Summary: Isabella lived a perfect life with her husband until the abuse started. With the death of her mother, she may have just been given life changing gift: a way out. But with it comes a whole new world that she may not be ready to face. Maybe with the help of her green-eyed savior. Mafia, Crime, Abuse, Hurt/Comfort.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyers owns characters but the plot is of my original work.

Enjoy!

Chapter 24: Apart

For a whole week, it was our routine: he would leave during the day for work, I would stay at home, sometimes with Esme and other times I would get a visit from Rose or Alice. I'd talk on the phone with Charlie every day, and he'd give me updates. Then Esme, Carlisle, Edward, and I would have supper together and I would pretend that later that night, Edward wouldn't sneak into my room. Then, when the coast was clear, Edward would knock three times on my door before entering.

I felt like I was a high school girl all over again. Only this time, the hottest guy in the school paid attention to me, and I actually said more than two words.

The more I learned about Edward, the easier it was to become his friend. But if it weren't for our late night conversations, I wouldn't know anything. I found out that during one of his baseball games, the pitcher had thrown the ball so hard that his fibula was fractured. Or that Emmett once put bleach in his shampoo that dyed his hair blonde just in time for yearbook pictures. Of course, Edward brought along said yearbook, and we laughed together.

And lastly, when I asked him what his favorite color was, he said it was blue. When I asked why, he said it was a beautiful color on me.

I wish I had a way with words the way Edward did. When he would say things like that to me, my entire body would tingle, and my face would flush bright red. I had a feeling he liked it, and that's why he kept dazzling me.

I also wished I had pieces of my childhood and my life to share. I didn't have yearbooks or pictures of my mom to show him. I don't doubt that James burned those personal belongings of mine soon after I disappeared. He never loved me, and I don't think he'd want any trace of me in his house. When I voiced this to Edward, he said it's the memories in my heart that matter the most ... that just because I didn't have pictures of my childhood, didn't mean it never happened. Or that my mother never existed or that before James, my life wasn't perfect.

We talked about all sorts of things. We even fantasized together what our lives would have been like if Mom never left and I grew up with the Cullens. How it would have been growing up in Charlie's mansion. Then, he told me all about growing up with an uncle like Charlie. From the way Edward talked about my father, I can see every ounce of respect and love he has for him. There was no doubt whatsoever that Edward would make a perfect replacement for Charlie when he steps down from his throne.

Edward had a hard time opening up to me about the illegal business dealings. I asked him why he wanted to be a part of that and he said it wasn't because he was forced to but because it was a family thing. He closed up after that and I didn't push him any further. Every time I asked about anything related to the gun business, I felt him pull away from me. It was like he didn't want me to know about that aspect. So I eased off and let him be.

Esme and Carlisle were staying in the city for a two-day conference, which meant Edward and I didn't have to sneak around. On the first night, Edward and I cooked together in the kitchen and watched movies in my room until we passed out. Tonight, Edward got home a little late, and when he entered my room, I could almost feel the tension coming from him.

He was sad.

"What's wrong?"

He laughed softly. "It's scary how you can tell," he said.

"Well, when you come in the room with your shoulders slumped like that, it really doesn't take a genius," I rolled my eyes.

"All right, smartass," he said. "You caught me."

"So?"

"I have to leave tomorrow morning for Greece," he said and I felt my heart drop. Earlier in the week, Charlie had mentioned he was going on a trip, but I didn't think Edward would be a part of it. I told Charlie I would be fine and he reassured me that Sam would be here to take care of me.

Little did he know that Sam wasn't the one protecting me.

"It'll only be for two days, but there's a meeting we have for a big client. Charlie is taking me because he wants me to be a part of these types of deals."

"Oh," I said lamely.

He approached me slowly before reaching out a hand. When I grasped his hand back, he cradled mine as if it were the most precious thing the world.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he said.

"I'll be fine."

"I'll call you every night," he promised.

I gave him an incredulous look. He tilted his head in confusion, and I sighed. "It's okay, Edward. I don't need you to babysit me all the way from Greece."

He frowned and settled into bed next to me. Usually, we'd fall asleep facing each other and wake up embracing. Tonight, he purposely positioned us so that he was spooning me. I felt my cheeks flame, but the feeling was so natural.

Just us like this.

"What if I want to hear your voice while I'm there?"

With the way he spoke, his breath came down my ear and tickled my neck. I shivered, and he pulled the covers over us further, thinking I was cold.

"Well, we have very different time zones," I said.

"I'll call when you're about to go to bed, no matter what time it is there."

"I think you'll be too busy at work, with Charlie, to remember."

"How can I forget about the beautiful woman waiting for me back at home?"

I laughed. "C'mon, Edward."

"You really need to start seeing yourself the way we all see you."

"You've told me already. I'm strong, kind, caring, and supposedly beautiful."

"You are beautiful," he said. He gripped me around the waist tighter. "I'll be back soon…so that I can do this again."

I sank further into his arms, and I felt him breathe me in.

"Doesn't it freak you out that we're like this now?"

