Disclaimer: I do not own characters or any songs/lyrics used in the story. Those belong to their respective authors/artists/etc. No copyright infringement is intended.

Huge thanks to Lynette! She's the bestest beta ever!

This is the shortest chapter yet. Please don't hate me.

Chapter 16

EPOV

As soon as I hit the main floor of the club, I made a beeline for the exit. I couldn't think straight and all I saw was red.

Bella is Victoria?

I'm angry, to say the least. Though I'm not entirely sure if all of that anger is aimed at Victoria, I mean Bella. Some of it is aimed at me, myself and I. How could I have been so blind to not be able to figure that one out?

I don't slow my hurried pace as I exit the building. The warmth of the early June day has turned chilly with nightfall. I don't care though. I continue to walk, passing the parking lot where my car is parked. I have no real destination in mind; I just need to get away.

Bella is Victoria?

How in the hell did this shit happen? How in the hell do I end up with liars for girlfriends? I've only ever opened myself up to a woman twice. The first time was with that bitch Angela, and now with Bella. Yet both have the same basic outcome. They've lied to me. It's not something I can easily move past.

I shake my head to clear the images. It sickens me to be comparing my sweet, loving and beautiful Bella to that vile, wench of whore Angela. I can't help it though. They're one in the same; both out to get me, to use me and lie to me, thinking I'd never find out.

I walk faster. Buildings pass by in a haze as I continue to my unknown destination. My legs begin to burn and my feet ache, but I keep walking. I ignore the stares from other late night souls lost in the night. I can tell I have a murderous glare on my face. I don't give a shit. I need to walk. I need to get away.

Bella is Victoria?

After a long while my brain decides to listen to the demands of my body. I look around, trying to figure out where I am. I haven't a clue, but there's a small park entrance a few yards in front of me. Slowing my pace, I walk through the gate and sit down on the first available bench. I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees, letting my head hang down. My heart is still pounding furiously in my chest, my breathing is still ragged. I can feel my clothes sticking to my sweaty body and my legs are burning in pain. None of that, though, compares to the hole that seems to have been punched through my heart.

Never in my life have I felt this much pain before. Not when I found out Angela had cheated on me with half the town's population, not when she told me she was pregnant and the kid wasn't mine. It didn't even hurt this much when Mom passed away. Why does this hurt so fucking bad?

Because I love her.

The sense of loss is overwhelming and soon I feel traitorous tears rolling down my cheeks. I'm so fucking angry, hurt and lost. Yet here I sit, crying because I love her so damn much, and now I can't even keep her. How can I keep her after this? She lied to me. I don't think that is something I could ever get over.

I sit for an hour or so on that cold, lonely bench thinking about the short time Bella and I have been together. I think about how much longer I wanted to be with her. I told her, just this weekend, that I wanted her to pack enough clothes for forever. She promised me… promised that we would spend forever together…someday. Now it doesn't seem as if that someday will ever come. Would it have ever come?

After a while, when the tears have dried and my mind has gone blissfully numb, I stand to leave. Walking out of the park, I realize once more that I have no idea where I am at, so I pull out my phone to use the 'map' feature to figure out which way to go.

The phone buzzes in my hand as I turn it on. It's Bella. I push the button to ignore it. I know I'll have to talk to her eventually, but I just can't yet. It's too fresh, too painful.

Tears sting the corners of my eyes, threatening to fall again. I lift my head up to the sky, blinking rapidly and take a few breaths. When the threat is gone, I look back at my phone. I have a dozen or so missed calls and even more text messages. Most are from Bella, a few are from my father. I ignore them all and open the map. Getting my bearings straight, I start the walk home.

I was closer to home than I thought and made it back to the new apartment in only twenty minutes. I stop as soon as I walk in the lobby, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply. I swear I can actually smell her here. I inhale again and open my eyes, glancing around. Nope. No Bella. My mind must be playing tricks on me. I trudge to the elevator and push the button to my floor. I dread going to my place, knowing I'll be all alone, yet somehow wishing that wasn't case.

As I ride up the elevator, memories of the perfect weekend I had flood my brain: Bella's smile when I told her I had a real home now; Bella's moan of appreciation as she bit into the pot roast Mrs. Cope had made us for dinner; the smell of Bella's body wash as she showers…

My hand grips the railing tighter and I shake my head to rid me of the memories.

NO! She lied. You can't have her now. Love isn't the only thing in a relationship. Love means nothing without trust.

I watch the numbers come to a halt at the top floor. As soon as the doors open I smell Bella again. This time I know it's just a trick of the imagination and I shuffle out of the elevator. I hear the doors close behind me with a ding and I am left alone in silence. It's so quiet that it's almost deafening. Two thoughts hit me like a ton of bricks.

