Chapter Five: Miles from Where You Are
*EPOV*
Trudging up the stairs to my apartment, I precariously shifted the boxes in my hands so that I could slide the key in the lock. My heart thudded in my chest impatiently and I was barely containing the excitement I felt at the prospect of being reunited with my family, with her again. Turning the knob, I swung the door of my modest apartment open.
Crisp memories flooded my mind, reminding me of walking into the home I shared with Bella for the first time. She had giggled and swatted me on the shoulder, playfully admonishing me for swooping her up and carrying her over the threshold of our new apartment.
"Don't pick me up, Edward, we aren't even married yet. Wait 'til then," she pouted, threading her hands into my hair and nuzzling her nose into the crook of my neck.
"Baby, trust me, I'll carry you then, too. And I can't wait…" I trailed off, tightening my grip on her and murmuring against her soft lips.
Dropping the boxes to the floor, I pressed my fingertips to my lips as vivid memories of us flooded my senses. Although my mind perceived that I had been separated from her for just a few days rather than almost four long years, my body felt her absence deep down into my soul. My entire being seemed to vibrate in electrified anticipation, with the knowledge that I'd finally be whole again in just a few hours.
Shaking my head, I couldn't believe that I was doing something as mundane as packing when my entire world had imploded less than twelve hours prior. I glanced out the window and took in my surroundings; the lush forestry and solitude nature provided were quite beautiful. Bella would absolutely love it, and I planned to one day bring her back to Alaska and have her meet all of the people who had taken care of me and welcomed me into their family. Grabbing a beer from the fridge, I twisted the cap off and contemplated our situation. My mind could not wrap itself around what she must have gone through, the turmoil she must have felt all the years that I had been missing.
If our situations had been reversed, and I was the one left to face a life without Bella… The very thought was enough to cause a painful tightening in my chest. I wasn't sure which would be worse, experiencing what she had and thinking the person I loved was dead, or not knowing anything about my past, including who I was. Both. I decided both situations were awful.
Trying to shake the thoughts from my head, I focused on what it would be like when we were finally together. I'd never leave that girl's side again; she'd have to beg me not to drag her to work with me. I couldn't wipe the smile from my face as I contemplated what our reunion would be like.
Just a little while longer …
I looked around the apartment a few more moments, taking stock of all the stuff I had accumulated in the time I'd been here. I was pleasantly surprised that the books and CDs that littered the shelves surrounding my desk were similar to the ones I had at home. In fact, there were so many similarities to both of my apartments, from the exposed brick in the living rooms to the skylights and hardwood floors, that I was surprised my memory hadn't returned sooner.
Aro owned the apartment building as well as a tourist lodge and allowed me the choice of living in an apartment, at the lodge, or in a cabin on his vast property just outside of town. This building was the closest to Volturi Outfitters, so I chose the apartment. It was small and far more rustic than the opulent apartment I shared with Bella at home, but comfortable.
I wondered if Bella had gotten rid of anything from our apartment in all this time. I was sure she tossed the ficus tree that Lauren, a receptionist at our company, gave to us as a housewarming gift. Bella hated that tree shedding everywhere almost as much as she hated the girl who gave it to us. She was so silly, being jealous of Lauren. She knew she owned me. As if there could be anyone else—ever.
My heart ached as I thought of everything I had undoubtedly missed. As much as I hoped that my absence didn't keep my family from living their lives, I couldn't help but feel the loss at the prospect of missing out on every momentous occasion that had occurred. Surely Jasper and Alice were married by now. I wondered who had served as his best man—we had always promised the honor to each other. Imagining what Bella would look like as the maid of honor caused my pulse to race. She would've been absolutely exquisite, of course, dressed up with her beautiful hair cascading over her creamy shoulders. I could practically see her rolling her eyes in exasperation at Alice's antics. She was so beautiful.
Apprehension momentarily swept over me as I contemplated missing out on any babies; Rosalie and Emmett had been trying practically since their honeymoon. Hell, Jasper and Alice might have gotten started adding to the brood. I hoped that I would still be able to be a huge part of their lives. I loved kids and always saw myself as a fantastic uncle, and couldn't wait to start a family with Bella. As far as I was concerned, we could start as soon as I got home, in fact. No more waiting, for anything.
