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Sorry if the last chapter was a little short, Ive really tried to make this chapter my longest one yet :)
Thanks again.
Chapter 7.
Edward
I helped Bella over to the couch where It her down. It was like she wasnt really there. Obviously her body was there, but her mind seemed elsewhere. Her breathing was still laboured, her chest rose and fell faster than what was normal. To tell you the truth, she was really starting to worry me.
"The stupid slut broke my nose". Tanya sreeched from somewhere behind me. "Edward, there's blood all over my new dress" She cried.
"Oh shut the hell up will you Tanya" My mother roared, scaring me even more. She hardly ever raised her voice to anybody, but when she did, she meant business. My father hurried over to us from his place by the fire. He pushed me aside as he squatted before Bella. She was gasping for air and my father placed his hands on either sides of her face and forced her to look at him. "Focus Bella" He told her, sounding almost like a whispered plea. "Listen to my voice and breath with me." He took a long deep breath, then he slowly released it. Bella tried to copy his actions and eventually her breathing started to regulate. When she had her bearings she shuffled along the couch, away from Carlisle. Even I could see the look of pain on his face as she refused to be near him.
"Thanks Carlisle" She whispered, refusing to meet his gaze. "I...I sometimes have trouble controlling my anger" She said with a snort.
"How...How long have you been suffering from panic attacks Bella?" He asked. "She looked down for a moment "Since the attack" She answered, looking back up at him. He nodded his head in understanding and sympathy, but made no futher comment.
"Well, this is all so fascinating, but would someone please explain to me why she is in our house" Alice yelled, pointing her perfectly manicured finger at Bella.
Nobody knew how to answer her. "I mean... come on. You remember what she did to us, right" She said. I had to stop her before she put her foot in it just as I did. I walked over to her and looked her squarely in the face. "We were wrong Alice" I told her. I closed my eyes as I fought to keep myself together and say the words that I needed to say. Bella and Newton werent cheating on us Alice. He raped her. That scum fucking raped her". I tried to keep my voice down, but I was sure it got a little louder by the end. Alice's eyes widened as she listened to what I said, and what that meant for us. We had witnessed it, and we had left her when she needed us the most.
"Oh please... Is that what the little whore told you" Tanya laughed, trying to stop the flow of blood from her nose. "She was a slut back then, and I'll bet she is still one now" My head whipped round to Tanya so fast I almost gave myself whiplash.
"What I want to know is... Why did Bella react that way when she saw you?" I said, keeping my voice as neutral as I possibly could. "Did you know that Bella was raped by him? Did you know that we left her alone through that and it was us that were in the wrong. All these fucking years Tanya" I yelled. Rage bubbling in my stomach. "Did you know that when I left her, I left her pregnant. I fucking abandoned her and our daughter for nothing. Did. you. know?" I roared. Tanya had backed up against the wall, in fear of my actions, as well she should. I heard Bella snort in the distance.
"She knew alright." Bella said, standing up and stalking towards us. "Let me get this right...what was it now...what did Newton tell the courtroom during his trial...Oh yea... I got it now..." she said slamming her palm against her forehead acting dumb. "You got him drunk Tanya, at Jessica's party. You got him so fucking drunk that he couldnt think straight" She roared. "Then you told him that I was ending my relationship with Edward because I was in love with him. You told him that I liked sex to be rough and Edward never gave it to me like that. Then you had the fucking nerve to tell him how rough I liked it and for him not to take no for an answer, because although I was ending it with Edward I would still feel guilty about betraying his trust." Bella had yelled throughout her speech, so she stopped to catch her breath. Several gasps where heard through the room, non were louder that my own though.
"Is that true" I whispered in shock. I couldnt believe that even Tanya would be so fucking sick in the head. I walked even more closer to her. She was cringing into the wall and shaking her head from side to side. "Fucking answer me dammit. Is that true?" I yelled. I heard her choke on a sob.
"Yes it's true" She screamed. "Its all fucking true. Why did princess Isabella get to have everything while I had nothing." I stepped back in denial. "No, no, no, no, no. This wasnt happening, please somebody tell me this isnt happening" I thought. "Oh it's happening alright" My mother said in a voice colder than ice. Shit! I must of been rambling. I couldnt think straight. Everything that I had lost, everything that Bella and I had been through was all for nothing. It was all because of a twisted game of Tanya's. The same Tanya that I had been engagded to for the past year. The same Tanya that I had been sleeping with almost everynight for the last year. Fuck! How did I not realise what sort of person that she really was. I had left an angel and shacked up with the devil, and there was no going back from that. Bella would never forgive me, because I knew that if the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldn't forgive her either. My life was in ruins and it was all my own fault.
"Why Tanya?" Alice whispered. "Why would you do something so cruel?" Tanya snorted in disgust, probably at the word `cruel`.