Bella is Victoria.

I am all alone, again.

I take a step back and slump down against the elevator doors, entirely and utterly defeated. I know I have to go into my apartment, but I can't bring myself to get up and go towards my apartment I know her stuff is in there, the remnants of the relationship I thought was real are in there.

With yet another deep breath, I force myself to stand and move forward, keeping my head down. Regardless of all of the personal shit going on, I still have an early flight to New York in the morning and I have yet to pack anything.

I drag myself to the door, putting in my key and swinging it open slowly. I am forcefully hit with the full impact of that sweet floral scent that is Bella, yet again. I take a few steps inside, the door closing behind me, and shrug out of my jacket; trying to ignore the scents that are now real, not just in my mind. I head towards the kitchen to grab a bottle of whiskey, hoping to numb the pain that seems to be coming back now that I'm here.

As I take my first gulp, straight from the bottle, I hear a sound coming from my bedroom. I straighten up and listen, hearing it again. It's the sound of a woman crying. Bella's here. Bella's here and she is in my room. I take another swig of the amber liquid.

Should I go to her? Should I wait for her to come to me? Do I kick her out? Yell at her? I'm so confused. I am angry, I am hurt and I don't think there's any way I can bear to be around her right now. At the same time though, she's in my room. The one room I need to go to.

I take a few more swallows of my whiskey. Anger becomes the overriding emotion and suddenly I can't stop myself anymore. I storm to my room and push the door open violently. Bella is collapsed on my bed, her small body curled into itself as she quiets her sobs into my pillow.

"GET OUT!" I yell. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY APARTMENT!"

Bella's body jumps at the sound of my voice. She practically falls off the bed. Her head whips around and her tear reddened eyes meet mine.

"Edward," she cries, scrambling to stand up. "Oh God, Edward, I am so sor…"

I cut her off, "I don't want to hear you fucking apologies, Bella." I spit out her name like a curse. "YOU FUCKING LIED TO ME!" I stalk towards her, grabbing her by the biceps.

Her eyes widen with fear and panic. For a split second, I feel bad for scaring her. But the rage and hurt wash over me.

"YOU. LIED. TO. ME!" I roar, I release her arms and run my hands through my hair, tugging hard. "You lied to me, Bella!"

"I KNOW!" she yells back, looking me directly in the eye. I'm startled by her outburst. I'm the one who should be hurting and yelling. Not her. She continues, almost in a whisper now, "I know I lied to you, Edward. I know I did, and I feel horrible. I was going to tell you tonight."

The sound of her quiet, defeated voice is enough to deflate my anger, leaving only pain in its wake.

"Sure," I bitterly retort. "That's what they all say."

"It's the truth, Edward. I've wanted to tell you for days and days. We just always got so… um… preoccupied… over the weekend that I would totally forget," she says, sniffling.

"You should have come to me, Bella. You should have told me!" I pound my fingers into my chest to emphasize my point. I feel betrayed and hurt. Why wouldn't she tell me before? Doesn't she trust me?

"I know, you're right. But honestly, at the time, I thought that karaoke thing was a onetime thing. I didn't even want to do it!" She exclaims through her sobs. "Alice and Rose put me up to it and I just couldn't say no to them!"

"I don't want to hear it," I tell her honestly, turning away from her. I can't see her like that; it'll make me lose my nerve for what I know I have to do. "I just… I can't trust you. I can't believe anything you say anymore."

"Please, Edward!" She cries; her hands grip my shoulders from behind. "Just let me explain!"

"NO, Bella!" I shout, shrugging her hands off. "I don't want to hear it!"

We're both quiet for a few moments. The air is thick with tension; the only sound is Bella's quiet crying and sniffling. I scrub a hand across my face and rake it through my hair before I turn to face her.

I can see sorrow written all over her face; it's enough to break me even more.

BPOV

As Edward turns around, I can clearly see the pain, betrayal and confusion in his beautiful green eyes. I cry harder, knowing that I'm the one that put all of those ugly emotions there.

I can't believe how badly I've managed to fuck this up. Why didn't I just tell him? Why did I let Alice and Rose talk me into that first night at the club? Hind sight sure is twenty-twenty. I had been so wrapped up in trying to pretend that Victoria was a second person that I forgot what she really was. A fucking joke.

I have to get Edward to listen to me. Surely once he listens and lets me apologize he'll be able to forgive me. Right? Isn't that what you do when you love someone?

Slowly, I reach my hand up to his face. More tears stream down my face and my lower lip quivers as I brush a lock of hair away from his forehead and run my fingers down the side of his face, coming to rest on his cheek. A single tear drops from his eye; I brush it away with my thumb.