I was positive that my parents would encourage all of us having kids as soon as possible. My mom would love having a house full of grandchildren. My heart ached as I thought about her and what it must have been like losing me.
Wanting to be ready to leave as soon as my family arrived, I took in everything that I had to get done in just a short amount of time. My gaze shifted around the apartment before resting on the phone. Closing my eyes, I thought of the calls I had placed the night before.
With shaking hands, I grabbed the phone and headed into the living room. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I was assaulted with memory after memory of the life I lived before fate intervened.
Bella.
Bella.
Bella.
Her name reverberated through my body, pumped from my heart and through my veins like a life force. Bella. My God, how had I survived without her?
Taking a deep breath, I pressed the buttons, amazed at how quickly the number popped into my head. I pushed "send" on the phone and held it up to my ear. Growling in frustration, I threw my head back on the couch as I heard the message.
"We're sorry, you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number and try your call again."
What. The. Fuck? She'd disconnected her number? When I thought about it, I supposed it made sense. Our cell phone plan was in my name and she probably had to switch everything over.
Tanya's sniffling whimpers broke me from my musings. A brief pang of remorse washed over me. While one part of me felt bad for almost allowing the situation with Tanya to get out of hand and go as far as it did, the other part was overjoyed at finally piecing together the puzzle. The guilt that threatened to seep in was quickly assuaged as I realized that without Tanya's role, I might never have had the epiphany that returned my identity and my life. I knew who I was now. I knew where my home was. I finally knew where I belonged—and who I belonged with.
I couldn't allow the repercussions of any attachments to or gratitude that I felt for Tanya deter me from going home. Bella would understand what had happened between us; there wasn't a doubt in my mind that she would relieve me from the guilt I felt for effectively cheating on her. Though we hadn't actually had sex, the thought of how far it had gone almost sickened me. Neither Bella nor I had ever been with anyone else and I was beyond grateful that my relationship with Tanya hadn't gone even further than it had.
Dialing Bella's number again to be completely sure that it was disconnected, another flicker of panic surged through me. What if something had happened to her? I shook the thoughts from my mind as I clenched my hand into a fist to steady myself before dialing my parents' home.
"Hello."
In shock, I pulled the phone away from my ear, staring down at it. Albeit a bit muffled from sleep, he sounded just the same. That voice that had coached me through learning to read and drive a car, had cheered me on through countless football games and my graduations. Home. The feeling was indescribably good.
"Dad," I whispered, needing to pause for a moment.
"Edward?"
"Dad, it's me."
"Is that really you, Son? Oh, thank God. Oh, Edward, my Edward," his voice broke as he covered the receiver, calling out for my mother.
Our conversation had been emotional and full of hope and love. Making immediate plans to come and get me, my parents assured me that they would call everyone else and would see me in a few hours. It had been so good to hear their voices, to talk to them and feel as if I had another part of myself back.
Quickly shaking my reveries away, I stood and headed to finish packing. I was resolved to get back to work on the apartment so I'd be ready to go when they got here. I just couldn't leave Aro with a mess to clean up in addition to abandoning him with no help at the store.
In the process of separating what I would take back with me to Seattle—planning to donate everything else to a local church—I opened the dresser drawer containing all of my ties. A swatch of blue stood out and I picked it up. The plain colored tie stood out amongst the striped and bolder hued fabrics, gifts from Tanya over the years. One day while out shopping, the color had caught my eye. Now I understood why. Running my thumb over the soft, silky material, I staggered back a bit, the memories of being with Bella at prom assaulting my thoughts.
My breath caught in my throat as she floated down the stairs, her hair falling loosely across her shoulders and down her back in long curly waves. Reaching out and grabbing her hand to bring to my lips, I leaned forward and murmured in her ear, "My God, Bella, do you know how breathtaking you are? This is absolutely my favorite color on you."
I bit down gently on her earlobe and leaned back to look in her eyes, the blush of her cheeks deepening and her breath hitching as I ran my fingertips along the neckline of her dress from her shoulder down to the low dip between her breasts. "Baby, I think you should wear this color when we get married. You don't have to wear white; God knows you're not a virgin."
She giggled and leaned in to brush her lips along mine for a moment before whispering, "Yeah, but my parents, Edward. I think they'd want to see me in white." She kissed me deeply, stopping to murmur on my lips. "I could always wear blue panties then, just like I am now," she trailed off, giving me a seductive grin.
