Synopsis:

After a forced marriage filled with violence, Bella escapes from Edward with their unborn child. Almost four years later, Edward has found her and their daughter and he refuses to let them go.

"Chains do not hold a marriage together.

It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which

sew people together through the years."

- Simone Signoret

Chapter 2: Without Her

"So, Edward, how has life been treating you?" Mr. Denali asked, his voice carrying over the clink of glasses and music.

Edward had only been partly listening to the conversation, but hearing his name mentioned, he zoned back in.

"Things have been great." It was a lie. Things had not been great since she left him. Since he had made the biggest mistake of his life and blown any chance of being with her.

"Only in your twenties and already making billions. All you need is to find yourself a good wife and you will be all set," Mr. Denali said suggestively. He tried to be nonchalant about it, but Edward could hear the hidden meaning in his voice.

Edward tried not to wince, but Mr. Denali's words hit a sore spot. Little did he know, Edward did have a wife. One who probably hated him with everything she had, but a wife nevertheless.

Edward didn't reply to Mr. Denali. Edward knew he was trying to set him up with his daughter, Tanya. Tanya was Mr. Denali's youngest, the same age as Edward. To some guys, she was hot, but Edward wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. Tanya was a gold digger, and even if Edward's heart didn't already belong to someone else, he never would have pursued her.

The dinner party they were attending was one Edward had organized to celebrate Cullen Corporation making another billion. Edward's father, Carlisle, was the owner of one large multibillion-dollar empire, and Edward was the owner of a separate one. Together, both businesses were worth more money than either owner knew what to do with. Every big business that sprung up in Chicago had Cullen fingerprints on it. Every business that made a million, had a debt to the Cullens. The Cullens were the wealthiest and most powerful and influential family in Chicago.

They were also the most dangerous. Everyone knew Carlisle had close ties with criminals and mobs, but no one dared out him.

Even though he was the youngest of three brothers, Edward was the only one who worked with his father; therefore, he was the one set to inherit Carlisle's company. Edward's eldest brother, Emmett, was a defensive tackler in the NFL, and Jasper, the second eldest, was a big-shot lawyer. Both were married and happy in their lives. There was one other "brother", but Edward never referred to him as such. Never acknowledged him as 'family'. So out of the four, Edward was set to inherit the business.

Despite wanting to slug Mr. Denali for bringing up sore moments, Edward chose to keep quiet. Appearances were everything.

The night progressed as usual, but Edward was long over it. He wanted nothing more than to go home and be left alone.

Across the room, Edward could see his parents. His father had his arms around his mother. To everyone else, it was seen as normal, but Edward could see the tight way he held her, never letting her out of his sight for long. It made Edward sick to his stomach to see it.

Hearing the lack of enthusiasm in his voice, Mr. Denali let Edward be after a few meaningless conversations went nowhere. That did not stop Tanya, however. She continuously tried to make a move on him, but Edward ignored her. She touched his arm and leaned into him, but he thwarted her advances each time.

Needing a break from it all, Edward excused himself from his guests and went to the restroom. Once inside, he splashed his face with some water, desperate to clear his head. He was tired of the facade. He just wanted it to end. He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't hear the restroom door open until the person was right behind him.

Tanya walked in, ignoring the fact the fact that it was a men's restroom.

"Are you okay?" she asked, feigning interest. She came over and rested her hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off as if the touch had been a sting.

She was dressed in a long silver dress that accentuated her curves, but Edward was oblivious to all of that.

"What do you want now?" His voice was rough with anger.

"Nothing. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine. Now if you would excuse me." Edward attempted to move past her, but she reached out and grabbed his crotch. He grabbed her hand and swung her until she was pressing against the wall next to the door.

"Do not touch me!" he seethed.

"Ah! I finally got a rise out of you. About time."

She tried to grab him again, but he held both of her arms at her side. That just seemed to turn her on more.

"Look, Edward. I'm not looking for a relationship. All I want from you is a meaningless fuck. Just one night. You've been so wound up, you could use a good time."

She attempted to go down on him, but he stopped her.

"Tanya, nothing in this world would ever make me even think about being with you. Now let me make myself very clear. If you don't want me to rip your father's business from under his feet and leave you so broke you can't even afford to cross the street, I suggest you stay the fuck away from me." His voice was deadly.

Tanya scowled at him. She knew that with a snap of his fingers, Edward could do it. His message was received loud and clear.

