Thank you everyone for your reviews! I know that you all really do not like this Edward and have many questions, but hang tight there's still lots to come. And to those who are still on the fence about this Bella, after this chapter I'm asking you all to also please hang tight - don't judge her just yet!

Also, if you do not have me on Author Alerts, I also am beginning to the refresh to my other story, Breathe Me. I'm planning on doing a rotating update schedule with both stories so you'll be able to get both of your fixes, if you do enjoy that story as well.

So here's what's next and the end of Bella's night – let me know what you all think!

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.

BPOV

Okay Isabella, now how do you expect to get out of this one?

What was I even thinking? Inviting them into my own home? Carlisle and Alice, that was no problem but how could I let him into my home, my sanctuary? Classic Bella, blurting out something before even thinking about the repercussions they could have. Unfortunately, I had no choice now as I had to leave and they were on their way to my place now.

I sighed, turning and walking out of the venue to our limo outside where Rosalie and Jasper were eagerly waiting.

"Hey, I was just about to get you," Rosalie said as I took my seat inside the limo. "Everything okay? Who were they? And who was that mega DILF?"

My face contorted into a nice display of disgust, making Rosalie laugh and lean back into her seat.

"Gross, didn't know that was your thing Rose," I replied, which Rosalie responded with a sultry wink. "Everything's fine, I hope anyways. That was the Cullen's."

Jasper, who was sitting with his head against the seat and his eyes closed, looking like he was ready to fall asleep any second now, suddenly shot up and stared at me with shocked eyes.

"Hold on, the Cullen's? Like the Forks Cullen's?"

"One and the same." Sighing again, I took my phone out of my clutch and noticed I had a few missed calls, some from an unknown number and several more from my father. Odd. "They're stranded tonight so I offered for them to say at my place."

I was responded with silence which caused me to look up from my phone at them both where I was met with gawking faces.

"What?"

"Are you out of your damn mind, Bella?" Rosalie asked in a harsh whisper.

"No… maybe?" I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling the impending headache right around the corner. "What was I supposed to do, let them stay at some motel infested with bed bugs?"

"Rose, she's right," Jasper replied which made me feel good that at least someone didn't think I was insane. His next words unfortunately didn't add any comfort to my situation, as Jasper looked straight at me with concern etched on his face. "Just be careful, okay Bella?"

Our driver dropped off Jasper first at his condo, making us have to wake him up in almost fetal position as he was passed out like a baby. Although I couldn't blame him, we had one hell of a night. If I didn't know what was waiting for me when I got home, I was sure my body would've gone down the same route. Rosalie was next to be dropped off and we said our goodbyes but not before she let me know that she'd drop by my office first thing in the morning to check up on me. I was ready to argue against before I saw her expression which made me concede. Rosalie was stubborn as hell and was known to never give up, so in this case I settled.

I was next and when our driver slowed to a slow stop in front of my condo, my phone rang with an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Bella?" Carlisle's voice answered. "We're waiting out front."

"I've just arrived as well, I'll be out in a second."

I hung up and took a short moment to take a few deep breaths and just relax before facing the next challenge before my night came to a close. Stepping out of the limo, I managed to do so with not a speck of grace and somehow my heel got stuck in a crack I the pavement. I felt myself falling forward and stuck my hand out to brace myself for the hard fall but instead fell right into a solid wall and was pulled up. Well, more like a solid chest than a wall.

I didn't need to look up to see who it was as the familiar sparks that shot through me at first contact already confirmed who saved me from the unpleasant injury I was almost faced with. With those sparks came the pain from my past to make another appearance and after the emotional rollercoaster I had from the entire day, I was now totally pissed.

His chuckle vibrated against me as I was still leaning against his chest, causing me to quickly pull back and compose myself.

"I knew my Bella was in there," he said. I whipped my arm from his grasp where he'd caught me and looked at his face, livid at the crooked smile on his face.

How fucking dare he?

"I am not your Bella," I seethed, watching as the resentment in my voice caused his smile to fade and pain to show on his face instead. "I never was, and I never will be."