"A little," he admitted.

"What are you scared of?"

"I'm scared Uncle Charlie wouldn't like…whatever this is between us."

"Would he get mad?"

"Well, out of respect for Uncle Charlie, I probably shouldn't be sneaking around with his daughter."

"You make it sound like we're doing things other than sleeping."

"Hey, Uncle Charlie. I just want you to know that I've been sneaking into Bella's room in the middle of the night and sleeping with her. Right under my parents' roof."

I laughed out loud again. "Stop! No, don't say that," I giggled.

I'm giggling? Since when do I giggle?

I felt his body shaking with laughter too, and the sound of his deep chuckles kept a permanent smile on my face.

"Edward?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something and promise you'll answer it?"

"Anything."

"Why won't you talk to me about Charlie's business?"

"If you want to know anything about FSC, I'm glad to let you know."

I shook my head and twisted around to look at him. "You know what I mean."

His mouth was set into a firm line, and I suddenly regretted asking.

"When I come back from Greece, I'll tell everything you want to know."

"Why not now?"

"Cause I don't want you to feel different about me. I want to sleep next to you for one more night before I leave. When I return, I tell you everything. If you knew now, you wouldn't want to be near me anymore. You'd run away."

"Nothing can make me change my mind about you, Edward."

"We'll see."

I studied his face carefully and tried to think of why he'd think I'd run away.

"Sleep, Bella."

"Okay."

I let it go and pressed my cheek against his chest. He rested his chin on top of my head, as I listened to his heartbeat slow. I realized how tired Edward must be tonight. Usually, I fell asleep first, but when I pulled back to look at his face, he was out cold. His lips were parted slightly, and his eyelashes were so long, they touched his cheeks.

I brought a hand up to cup his cheek, and even in his sleep, he leaned into my touch. With that, my heart swelled, and I realized I had never experienced a moment like this with James. Even before he started abusing me, James fell asleep with his back turned away. James never cradled me in his arms the way Edward did every night.

James was never this vulnerable. Yet, here Edward was. Lying next to me, sound asleep, with all the trust in the world that I wouldn't hurt him. This was how I was every night with Edward since he started coming to my room. I trusted him; I could be in my most vulnerable state and still feel so safe.

What's so different about Edward?

What makes Edward think that he's worse than James?

I seriously prayed I didn't make another mistake with trusting Edward. That Edward will always be like this to me, so kind and respectful. He never did anything without asking for my permission first. If was a silent question before entering the bed or giving me to the option to touch his hand or not, he always gave me a choice.

James had always touched me whenever he wanted, even while we were dating. I thought his possessiveness was cute at the time, but he was just claiming his territory to other males. If James wanted to eat steak for dinner, we ate steak for dinner. If James wanted to have sex, we would have sex. And the thing that infuriated me the most was that I was so blinded by the attention he gave that I didn't see these things. Everyone else saw it, but I ignored it because I liked it. He treated me so poorly, like a piece of meat, and I let James do it because I was hungry for any affection I could gather from him.

Knowing how to guard myself gave me a small bit of hope that everything would be okay. That somewhere down the road, no matter how long that road might be, I might somehow be able to love someone again.

X

When I woke up the next morning, Edward was gone and my heart sunk. I turned my head and found a note on the bedside table. Eagerly, I read it:

"I didn't want to wake you. I'll be home soon, beautiful.

Please take care of yourself and remember to eat.

Edward"

I felt a smile tugging at the corner of my lips. I reached for my phone just as it started ringing. I noticed a text from Edward, but I didn't get a chance to read it because I answered Alice's call.

"Good morning, sunshine," she chirped.

"Hi, good morning, Alice," I laughed. "How do you have so much energy this early in the day?"

"Good thing you ask," she replied. "Today, you're getting out of that house."

"I don't think it's safe, Alice," I told her. "Charlie isn't in town, and you know James is still here."

"Don't be silly," she said. "I didn't mean go out-out. I meant, have Sam drive you to my house ... you're getting measured today for your bridesmaid dress."

"Already?" I asked. "The wedding isn't until April."

"Are you kidding me, Bella? That only gives me roughly three months to get everything done. My interns at the studio will be designing my bridesmaid dresses, and that's not something that can be done in two weeks. They need time."

"Okay, okay," I conceded. "You win. I'll head over as soon as I can."

She squealed on the phone, and it felt nice to make Alice that happy. Even it meant doing the thing I hated to most…dress up.

I threw myself back into the bed, and Edward's scent instantly swirled around me. I pulled his pillow next to me and hugged it. It's only been less than ten minutes since I woke up and last saw him and I already miss him. I'm getting further into my infatuation with Edward faster than I thought possible.

I shot up when I remembered about his text message. I scrambled around the bed looking for my phone and nearly threw the sheets to the ground. How is it possible that I lost my phone in a matter of seconds? When I found it, I quickly unlocked it and read:

Do you want to have dinner with me sometime?

I laughed and replied.

We can't. You're in Greece.

