A/N: Due to the holiday this week, I most likely won't be able to post later in the week. So, I decided to give you all the chapter today! Diving into Edward's story a little more, and the witch he's married to. Enjoy? LOL

Chapter 3 – EPOV

I was dreading going home the entire day. It was Friday, which meant I would have two uninterrupted days with Kate. She was always looking at the unexpected, wanting to shock me with plans or trips. I remembered a time when I found it exciting, but now I just dreaded it. Every cell in my body was rebelling against being with her.

As it turned out, I had nothing to fear. When I got home, she was walking out of the bedroom with a bag packed. I looked at it, and then glanced at her.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Tonya's dad gave us the cabin. I thought it could be fun to head up there for a few days."

Tonya's rich father had a cabin in British Columbia, and they went there often. The cabin wasn't like roughing it in anyway; it was located on the grounds of a large spa and luxury hotel. There were around twenty cabins spread throughout several acres of land, all within easy walking distance of the pool, salon and many fancy restaurants.

Relief that I wouldn't have to deal with her, or with breaking to her the impending divorce, I smiled at her. "That sounds like fun. I hope you both have a wonderful time."

"Thanks, Eddie," she said, smiling up at me as she stepped closer. Her arms wound around me, and I put mine around her, knowing I couldn't do anything else. "Can you do me a really big favor?"

Based on what she called me, I knew what was coming. "What do you need, Katie?"

"Can you give me some spending money?"

"What about your credit card? I just cleared it for you."

"Yeah, well, I had to buy things for the trip! I need more or I won't have any money to spend while I'm up there!"

I closed my eyes in frustration. More of my inheritance going down the drain. My grandparents had left me plenty, but I worried that she was going to spend every last dime of it before we had children, or bought a house. Then, I realized something.

"Sure thing, Katie. I'll clear your credit card again, yeah? That way you can use it while up there."

"Thank you, Edward!" She reached up and kissed me quickly, before turning around and grabbing her bag. "Tonya is going to be here soon, so I'm going to go down and wait for her. Have a fun weekend!"

Without saying anything else, I watched her walk out of the condo, shutting the door firmly behind her. From experience, I knew that meant I wouldn't see her for at least a week. Excited, instead of annoyed as I had always been before, I walked back into the kitchen to find something to eat. I wouldn't have to stick to any diets that she's currently on, or worry about avoiding sex, or be forced to go out to clubs with her friends. Instead, I could just enjoy the time to myself.

I ate my dinner and reflected on my realization from earlier. Because I was ending the marriage, I no longer had to worry about her sucking all of my inheritance. Soon, I would be able to spend money on Bella, and possibly our future children and future home. That made me happier than I thought possible, and I focused on it through the evening.

I wanted to text Bella, make sure that she was ok, but I didn't know if it was ok to do that. I didn't want her husband seeing my text and wondering why we were talking over the weekend. It made me feel guilty, like the cheater that I was. For the millionth time since I'd fallen in love with Bella, I wished that I had someone to talk to about the whole situation.

I suppose I could call Alice. She had seemed the most likely to accept this turn of events. I knew Emmett wouldn't, and I didn't dare call my parents. Unfortunately, over the years of being forced to do mostly what Kate wanted, I had lost contact with the majority of my friends. Some had faded by the end of college, but most had moved on and away from Seattle. Kate and her group had mostly stayed intact here, so we spent the majority of our time with them. Well, Kate did, and I spent time by myself or with my siblings.

Sure, I had a few buddies at the bar I would go to now and then. But we weren't close. I couldn't confide in any of them. They were more 'chat while drinking' kind of friends; locals, who were always at the bar when I showed up.

Bella solved my problem for me, though. She texted me just after I had finished cleaning up from dinner.

Bella: I'm telling him tomorrow.

Me: So soon?

Bella: I don't want to wait a second longer. It's going to take a while to sink into his thick head anyway.

Me: Are you nervous?

Bella: About telling him? Hell yeah. About leaving him? Hell NO

I chuckled, reading her text. I loved this woman so much; with her spunky attitude, constant jokes even in high stress situations, and...well, really, just everything about her.

Me: Just be careful, ok? I want the woman I love back in my arms as fast as possible.