Groaning at the thought of her in blue panties and nothing else, I pulled her to me and crashed my lips to hers. Kissing her was like nothing else. I couldn't get enough of her. Leaning back to allow both of us to catch our breath, I kissed across her jaw and ran my nose down the column of her neck before licking along her collarbone toward the dip in her dress. I murmured into her skin, "How long do we have to stay there, Bella? Can't we just go to the hotel now?"
Her fingers threaded into my hair as she pressed her body closer and moaned. "Mmm, Edward, you know we have to go. Can you imagine the ribbing you'd get from Emmett if he showed up and you didn't? Not to mention, Alice would kill me. Wait..." She pulled back and looked intently into my eyes, a small pout forming on her perfect lips. "Is this the only reason you asked me to prom? Just to see me in a blue dress, and so you could get laid?"
Glancing up at her, I smirked as I pulled her closer and let her feel my arousal pressed against her. She gasped as I growled playfully. "Yeah, right, Bella. That, plus the excuse to spend the whole night in a hotel with you instead of fucking you in my car or climbing down that goddamned tree before your dad wakes up. Come on, Baby, you know I don't need an excuse to get la-"
"Ahem." Dread coursed through me as Bella shakily lifted her hand and ran her thumb along my bottom lip in an effort to remove the lipstick that was undoubtedly smeared all over my face. Neither of us had noticed Bella's father, Charlie, walking up behind us as we were making out. I gulped and turned around to face him and…
The sound of my phone startled me and broke me from my thoughts.
Shaking my head to clear my mind from the Bella-induced fog, I reached for the phone and glanced at the caller ID before smiling slightly and opening it. "Hello?"
"Antho- Ed-? How are you? What time are you…" Tanya's weepy voice drifted through the receiver, "Please let me come over and help you pack."
Sympathetic to her anguish, I tried to put myself in her situation—having feelings for someone who could not return them, no matter how much they tried. She had been good to me, always helping me and trying to take care of me. While she had never kept the fact that she wanted a relationship with me a secret, I was encouraged by the fact that I had never led her to believe something I could not deliver. Before last night, I told her countless times that I couldn't be with her because I didn't know whether I was committed to someone else already.
My heart knew all along what my head couldn't remember—I belonged to Bella, always.
Beautiful, intelligent, and tenacious, I had no doubt that Tanya would find someone else, and soon. My being removed from the picture would allow her to finally realize we were never meant to be and move on to find her someone. She deserved to have a man that could take care of her for a change and make her the center of his universe.
Just like Bella was the center of mine.
Taking a deep breath, I waited for her quiet sobs to stop. "Tanya. I—I don't know what to say. No, I don't need you come over and help me pack. I think that will just make everything harder for you. My family isn't here yet. I expect them late this afternoon."
Her sobs came through as she begged me not to leave and to reconsider me not allowing her to come with me. "I'm your family," she wailed. "Don't I mean anything to you at all anymore?"
"Tanya," I paused, trying to think of the right words to say to her. I didn't want to hurt her; she had done a lot for me, but I needed to be clear. "Please, listen. I will never forget what you've done for me, and yes, you will always be important to me. This isn't me picking someone else over you. If I hadn't lost my memory, there never would have been the possibility of having another choice."
Her whimpering cries caused my heart to ache, but did not deter me from the fact that I didn't belong with her; I belonged with Bella. You just couldn't fight fate.
"Please just give me the chance to love you, Anth-"
"Tanya, I can't do this. I care about you, but I told you last night. I've been telling you all along. You know she's my whole life. She's always been my whole life. Even when I couldn't remember her, I never forgot, not really. Look, I can't do this right now. I promise you, I'll call you, but I'm sorry, I just- I have to go."
Hanging up the phone before she could say another word, I turned and walked down the hall. I didn't want to prolong her misery.
Striding over to the cabinet and wrenching the door open, I pulled out an atlas and tossed it on the kitchen table. Grabbing a marker from the drawer in the kitchen, I loomed over the map. I put a big 'X' on Seattle and drew a straight line, crossing the distance from here to where she'd be. A few inches, according to the legend, was the equivalent of nineteen hundred miles. That was the space between Bella and I—mere finger-lengths separated us. A few trees and some water. She was so close.