"Fuck you, Edward! I don't know what that bitch did to you, but you better get over her. I'm sure she's already moved on." Tanya didn't know the details of what had happened between Edward and Bella. She only knew he'd dated someone and been a wreck after they separated.

With a last huff, she stalked out of the room.

Tanya's words and actions had pushed Edward as far as he could for the night, so he excused himself and left the party.

"Home, Paul," Edward snapped at his driver, who stood holding the limo door open for him.

Once inside, Edward rubbed his face in frustration. He watched the city lights whiz pass him as another frustrating day ended.

Pulling out his phone, he dialed a number that he'd memorized because he called it every night for the past four years.

"Jenks," he said, not waiting for the other person to say anything. "I want an update."

Jenks sighed on the other side. "I still haven't found anything. It's like she disappeared."

Edward gripped his phone tightly in anger. He knew Jenks was going to tell him that- it was the same thing he told Edward every night when he called- but he'd hoped that maybe tonight would be different. That tonight he would be one step closer to finding her.

"Sir. If I find anything on her, I will tell you, but..." he paused, knowing he would have to word his next sentence very carefully. "Maybe you should consider that she might have...died in that fall. Security did say when she jumped off that bridge, they didn't see her resurface."

"No!" Edward snapped. "I am not going with that assumption until I know for sure."

But even he could hear the hopelessness in his voice. It had been almost four years since he'd last seen her. Four years since security had called him and told him she'd jumped off that bridge. Whether it was an escape attempt or a suicide attempt, he didn't know. All he knew was that she was missing and even Jenks couldn't find her.

"Keep looking. She has to be out there somewhere. Call me as soon as you get anything."

He hung up then, not wanting to hear the truth that was becoming harder for him to deny.

The lights were on when he walked into Cullen estate. The housekeepers were long gone. He threw his keys into the tray by the door. Pulling off his jacket, he was met with a ringing silence. Edward still lived in the house he and Bella had shared. Each room carried memories of the moments they'd shared together. Most of them had been horrid, but they were their moments nevertheless. Making his way to his room, Edward loosened his tie and walked into the empty bedroom. The bottle of Ciroc was in the same place he'd left it earlier. He often laughed at the irony- he hated her drinking, but here he was trying to drown his sorrows.

He sat on the left side of the bed. No woman had ever slept in his room since Bella left. He'd never so much as touched or kissed a woman since her and, deep down, he knew he never would.

Looking on the other side of the bed, Edward could almost picture her there as if it had only been yesterday. He could see her, curled up on her side, her hand under the pillow. Often times after she'd finally fallen asleep, he would stay up just to stare at her. To take in the angel sleeping next to him. Her features calm and her anger retracted behind closed lids. The marks on her arms were the only reminder that everything was not perfect.

He'd heard what the other guys were saying at that party. Each of them wanted to bed the unattainable Bella. They each thought she was hot in her outfit, and they knew if she kept up the drinking it would make their conquests easier.

Edward hated all of them.

Thinking of how they wanted to claim her like she was a piece of meat infuriated him beyond belief. She was precious and should be treated as such. Also, she was his.

Yes, they'd broken up, but that didn't mean they were over forever. When she kissed Tyler, that had been the last straw for him. The final blow. Breaking up with him was one thing, but to see that she really was over him, moving onto the next guy, hit him hard.

So that night, when he'd gone to her, he went with the intention of making her his forever. But when she'd refused to marry him, it was like he could feel the last strands of their relationship slipping between his fingers. When he left her, after threatening her into silence, he returned home frustrated.

His eldest brothers were visiting from college, bringing their current girlfriends with them. When Edward had returned from Bella's, furious, Emmett was watching a game.

"What's got your panties in a bunch, bro?" Emmett asked from his spot in the living room. His current girlfriend, Rosalie, sat on the couch next to him, wearing thick makeup. Unlike the last one, Rosalie put up with Emmett's anger and aggression. Taking it all, as if they were self-inflicted wounds.

"Fuck you," Edward shot back as he sat in one of the armchairs.

"Geez. I was just asking. No need to have a hissy fit."

"He's just pissed 'cause his girlfriend broke it off with him," Jasper said as he came into the room and sat on one of the other chairs.

"Ouch, that sucks. What happened? You not man enough?" Emmett asked, laughing at his own joke. "Rosalie, be a dear and get me another drink, will you?"

"Sure."

Emmett waited until she was out of the room, then he turned to Edward. "Let me give you some advice, baby bro. Girls are feisty things. Not easy at all. They need to learn their place. You got to be firm."

