A/N: So, I have to explain a little before you read this chapter. I made a controversial decision for this fic; I am not naming the spouses. The story concentration is Bella and Edward, so I made the decision to keep the spouses "whoever you want them to be." May seem odd at first, but you get used to it, I'm sure :)

Anyway, back to reality and their respective homes. Warning for minor violence in this chapter.

Edward: How bad?

Me: Bad. I can still hear him slamming things around in the garage.

Edward: Would he hurt you?

Me: No, he's just really loud when mad. He's never raised his hand to me.

Edward: Are you safe?

Me: Yes, my bag is almost packed, then I'll be out. My friend Angela is letting me stay with her.

Edward: I love you, Bella. I'm so sorry

Me: I know. I love you too.

I was sitting in my closet texting him, listening for sounds of the anger getting closer to me. But so far, it hadn't moved. He was still yelling, throwing things around, somewhere in the vicinity of the garage. I heard crashes now and then, so I figured something was getting broken.

I hadn't waited long once I got home. I desperately wanted to get back to Edward, so I broke it to him over the weekend. He didn't believe me at first, it had taken a week solid of me saying the same thing for him to get it.

"What the fuck do you mean you are leaving me? You can't leave me!" he yelled, sticking his face in mine. I closed my eyes, inhaled sharply and remembered Edward telling me he loved me.

"It's just what I said. I can't live like this anymore. I'm being transferred into a new department at work, and in order to do a much better job, I've decided I want to move to Seattle. When I thought about it, I realized you wouldn't want to come with me, and I decided that was fine." I stared at his shocked face. "We haven't worked for years, and you know that!"

"But we love each other!"

"Do we?" I held my ground. "When was the last time we had sex?"

"You need sex every day to know that I love you?" The anger in his eyes grew even more. "What kind of whore are you?"

"See? We are done. I'm not staying married to someone who calls me that. I'm packing tonight and leaving. I'll consult an attorney on Monday."

"Fuck you, Bella! You'll regret this one day, and when that happens, I won't take you back. Then you'll just be fucked." He stormed into the garage, and that's when I heard the crashing start. Suddenly I was thankful that I had parked in the driveway, and not the garage.

I silently pulled out the largest two suitcases that I owned, grabbing some clothes and other personal items I knew I couldn't leave with him. I just knew that he would break whatever he could find. Some of my stuff from childhood was in boxes in the garage, so I'd have to come back for those later. If he let me, that is. I concentrated on anything else I could find that would fit in the suitcase.

A couple hours later I had successfully stuffed everything I could in the two suitcases, and all the work equipment in my travel backpack. I would have to deal with just my laptop for a while, because I couldn't manage to get the extra monitor unless he let me come back in after the first trip to the car.

I took everything I had out to my SUV in the driveway, still listening to his yelling. I could see the neighbors looking out of their window at our house, so I half-waved, smirking. He was their problem, not mine. I loaded everything in, and stared back at the house wondering if I could chance another trip. Shrugging, I decided it was worth a shot.

I ran back in, grabbed my extra computer monitor, a few pictures of me and my parents that were on the wall, and stopped in the hallway when I saw him blocking my path.

"I'm not letting you leave this house until you tell me why." His voice was quiet, but I could hear the restrained rage.

I stuck to my guns. "We aren't us anymore, and haven't been for a while. I don't feel like you love me anymore, and I am pretty sure you haven't for years. I'm not going to live like this anymore."

"Bullshit. Something changed with your trip. We were fine before you left."

Shaking my head, I shuffled the monitor that was quickly getting heavy in my hands. "Nothing has changed. That's part of the problem. We have been living like roommates for almost five years!" I stepped closer to him, braving the anger. "Tell me you want more than this. This non-relationship is not what I wanted my life to be. You have to see that, too."

His eyes sort of softened a little. "We can work on it, Bells. We can get better. I can't believe you'd just leave without trying."