Walking over to the couch, I slouched down and held one of the pillows tightly to my chest, memories of her, of us, bombarding me. I pressed my fingers to my lips and closed my eyes, remembering the intense electricity that flowed between us every single time we were together, her lips on mine, her body pressed against me. Her voice reverberated in my mind, sweet and melodic, her words like music, calling me.
I could hardly wait to get to her, to hold her, to be with her. Berating myself for not just booking a flight and going home the second I remembered everything instead of calling my parents first, I wondered if Bella had moved out of our apartment, if she had cut her long, beautiful hair, if she still had perfect lips and creamy pale skin that I loved to run my fingers over.
Everything was so fresh, so crisp in my memory: Bella pleading with me not to go as we made love the night before I left. Her laughter and kisses and consuming me as I had her again the next morning. It took everything in me to leave after she pulled me back to bed the second time. God, I could almost feel her around me.
A loud banging on the door caused me to jump. Taking a few deep breaths to calm my racing thoughts, I got up and opened to door to see Kate and Garrett's smiling faces. "Dude, what the hell were you doing in here? We've been knocking for like eight minutes or something."
Kate scoffed at him and wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me tightly. "He lies. We just got here. You do seem sort of out of breath, though. Are you all right?" She looked up at me, a concerned look etched across her face.
"Katie." I looked down at her with a wide smile on my face. "I'm awesome. Really. I'm so relieved. I'm going home. I'm finally going home to my family and to my girl." I looked up at Garrett, unable to wipe the grin from my face.
Leading us over to the couch, Garrett clapped me on the back. I grimaced when he bellowed, "So it's Eddie, is it? Look, I knew you were fine. Who woulda thought that all it would take for you to get your memory back was for good 'ole T to blo-" He quickly cut himself off as Kate looked at him, shocked.
Chuckling at his crassness and the look she was giving him, I shook my head. "Oh, Garrett, I'm sure gonna miss you."
Kate looked at me, tears welling up in her eyes. "Anth-," she cleared her throat, taking a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. "Edward, we just wanted you to know that you have come to mean so much to all of us during this time you've been here. Just because you got your memory back and found your mysterious dream girl doesn't mean you have to go. You have a life here, a family that loves you, too."
My mouth dropped open, unable to believe that Garrett had told her about my dreams. He shook his head. "Brah, I didn't betray any confidences,." He looked at me meaningfully. "I just explained to Katie here, and T, that even if you didn't know who you were missing, you always knew you were missing someone."
"Thank you," I muttered before looking at Kate again. "He's right. Even when I didn't know, I knew. You know?"
Choking out a strangled giggle, she nodded and wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly and kissing my forehead. "You will always be our family, Anthony. Edward? Whatever your name is."
Returning her hug, I told her that my name was actually both as I explained the reason "Anthony" felt right to me when I had picked it so many years ago.
I struggled for a moment, trying to find the words to explain myself to her. They had been my family for so long. Truly, it would hurt to not be in their lives anymore. That was nothing, though, in comparison to the ache that I felt without Bella.
"Oh, Katie. I don't want you, or any of you, really, to ever forget how much you all mean to me." Running my fingers gently from her temple to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, I continued, "Please, help Tanya understand. What would you do if you were separated from Garrett? I don't want to be without my family, my adopted family here in Talkeetna, or my family back in Seattle. I love all of you, but I can't be without her. I can't breathe thinking about being away from her. I have to …"
Shaking my head and fighting back the tears that Garrett would endlessly pick on me about, I cleared my throat and continued as I looked meaningfully into her eyes. "It doesn't matter where I live, you guys. You two understand, I know you do. Home is where she is. I have to go home."
Garrett surprised me by gripping me in a tight hug and clapping his hand on my back. "Dude, we get it. What the fuck are you still doing here?"
They spent the next couple of hours helping me pack up the boxes that I was donating and cleaning the apartment. Though I would miss them immensely, I was ready to get out of there and get back home, especially back to my life with Bella.
"Look man," Garrett said after the last box was loaded in the back of his truck. "I'm gonna miss you. Don't be a stranger." He held his hand out for me to shake, and I grabbed it, pulling him toward me, hugging him and clapping his back.
"I won't," I promised. "I got a girl I want you to meet. Thanks for everything, man."
