A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the love and support. Y'all are amazing!

Special thank you to Mel Cee for betaing~I'm so lucky for her!

A few of you commented on how Bella didn't mention the letter/ the way Ted and Liz treated her, I promise there's a reason for this. I think after this chapter you will see a little of why...

Again, thank you for reading and I can't wait to hear your thoughts. This chapter sets a lot of things into motion;)

Shoutout to the amazing firefighters and EMS workers of West Virginia, who read this story and are so supportive. They are dealing with their town being flooded and need our positive vibes:)

I don't own Twilight or any music I suggest, just my plot;)


Sunday morning in Manhattan equaled brunch. It was customary.

The brunch crowd was ravenous. All Hale the Kale was famous for their ribeye steak and eggs special. Rosalie purposely didn't open the restaurant until late into the brunch hours because the demand was higher if you kept people from what they wanted.

As a result, there was a line down the block of people waiting for the popular establishment to open.

The sound of wine glasses clinking filled the silence of the restaurant as Bella and Alice polished them for the upteenth time, just trying to make it through another tedious brunch.

Bella paid special attention to this one water spot that she just couldn't get off a champagne flute. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the text she'd gotten at six o'clock this morning.

"Good morning, gorgeous! I'd love to take you out to dinner tonight or whenever you're free during the week. Missed you at the flea market yesterday btw."

Peter was certainly persistent and charming at times, but Bella had been thinking about ending it with him for a while. Sure, on paper he was a great guy. A guy millions of girls would kill for. But she realized she wasn't ready to date someone who wasn't him. It made no sense to her because even though Bella had yelled at Edward last night, she was still hung up on him. They had a magnetic pull toward one another that couldn't be explained. But still that didn't mean they were meant to be.

Bella's pondering was interrupted when the pair heard footsteps approaching. Bella straightened her spine, thinking it was either Heidi or Rosalie coming to complain about the wrinkles in the tablecloth in the corner by section two. Since Bella had accepted her job back, she had tried to stand up for herself more, so she was ready to have it out with Rose over her nitpicking if necessary.

Alice, on the other hand, stood there silently, looking at whoever was in front of her. Bella was surprised as this was a first. Alice usually would start some kind of song and dance, enjoying riling Rose up. Bella peeked up and was shocked to find the green-eyed boy who had just consumed her thoughts staring at her, a sad look on his face.

Bella observed the dark purple circles underneath Edward's eyes, indicating he probably hadn't slept since she'd left his apartment. Not that he ever was good at sleeping…

Bella took a deep breath and returned to her busy work.

Alice cleared her throat loudly, and when Bella looked at her, she widened her eyes and gestured with her head in his direction, urging her to talk to Edward.

Edward gently smiled at Alice's candor and greeted her with a nod and a quiet, "Alice."

Alice smiled meekly, unsure how to help. Coming up with nothing more she could do, she excused herself. "I'm going to go check on that thing in the back, you know…" Not waiting for a response from Bella, she ran out of sight.

Bella scoffed. "Unbelievable," she muttered loud enough for Edward to hear.

"Bella, we need to talk. You dropped a fucking bomb on me last night and left," Edward demanded, searching for any bit of hope. He still loved her so much. He had to know if she felt the same. He had to know once and for all if it—if they—were even still a possibility. Or if she had really meant it last night when she told him that he needed to let her go.

"There's nothing to talk about, Edward. I think I was pretty clear last night," Bella said flippantly, putting all of her strength into getting the mark out of the wine glass.

Her hands began to tremble as Edward moved closer to the bar.

"I didn't come here to fight, Bella. I just—I just want you to understand that I never meant to hurt you. I had no idea. Hell, I had no idea about a lot of things it seems. But there is something that I was absolutely certain about. I always knew that I loved you. That I love you." He looked at her square in the eye, waiting for her response. He didn't really expect her to say it back, but he wanted her to know his truth as well. It was only fair.

Bella had waited so long to hear him say those words again. It felt like the very first time he'd said them. It would be too easy for her to continue to play pretend, to say them back to him, to go on thinking that everything was okay. But she knew that wasn't right, that she couldn't falter. It wouldn't be fair to either of them to go on like that had been. Not when there was still so much he didn't know.

Bella had come to realize that Edward would always have an unshakeable love and admiration for his adopted parents. Despite how much they had hurt her, she didn't want to taint the image Edward had of them. Especially when she wasn't sure he'd believe her—he hadn't the last time she'd been brave enough to try to broach the subject. He'd told her she was confused after all. Besides, if they couldn't be together, he deserved this, at the very least. A fair chance at the family he'd always wanted and the one she would never have.

