Bella's POV
Four days left until the wedding and Alice had me trying on my dress. It looked beautiful, the dress was as white as snow and hugged my figure nicely without being too tight. My pixie friend ducked out for two seconds to grab some accessories to try on so she could decide what went best with the dress.
"Wow," I heard a quiet voice mutter and I turned to the doorway to find the last Denali sister Irina. "You look fantastic." She said almost dreamily and I blushed deeply.
"You really think so?" I asked quietly and her eyes moved to my own.
"How can you not see it?" Irina asked, walking towards me. She turned me and stood behind me so that we could both be seen in the mirror. "Look at yourself Bella," the sandy-haired goddess purred in my ear. "Really look at yourself. See the strong beautiful woman I do." I stared at my reflection and I tried, I tried to see what she saw, but all I saw was a plain boring girl dressed up like a lady, and standing next to a goddess.
How could I compare to that? I thought to myself.
"Bella if you compare yourself to others you will always seem lesser than them." Irina spoke and I blushed as I realised I must have said that out loud. "Everyone has flaws, but if you do not know they are there then all you will see is the good things. But you know your own flaws, you see them every time you look at yourself. You can't see my flaws, so all you see is beauty, and flawless beauty looks like perfection. When I look at you I see your beauty, and when I look at me I see a pathetic little girl who has made many mistakes in life and does not deserve the love others show her." I turned around slowly to look at the vampire in shock, she couldn't possibly see that.
"But," I protested lamely. "You are beautiful."
"And flawed," she added. "Just like you, beautiful and flawed."
I looked in the mirror at our reflections and somehow, I think I could see what she was saying, maybe. Her face seemed to hold such depth, as though she wasn't perfect, she had worries and problems, just like me. I smiled and leaned back into her chest, felling her breasts against my back. Irina responded by snaking her arms around my waist. "Don't ever doubt yourself Bella," Irina instructed and I relaxed into her comforting embrace, placing my arms over hers as she held me. "You are beautiful, and your flaws are beautiful too."
I had never felt more special and cared for than at that moment. "Get your hands off her!" I jumped and we both turned our heads to see Edward standing in the doorway, fuming with anger.
"You can't see her in her dress," Irina responded, tightening her arms protectively around me.
"I said," Edward began, stomping towards us determinedly. Something in me began to shake, was I really afraid of Edward? With that look on his face, yes I was. "Get your hands off her, she's mine!"
"Bella is no one's property." Irina insisted, releasing me and moving to stand between myself and the enraged vampire.
"She belongs to me!" He growled and Irina growled back.
"Like hell she does!" My sandy-haired goddess stood up for me.
Edward's face softened and he shifted his gaze to focus on me. "Bella come here," he instructed in that voice like silk which I had fallen in love with.
Then I realised it wasn't his fault. We were going to be married in a few days, he misunderstood what he saw of me with someone else and got a little jealous, it was understandable. He hadn't done anything rash, just gotten angry and yelled a little, he hadn't hurt anyone or said anything unforgivable. He was my fiancé, the man I loved, how could I not go to him?
"It's fine Irina," I insisted, walking past her and into Edward's arms. He grabbed my shoulders and kissed me roughly. It didn't hurt but it was certainly more than he had ever done before, I was surprised he would do that with Irina in the room but I guess he needed reassurance that I loved him. When finally Edward pulled away I waited for the redness in my cheeks to fade a bit before turning to her. "Do you think you could give us a minute?" I asked and the beautiful woman, with her face hard and emotionless, very hesitantly left the room.
"I'm sorry about how that must have looked," I apologised as soon as the door was closed. "I promise you that nothing happened, Irina was just being friendly, no more so than Alice." I explained and heard his unbelieving grunt.
"That may be what you think Bella, but she does not see it that way." Edward scoffed. "Now didn't I tell you to stay away from the Denalis?" He asked, his eyes narrowing and I dropped my eyes to the ground in shame.
Never be embarrassed to look someone in the eye, Tanya's words from the other day rang through my head and I took a deep breath to squash down my worry and fear before raising my head to meet his eye. Shock flashed across his face for a split second before his eyes narrowed challengingly at me. You are a very brave woman Bella, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise, I remembered Kate saying and I held his gaze with my own unwavering one. "They sought me out to say hello and congratulate me on the wedding. I never asked them to come see me, encouraged them to do so, or drew our encounters out to last more than a few moments." I assured him. "I was merely being polite."
"Polite? Is that what you call it?" Edward growled, his face hard and angry once more.
"Yes that is what I call it," I responded, crossing my arms in annoyance. I didn't appreciate the way Edward was acting and it irritated me.
He stepped forward threateningly and I held my ground. "She had her hands all over you!" Edward growled at me.