He winked at me and wrapped his arm around Kate, leading her to the passenger side of his truck. I walked around with them and hugged her before saying goodbye again.
I went back into my apartment, threw myself down on my couch, and thought of seeing my family and finally being back where I belonged. Just two and a half hours. My parents had called and told me that they made it to Anchorage and were renting a large SUV to drive the rest of the distance. It was the quickest solution. I closed my eyes for a moment, relishing my thoughts of what it would be like.
Home. With Bella.
X-X-X-X-X
Loud banging woke me and I momentarily felt a familiar sense of déjà vu. I recognized the voices behind the door immediately. I jumped up from my spot on the couch and ran over to the door, wrenching it open and staring into the faces I thought I'd never remember.
Squeals and booming voices and tears and arms and hugs and ruffling my hair, and I felt like I'd never feel that overwhelmingly complete again.
My big bear of a brother Emmett was the first through the door. "God, little bro. You can't imagine what a shock we got when Dad called…" His shining eyes conveyed so much emotion as he pulled me into another bone-crushing hug and squeezed.
I turned my head at the sound of my mother's sniffles and looked down at her, beautiful as always, but definitely showing the signs of concern and worry. She gave me a brilliant smile and pulled me into a tight hug. Inhaling deeply, I felt the familiar sense of home wash over me before we were both enveloped in my father's arms.
My eyes never stopped seeking the face that I wanted to see the most as we all stood and held each other for a moment. Realizing that other arms were wrapped around me, too, I looked up and saw Jasper gazing at me affectionately. Even Rosalie had tears in her eyes. I cleared my throat and tried to lead them over to the living room, but no one was releasing their grip on our circle.
It was as if I had been stuck in a time warp. My parents, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper. They all looked the same, as if nothing had happened, as if we hadn't been separated for nearly four years. As much as I was ecstatic to see everyone, the person I most expected to see was nowhere to be found.
"Where's Bella?"
Everyone glanced at each other and started walking toward the living room. My mother still held me tightly against her and sat down in the middle of my couch, pulling me along with her, practically in her lap.
Emmett started toward the door and said he had a few calls to make. I nodded at him and looked frantically around the room, my brow furrowing. No one answered me right away, so I repeated my question.
"Don't get me wrong guys, I am so happy to see you, there aren't words, but really. Where's Bella?"
"Baby, she's at home with Alice," my mother whispered, stroking her hand along my face. I felt guilty that I hadn't noticed Alice wasn't there, either.
Disappointment crashed over me as I asked them why she didn't come with them. "What's wrong?" I asked. Panic welled up in my throat, causing my breathing to speed. "Did something happen to her? Is Bella alright?"
"Son, Bella couldn't come because she's afraid to fly." My dad looked pointedly at me as another wave of guilt crashed over me. Of course she was afraid to fly. I 'died' in a plane crash. I was only miles from Bella. I would be with her in a few hours. I could hold out until then.
At least, I could try.
"I can't believe you're all here," I said excitedly to my precious family, trying to bring levity to the situation. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see all of you," I choked out as I was enveloped in a hug again, first by my mother, then by everyone else.
Emmett came back in the room that moment and looked around warily at everyone. Jasper leaned forward and rested his hand on my shoulder, his effect as calming as I remembered it.
Emotion coursed through me as I beamed around at my family. I was finally with them, and so close to being where I belonged, back home with Bella. I missed my sister too, and was suddenly overwhelmingly grateful to all of them for enduring what they had. They obviously had taken care of my girl in my absence, since nothing but Alice's close bond with Bella would keep her away from me.
My face fell as I looked around the room. I could feel it; an ominous feeling pressed down on me, indicating something was wrong. There was something they weren't telling me. I intently looked from my mother's face as she ran her fingers through my hair and continued to cry quietly, to my father's, and then around the room, meeting each person's inquisitive gaze.
"What about Bella? Something isn't right. Please, just tell me," I whispered.
"Dude, you've been gone a long time and a lot of stuff has changed—with everyone," Emmett said as everyone else slowly nodded. His mood turned jovial, his dimples appearing as he grinned down reassuringly at me. "Tell us what the fuck you've been doing up here."