Bella felt the tears welling in her eyes, so she took a deep breath. She swallowed the heaviness in her chest and muttered, "I didn't want to hurt you. I just wanted you to know the truth." Her words echoed the sentiment she was trying to convey yesterday. "And thank you by the way." She looked him in the eyes, dying inside a little as she saw the anguish there.

He appeared defeated, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders and he couldn't bear to hold it all any longer.

"For?" Edward implored, just wanting to talk to her more. She was calmer now at least.

"Getting my job back." Bella's lips turned upwards slightly, very slightly. Edward noticed and kicked himself as he wondered why he wasn't more observant when things mattered. He internally cursed himself as he went through his list of 'would have, could have, and should have.'

"You're welcome. Is that all you have to say?" Edward pleaded with his eyes, resting his left hand on the bar stool in front of him. He was ready to beg her to say anything and everything.

She walked around the counter so that the bar was a barrier between the two of them. Bella returned to the pretense of cleaning a wine glass, her back to Edward. She was silent in fear of revealing her true feelings knowing that they would get them nowhere. It wouldn't change where they were at this point. They might take them back to their fated car ride, but things weren't good back then, so why hash all that back up? In the end, none of it mattered. Once his parents found out they were back together, they would never approve. Which was fine by her because frankly, Bella didn't want them in her life either. Which was why she did the only thing she knew how given the situation—she lied.

"Bella—" Edward started again, finding strength in her eyes and renewed hope for their future. A future he always wanted with her.

"I loved you…so much. But I meant what I said last night. You really have to let me go. I can't—" Bella's voice broke. She set the wine glass down, bracing herself on the counter.

"Loved? You loved me? As in, you don't anymore?" Edward's voice cracked on the last word. He honestly couldn't believe this was it. Not after all they'd gone through growing up. After they had been given a second chance. A chance to fix things and move forward, stronger than ever. This couldn't be how their story ended. Heartbroken wasn't even the right word for what he was feeling.

He never imagined that this would be their end.

Bella shook her head, not bothering to turn around. It would be too painful to have to see her words sink in, to have to put on a brave face as she watched his heart shatter so that it matched hers. Instead, she picked the glass back up, fiddling with it in her still trembling hands.

"Bella, please. Turn around," Edward demanded, fisting the edge of the bar for support.

Bella shook her head again, still scrubbing the same wine glass, her back to Edward. "No."

"No?" Edward asked, begging her not to be saying no to what he thought she was. Anything but this.

"No, I don't love you like that anymore." Bella paused to gather her thoughts. "I'll always love you in my own way. Just not like that." Bella choked the words out, tears streaming down her face.

"Wow. Okay." Edward blew out the breath he was holding, threading his fingers through his hair. "God." He closed his eyes, moisture gathering at the corners. Now it was his turn for the tears to fall.

"Just go. Please," Bella repeated, desperation for him to get out of there evident in her tone. She couldn't let him see her like this. She couldn't afford to break down in front of him.

Edward nodded even though she couldn't see him. "For what it's worth, I'll always love you, Bella," he murmured, sincerely, dying inside at the thought that this was really it.

Edward waited a moment, his hands pressed against the polished wood. He waited for anything and everything, but nothing changed. He was still staring at Bella's frame, her back to him. The only thing that was different was that she was clutching the counter. Wine glass in the sink now since she'd given up pretending to clean the stupid thing.

"Goodbye, Bella," he whispered. When she failed to reply, Edward walked out of the door with his heart in his hand, a part of him broken wide open.

"Goodbye, Edward," Bella said to the empty restaurant.

Alice came out from where she was eavesdropping.

"Oh, Allie!" Bella wrapped her arms around her neck, sobbing into her. "I can't believe I just did that."

"Do you love him?" Alice asked hesitantly, not wanting to be the cause of any more distress for her.

Bella nodded, tears clouding her vision. She couldn't control them, and they kept pouring. What a time to lose control.

"Then why did you just do that?" Alice pondered aloud, confused by her friend's actions.

"Because even though I love him, I can't be what he needs. I don't belong in his world. I don't belong anywhere. I don't belong—with him. I can't…" Bella trailed off. The point was clear—she wouldn't ruin his life anymore. The dirty stain was finally cleaned from his life.

"Oh honey! Where there's love, there's always a way. You belong." Alice reassured her, wrapping her arm around Bella's shoulders, setting the dish towel that was there down on the bar.