"That was a hug," I explained. "She was being friendly, no different from Alice. In fact Alice and I have done worse but it was never anything sexual." He was really beginning to annoy me.
Edward grabbed me and pulled me close, so tight that it hurt. "You, are, MINE!" He growled and I backed down.
"Edward you know I'm yours," I assured him. "I am you lover, your mate, your fiancé, and soon I will be your wife." My words seemed to placate him and he calmed somewhat. "But I am not your property, your pet." Anger flashed through his eyes but I continued. "I love you and I will always be yours, but you don't own me. I am a person, not a possession."
Edward's arms tightened and I gasped in pain. "You are MINE!" Edward repeated. "You belong to ME! And I will not let them have you!" As he spoke he continued to hold me tighter.
"Edward stop," I begged. "Your hurting me." I heard something crack and pain shot through my left side, it felt as though I had been stabbed and a cry of pain left my throat.
"Say it!" Edward demanded. "Say that you are mine Bella?" He ordered me.
"Get off me!" I yelled, fighting him uselessly, from my left hip to my left armpit was still screaming in pain but it did not stop me from trying.
Edward released me and I stumbled backwards before being shocked my his open hand colliding with my face. I fell to the floor and brought my right hand up to the left side of my face which was still stinging from the impact and the coppery taste of blood entered my mouth. "You bitch," I looked up to see a furious Edward. He was not the man I had fallen in love with. He was not the man I was supposed to be marrying. He was a monster.
I froze in fear but before he could continue he went flying backwards, taking chunks out of the door frame as he went. I knew as soon as I saw her honey coloured hair, even before she turned and I saw Kate's face. Before I knew it my three goddesses were there. Tanya lent down and ran her relievingly cold fingers across my injured face.
All three girls growled. "He will pay for what he has done to you!" Tanya vowed and with that all three women were gone.
I could hear a fight going on downstairs and I slowly made my way towards the commotion. It was slow progress as I couldn't move without feeling as though someone just jabbed a sharp knife between my ribs. When I finally reached the top of the staircase I saw what was going on down below. The Cullens were trying to protect Edward and the Denalis were trying to keep them out of the fight while the three beautiful goddesses were alternating between holding the Cullens at bay and attacking Edward.
Everything I had felt for Edward was gone when he hurt me, but that didn't mean I wanted him dead. I might have no respect left for him, I might want nothing more to do with him, but I didn't want him dead. He didn't deserve to die for his actions.
"Stop!" I called out and everyone froze. They all looked up at me and I probably looked fabulous right now, clutching my left side in pain, I just knew my hair was a mess and god knows what my face looks like right now. I addressed Tanya, Kate and Irina. "Please don't kill him," I begged and the girls all looked uncertain.
"He deserves to die for what he did to you!" Kate insisted, Tanya and Irina growled in agreement.
"No he doesn't!" I countered, wincing as the pain in my side flared up. "Just let him go." Hesitantly, the girls did as I instructed.
"I knew you would come to your senses," Edward began. "I'm sorry I hurt you, I just forgot my own strength for a moment when I saw you with Irina. I do love you Bella," the copper-haired vampire assured me. "Let's just put this behind us and continue as we planned. We'll get married, enjoy our honeymoon, and then you can be one of us, just like you always wanted." Edward smiled at me, that smile that I had once fallen in love with only now it seemed different.
Something he had said had set Kate off and the other two were holding her back while Irina reminded her, "Bella said not to kill him."
I however was focussed on Edward. His smile was kind and loving but his eyes seemed angry and victorious, almost sinister. I would never be stupid enough to let him near me again. Slowly and deliberately I removed the engagement ring and dropped it over the railing. It landed on the floor below with a satisfying clink which would have been a lot louder to the vampires. "Stay away from me," I insisted, staring at Edward. "I don't want anything to do with you ever again." I told him and his face hardened.
Edward growled. "You are mine!" He insisted again, pouncing towards me.
My breath caught in my throat and I leaned back in fear as he drew close. It was Rose who came to my rescue this time. Tanya, Kate and Irina were now standing in front of me while Rose threw Edward to the other side of the room. "Who the hell are you?" She demanded my ex. "You most certainly are not my brother, I would never be a part of a family where it is okay to beat a woman and call her your property!" Rose growled.
Everyone looked around, wondering if anyone would stand to defend Edward. Finally all eyes turned to Carlisle, searching for his reaction. The blond vampire turned to me. "I should probably take a look at your injuries, why don't we go to my office?"
"Carlisle!" Edward protested at his father's lack of support.
"Get out of my house." Esme shocked everyone with her hostility. "I never imagined you would treat a woman with such blatant disrespect and brutality. Rose is right, we don't even know you. You are not my son." I didn't get to see how things ended as Carlisle led me away and that was the last I could make out as he closed his office door behind me.
~SophieAngel69