The New Life
A/N- Hope you like. Keep reading and reviewing! –Kitty
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns
Renee's Story
Bella POV
What was the matter? Why did Renee run away? She has done it to me twice. The first was when I was very young. That is when she left me and Charlie. The second time was yesterday. We were talking and she just got up and left in a hurry. She got all pale and ran out of the room. I don't know why. All this ran through my head when the door knob turned.
"Bella?" said Renee. "We need to talk."
"About what?" I asked. What could be on this woman's mind?
"Well, I need to talk, not you." She said.
"Renee…" I trailed off when her finger went to her mouth signaling me to be quiet. I nodded my head in understanding. This was her moment.
"When I was about your age, I met a man. He was so handsome. We started to go out and he treated me with respect and kindness. His name was Charlie Swan. One night, we got very intimate. The next few months I found out I was pregnant. I panicked. I married him when I was six months pregnant. After we were married things changed. Charlie became mean and he grew angry with everything I did, at first I thought it really was my fault. I dealt with the verbal abuse for three more months, and then you were born. You were so adorable, Bella, I wish you could understand…" Renee sniffled and let out a cry. "After your birth Charlie got seriously depressed and angry. He started to beat me. I took the beatings for so long. I thought I could make it through since I had you. When he finally pushed the limit, I ended up in the hospital for about two months. I don't know what he had told everyone- all I knew was that we were through." Renee covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry Bella! I was going to take you! But Charlie was so scary. I was afraid he'd hurt me. I didn't think he would hurt you too!" Renee sobbed into her palms. After a few moments her sobs quieted a little.
"Renee, it's okay." I tried to comfort. My efforts were shattered.
"No Bella! It's not okay! I should have taken you with me!" Her sobs started up again. She obviously couldn't sit next to me any longer. Her guilty conscience made her flee, once again. Even when she was out of the room I could still hear her wails. Just as I was ready to run to her, Phil popped his head in.
"Bella, may I come in?" he asked.
"Yes, of course." I said. I watched him as he strode his way towards me. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at me with concerned eyes.
"Hi," he said. He immediately got to the point. "Bella, I hope you can understand what Renee has gone through." He paused and looked at me once more. He might have been looking for a response, but I wouldn't give him one. "Bella, I met Renee a year after she left Charlie. She was very depressed. She talked about you all the time. It was obvious that she loved you." He paused again. Yes, he defiantly wanted a response. "Renee was so sad about leaving you behind that she actually cut herself. I forced her to go to therapy. The therapist told her to visit you, so she did. She told me that she saw you with Charlie, and you had this huge smile on your face. She said that you were playing catch and Charlie looked like he loved you. Renee said she couldn't ruin both of your happiness, even though he had damaged hers. Bella, I hope you know that Renee loves you and has missed you."
Finally I nodded my head. Secretly I had always known that she hadn't left me because she hated me. It was just buried deep within. My heart lifted a little, as if a heavy weight was leaning on it. It was nice to finally know Renee's side of the story. I stared into Phil's deeply worried eyes. I could see how much he loved Renee.
"You really love her." I stated. A smirk appeared on his face. Yes, he did love her. I wondered if Edward loved me like Phil loved Renee. I was positive that I loved him that much. No, even more. I would kill for Edward. I thought about what Renee had told me. Both my brain and heart told me that Renee was telling me the truth, about everything. It made me think about love and fear. Which would win when versus the other?