"No I don't. I'm just as unwanted now as when I was a child." Bella sniffled into Alice's neck.

"Ludicrous. You belong right here." Alice engulfed her in a bear hug. "Anyone who makes you feel like otherwise is losing out on the best thing that will ever happen to them."

Bella stepped back and gave her an annoyed look.

"It's the truth, Bella. There's nobody more loyal, kind, and loving, and if people can't see that, then they can go fuck themselves." They laughed together. Alice's New York temper was coming out again. "And besides, they will have to deal with me if they can't figure it out. It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay. I promise," Alice reasoned, hoping and praying that she was right. These two kids deserved happiness.


Edward roamed the streets of New York for at least an hour before ending up in front of his apartment building. Kebi was again nowhere to be found. Must be some guy, Edward thought as he rolled his eyes and made a mental note to call the building manager on Monday.

Embry greeted Edward as soon as the elevator doors opened, barking and wagging his tail. Edward bent down to pet his beloved dog, and after rustling his fur, he made a mental note to take him to the vet for grooming.

The old dog hadn't acted this happy in a long time. Must have been from seeing Bella yesterday. Too bad Edward couldn't say the same.

Edward went to his liquor cabinet and pulled out the bourbon he had received as a gift from some swag bag at a party. He wasn't much of a drinker, especially not when he was alone, but now seemed as good a time as any to start. His thoughts spiraled as he recounted what had just transpired.

Bella. She didn't love him. Not like that. Not anymore. Not like he loved her.

"Fuck. Why does this have to hurt so fucking much?" Edward punched the wall, bruising his knuckles in the process.

He backed away from the wall, from anything that was destructible. Glass in hand, Edward made his way to the safe in his bedroom. He disarmed it and pulled out Bella's locket, the one he'd given her when they were sixteen, the one he had kept all these years. Opening and seeing the words engraved in it sent Edward further into a state of pity. He mourned the fact that she would never get to read those words, the ones he had spent hours perfecting, the ones he had been waiting for the right moment to share with her. He closed it and placed it back into the safe. Even with her words of finality, he couldn't bring himself to get rid of it. Making his way to the armchair in the living room, he slumped down into it, careful not to spill his drink. Embry settled down on the loveseat across from him and plopped his head down, settling in for a nap.

"What a life!" Edward grumbled, taking another sip of the bourbon.

This pity party continued for the rest of the day and well into the night.

It was a little after seven the next morning when Edward's phone started ringing incessantly. Edward raised his head from its reclined position on the armchair and grabbed the phone on the floor beside him. He squinted to see the name, the morning light and hangover wearing on him. His stomach roiled with a mix of nausea and anxiousness.

Emmett.

"Hello," Edward croaked out, sounding like a chain smoker.

"Yo, Ed! You gotta get down to Masen Point now. And don't talk to anyone until you get inside your office. I'll be here waiting."

What. The. Fuck. Emmett never got to the office before Edward, and he certainly never gave a shit about his tardiness.

"Emmett, there better not be another stripper in my office. I'm not in the fucking mood." Edward spat the words, realizing how late he was a workaholic who typically lived at the office. Fuck Ted was gonna have his ass on a silver platter.

"Edward! That was one time, and it was your birthday. Stop being such a fucking prude. He was very kind and generous with his time." Emmett chuckled on the other end of the phone, remembering the good times.

"Fuck you! I'll see you in twenty." Edward hung up the phone, jumped up, and headed to his bedroom. He spun around the room like a tornado, trying to get ready as quickly as possible. He typed out a message to his driver, letting him know he was running late.

He filled Embry's food bowl and went for the elevator, probably forgetting files he needed in his haste to get out of the apartment. But he really didn't give a shit. It was not like his job was curing cancer or something meaningful like a school counselor like he'd wanted to become when he was younger. No, he had become part of the greed that he had hated growing up.

Edward got into the waiting town car with a brief greeting to Randall. He hung his head as they took off down the street, trying to avoid looking out the window and adding to his nausea.

A hop, skip, and a jump later, Edward stood in front of the tall building that he had started to loathe entering each day. Nothing had been what he signed up for, that was for sure.

He contemplated going to the coffee shop on the corner, but he remembered the urgency in Emmett's voice, and against his better judgment, walked toward the building's doors.

With a nod to the receptionist and a mental note to hire an assistant who could get him coffee, he rode the elevator to his department's floor.