"Really?" Edward's tone said he doubted his brother was the expert on giving advice on anything. Emmett was on his third "serious" relationship of the month.

"It worked for Dad, didn't it?" was Emmett's reasoning.

They were quiet then, because it was true.

It was a year after Edward was born that Carlisle one day up and told his wife of six years that he had been cheating on her, and that his mistress was pregnant. That was when the abuse started. Carlisle isolated their mother from her friends and family until she barely left the house. It was only at parties and functions that she changed from Esme Cullen, battered woman, to Esme Cullen, perfect wife of well-respected Carlisle Cullen. It didn't matter to him if his sons saw what he did, he just needed to be sure that Esme would never leave him. At night, when their arguments became so heated that Esme was left with bruises all over her body, he would tell her over and over that he loved her, and she would tell him the same in return. She would hold Carlisle as he cried in remorse. Whether it was fear of their father or love that kept Esme from leaving, Edward didn't know. Either way, that was the environment he grew up in. The lesson he was taught at an early age.

If you wanted someone you love to stay with you, sometimes you had to beat them into submission.

Edward couldn't help but wonder if that would work for Bella. He knew he'd been possessive with her when they were dating, but would an even more aggressive hand work with her? Would he be able to make her submit to him? He really did love her. So much that he could not imagine being without her. She would be leaving to go to college soon enough, and once she was gone, he would have no hold on her. She would move on, meet someone new and forget about him. Would she say 'yes' to the next person that proposed to her?

That decided it for him.

Leaving the room, Edward pulled out his phone and dialed one of his father's securities.

"Dean. I have a job for you."

His brothers were wrong 'of course' and Edward realized that too late. Bella was not like his mother or Rosalie. Not at all. She refused to be bent, refused to give in. She fought and gave just as good as she got. They constantly butted heads, and she'd resented him in return.

Tired from the nights' events, Edward showered and changed, then collapsed onto the bed. He still slept on the left side, even though the right one had been vacant for a while. When he eventually drifted off, it wasn't a peaceful sleep. Images of Bella and an unknown man continuously drifted through his head. In his dreams, she'd moved on. Met someone else and was living the life he had taken from her.

Edward woke with a start the next day. The light streaming through his window told him it was late. Almost noon. A glance at his clock confirmed it.

A half hour later, he made his way downstairs to the dining room of his house. The place was buzzing as the housekeepers dusted and swept. Edward knew they all hated him. After all, what had happened with Bella had not been under wraps in the house. Bella was the same age as many of their daughters or granddaughters. The housekeepers all saw how he treated her, but contract kept them from ever stepping in.

"Mr. Cullen," Eryn called as she came up from behind him, handing him a manila folder. "Your files for today."

Edward could see the hardness in her eyes when he took them from her. Eryn was the only person in the house- beside Edward- closest to Bella's age, so the two were friends while Bella was there. Edward knew out of all them, she hated him the most.

"Thank you." Then without a second glance, he left the house.

When Edward finally made it to Cullen Corporation, the day was almost over. He considered bailing for the day, but there were a few things he needed to sort through first.

"Good afternoon Mr. Cullen," his receptionist Leah said as he stepped in.

He nodded towards her, but he said nothing so she continued.

"Your father is in your office," Leah said timidly.

Edward didn't reply. When he made it to his office on the twenty-first floor, his father was sitting in his chair, his back to Edward as he stared out into the Chicago sky.

"You're late," Carlisle said without turning.

"I didn't know I had an appointment," Edward replied in a clipped tone, as he made his way over to his desk. He stood on the opposite side of the desk from his father.

Ever since Bella had left, Edward and his father's relationship had been strained. It was through Bella that Edward saw what his father was doing with Esme was wrong and, as a result, Edward couldn't stand to be around him.

Hearing the sharpness in Edward's voice, Carlisle turned until he was fully facing his son.

Raising an eyebrow, he said, "I'm guessing Jenks hasn't found Bella yet."

Edward couldn't help the grimace that came to his face. His parents knew about Bella and everything that had happened. It was his father who had funded Bella's kidnapping and their wedding.

"No."

Carlisle chuckled. "I'm not surprised. She was a feisty one. Why it is you can't seem to let her go, though, I don't understand."

Carlisle had meant it as a joke, but Edward didn't see it that way.

"For the same reason why you can't seem to let go of my mother," Edward retorted.

That wiped the smile off Carlisle's face. He stared hard at his son for a few minutes. Edward did not falter under his gaze. Then Carlisle sighed and stood up. He turned to face the large window again.