"Edward," I whisper shakily, my watery gaze staring into his.

He closes his eyes and leans into my hand. I can feel the tension in his jaw under my fingers. A few moments pass and he turns his head, placing a gentle kiss on the palm of my hand before covering it with his own. He pulls my hand away from his face and releases it without a word.

"Edward," I try again. "Please."

He shakes his head. "I think you need to leave, Bella."

Leave? He wants me to leave? Now? How are we supposed to figure this out if I leave?

You hurt him, he doesn't want you now.

I refuse to believe he doesn't want me. He loves me. He told me so. He can't just change his mind about that so quickly can he? God knows I still love him. I didn't want this to happen - I didn't mean to hurt him like this.

"No," I firmly state. "I'm not leaving until you let me explain."

"No, Bella, I can't do that," he says. He takes a deep breath and runs his hands through his hair again. His eyes take inventory of my face. It's almost as if he's memorizing it for later.

"Look, take the rest of the week off. I'm going to New York and there's nothing left for you to do at the office while I'm away," he tells me.

I don't know why I'm surprised that he doesn't want me to come to New York now, but I am. I don't know what to say, so I just nod my head.

"I think you should go," he says again.

I cry harder. I can't go yet. He hasn't let me even begin to explain things.

"No, Edward," I choke out. "Just let me…"

"Bella, you need to leave. I can't do this right now," he hisses through his teeth. His anger is coming back, but I don't care. He needs to hear the whole truth.

"Why! Why can't you just listen? Why can't we figure this shit out together?" I ask. "Why?"

With a shake of the head he storms past me and down the hall. I follow him as he grabs a bag from the closet and turns to go back to his room. He ignores me as he starts stuffing random clothing into the bag. A few minutes later he's finished and zips it back up and then turns to me. His eyes are still blazing with anger and pain.

"Why?" I whisper one more time.

"WHY? YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY, BELLA?"

It seems anger has won this round of emotional poker.

He doesn't let me answer, choosing to continue his thought.

"I am hurt, Bella. I am mad, angry as hell, frustrated and embarrassed. I feel betrayed and let down. I feel an intense need to get away from all of this shit right now. Those are all of the things I KNOW right now," he stops for a second to take a breath. "What I DON'T know right now, is if ALL of it was a lie. I DON'T know what was real and what was fake. THAT's why you need to leave."

I'm pretty sure that's the moment my heart broke into a thousand un-repairable pieces. Hell, I'm not even sure my heart is still beating. The breath leaves my body and I stumble a few steps back and into the door frame. One hand grasps onto my forehead, the other arm wraps securely around my stomach as if to hold myself together.

Keep it together. Just get out and he'll never see how much that hurt.

I turn around and trip down the hall to the front door. It takes a few seconds longer than normal to turn the knob my vision is blurred by my tears. My brain has effectively shut off; I'm running on pure instinct now.

I finally get the door open and start to walk through it. Against my better judgment I stop halfway out and turn around. I can't stop the sobs from wracking my body as my eyes find his. Tears openly spill down his cheeks; the pain in his eyes is sharp enough to stab me in the heart. The confident, strong and handsome man I fell in love with is no longer standing in front of me. The man here now looks entirely lost and on the edge of losing his grip on sanity.

I want to rush to him, to throw my arms around him and beg him to listen. But I know that's not what he needs. He told me what he needs and I have no choice but to listen to him now. If nothing else, I owe him that much, to listen to his request for me to leave.

With a final sob I walk out the door, letting it close behind me. I rush into the elevator and out of his building. I get to my car and slide into the driver's seat and let the emotions take over. An hour later, once the bawling, blubbering and screaming has slowed I turn on my car. I head down the darkened highway towards the only place I want to be now.

Home. In Forks.

The darkened night sky is turning to dawn as I pull into the driveway of my childhood home. Charlie is already standing at the door, as if he's been waiting for me.

As soon as the car is parked, I hobble out and run to him. Charlie scoops me up into a big hug and lets me cry.

"There, there, Bells," he croons. "It'll be okay."

"No, daddy, I won't be okay," I cry. "He's gone, daddy! He's gone! And it's all my fault."

Oh my! What a blow up from Edward! Did you expect that? Did you expect Bella to actually leave? I wonder what will happen now... thoughts and comments are always welcome!

I promise I won't keep it angsty for long. I'm much to happy of a person to keep writing that. Seriously- it physically pained me to write this chapter- which is why it's so damn short. I promise to make it up for you in the future though!

Follow me on Twitter! (at)RobinsFF I love hearing your ideas and thoughts on the story!

Until next week...
MWAH!