Bella: LOL, I know. I will be. Like I said, it will take a while to sink into him that I'm serious. I've threatened this before, so I'm sure he won't believe me right away.

Through the course of the next few days, she proved to be correct. She would text me now and then telling me how she told him she wanted out, and he just waved her off, or scoffed at her telling her to grow up. There were many times that I had wanted to fly down there and beat the crap out of this asshole for treating her the way that he did. But I respected Bella's wish to handle it on her own.

By the following weekend, though, with Kate's return impending for later that day, I was desperate to fly down there. Bella texted me in the morning, saying that he had finally gotten what she had been saying all week. She explained how he was yelling and throwing things – though, not at her, thankfully – and that she was packing her things to leave.

I had to restrain myself, calming quickly, knowing that Kate would be home any minute. I didn't want her coming home to a panicked look on my face and then having to explain it. I texted with Bella as long as I could, before Kate walked in the front door. She looked happy, with her hair styled, nails done, and what looked like a brand-new outfit on. With the revolving door of clothing she had, though, I couldn't be sure.

"Welcome back, Katie. Did you and Tonya have fun?"

"Oh, Edward. It was so wonderful! We had the best time. Tonya's father paid for us to have the luxury spa treatment while we were there. I haven't felt this relaxed in years!" She walked over and pulled me down, kissing me hard. "I missed you."

Stifling myself from leaning away from her, I kissed her back lightly. "I missed you, too," I lied easily. "I'm glad that you had a good time."

"The cleaners will be here within an hour. Just enough time," she grinned up at me, running her tongue along her upper lip.

"Cleaners?" I asked, distracted by thinking of an excuse to get out of sleeping with her.

My distracted brain is what got me out of it. "Yes, cleaners. You realize that tomorrow is my mother's birthday party, right?" She took a step back, glaring at me. "We planned the party together! Don't tell me you forgot!"

That's exactly what I'd done. With everything that had happened with Bella, I'd completely forgotten my mother-in-law's party at our house the next day. I would normally have felt really guilty, but since her anger meant I didn't have to fake a reason why I couldn't sleep with her, I rolled with it.

"Your mother's party? For what?" I lied, smiling to myself.

"Her birthday, Edward!" Kate put her hands on her hips. "You don't forget stuff like that, what the hell is wrong with you?"

That was all it took. She was angry with me the rest of the day, not speaking and glaring every time she passed me. I hung out in my office while the cleaners were there, so I could stay out of their way and also avoid Kate. Bella hadn't texted me back and I was desperate to know if she had gotten out of there and was safe. I didn't want to text her first, though, just in case for some reason he had her cell.

Kate didn't say anything when I came in the bedroom to go to sleep, so I just laid down and tried in vain to rest. I was agitated about not hearing from Bella, and I really didn't want to be in the same bed as Kate. I couldn't think of a reason to move to the couch, though. Even with her being angry at me it was something I had just never done. I had to wait until after the party to tell her, otherwise I would ruin it for her mother.

By the next morning, Kate was more focused on the party than on being mad at me. She kissed me on the cheek as she ran out to the grocery store to get the food we needed. Somehow, she had talked me into helping her with the food and decorations. I was drinking coffee when I got a text from Bella.

Bella: Do you have the time to call me? Is she back yet?

I immediately picked up my cell and called her. "Bella? Are you ok?"

I heard her sigh. "I was going to tell you that I was fine; safe at Angela's house..."

"What happened?" I asked through gritted teeth. That bastard did something, I knew it.

"He was mad, right? We knew he would be. I got the first load of my stuff to my car, and it sounded like he was still in the garage." She huffed a laugh. "My mistake was going back inside. I was trying to get my work monitor...so dumb. At first, he was being really reasonable. We talked about how we would separate the furniture and everything."

"Baby, what did he do?"

She sighed again. "When I told him that I had slept with someone else, he..." she was silent for a few moments. I wanted to press her, but I also was afraid of what she was going to say. "He punched me right in the face."

My eyes widened, and I flew off the chair. I started pacing thinking about how quickly I could get down to her. If I told Kate as soon as she got back, I could pack a bag and fly down to her tonight. I could afford a hotel for a few weeks until she was ready to move, that was the easy part. We could stay together in the hotel, look for houses to live in, and be happy. Best of which, she would be protected if the asshole did anything. And, if he did anything, I would be there to kill the son of a bitch.

