2brown-eyes is the pre-reader.
Mistakes are mine.
Angela pulls the double doors shut as she leaves, and I hurry to turn on the faucet. It's a fancy dark bronze number with the handles and spout coming out of the wall. Water flows down the waterfall and spills into the tub to create a calming respite for my chaotic mind.
For a never used tub, everything a girl could want is stacked on glass shelves in a recess within arm's reach. Towels, washcloths, shampoo, conditioner, soap, bubble bath; you name it, it's there. I pour a small amount of the jasmine-scented bath wash into the warm water before eagerly pulling at the hem of my dress.
My back stings as the material pulls away, some parts clinging with dried blood as the glue. "Shit," I hiss, tugging extra firmly to release the cloth. Once the dress is off, I look over my shoulder to survey the mutilation in the mirror. I don't know what I expected, but it looks way worse.
"Damaged goods."
Tears fill my eyes as I sink into the bubbles, my back burning as the warm water races to soak away the dried blood. The idea that I'd attack Eleazar and run away is something I wasn't capable of considering. My life is fear. I've never known anything else, but I've also never been abused so callously. Charles Swan is a cold, calculating man who made me fear for my life, but he never had to hit me to get that across.
A quick knock sounds before the doors open and Angela rushes inside, carrying a fluffy white robe. She stops cold when she spots me wiping away my tears. I wish I would've had a moment to rewind and get myself together, but it is what it is.
I'm at their mercy now.
Her mouth pops open, but it takes her a minute to finally say something. "What in the hell?" She rushes over, dropping the robe on a nearby hook. "Who did this?" She reaches toward me but stops just short of touching the lash that curves over my shoulder and touches my clavicle.
"My fiancé." The tears rush forward again. "It's why I ran."
"Eleazar Denali." She doesn't say anything more, but her lips set into a thin line. "Here's you a robe. Take your time, and we'll talk more when you're done."
I don't know why, but her kindness makes me cry even harder. I bring my hands up and sink my body down, covering the nasty red marks as I bawl my heart out. I cry for all the times I've been used as a means to an end, and I cry for the life I could've had if I'd been born into any other family. I cry because, even after it all, I still miss my father and even Emmett a tiny bit.
I don't know how long it takes me to get myself together enough to wash my body and hair, but I finally do. It isn't until I wash between my thighs that I'm reminded that my most prized asset is forever gone. New tears burn, but I don't allow them to fall. Instead, I use that pain to push forward to what must be done.
Some way.
Somehow.
They will pay.
After entirely too long, I release the drain and grab two plush white towels. One goes around my hair and the other is used to dry my body before I slip into the oversized robe. It swallows me up and, as crazy as it sounds, makes me feel secure for the first time in a long time.
So secure, in fact, that I breeze out of the bathroom, assuming I'm still alone, only to be brought up short as the right Cullen, Edward, is seated in one of the club chairs. I freeze in place, my hand going to the opening at the top of the robe and pulling it closed so he won't see any of the damage that mars me.
"I-I'm s-sorry," I stutter, taking a deep breath. "I thought I was alone."
He stands, a towering presence in the room. "Let me see." It's not a question. It's a command that's wrapped in the velvet tones of his voice.
"I … I don't …" I can't find any words.
"It's not a request." He takes a step forward, and I take one back. "I'd much rather you be a willing participant."
I turn my back to him, taking a deep breath. Blowing it out, I drop the robe, allowing it to fall and settle on the upper curve of my butt. His intake of breath is audible in the silent room, and I fight to keep my trembling under control. Even though it's impossible, it feels as though the lashes are throbbing under his stare.
"Eleazar did this?" He's so close, I jump, pulling up the robe and spinning to face him.
"Yes." I keep my eyes on his tie. It's midnight blue with white pinstripes so thin you can barely see them.
He reaches out, and I fight hard not to flinch as he puts his finger under my chin and lifts my gaze to his. "He raped you."
I process his words, wondering if they're true. While I didn't consent, I also didn't refuse. It was expected, so I complied. "It's complicated."