With that, I immediately turned and marched straight to the entrance of my building where Carlisle and Alice were waiting, ignoring their curious stares as they surely noticed the exchange between Edward and I just then. I advised them to follow me as we made our way to my condo with Edward slowly trailing behind as he and Carlisle hauled the luggage up. Surprisingly, Alice was much more quiet than usual although I really couldn't imagine what she was thinking after catching what had just happened with Edward and I. But could she really be surprised? What did she think, that after everything I would've just leapt into his arms and all would be forgiven?

My thoughts were becoming my worst enemy as it felt like an eternity had passed until the elevator brought us up to my place. As the doors finally opened to my floor, I let out a breath that I hadn't even realized I was holding and walked out into my home. I really just needed a few moments to myself, so I showed them to the guest rooms and asked if they needed anything before I heard my phone ring and my father's name showing up on the screen.

Weird. I thought, as that was probably the tenth time he'd called tonight and he knew how important tonight was for me. We had already told each other earlier that we'd talk the day after anyways. And when that thought went through my mind, I instantly began to fear for the worst, thinking that maybe something had happened to him.

"Dad?" I answered immediately.

"How dare you, Bella," he growled and the worry of him not being safe eased although now the worry shifted into why he was so angry with me. "Of all people, the last person I thought that would lie to my face would be you!"

"Dad, what're you talking about?"

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about, Bella. I'm talking about Renee!"

Her name still made goose bumps crawl over my skin involuntarily as memories of my past with my mother continued to haunt me. Though I couldn't blame my father for feeling the way he was now. I entered my bedroom and quickly shut the door so the Cullen's couldn't catch any of the awful conversation that was about to begin.

"You've been lying to me for years!" Charlie continued as I replied with silence. "After everything we've gone through, after everything that woman has put you through, I find out that you're still supporting her? Are you insane?"

Uh oh, I sighed and sat on my bed, rubbing my forehead roughly as I felt the onslaught of a major migraine coming. "How'd you find out?"

"How'd I find out?" I cringed when his voice started to rise, which never was the greatest sign. "I think the better question here Bella is, why are you doing this? Why do you continue to let Renee run your life and try to ruin it?"

"It's kind of hard to explain, Dad…" I trailed off, unsure of where to even begin to explain to him. My emotions were completely all over the place after this evening but this conversation was one that I was in no way prepared for and didn't know how to handle.

"Oh, really? Try me, Bella." He scoffed and I could just imagine him pacing and shaking his head. "I can't believe you! After everything that she's done, you still let her control you!"

"She said she was going to get help!" I blurted out angrily, not able to hold back as he continued to berate me. I felt like I was that kid back in Forks yet again being scolded by her father. "She's been going to counselling and it's working. I'm helping her get better!"

"Better? For what?" he roared and I almost flinched away from the phone, my hands trembling in anger which seemed to be more at myself than anything else. "Why do you even care? Did she care for you when you were left alone in Phoenix for days without any food? Did she care for you when she was close to breaking you physically and mentally? When did she care about you, Bella?"

"She didn't!" I yelled and felt my eyes well up with tears and breath catch. "She never cared, don't you think I know that? But I need her!"

My hand flew up to my mouth, muffling a sob and gasp from what I'd just admitted. I tilted my phone away from my ear so my father couldn't hear my shaky breaths as I fought to gain control of my emotions. There was a brief silence between us as I could hear his deep breaths as he worked to also calm himself down while I kept my tears at bay.

He was right, I did lie. A few years after I had left Forks, someone had knocked on my door and when I opened it, I was face to face with my mother. In that moment, I had no idea what to do. Hug her, cry, run – the options were endless but evidently, I did nothing. She told me she needed money, had no place to stay. As much as I'd wanted to kick her out to the curb and tell her to never come into my life again, a part of me ached to have that maternal love that I'd never had.

Stupid, I know. Unfortunately that feeling would never leave me, as I know every child needs their mother in one way or another.

