A/N: Okay folks, thank you all so much for the amazing reviews you've all left for the first chapter, and for being willing to go on this journey with me.
There seem to be two very frequently asked questions about this story in the reviews from the first chapter. The first being is Edward or will Edward cheat. The answer to that is a big, fat NO. There will be no cheating, whatsoever in this story. The second question is if this story will have an HEA. Now…I usually prefer to not make announcements about that kind of thing, but, considering just how angsty and dark this fic will be…I will answer it for you. YES, there will be an HEA for this fic, but…it will not, by any means be an easy road for B/E to travel to get to it. Hopefully, answering these two questions will put all of you a bit more at ease, and…for those of you leaving me anonymous reviews, and those of you with PMs turned off…while I appreciate the reviews, please don't ask me questions in them if I have no way of responding…I would love to answer and respond to all of them, but if I can't contact you…I can't give you an answer.
The more time that passed, the further Edward and I drifted apart. I was desperate for us to reconnect. I loved my husband and I knew that deep down he loved me too, we just seemed to have gotten lost along the way. I tried talking to my parents about it but all they told me was to make the best of things, that no marriage was perfect, and that I shouldn't talk about my feelings the way I was because airing my dirty laundry like that wasn't appropriate. I was so afraid of losing Edward. I couldn't imagine life without him. We had known each other all of our lives, and had been together since we were sixteen years old…
I was so excited about tonight…junior prom…and Edward was going as my date. We've known each other since kindergarten, and have been the best of friends. He was the one person who really understood me, who knew all my secrets and I knew all of his. He was the only person I felt like I could truly be myself around, but now I want more with him. I've felt like this for a while, every time he looks at me, or smiles or laughs I get butterflies in my stomach. Rose and Emmett tell me that he likes me too, but I'm not sure. I did decide though I'm going to tell him tonight, I just hope it doesn't cost me our friendship.
I picked out a purple dress for tonight, Edward always told me I looked pretty in purple. Looking out the window, I see Edward's car pull up and I try to look calm even though I rushed to the door. Just as he climbs the front steps, I open the door and can't help the cheesy grin that creeps across my face when I see how handsome he is. He's even wearing a purple tie to match my dress.
After he places my corsage on my wrist, my parents take what seems like hundreds of pictures of us before we leave and head off to the prom. Just as he helps me into the car I hear him whisper that I look beautiful. I can tell by the look in his eyes that he means it, and for the first time ever, I truly feel beautiful. Not because I was dressed up, not because some boy said it, but because it was Edward…he made me feel beautiful, and no matter what else happened, I would always remember this.
All night long, I keep trying to get enough nerve to tell Edward how I feel, but the timing never seems right, plus Edward seems nervous about something and a little standoffish. He's still a perfect gentleman, dancing with me throughout the night, and we manage to have fun, but I can tell that something is up with him.
Before I know it the prom is over and we're back in Edward's car heading back to his house. Our parents agreed to letting us have a small group of our friends get together afterwards, and Edward's parents gave the okay to use his house. Hearing the crunch of the gravel beneath the tires snaps me out of my thoughts and I realize I need to talk to Edward before everyone else shows up.
Edward parks the car in the garage and we head inside. We get to the living room, sit on the couch, and I take I final breath to try to calm myself before speaking.
"Edward…can I talk to you about something?" I ask nervously.
"Sure Bella. I um…I actually wanted to talk to you about something too." He replies, trying to avoid eye contact.
His wanting to talk to me makes me worry. Does he already know what I'm going to say? Is he freaked out? Does he not want to be friends anymore now that he knows? The little confidence I had built up leaves me in an instant, and I do the only thing I can think of…I ask him to talk first.
"Oh, umm well…you can go first Edward." I mumble.
He starts to say that I should go first but the look on my face and my shaking my head convince him to just talk. Taking my hand in his, he begins to speak as I try to contain the giddy feeling I have from him holding my hand.
"We've been friends a long time Isabella, and I don't think there's anyone who knows me better than you. I love that I get to call you my best friend but…" he trails off, seemingly struggling with his words, and I try to brace myself for whatever he's going to say next.
"…but I want more. I want to be able to call you my girlfriend." Edward whispers the last part so low I'm not sure I hear him. He wants me to be his girlfriend? I can't help myself and launch into his arms, hugging him tightly. Edward seems caught off guard by my actions, but hugs me anyway. Neither of us say anything for a while, but finally he moves me so that I'm looking at him.
"I take it that was a yes to being my girlfriend?" He chuckles.