"What happened two years ago when I suggested counseling?" He shuffled his feet, but didn't answer. So, I continued. "You said that you weren't going to 'waste your time' going to some stranger to talk about problems that you didn't think we had. Do you remember that?"

"What if I said we could try that now?"

I shook my head. "It's too late. I don't want to try anymore. I'm just...done."

The anger was gone now, and grim understanding settled on his face. "You are really leaving, aren't you?"

I nodded. "I have to. I just can't live like this anymore."

He sighed, turned, and walked into the living room. "Put that in the car and come back, please. We have things to settle."

I was betting on him being yelled out, so I did exactly as he asked. When I came back, the anger hadn't crept back in to his face, so I sat down.

"What about the house? The cars?" he asked, taking out his phone, typing on it. "The phones?"

"Can you afford the house on just your salary?" I asked, knowing the answer already. "I say we sell it. May be easier than anything else. We can split the costs needed, and whatever profit we get do the same thing. The cars are easier, we can just keep our own and remove each other's names off. I can continue to pay mine, and you can pay for yours."

He nodded, continuing to type. We discussed many things that night, and he was being really reasonable. For a few moments I was feeling thankful that he was seeing reason. After a few more possessions were divided up, though, he turned snotty on me.

"So, you are moving to Seattle? What, you got a boyfriend there or something?" He smirked at me.

I shook my head. "Even if I did, that's not your concern any longer."

I knew my error the second his eyes met mine. I sighed as the anger crept back into his face. He stood up and towered over me, his hands clenched into fists. "Are you fucking someone else?"

I closed my eyes. Did I tell him the truth? He would hold it against me. He would use it as leverage in the divorce. I opened my eyes, stood, and looked directly into his eyes. "Yes."

And then he did something I never expected. He let his fist fly, right into the side of my face. The force of the blow pushed me back into the couch. I cradled my face with my hand and looked up at his shocked face.

"Bella, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that!" He fell to his knees in front of me. "I'm so, so sorry!" He reached for me, but I evaded him, skirting around the couch and heading toward the door. "Bella, please!"

"That's just one more reason why we shouldn't be together. Sell whatever you want, I don't care anymore. I want my personal things, that's all. I'll have my attorney contact you." I didn't even turn around.

"I'm going to kill him," Edward said. I called him the next day while his wife was grocery shopping. I struggled with whether to tell him about the hit or not, but ultimately, I really couldn't lie to him. "I'm going to fly down there and kill him."

"No, Edward, don't do that. He didn't mean it; he's never been abusive before." I wiped a tear away as I paced in Angela's guest room. She had been angry, too, when I finally showed up at her house sporting a red welt on the side of my face. Holding Ang back had been hard, but I knew Edward would be worse.

"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?"

"What names has he called you over the years, baby?" he asked, his voice quiet. "He called you a whore tonight, he called you a crazy bitch once, a cunt twice...what am I missing? Any others?"

I bit my lip. "He called me a bitch way more than once. That was the favorite, I think."

"And you don't think that's emotional abuse?"

"It's a human being angry. It happens. He always apologized. He never meant it." I sighed at the same time Edward did.

"How long until you can move?"

"Ang and I were looking into apartments close to the office last night. I think I can afford to do it within a month. I just need to make sure I get the attorney going, sign the documents, and separate the accounts. I need to make sure he doesn't get angry and steal all my savings."

"What if I paid for the first month? Can you get here faster?"

"I don't want you to do that, Edward. I can pay for myself." I walked over to the window, staring out into the wooded backyard. "Even if you did, it would only shave off a week, maybe two. The attorney and the bank are here, I need to do that as soon as possible. I also need to get the rest of my boxes out of the house, I can't leave without my stuff."

"I don't want you going back there alone, Bella." His voice was stern.

"I know, Ang doesn't either. Her and Ben are coming with me. We'll get what's mine and leave. I promise."

"I feel better already. The sooner the better."

"Speaking of, when are you telling her?" I bit my lip again.

He sighed. "I've been thinking about that."

"And?"