Then, I texted Sam asking if he could take me to Alice's and his reply was quick. I set the phone down, knowing Edward wouldn't be able to respond for a couple hours, and headed for the bathroom to get ready for the day. An hour later, we were pulling up to Alice and Jasper's condo. A little ball of energy, dressed in a pale blue sundress, opened my door as soon as we parked.

"Bella!" she smiled happily and pulled me in for a hug.

"Alice," I managed to say, while being smothered by her strong grip. "You act like I didn't see you two days ago."

"It's your first time being at my house," she said. "I want to give you a tour."

I gazed up at the building in front of us in awe. "I thought Esme said you lived in a condo. This isn't a condo, Alice."

"Technically it is," she said.

"Condos aren't this big. Especially in Central Park? You're kidding me."

"We may have joined a few units together," she admitted.

"Ms. Swan, Alice," Sam interrupted us. I looked at him, but he was too busy scoping out the place. "I think it's best if you continue your conversation indoors."

"You're right," I agreed, and he ushered Alice and I inside. Then, he left, closing the door quietly behind him.

"How come Sam calls you Alice," I noticed. "I've asked him more than once to just call me Bella, but he's not budging."

"Well, Sam kind of grew up with us," she said. "Like, us Cullen kids. He was a little older than Edward, but at one point in time, we were all friends. Even Jacob."

"Oh," I said.

"They took an interest in the business because their dad knew our dad and Uncle Charlie. You know, like Edward and Emmett," she said. "Jacob and Edward were best friends at one point but now…"

"Now?" I pressed.

She shrugged. "I think you'll have to ask Edward about that. It's not my place to tell," she said apologetically.

As much as I wanted to know, I respected it. I didn't want everyone knowing about my secret, and I'm glad that Alice didn't blab about it to the whole clan. My secret was safe with her. Well, now everyone knows, but I trusted them.

I didn't hear anything from Edward after the text. Luckily, I was busy with the fitting and just Alice in general. After she measured me, we made lunch. Then, we decided to visit Rosalie at home with baby Bellie. We spent the rest of the day sitting around, playing with the baby, and watching movies. When I got home around eight, the house was quiet. I assumed that Carlisle and Esme went out to dinner, so I headed upstairs to get some rest.

To say I was nervous was an understatement. Tonight would be the first night in over a week that I'd be sleeping alone and I missed Edward terribly. I checked the phone once again to make sure I didn't miss any messages. A small pang in my chest erupted when I didn't see anything from Edward.

As soon as I put the phone down though, it rang.

"Hello?"

"Hello beautiful," his silky voice said.

"Edward, what time is it there?"

He hesitated. "Four in the morning," he answered.

"You should be sleeping," I said. "You didn't have to call." He didn't say anything, and I realized I probably offended him. "I mean I'm glad you called, honest. I just wish you didn't stay up so late."

He chuckled. "I couldn't sleep," he said.

"Oh," I said lamely.

"How was your day?"

"Really relaxed," I said. "I went to Alice's house, and we had girl time. Different from what my usual day is now. How was yours?"

"I was in a meeting room for the most part," he said. There was a pause, almost like he was debating on what to say then. Then, "I miss you."

My heart soared.

"I miss you too," I said.

"I was tempted to come home tonight," he admitted. "But there's more business that needs to be done tomorrow."

"That's okay," I said. "I understand."

"I'll stay on the phone with you until you fall asleep," he said.

"Okay," I said. "Tell me a story."

"What do you want to know?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, something. Anything," I said.

I held the phone with one hand and used the other to hug his pillow. Immediately, his scent swirled around me, and I breathed it in. I knew deep down that my obsession with Edward was becoming very unhealthy. It was so wrong on so many levels. Yet, here I was on the phone with him.

"I remember vividly the first year Aunt Renee left," he started. My interest was instantly piqued. "I remember her, I really do. I remember playing games with her and eating cookies by the fireplace. Whenever there was an event at the hospital that Mom and Dad went to, I was with Aunt Renee. I loved her, a lot."

A tear trickled down my cheek.

"When she left, I didn't really understand why. I remember you, vaguely. I was a little jealous actually, because Aunt Renee was too busy to play with me now." I laughed. "I didn't see Uncle Charlie for a long time. Mom said he was busy at work and he hardly left the office. That I know is true. But everything really did change. Uncle Charlie was always sad, but he never cried."

My eyes started to droop slowly.

"When Emmett and I were teenagers, we even tried to get him to start dating. But he was never interested in having a love life. We didn't talk about you guys, it was almost forbidden. I was always scared that if I asked about Aunt Renee, he'd fall back into his depression and disappear again, throw himself into work. So we always danced around the elephant in the room. Or, at least I did. Like I said, I was the only one old enough to remember your mom."

His voice started to fade away.

"It's been a really long time since I saw Uncle Charlie like this. He's happy, and we all know it's because of you," he continued. "No one else notices it, but I do. It's like a piece of his soul returned. That's all you, Bella. That all you."

This chapter was edited by SunflowerFran. Thank you!

4/14/2018