So I helped her – in the beginning when I was in my first few years of studies, there wasn't much that I could help her with financially and I may have seen her once or twice a year at most. It was when Swan Enterprises really began to see strong revenue that she would contact me more often. Not always in person, mostly via text or on the phone. I knew she was going through some sort of addiction as well but I couldn't bring myself to ask her. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't care, or I just didn't want to know. I understood that I needed to keep her at some sort of length of distance because if I allowed her any closer, I knew I'd get hurt. So I helped her, but was cautious of the ways I did it.

Of course, that meant Charlie could never know. It hurt to lie to him but I knew it was for the best. And when Renee came to me just under a year ago and showed me a pamphlet for a rehabilitation clinic in New Jersey, I was skeptical at first especially as I saw the excitement on her face. No one could be that excited for rehab. So I obviously looked into it and it was a legitimate place. A little more on the pricier side but it was one that her therapist had recommended so I made a few calls and I had been paying for her stay there since.

I would receive updates here and there both from my mother and also the head psychiatrist at the clinic, advising me that she was doing better and the progress made had been outstanding. Although she had been doing so well, she was advised to stay a little longer until she was 100%.

Call me stupid but even after everything that we had gone through and the pain that she had put me through, I still could not manage to remove her from my life. She was my mother and I had an opportunity to help fix her. A part of me wished my father would have also realized that.

"You need to face the facts, baby girl." Charlie was the first to break our long silence, his voice must softer now. "She's never going to change. She's never going to be the mother that you need and I wish, oh I wish so much that rehab could fix her but it can't. Nothing will. No amount of money, counselling or effort that you make." He let out a deep breath just as I did as I wiped a fallen tear from my cheek. "Listen, I'll call you in the morning, okay? Just try to get some sleep. I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered shakily and hung up, dropping my phone beside me on the bed as I got up and began to get ready for sleep. My eyes were droopy with exhaustion, both physically and emotionally, but my head was pounding. I quickly cleaned my face of all makeup and removed the pins holding my hair up, threw on my robe over top of my pajamas and made my way to the kitchen for some painkillers and water.

As I passed by the hallway to the guest rooms, I couldn't hear any sounds and the lights were off, which I assumed meant that Carlisle, Alice and Edward were asleep. Thank God, I thought, I couldn't handle anything else tipping my emotional scale as I felt like I had rode several rollercoaster rides just this evening.

I opened my medicine drawer and found the painkillers, placing two in my hand then grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. Downing them quickly, I sighed and closed my eyes, basking in the quiet serenity of my own home. Taking a couple of breaths, I put everything away and walked towards the light switch to switch the lights off for the evening when I felt the familiar energy tiptoe across my skin. I turned the lights off in the living room and kitchen, walking towards the hallway that led me down to my bedroom and ignoring Edward as I did. He was out of his suit from the evening and in sweats and a shirt instead, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed against this chest.

I tried to ignore of course, though I couldn't help but take in his perfectly tousled hair and the worry etched on his face.

"Bella?" He whispered cautiously as I walked past him, making me stop dead in my tracks. "I heard you yelling earlier on the phone. Are you okay?"

Ignoring everything inside of me, the pounding migraine and screaming in my head, I whipped around and faced him. I had no energy left for anger or yelling, no want to chastise him or cuss at him. I didn't understand his mood swings but one thing was for sure, Edward needed a massive reality check and to be put back in his place.

"You know what, Edward. No, I'm not." I replied shortly, watching his reaction closely as his eyebrows knitted and he uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the wall to stand straight. "This was supposed to be the best night of my life, until you came along. And I don't care why you're here because you don't matter. And as much as I'd love for you to disappear, that won't happen as long as Carlisle and Alice are here."

I ignored the pain on his face as I let out everything I was feeling. He had no right to try to act like everything was normal, or that I was in any way to blame for everything. Everything was his fault and he needed to feel every ounce of pain that came with it.

"So let's get something straight – I want absolutely nothing to do with you. You are here only because of Carlisle and that's it. So for now, you can stop with pretending to care if I'm alright or not and just leave me the fuck alone!"

With that, I turned on my heel and left him to deal with his own demons, but entirely alone.