"Nothing would make me happier Edward" I whisper back to him.
We were so happy together in the beginning, and for a long while afterwards. Edward was my perfect match. He could complete my sentences, and I could complete his. We always seemed to know what the other was thinking. Then again, things were much simpler when we were sixteen, back before having to juggle three kids and a home, before Edward had to run a Fortune 500 company, before everything fell apart and I was left feeling like a failure. We were both lucky enough to come from well off families so we didn't have to work, our parents gave us everything we wanted or needed.
Our biggest worry was making sure we did well on the SATs. The summer before senior year of high school was amazing, and the school year flew by for us too. We were even luckier because our parents seemed more than pleased that Edward and I had gotten together. Before we knew it we were heading off to college. Edward and I agreed that we didn't want to be separated from each other. We applied to the same schools, eventually deciding on Stanford. Most people will say their best memory of college is the day they graduate, but not me. Mine would always be the night in May of our freshman year, the night of our two year anniversary, when Edward asked me to be his wife…
Walking hand in hand with Edward, I snuggle closer into his arms as I think about everything he did for me tonight. The flowers, the romantic dinner, playing his guitar and singing for me. It was the perfect way to spend our anniversary. I still can't believe we've been dating two years. It seems like just yesterday that we were at our prom and he asked me to be his girlfriend. As far as I was concerned, it was the best decision I had ever made.
After dinner, Edward asked if I'd like to go for a walk in the park near campus, which led us to being here now, watching as the sun set. This park had become our spot over the course of the school year, Edward and I spending weekends here studying together or just relaxing. This place held so many good memories for us. Leaning into Edward, I kiss him on his cheek.
"I love you Edward. Thank you for such a perfect night." I whisper to him.
Stopping us in our tracks, Edward turns to fully face me as he speaks.
"Anything for you Bella, I love you. Being with you these two years has made me happier than I ever thought possible. I know we're still young Isabella, but I can't see my future without you. I don't want a future if I can't have you by my side. I want it all with you."
Edward drops to one knee and pulls out a box, opening it to reveal a diamond ring, causing me to feel as though the wind has been knocked out of my lungs. As I try to breathe, I feel the salt on my lips from the tears that are streaming down my face from the sweet things Edward has been saying, and the reality of what he's doing now.
"Isabella Swan, I love you. I don't want to spend another day without you. I promise to spend every day of the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you and just how much you mean to me. Will you marry me?"
My mind is reeling from the fact that Edward has just proposed and as I look at him, he looks so nervous waiting for my answer, like he's about to throw up or pass out or maybe both.
"Yes" I whisper. "Yes, I'll marry you Edward" I say again, more confidently this time since Edward seems to not have heard my first yes. As soon as he realizes my answer, he places the ring on my left ring finger and scoops me up into a hug, spinning me around as he peppers my face with kisses. I've never been happier than I am in this moment, and can't believe how lucky I am to be able to call Edward mine for the rest of our lives.
"Bella, you've made me the happiest man in the world tonight" he tells me as we head back towards campus. We walk back to my dorm in relative silence, the only things we manage to say to each other is an occasional murmured "I love you." There's so much I want to say in this moment – I want to tell Edward how happy he has made me, how much he means to me, and how lucky I feel for getting to call him mine, but I can't seem to form the words. I can only smile as I look at the ring on my finger as I try to wrap my head around the fact that I'm engaged, that Edward isn't my boyfriend anymore, he's my fiancé.
Our families were over the moon for us when they found out we were engaged. We agreed to remain engaged for two years, and decided to get married before senior year started. It seemed fitting seeing as we became a couple before our senior year of high school, that we would become husband and wife before our senior year of college. Everything seemed to be going perfectly for us. Edward and I had job offers waiting for us after we graduated, Edward working for his father's company, and me working as an art teacher at a private elementary school. Our wedding was absolutely perfect and everything I could have ever dreamed it to be. Every time I look at our wedding photo hanging on the wall in our bedroom, I think of how happy we were then, how carefree.
Looking back now though, I wish I could speak to my younger self, warn her of what lie ahead if only to make sure she was better prepared to handle it all, because I know that at the time if anyone would have told me just how far Edward and I would fall, just how far apart we would become…I never would have believed it. I thought Edward and I would always be happy together, I just never realized how wrong I was to think that, and I never would have thought that in reality, I would be left feeling more alone and isolated than I ever thought possible, questioning if my husband, the love of my life, still loved me or even knew that I existed anymore.
A/N: Next update will be next Friday.