I smiled around at everyone as the oppressive mood seemed to lift slightly. We talked about what I had been doing while in Alaska, explaining how Tanya found me and about my job and the friends I had made.
"So you were in a car crash?" Rosalie asked incredulously.
I nodded, not knowing how to explain it. The last thing I remembered was calling Bella from the airport, telling her I had chartered a plane to go home early. I didn't know how the plane crashed or how I ended up in a car after that. I shrugged my shoulders, having no answers for anyone, including myself.
"Can we call the girls? I really want to hear her voice." I shook my head, fighting off the foreboding feeling of dread. "Both of them," I quickly amended.
My mother gripped my hand tighter as Jasper leaned forward and said, "I don't think that's a good idea just yet, E. We need to get going, and like we said, a lot of stuff has changed, and—" He stopped mid-sentence and looked over at my dad.
"Dad?" I glanced around at all of them, so happy to see me but still having an underlying…sadness. I knew it. They weren't telling me something. "What's going on? When are we leaving?"
"Well, Son," my dad murmured, ruffling my hair slightly, reminding me of the gesture he always did anytime he was about to give me bad news. "We had to call Alice to fax us some paperwork that we need to bring you home."
Furrowing my brow, I questioned, "What's the hold up?"
"We just needed your proper identification sent over to us with the new FAA regulations, that's all. We can leave for Anchorage as soon as you're ready. We'll catch the first flight out in the morning."
"In the…not 'til the morning? We're not going home tonight? Guys, you all know how happy I am to see you, right?" I looked around at all of them, each one touching me somewhere, each one so important to me. "I feel like—I can't explain it. I'm overwhelmed. Most of all, I just really want to call Bella. I mean, I want to talk to Alice too, but I need to talk to Bella. I won't feel like any of this is real until I hear Isabella Marie Swan's voice."
"Bremner," I heard Rosalie mumble and my eyes snapped up to meet hers, unsure of what she said. A collective gasp reverberated around the room and every face in the room held a shocked expression.
"What? Would someone please tell me what's wrong? What is going on with all of you? Just please tell me. Is Bella alright?"
Emmett glared at Rosalie before turning his head slowly to meet my gaze. "Look, Edward, Bella's fine. I swear to you, she's okay."
I looked to Rosalie in disbelief, silently begging for confirmation. "Rose, please. Tell me. What did you say? Wha- Just tell me."
She took a deep breath and repeated herself. "Bremner, Edward, I said Bremner. You said you wouldn't feel like any of this..." She gestured around in a circle to all of my family before leaning forward and placing the palms of both of her hands on my face and whispering. "... was real until you heard Bella Swan's voice. Edward, there is no Bella Swan anymore. It's Bella Bremner now."
I shook my head out of her grasp and looked at each member of my family's faces, my chest pounding and my breath coming in short gasps. I couldn't breathe. I felt as if a rug had been snatched from under me, and I was fighting back the lightheadedness and nausea that threatened to overtake me.
Goddamn Rosalie. She had always been such a bitch, but now? Was she really trying to joke around with me now? About this?
"Liar," I hissed at her, ashamed of myself for acting and feeling this way. She gasped in surprise at my obvious anger, glancing down at my fists clenched in my lap. "Bella wouldn't marry someone else. For fucks' sake, Rosalie."
Bremner. Bremner. Bremner. Where did I know that name?
Racking my brain, I forced myself to recall why that name sounded so familiar to me. My chest heaved with the realization that Bremner was actually a name, attached to a real man, one that I literally knew.
No.
There was no way.
I looked around the room, desperate for confirmation that I was right. I had to be right. Am I in the Twilight Zone? Did I actually wake up from my nap? I looked at my father imploringly and he just stared at me and continued to tell me take deep breaths. As if I had been plunged into an ice cold lake, I felt as if knives stabbed into my chest and my vision blurred. I couldn't catch my breath. My mother tried to hold on to me as I wavered.
I held on to my truth, knowing this could not be. There must be some mistake. Bella wouldn't. She couldn't. There was just… No, not my Bella. I shook my head, trying to wake myself from this dream.
Finally, I looked back at Emmett, knowing he wouldn't keep his mundane idea for a joke up any longer. "Please, Emmett," I begged, wanting him to end the charade. "Tell me the truth."
"Edward, I'm sorry man. I don't know what else to tell you. It's true. Bella is married."