"Rape isn't complicated, Isabella," he says, his eyes roaming to his bruise on my face. "You either consented or you didn't."
"I allowed it." I hold my head high, unwilling to be a victim. "I was prepared to please my fiancé."
"And the beating?" His jaw clenches so tightly that his cheek throbs. "Did you consent to that?"
"No," I answer honestly. "Which is why I returned the favor and ran for my life."
His fingers ghost the yellowing mark from my last encounter with him. "Do you consider this to be the same thing?"
"You did hit me," I reply, quivering on the inside.
"It was for your own good."
"I'm sure Eleazar would say the same thing."
His hand drops like I've burned him, and he turns to pace the floor in front of me. "That was cold, Isabella."
I wrap my arms around myself. "I'm sorry if the truth hurts."
He stops in his tracks, whipping to face me. "Don't mistake our kindness for something it isn't."
"I-I'm sorry," I say, realizing that I'm alienating one of the only people to help me. "This convinced my father I had nothing to do with my brother's death."
"And I'm sorry it was necessary." His tone is much softer now, so I breathe easier. "Tell me, Isabella, what is it you're looking for from us?"
"Protection." There's no hesitation on my part. The Cullens are probably the only family on Earth where I have a chance of living a free life. They have the means to protect me, but I can't be sure they'll have the will. "I just want a life where I'm not abused by a wrinkled old man until he keels over."
"I see." His expression is blank. "And how do you see the Cullen family being able to provide this?"
"I may be naïve when it comes to my family's business, but the one thing I do know is that, whatever it is, the Cullen family is their direct competition." I hold his impassive gaze as I speak, attempting to radiate a confidence I don't necessarily have. "Enemies, obviously, who they've been unable to rid themselves of, which means you're a very powerful family."
"And so, what?" He moves forward, circling around me as he speaks. "We'd just take you in, bring you into the fold, and treat you as one of us?"
My body trembles, but I lift my chin and hold my head high, refusing to cower before him. "Wouldn't that be a prize? To harbor the run-a-way daughter from your mortal enemy?"
"And it doesn't bother you in the least that I murdered your brother right in front of you?" Like a panther, he stalks me.
"No." My voice shakes slightly, but I stare directly into his challenging green eyes. "Escaping that hell means more than revenge for a man who treated me more as a possession than a sister."
"So an honorary Cullen, then?" His eyes spark with humor, and I don't like it.
"This is a serious matter," I snap, not willing to be toyed with. "My life is on the line."
"Forgive me, Isabella." All traces of emotion fade from his face, and now I wish I hadn't said anything at all. "I'm still not understanding what's in it for us."
"Me?"
"You?"
"Yes." I sigh, closing my eyes to center myself before making my final offer. "A Swan/Cullen marriage."
His brows rise into his hairline, and he huffs a laugh. "Why would we want that?"
"It would cement my position in the Cullen family." His mouth parts, but I hold up my hand. "Before you say something snide, take a moment to look at the bigger picture. My father promised me to Eleazar Denali in exchange for their help in dealing with our family nemesis." I wave my hand toward his taut body. "Now imagine their ire when a Cullen/Swan marriage is announced instead."
He doesn't outright deny my vision, so I hold my breath as he ponders my proposal. "And would any Cullen do for this arranged marriage, or did you have a specific one in mind?"
"I've already had one arranged marriage, so I'd like to think of this as something else." My mind runs a thousand miles a minute as I think on the fly. "This would require a strict agreement that's mutually beneficial."
"Oh?" He lifts a curious brow.
"Yes," I say, smiling as a better term comes to mind. "Let's call it a marriage pact."
"Marriage pact," he says, tasting the words on his tongue. He sets his curious gaze on me after a beat. "Between?"
I smile for the first time since I walked in to find him sitting in the room. "Us, of course."
Bella came with a plan!
I've written 2 since I posted last, so I'm able to give you this. I should see you again by Tues or Wed.
See you next week :)