"I think I'll tell her next weekend. Her mom's birthday party is tonight at our house, I don't want to get into anything right now."

"I guess that's fair."

"Bella?"

"Yeah?" I sat down on the bed and tried not to feel upset. This whole thing was already so out of control, and now I was doubting him again.

"Do you remember what I told you?"

I smirked. He liked to remind me. "Which part?"

"When I told you not to doubt me? When I told you how much I love you?" I could hear him shuffling in the background. "Tell me you remember what I said, baby. Don't doubt me now."

"I know, I remember. I'm sorry, Edward. It's been an emotional weekend for me."

"I know it has, baby. What can I do to help?"

"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."

After we hung up, I wandered into the kitchen where Angela and Ben were sitting eating breakfast. They both smiled up at me, offering me an omelet. Grateful, I sat down and ate, listening to their quiet conversation. They were two of the sweetest people I'd ever met, and I was so thankful that I had them in my life.

"When do you want to head over, Bella?" Ben asked, picking up his plate and taking it to the sink.

"Whenever. It's really just a few boxes and the rest of my stuff in the bedroom, so it will only take an hour or so. I don't want any of the furniture or anything like that. He can have it. I just don't want to go over alone."

"We would never let you go over there alone. Honestly, after what he did, he's lucky I didn't call the cops." Angela was fiercely protective of me. "Did you tell him we were coming over?"

"I texted him, he just said 'K' in response. Didn't say when or anything, so I guess it doesn't matter."

After we had cleaned up from breakfast, I decided to just get it over with. We all piled into my SUV and I drove us over. I walked up to the front door and almost pulled out my key, but thought better of it and rang the doorbell instead. After a few minutes, he opened the door. He didn't say anything, just stood back and let us in, though he did follow us once we were there. I went to the bedroom and took some boxes out from the attic crawl space, which was located in our bedroom. Once I had them taped up and open, I started to take the rest of my clothes out of the closet. Angela helped me, while Ben stood back keeping any eye on him.

"Bella, I thought we were going to talk."

"We did talk, it ended so well don't you think?" I said, not looking up. Angela and I finished with the closet, and opened another box to empty out the dresser next. She went into the bathroom and started grabbing all of my makeup and face products. Ben grabbed the first two full boxes and carried them out to my car.

He stepped closer to me. "You know I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

I stood up and turned on him, seeing Angela poke her head out of the bathroom wearing a fierce look. "You never mean it, do you? All the years of name calling leading up to punching me in the face. Always sorry, always repentant...never at fault." I turned away from him, taking off my wedding rings and placing them on the bedside table. "I'm done talking. And I'm done forgiving."

He grabbed my shoulders, pulling me around so I was looking at him again. "What if I'm not done?"

I stared up in to the eyes that I had once loved, wondering how on earth I ever had. "You no longer have a say."

His hands squeezed my shoulders, enough that I flinched in pain. That's when Angela had enough.

"Ben! Get in here!" She walked over to us, grabbed his hand and removed it from my shoulder. "Get your hands off her, or I swear to god I'm calling the police."

He had the decency to look apologetic at least. Ben walked in and surveyed the scene just as he took a step back from me. He looked questioningly at me, and I just shook my head, turned around and continued to get everything else I needed. Once we were done in the bedroom, I grabbed a couple more pictures off the wall before heading to the garage.

Ben helped me get the ladder, and we got the four boxes I had filled my childhood memories. Once we had everything in my SUV, I turned around to face him again. He was leaning against the wall in the hallway, just at the entrance to the living room. Ben and Angela were hovering behind me, but I didn't care.

"This could have been different, you know," I said, taking a step closer to him. "We may not have worked as a married couple, but you could have had the decency to respect me and my decision. We may have been friends." He huffed a laugh, and I grimaced, taking a step closer to him. "I know I've made mistakes and I'm sorry if those mistakes hurt you. But I won't apologize for trying to find a life that didn't stifle me.