"Edward?" Bella asked in a small voice.

"I'm going to kill him. I'm going to fly down there and kill him." I was completely enraged. If I ever got my hands on her husband, I would kill him. There was no doubt about it.

"No, Edward, don't do that. He didn't mean it; he's never been abusive before."

I took a deep breath. Surely, she could see what I did. Surely, she understood what he was doing to her! "Bella, it only takes one time for a man to be an abuser. Not to mention all of the emotional abuse over the years."

"What?"

I paced the floor, staring out into the Seattle skyline, trying to explain the years of abuse. It was almost scary how trained Jake had her; she defended him at every curve. I made a mental note to look some of this up, see if I could figure out a way of getting through to her. I wanted to help her, but she needed to realize what he was doing to her first.

The hardest part of the conversation was when she doubted me again. I sighed in frustration. She was so unused to someone loving her – truly loving her – that she didn't always believe me the first time I said it. I decided to continue to remind her; even if I was doing that for the rest of my life. She apologized, telling me it was a rough week. I could only imagine how hard hers had been.

"I know it has, baby. What can I do to help?" I sat down on the chair by the window, staring out, relishing in her voice.

"Nothing, really. Just keep loving me. That's all I need. I'll figure all this home crap out and move as soon as I possibly can. I promise."

"I'll never stop loving you, Bella. Never."

"Thank god for that!"

I ended the call shortly after, knowing Kate would be home soon. I started putting up the decorations, prepping for the party. While I may not want to be married to Kate any longer, her mother didn't need to suffer as a result. I helped her with the food and everything else, including seeing the guests in as they started to arrive.

Patience was never my strong suit, but I tried. I tried to be patient with Kate, because she didn't know I was ending everything. I tried to be patient with Bella, knowing that she would tell me how the second trip over to her house went. But most of all, I tried to be patient with time. I had to wait until next weekend, at earliest, to tell Kate. I needed out of this lie; I couldn't live it any longer. They were just adding up, getting deeper and deeper into the chasm of bullshit I was spouting to her. I couldn't live like this for much longer.

Thankfully, Bella's second visit went moderately better – except for a few bruises from his hands on her again. I was grateful that her friends had gone over; I was sure that it would have been much worse if she had been on her own. But all of her stuff was out, so she had no reason to go back. This helped propel me through the next five days of hell.

On Monday, Kate was nicer to me, having forgotten about the fight over the weekend until I claimed to be tired from drinking too much at the party. On Tuesday, I lied and told her I had to work late, promising to sleep on the couch if I got home late, so as to not wake her up – that was the day I found the perfect apartment for Bella, since staying at the office gave me time to search. On Wednesday, I claimed to be tired from working too much the night before. On Thursday, I worked late again – visiting the apartment that I found, making sure it would fit both of us comfortably. And by Friday, she was pissed.

"Edward," she said, rounding on me as soon as I walked in the door after work. "What in the hell is going on with you? You have been weird all week!"

I sighed, setting my backpack down by the door. "Let me get changed first."

"First? Before what? What the hell is going on!?"

I ignored her, walking into the bedroom to grab some sweats and a t-shirt. She followed me, arms crossed, looking extremely angry. I dressed in silence, knowing the anger was just going to get worse. Once I was done, I turned to face her.

"Let's sit down, ok?"

"Edward, I demand that you tell me what is going on right now!"

Again, I ignored her and walked into the living room. I had been preparing for this conversation all week. And even after a full week of practice, everything that I had thought went right out the window when faced with my wife. I sat down on the couch, but she kept standing, her face a mask of fear and anger.

"We need to talk, Katie..." I started.

"Obviously."

"I want a divorce." I inhaled sharply. I had wanted to lead up to it, ease into the conversation. But my desire to get to Bella and save her from her soon to be ex-husband, compounded by my need to be free of Kate, made my brain not work right. My eyes met hers, seeing the mask change from anger to confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She finally sat down. She chose a chair opposite the couch, rather than sitting next to me. That was fair.

"We have always been friends, right? The whole time we've been together I kept waiting for that all-consuming love to happen between us. But, Katie, it wasn't meant to be. We aren't meant to be." I ran my hand through my hair. I was saying everything all wrong. "I love you; I do. But I can't live a lie anymore."

