a week later, without Chloe. Any hopes I'd had of seeing my daughter were dashed and I felt bereft.

The meeting was more uncomfortable than the divorce itself. Of course we didn't tell him about our involvement with each other. That would have sent him over the edge.

"I won't agree to joint custody." He stated, right off the bat, as soon as we were seated in our small office.

"Our terms are simple enough." Rosalie said, her tone impersonal and firm. "We never mentioned joint custody."

I sat beside her, in awe of her attitude and faintly aroused by this show of strength. She was intimidating and I liked it far more than I should. I was indisputably glad that she was on my side. I silently admired her formidable demeanour. Rosalie's short, almost severe haircut only served to accentuate her beautiful face, full, feminine lips and piercing ocean blue eyes. I was so proud of her.

There was an uneasy silence and Scott took in my new hair style and clothes with a sneer. I knew that I would appear vastly changed to him. I no longer tried to hide who I was from anyone. Here I was known and accepted. I raised my chin at his scrutiny and returned his stare.

"LA seems to agree with you, Bella." He said, managing to make the comment come off as an insult. I cringed at his use of my other nickname, the one I never used because my father had always called me that when he'd been angry, which had been frequently.

"You're not having her." He told me and I felt my heart begin to crack. He was going to fight this, just as I'd suspected he would. He would fight just to spite me.

Rosalie saw my pain and her jaw tightened.

"Don't fuck with me." She said to Scott, her tone icy and unemotional. I stared at her, shocked. She was truly scary like this.

Scott swallowed hard and gestured towards me, annoyance clearly written on his face.

"She left! She gave up any rights she had when she got on that plane."

Rosalie stared at him, a small smile twisting her lips. It wasn't a pleasant smile. A shiver of alarm slithered down my spine.

Scott shifted uncomfortably in his chair, clearly intimidated and desperate not to show it.

"Izzy did not give up her right to her child. She simply left to re-start her life, as many people do after a divorce, and now she is fully prepared to resume her role as a mother to her daughter."

"Who are you?" Scott ground out. "Why am I speaking to you instead of to Bella?"

I cringed. "It's Izzy," I reminded him. "Always has been and always will be."

Rosalie tapped her short manicured nails against her desk. "I'm Izzy's boss, we've become friends. I'm helping her wherever I can."

"Are you a lawyer?" He asked.

"No, I'm not. I had hoped to keep this out of the courts and friendly. But if you prefer, I'll call my lawyers and we can rearrange this meeting for a few days from now?"

" Lawyers? How many do you have?" Scott sounded flabbergasted. It was clear he did not know who Rosalie was. He'd not done his research, I thought smugly.

Rose leaned back in her chair, her gaze unwavering as she stared him down. "In my line of work I frequently need legal representation and therefore I have a team of lawyers to whom I pay a retainer." She paused. "And just to be clear - we don't want joint custody. We want full custody."

Scott spluttered, his face going a weird pruce colour. "I will never allow that."

Rosalie inclined her head in acknowledgement of his comment while she picked up the desk phone and dialed a number rapidly.

"John? Yes, that's right. I'll need you to set up a formal meeting between Mr Travers and us as soon as you can arrange it. That's fine. Thank you."

Scott stared at her in shock. "I have nowhere to stay."

"That will be no problem. I'll have a room made ready for you at the Hilton and a car to take you there." Rosalie's tone was dismissive. I stood up and went to my desk, ignoring Scott completely.

I dialed the Hilton and arranged a room for him as well as a taxi. A few other calls came in while I was at my desk and I took each one with a detached, efficient and friendly tone I'd perfected while working with Rose.

We walked him out when his taxi arrived, keeping a careful distance between us. I had to focus to avoid reaching for her hand, which had become so natural for us.

As soon as the gates swung closed Rose closed the distance between us and kissed me.

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"You've been nominated!" I exclaimed, reading Rosalie's personal emails, as she'd asked me to do. It was eight thirty in the morning and we were both still half asleep.

She paused mid sip and lowered her cup of steaming black coffee to stare at me.

"Your film, Ro, it's been nominated and so have you!"

A small smile tugged at her lips. "The Oscars?" She asked.

I nodded and jumped up to kiss her. "I'm so proud of you!"

"It doesn't mean I'll win, you know. It just means we've been invited."

"We?" My heart stopped beating for a split second and then raced away at breakneck speed.

"Of course. I want you there with me."

"What do we have to organise?" I asked, as nerves threatened to choke me.

"Our outfits and makeup and an acceptance speech, just in case." Rose looked amused. "Breathe, Izzy! It's just another glitzy ceremony."

"But it's the Oscars!" I breathed.

Rose laughed.