When the doors opened, he found Emmett waiting for him, briefcase in tow. Instead of his jovial disposition, Emmett seemed on edge, nervous even. Fuck, maybe Emmett needed a stripper.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine," Emmett grumbled as Edward walked right past him toward his corner office without so much as a "hello."

As soon as they were both inside and the door was closed behind them, Edward looked at Emmett expectantly, waiting to hear what was so fucking important.

When Emmett didn't speak and started pacing the room, Edward sat at his desk and took a pen from the cup and threw it at him, grazing his shoulder.

Emmett grimaced, not from Edward's assault but from the news he had to share. This wasn't celebratory news.

"What the fuck is going on?" Edward asked, losing his patience.

He started digging in his desk drawers for a bottle of ibuprofen. When he came up short, he leaned back and threw his arms up in frustration, succumbing to the headache.

"Well, you know how I told you that I had to tell you something last week? I forgot…" Emmett goaded, "I really shouldn't have. It was important, but I've been so wrapped up in Rosie, and I think we're going to take the next step soon…" He trailed off, looking down at his feet, ashamed he could forget something that should have taken precedence.

Edward clapped his hands together, trying to get Emmett to stay on track. "What did you need to tell me?" Edward said through gritted teeth, his head still pounding from the copious amounts of bourbon he drank last night. This conversation was so not helping with the ache forming between his temples.

"Right. Well, you see…" Emmett was nervous about what he had to tell Edward, given that he was the boss' son, but he reminded himself this was Edward and their friendship came first. "Ted came by my office last month and asked me to work

on a project for this sister company he said he acquired a few years back. He told me that it was urgent and asked me not to tell anyone what I was working on. I just figured he didn't want Masen Point's competitors finding out that he had this company. But as I crunched the numbers and did some digging, things didn't add up. I couldn't find any public records for this company, Cullen Industries," Emmett explained, and he blew out a breath.

"So he doesn't really have a sister company?" Edward inquired, too hungover to process all of this.

Emmett shook his head. "That's the thing…He does have assets tied up into this. I can see the wire transfers." Emmett went into his briefcase and pulled out a file, handing it to Edward over the desk. "But the person's name on most of the documents is Carlisle. Ted's name appears as an investor, just like the forty other people in the portfolio. The location of the bank was a tip-off and struck me as odd."

Edward took a minute to think about what Emmett had just divulged, hung up on the fact that Cullen was Carlisle's last name. Why would Ted have a secret company and give money to his brother-in-law who he couldn't stand? Edward looked through the file, scanning the pages, willing them to say something different then what he was concluding.

Emmett shuffled apprehensively, waiting for Edward to say what he was assuming all of this meant.

Edward looked to the location of the bank where the deposits were transferred to. Cayman Islands. You didn't have to be a genius to figure out any of this.

Edward slammed his fist against the desk in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me. Why would he do this? "

Emmett winced. "Yeah, I didn't understand all of it at first. But I knew it something seemed off, so this past week since Rosie's been working a lot, I had some time to look it over. Once I saw the Caymans, I started to realize that it was probably a shell company. The hidden money, the fake names, Cullen. It just started to add up."

Edward jumped out of his chair and turned to look out the glass windows. "Not to mention Ted hates Carlisle, and to want to give him all that power is out of character itself. What a fucking prick. To set your own family up like that?"

Emmett nodded. "So what are you going to do? I know how much you look up to Ted, but you have to admit this shit is fucked up, Ed, even for him. I mean, if shit goes down, Carlisle will take the heat for it all, and Ted can play the victim. That's just evil."

He dug into his briefcase, pulling out another file. "Here's the rest of the information. I haven't looked through it yet."

Ted purposely chose Emmett probably thinking he was too boneheaded to notice the discrepancies. While, Emmett was fun-loving, he wasn't dumb.

Edward shook his head and muttered thanks to his long-time friend, disgusted with his adopted father. This was a man who spoke of hard work and dedication. He clearly wasn't working hard, and he clearly had zero integrity or loyalty.

Edward had worked his ass off and completed all of what was asked of him by his parents. He felt obligated after being adopted by such a wealthy, affluent family. But now to learn what Ted really stood for—he was fuming, so fucking pissed at all the bullshit he was put through. And for what? A company with a CEO who was dipping into illegal shit and framing his brother-in-law in the process?

No wonder Ted had been so adamant about Edward taking over as CFO. If Ted replaced Carlisle, Carlisle would seem like a disgruntled employee who stole from Masen Point if Cullen Industries were to be discovered. I was all so messed up. What type of person did that to their family? If Ted was capable of this, Edward wondered what else he was capable of. What else had he done up until this point? Was Masen Point even legit? Could Edward be implicated in any of this? And was anything real anymore?