"You made your share of mistakes, too, and for years. Mine was one night. For whatever it's worth, I am sorry for what that did to you and us. But," I took a deep breath. "you ruined us years ago. From this moment on do not contact me except through a lawyer, and I will do the same." I took the house key and set it down on the dining room table, turned and walked out of the house. He never said a word.

Me: How are you doing?

Edward: I'll live. Maybe. She was really pissed.

Me: Yeah, I get that. I'm sorry, Edward. I know you love her.

Edward: It wasn't enough, though. You know? I didn't love her enough to stop myself from falling in love with you.

Me: I know.

Edward: How are you doing? Anything more from the asshole?

Me: Not yet. I only just started working with the lawyer on the paperwork, I don't think they have even contacted him yet. I don't expect to hear anything.

Edward: He better hope I never meet him in person. I swear to god, baby, I'm going to kill him for touching you like that.

Me: It's ok, really. It's over and I'm safe now.

Edward: It's not over until I have you here with me, where I can make sure you are safe. Oh, speaking of...

Me: What?

Edward: I may have found an apartment.

Me: Oh good, that's a relief. I thought you were going to have to stay there, or move back in with your parents or something.

Edward: Nope. I think this will work out for us just fine.

I stopped and stared at his text for a moment. A barrage of emotions were flitting through me as I realized that he meant he found a place for us. Not him. Us.

Edward: Bella? You fall asleep?

Me: It's like 1 in the afternoon.

Edward: And? You haven't been sleeping, I know you haven't. I was just checking. Do you want to see it?

Me: Huh?

Edward: The apartment, silly. Do you want to see it? I can send you a link to the rental details if you want.

Me: Are you in a place where I can call you right now?

He didn't answer, but my phone rang a few minutes later.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice winded.

"Where are you? Are you running?"

"Yeah, went for a walk so I could call you. What's wrong?"

"Did you get the apartment for us to live in? Together?" I bit my lip. What if he said yes? Would I move in with him? Was it too soon?

"Yes, why wouldn't..." his voice trailed off for a minute. "Do you want to live with me, Bella?" When I didn't respond, he continued. "I just assumed that's what we were doing here. I'm sorry, Bella, I should have asked you. Made sure that's what you wanted." He sighed.

"I-I don't know, Edward. I've never lived with anyone but my parents and then him. I guess it didn't occur to me that we would be living together."

"And I took it for granted that that's what you wanted. Damn, did I mess this up? Are you mad at me?"

"No! No, Edward, I'm not mad. I just didn't think about that, I guess. I sort of assumed that we would be in our own places and dating, you know, see how everything goes."

"Bella," he sighed again, his voice sounded a little frustrated. "We've sort of skipped that part, haven't we? We did the sort of dating thing for two years. We got to know each other, right? Learned everything about the other, already slept together, already admitted our love to each other. What sort of dating did you think we would do?"

Damn. He had a point. What else would I learn about him through dating that I hadn't already? I thought back to our one night together, remembered how we weren't uncomfortable being naked in front of each other. "I get it, Edward."

"What do you get, baby?"

"When we weren't uncomfortable being naked in front of each other." I smiled, laying back on my bed and staring up at the ceiling. "It's because we had already been emotionally naked in front of each other before. This was just skin, and that's not as hard to bear as your feelings."

"Exactly right, love."

"Let's do it."

"Didn't we already? Like, a few times?" He laughed. "Are you sure?"

"Like you said, I don't want to live without you. Plan for me in that apartment, Cullen."

"I already have, love."

A/N: So, I'm curious of your thoughts. Was the continuation of the story what you expected it to be? More coming soon! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll add chapter 4!

As I said before, I have through chapter 5 fully written, 6 is almost done and 7 is planned at this point. May end up with an even 10? Not sure yet...sort of just letting go and seeing where the story will take me. I hope you all enjoy it!

Thanks again to my beautiful/wonderful/amazing/kick ass beta, zombified419 for all of your help and encouragement!

Also, my new Twilight vampire fic should be posted starting this weekend. Please look for "Twist of Fate" coming soon to a fanfic site near you!