"I told you why. She had everything. She had Edward, she had friends. Lots of them. Everybody preferred her to me. Even my own father. He always asked why I couldnt be more like Bella. Go to school, do my homework, come in on time, be nice to people. Like little miss goody two shoes over here. Do you have any Idea what it was like to grow up in her fucking shadow. I was jealous okay" She yelled. "I was so jealous. I saw a way to break you guys up and I took it." She really had no shame at all. She didnt realise the magnitude of her actions. "I won... I won in the end" Tanya continued. "I got you Edward. I'm your fiancee, I'm going to be your wife soon. You have nothing" She said as she turned to glare at Bella. "He's mine now" Fuck! I wanted the earth to open and swallow me whole. Right. the. fuck. now. "We'll be married soon and you'll be nothing but a distant memory." She sneered.
"Yep" Bella replied. "Your right on one thing Tan. You have Edward, and Alice and the Cullen's. Your welcome to them" She said. That fucking hurt, and judging by the face's of my family, I could see that they felt the same way. "They became nothing to me the moment they chose to believe your lies. You may of won that battle but you lost the war. I love my fucking life now. I have a beautiful daughter, who is my whole world. I still have friends. My father. I have a great job as I nurse at the hospital, and a nice white house with a picket fence. Jasmine even has a puppy. It's perfect. I have everything that I ever wanted" It sounded like the perfect setting, the only thing that was missing was me. I should of been there with them. Bella stopped for a moment. "What have you got?" She continued. "Do you even have a job?, Or do you scrounge of the cullens, like the fucking loser that you are?" She taunted. Tanya flew at her, but Bella was faster. She got a grip around Tanya's throat. Do. Not. Piss. Me. Off. Any. Futher." She told her, pushing her so that Tanya stumbled against the wall. `Thats my girl` I thought, smiling inwardly. Only she wasnt. She was not my girl, not anymore, and the knowledge of that, stung deep down.
"Well, I guess you know the reason why I'm here" Bella stated as she turned and looked at me. I stared into her beautiful chocolate brown eyes for a moment, before nodding my head at her question. "Can we talk in private" She asked awkwardly. I nooded again. "Would you mind if I made myself another coffee, Esme?" She asked.
My mother smiled as best she could. "Of course dear. This is your house too" She replied, before looking down. "No, no it's not" Bella whispered softly as she headed towards the kitchen. Esme let out a silent sob and Carlisle buried her head against her chest as she let loose a few tears. Bella didnt notice, she was already going down the hall towards the kitchen. "You coming or what Cullen" She yelled from the other room. I walked out of the living room and followed behind her. I sat at the table as she put the kettle on.
"Drink?" She asked.
"Cof...Coffee, two sugar's please" I answered quietly. My heart was beathing out of my chest. Bella and I...alone...for the first time in seven years. I could still feel the electrifying energy crackle between us, the ever present force that lt me know that she was close. I felt complete and whole, as I realised how much I had missed this...missed us. She placed my mug down before me, then she sat across from me. Ouch! She couldn't even sit next to me. Not that I blamed her for that.
"Look" She finally said, with a sigh. "I know this is alot to take on board. A few hours ago you didnt even know that Jasmine existed" Jasmine I thought, my beautiful daughter. Her name was Jasmine. I couldnt help but wonder who she looked like. I found myself hoping that she looked just like Bella, with no interference from me at all.
"And now I'm asking for you to save her life" Bella continued. "But she's my life Edward. She's all Ive got. I'm begging you to help her. She'll di...die, without your help" She cried as a tear escaped her eye. I could see the amount of love she had for her daughter...our daugter. That would of been me aswell if I hadn't been so foolish and acted so impulsively.
"I cant lose her Edward. I just cant" She whispered, with desperation in her eyes. I stared at her in shock. Did she really doubt that I wouldnt go to the ends of the earth to save our child. I would do anything. I may of never met her, but I fucking love her, already. She's a part of Bella and I, and before I ruined it all, we had been absolutely perfect. So I just knew that our daughter was perfect. I put my hand on the top of Bella's. which was on the table, her palm flat against the wood.
"Off course I'll help her Bells" I told her, causing her to flinch at the sound of the name that she only ever let me address her by. "I'll do everything in my power to save our little girl" I saw her let out a relieving breath.
"Thankyou Edward, thankyou so much" She said. "You dont have to thank me Bella. She's my daughter aswell. I may of never met her, or even seen a picture of her, but I already love her." I told her from the heart. She ruffled through her bag for a moment before she placed something on the table. "Here" She whispered as she pushed it towards me. I looked down and my breath got stuck in my throat. When it finally escaped, it sounded more like a strangled cry. A beautiful little girl smiled up at me from the table. With shaky fingers, I picked it up and held it in my hand, unable to take my eyes of it.
