BPOV

All day I drifted in and out of consciousness. My dreams were nightmares… Edward with Tanya. They were laughing and walking away from me. I felt like I was being tortured.

It was dark outside when a knock on the door woke me up. I heard Phil call for Renee, footsteps, and the low murmur of voices. There were more footsteps and the door to the guestroom opened. I pretended to be asleep. The door closed quietly, there were more footsteps, more talking, then silence.

Curiosity got the best of me. I waited for a while, then climbed out of bed and walked into the living room. Renee and Phil were sitting on the sofa, cuddling while watching a movie. The sight of the two of them so obviously in love made me nauseous. It was only a few days ago that Edward and I were doing the same thing. I was about to turn around and go back to my room when Renee looked up.

"Bella!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "You're awake!" She bounded up and gave me a hug.

Phil gave me a compassionate smile, turned off the television and disappeared into his and Renee's bedroom, giving us privacy.

Renee grabbed me by the hands and pulled me to sit with her on the sofa. She put her hand on my forehead, checking my temperature, then stroked my hair.

"Sweetheart, how are you feeling?"

I looked at my lap. "I'm okay. Just tired."

"Edward was just here," she informed me, speaking slowly and watching me carefully.

I looked at Renee in pure shock, my heart pounding, feeling a contradiction in my emotions. I was happy and horrified.

"What did he want?" I asked.

"He wanted to talk to you, but I told him you were sleeping. He said he'd come back tomorrow…."

"I don't want to see him," I interrupted.

Renee was surprised at my response. "Bella, he came all the way from Seattle to speak with you personally. He looked really upset. I don't know why the two of you broke up, but you should at least talk to him."

Crap. I forgot I told Renee we broke up. I hadn't told Edward that yet. I wondered if she was thinking about it when she was talking to him. Did he think we were still together even though he sent Tanya to tell me he didn't love me? He couldn't read my thoughts. Was he trying to play mind games with me instead? I never saw a hint of cruelty in Edward before, but this was brutal. I bit my lip to keep from crying.

"We have nothing to say to each other," I finally replied, after gathering my thoughts.

Renee looked at me with compassion. "He left a phone number for you to call, in case you woke up. I have it right here…." She reached over to the coffee table to pick up a slip of paper and hand to me.

Without looking at it, I tore it up. I didn't want to be tempted to call him and have to hear Tanya's voice again.

"Bella!" Renee exclaimed in surprised. She cupped my cheek with her hand. "What did he do to you?" She began to look angry. "Did he hurt you?"

He didn't love me – that hurt more than words could express. But, he didn't hurt me the way Renee was thinking. He always treated me as if I was a delicate treasure. Memories of his touch clouded my mind and I quickly pushed them away.

I shook my head. "No, Mom. He didn't. It's just over. I need a clean break."

Renee sighed. "Alright. I'll make sure you don't have to see him."

"Thanks." I smiled, but knew that if Edward was going to continue to twist the knife in my heart, Renee wasn't powerful enough to keep him away. It suddenly occurred to me that at some point I would have to talk to him, but I would put it off for as long as I could.

She kissed me on the cheek and I faked a yawn, hoping she would take the hint that I was tired and didn't want to talk to her about details of our break up.

I couldn't talk to Renee about this. It was too humiliating….and the oldest story in the book of break ups. Boy dumps plain, boring girl for a more beautiful, elegant woman. But, it was also the most unusual. Human falls in love with a vampire. Vampire chooses another vampire to be with and plays mind games with the human.

Edward. I felt so confused. No matter how he treated me I would always, always love him. But, I didn't understand what he was doing. Was he really playing mind games or was I jumping to conclusions? My mind was so clouded. My emotions were so heavy.

"I'm going back to bed," I mumbled, standing up. I would not cry in front of Renee.

She hugged me and kissed me on the cheek.

"Tomorrow we can go the beach…swim, enjoy the sun. You'll have fun," she encouraged.

"Um, sure," I replied, knowing I would think of an excuse tomorrow to keep from going. I doubted I would ever have fun again.

I padded back to the guest room and closed my eyes as I shut the door and leaned against it. One short conversation with Renee was exhausting. I wondered how long I could go without facing the world.

Suddenly, I heard a tap on the window and a chill in the air.

I wasn't alone! I braced myself against the door, refusing to open my eyes. I was terrified.

Had Tanya come to finish me off?