"You are living a lie?" Her voice was quiet.

"I want more in my life. More than what we can be to each other; more than what's possible for us. I can't keep doing this, pretending that we are ok." I tore my eyes away from her, unable to watch as I said the hardest part. "I've met someone else," I whispered.

I heard her suck in a breath, and I knew it was coming. I deserved it; and I would take her anger.

"You son of a bitch! You cheated on me, didn't you?" When I nodded, I heard her get up and walk over to me. She slapped me on the face, my cheek stinging from the contact. "You asshole. I can't believe you did this to us."

"I'm sorry, Katie. I never meant for this to happen." I still couldn't meet her eyes.

"And I suppose you expect me to forgive you because you apologized?"

"No. I know you won't, and you shouldn't."

"Wait, you said you wanted a divorce. Oh my god, Edward. You want to be with her, don't you?" I didn't answer, and she huffed a laugh. "You are a pathetic mess, you know that? Since I met you all you ever talked about was a love that consumes you, that envelopes you...fairy tale, romcom bullshit! You, ever the romantic, will never find what you are looking for. Your idea of love is all crap, and now you've ruined what we have for that dumb idea."

"You're wrong, Katie. It does exist."

"And you think you've found it with her, right?" My eyes met hers as she sat back down on the chair. "Once a cheater, always a cheater, Edward. How long do you think this will last before she finds someone else? She's a homewrecker! Those women don't stay with one man for long. You'll see."

"You're wrong about that, too, Katie. We love each other."

"Ha! Love. Such bullshit, Edward. You fucked her, so the sex must be good. That's all that you have going for you two." She rolled her eyes. "You are such a fucking idiot."

"I am sorry that I hurt you, I never meant for it to happen like this. But I do love her. I owe it to myself to see what we can be."

"And if she cheats on you, leaving you like you are doing to me?"

My heart broke at the thought. I knew I couldn't live without Bella. But Katie didn't understand what we had, no one did or would. It was special, one of a kind, and it had nothing to do with the cheating. "I'll deal with it. But it's not going to happen."

"Ever the optimist, huh?" She leaned forward; her face fierce. "Fuck you, Edward. You'll see that this whore just wants you for sex or money. And I hope you feel like this one day."

"I'm so sorry-"

"I don't want to hear your apologies. I'm going to figure out some place to stay, because I can't even stand the sight of you anymore. You'll get your divorce, you asshole, but I'm going to take every damn thing I can from you." She spit her words at me, before getting up and leaving the room.

I sat in silence, guilt overwhelming me. I knew it was better that I had at least told her the truth, but I ached at how much I had hurt her. She wasn't perfect – and certainly wasn't perfect for me – but I shouldn't have done this the way I did. It would have been easier if I had just asked for the divorce before cheating on her. I couldn't take back what I had done, and telling the truth had set that free at least. The guilt that had resided in me since I came home from the hotel with Bella, and all the lies I had told since. I needed it out, but I was devastated at how I'd hurt her.

She opted to sleep in our room, telling me that it was 'her' room now, and I wasn't allowed in there. Again, that was fair. I slept on the floor in my office instead, given that it was the only other room in the house that had a door. I made a makeshift bed out of blankets, grabbing my pillow and my bathroom stuff – since I was using the guest bathroom now – and settled into the room as best as I could.

Before I fell asleep, I texted Bella letting her know that I had told Kate. I knew more fighting would come in the morning, and probably every day until the divorce was final. Rather than worry about that, I fell asleep remembering every touch, every kiss, and every 'I love you' I'd had with Bella.

A/N: Ugh, isn't she just the worst? Ok, I know, I shouldn't say anything because I had Edward cheat on her, but she wasn't great to begin with. Spending all of his money and practically demanding to live like a queen. My opinion, anyway.

Shout out to the Facebook group Cheatward's Spot! Check them out and get some amazing story rec's!

Also, don't forget about my vamp fic called Twist of Fate. New chapter for that coming later today or tomorrow at the latest. Getting good, folks!

Thanks again to my amazing beta, zombified419! I couldn't do this without you – I say that and I know just how damn true that is!