She had my green eyes, but they were Bella's shape. She had my bronze hair, but she had inherited Bella's soft loose curls. She had Bella's little button nose, and little pouty lips, absolutely stunning. I was right, a complete mixture of Bella and me- absolutely perfect. "She's beautiful Bella" I whispered in awe. "You must be very proud" She gave me just a hint of a smile. It didnt reach her eyes, but she did try. "Thankyou. I am very proud of her. She's amazing" She told me. All the times I had pictured our child. I had the perfect vision in my head. But Jasmine...she was even more. She was everything, and I had missed out on that. I had missed out on knowing her, and being a part of her life. I could only hope that Bella would let us all have a place in Jasmine's life when this was all over.
"Can I see her Bella, meet her. I want the opportunity to get to know her" I pleaded. I heard Bella exhale loudly as she cast her eyes down at the cup between her hands.
"I... I wont stop you from seeing her Edward. I may not like it, but she is your daughter. You have the right to get to know her, and she has the right to get to know you and your family. But that's all it will ever be. Jasmine's mom and Jasmine's dad, We can never get back what we lost. I cant be your friend Edward. It... It hurts to much. We'll put aside the unpleasantaries and we'll be the best damned parents a girl could hope for. We just have to make the best out of a bad situation." It hurt so badly to hear it, but I knew it was the truth. She didnt love me anymore, how could she after how I had treated her, doesnt mean it doesnt hurt like hell though. `Loss` that word had a different meaning to me now. I knew what it truely meant to have loved and lost.
"I understand Bella. Thankyou, thats more than I could ask for." I told her. She just nodded and put her cuo to her mouth to take a long drink, I almost chuckled. Still a caffeine freak, I see.
"I do have one rule though" She told me. I was suddenly feeling nervous. "I do not, under any circumstances, want my daughter near Tanya. I'm sorry, I know that she's your fiancee, but I dont want my daughter mixing with the likes of her". That shocked me.
"Bella. You dont really think I would still marry her do you? I dont want her anywhere near me, never mind my daughter. All of the hurt that I caused myself, that I caused you, she was the root of all the problems, and I never knew. I am so sorry Bella. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me, one day?"
"I dont know Edward, I'm sorry. I just dont know. You hurt me so bad. I dont think you realise just how badly. Maybe one day, but definately not any time soon. Right now, all I want to do is get home to my daughter" She told me. I understood completely, and I also hoped for a day when we could at least be friends again.
Bella left soon afterwards, she couldnt bear to be away from our daughter anymore. She was lucky enough to get the last seat on a flight to seattle. The rest of us would fly in tomorrow.
"There you are Eddie" Tanya cooed as I walked back into the living room. Bipolar bitch. "I wondered where you'd gotten to" I walked over to her and she stood up and attempted to run into my arms. I moved out of the way at the last minute, causing her to fall into the seat in front of her. She looked at me in shock and confusion.
"I am going to say this just one time Tanya. You stay the hell away from me and my family. I am not your fiance, and nor will there be a wedding. You disgrace me. You are a sad, sad excuse for a human being. You mean nothing to me, you never really did. Now I'm gonna give you five minutes to get all of your belongings out of this house, before I start burning shit." I told her.
"But...But Edward, you lov..." She tried to say.
"Starting from now" I bellowed, piercing her with my fierciest glare. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could, She emerged five minutes later with two black bin bags in her hands. I opened the front door for her and nodded my head to the outside. She tried to speak to me one more time but I wasnt interested in anything that she had to say. I slammed the door closed as she walked through it with a huff. I walked to the couch and slumped down, still totally in shock for everything that had occured today. Bella was back in my life, My fiancee... or ex fiancee was a cold, lying, manipulative bitch, and most importantly...I had a daughter. I still had the picture in my pocket so I pulled it out and stared intently at each and every inch of her face. She had a small scar just above her left eyebrow. It looked like the mark left over after chicken-pox, if you'd scratched the scab of. She also had a little freckle on her right sparkling green doe eyes. I was already smitten with her, and I couldnt wait to meet her.
"Is that her?" My mother whispered. I nodded as I let my tears fall. I was a daddy. My mother sat beside me, putting one arm around me and cradling my face against her neck. A loving hug that only a mother could do. She took the picture from me and looked down at it. Smiling broadly even as her own eyes filled. "Beautiful" I heard her murmur. That she is. "Carlisle. Come look" She said excitedly. My father walked over to us and took the picture from her, staring at her with the same awed expression as me and my mother. "She's beautiful Edward" he told me as Alice stared down at it from over his shoulder. "She looks so much like you and Bella both" She said, adding "amazing" aswell. She gave me a sad smile. She knew, just as I did what damage we had done when we left. I prayed that I would be able to make it up to Bella. I also vowed that I would never let her, or our daughter, down ever again.
Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it :)