These questions ran rampant in Edward's mind as he frantically walked back to his desk, hoping to look through the files more closely.

His stomach sank as he was hit with the realization that so much of what Bella had said throughout the years was probably true. If only he had believed her and truly listened to her.

Emmett lay down on the couch, huffing as he attempted to get comfortable. "So what are you gonna do now?"

Well that was a loaded question if there ever was one.

Edward turned to look at Emmett. "For starters, get up, this isn't your bed! And I have no fucking idea. If I confront him, he will probably just deny it." He pulled at the ends of his hair.

"Well, I mean, those papers are pretty damning, and we can try and dig up some other shit to strong-arm him with the statements of transfers?" Emmett suggested, straightening his body on the couch. He was proving his usefulness.

"That's good!" Edward wagged his finger in his friend's direction and wiggled the computer's mouse to jolt it out of sleep mode. He began logging into a few banks that he had access to, seeking out more evidence of his adopted father's deceptions.

"Is this a bad time to tell you that I'm going to propose to Rosie?" Emmett blurted out, wincing from another pen being thrown at his head this time.


Charlotte wandered around the dead end street, stopping in front of a rundown house. The shutters were falling off, the aluminum siding was discolored, and the wooden porch was sinking. She was in Newark, and its reputation preceded itself and definitely not in a good way.

She knocked on the broken screen door, waiting for an answer. Charlie heard catcalls from the group of older guys sitting across the street. A shiver ran through her, and she knocked again more incessantly.

She should have the sense to leave, but she had a need that only the person behind the door was able to fulfill, or so she thought.

The door opened slowly to reveal none other than Tyler. Charlie's not-so-ex-boyfriend.

Charlie threw her body at him, wrapping her arms around him for a hug. He wrapped one arm around her, keeping his lit joint in his other hand.

"Oh thank goodness you're home. I missed you. I can't believe I haven't seen you in so long. Thank you for helping me." She looked up at him through her eyelashes, batting them twice. Tyler leaned down to peck her on the mouth, mainly to get her to stop talking a mile a minute. He quickly pulled away when he remembered his annoyance over being inconvenienced on Saturday morning. And for what? Two idiots that Charlie pretended were family. He should've stuck with their breakup status, but he figured he'd wait a while longer.

"Yeah, yeah. I still don't see why those two assholes are worth your time. They ain't family," Tyler muttered, taking a hit of the joint in his hand.

Charlie maneuvered out of his grip. "Well they are to me! You should've seen them, Ty. They are so lost without each other. Just miserable. I guess that's what love does." She smiled fondly at the older guy who stole her heart.

He looked away and mumbled, "Yeah." Never saying the words back to her.

"My plan wasn't foolproof, but you played a great part. They really believed we broke up. Like anything can break us." She chuckled, not noticing Tyler's eye roll. "The Academy award goes to Mr. Crowley," Charlie fake-announced, snorting at her joke. She thanked her lucky stars she knew how to cry on command.

He gestured for her to sit down on the discolored lawn chair as he took a seat in the mismatched one next to her, holding onto the joint as though it was a pacifier. The catcallers were now walking past the house, having grown quiet once they saw Tyler. Charlie gave them a dirty look as they glanced in her direction.

"But isn't he like mega rich? He can get anybody to fuck him! All he has to do is flash some cash." Tyler spat, swatting a bug away from him.

"It isn't only about that. They are each other's soulmates. Like Romeo and Juliet. Well, maybe not them. They die, right? You know what I mean," Charlie insisted as Tyler shrugged his shoulders. He had enough of her babbling. All these bitches seemed to want to do was talk.

"I need to figure out another way to bring them together," Charlie reasoned, thinking of the possibilities, holding her breath from the smell of marijuana. It made her nauseated.

"Leave me the fuck out of it this time," Tyler warned, giving her a stern look. Last thing he wanted was to be calling her early again or any other crazy notion she put in her head. "Besides you owe me for last time already."

It was a good thing Charlotte didn't scare easily because anybody else would have been frightened by the venom in his voice. Question was if it was a good or bad thing?

"Sure. Sure," Charlie dismissed, walking over to his chair and sitting on his lap.

"No, I mean it. You gotta make that shit up to me." Tyler's mood changed as he grinned a Cheshire Cat smile. "I got a few ideas…" He trailed off, grabbing her ass, lifting them both off the chair, and pulling her inside the dingy house.