"I didn't come here to pick a fight with you. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"I'm listening."

"I want you to take Jacob into your business."

Jacob was the other "brother" that Edward never acknowledged. To Edward, even though they were half-brothers, he never saw Jacob as family. It was something his father was well aware of, so hearing him ask for Jacob to be "taken in" surprised him.

"And why would I do that?"

Turning back to his son, Carlisle answered. "Seeing as I am leaving my business to you, I want to be assured that all my sons are taken care of. Emmett and Jasper are situated in their careers, and you have yours, so it's just Jacob I need to see to. I figured that if he stays around you for a while, maybe some of your ways would rub off on him. I would leave him my business, but..." Carlisle let the statement hang in the air, but Edward knew the reason. Jacob was not responsible enough to handle the running of a multi-billion dollar corporation.

"Is Jacob aware of this?" Edward asked.

"No. He isn't even aware that he is not inheriting my business. As far as he thinks, it is his."

Edward couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"So you will do it?"

"Of course not."

"I thought you would say that, so I have a proposition for you."

Edward walked past his father and sat in his chair. Turning, he faced the same window Carlisle had been looking out a few moments before. He rocked back and forth, doubting his father could ever give him something he wanted.

"And what would that be?"

"I know someone who would be able to track Bella down."

Edward stopped rocking, his interest piqued.

Knowing he'd gotten his son's attention, Carlisle continued.

"Jenks is good, but his intelligence is limited. There is another guy, Riley. He knows the perfect places to begin looking." He paused. "It was how I found your mother when she ran from me as well."

Edward knew that, when he was younger, his mother had left Carlisle for some time, but to Edward it didn't matter. She'd returned of her own will. Whilst Riley was the one who had informed Carlisle of her whereabouts, it was Esme who had chosen to return.

"Take Jacob in, and I will make a few calls."

Edward turned to his father, and his eyes narrowed.

He hated the idea of having anything to do with Jacob, but what if this could be the break it took to find Bella? At that point, he was desperate for anything that could lead to her being found.

He turned back to face the window, and Carlisle took that as a yes.

"Perfect. I'll let Jacob know and make a few calls to Riley."

He turned to leave. As he was about to walk through the door, he paused and turned.

"Your brothers miss you."

Edward didn't reply. He hadn't spoken to Emmett or Jasper since Bella had left. Her departure had changed his relationship with all of his family members, except his mother. To her, Edward remained ever faithful. Every time he spoke to her alone, Edward begged her to come and live with him. He promised her that he would take care of her, but Esme refused to leave her husband.

After a few moments of silence, Carlisle left.

Edward continued to look at the Chicago sky. He knew he should be getting some work done- it was why he'd gone all the way down there- but he couldn't concentrate enough to be productive. As they always did when he was left alone, his thoughts went to Bella.

To say Edward missed her was an understatement. Almost four years later, Edward's love for Bella had not been diminished by time. Her absence was the constant reminder of how much he'd messed up. The pain was a reminder that he didn't deserve her. He knew he'd been a complete jackass when they were dating in high school. He knew it was wrong to treat her the way he had, but he couldn't help himself. During the time they'd been together, he had had this constant fear that she would leave him. He kept seeing himself as not being good enough for her.

For Edward, one of the biggest pains at that moment was the uncertainty. Not knowing whether she was alive or dead. Edward couldn't fathom the latter. He couldn't see a world where Bella didn't exist.

He justified his looking for her by telling himself he just needed to see if she was okay. He kept telling himself that if Jenks found her, and she was happy and moving on with her life, he would find it in himself to let her go. To let her live her life.

But deep down he knew it was a lie.

He didn't know how he would react if he found her. If he was to find her, and she'd found someone else, would he be able to let go of that jealous part of him? That jealous, possessive part that took her from her home and forced her into a life she never wanted? The one who refused to live without her, and would do anything to keep her?

His fear was that the monster who'd put his hands on her, who'd pushed her around and threw her down a flight of stairs the week before she left, would return, vengeful and forceful. That he would slip back into his old habits. Lock her up in the house and try again to beat her into submission. Sometimes, when he thought of her with someone else, he could feel the monster just on the edges. Ready to reclaim what he still believed was his. But, if he was to find her, would he be able to keep that monster at bay? He didn't know.

Digging into his breast pocket, Edward pulled out his wedding ring. It was a plain band, and people who saw it would never think anything special about it, but to Edward, it symbolized what he felt for her.

"A symbol of eternity. Never changing," as the priest had said at their wedding.

He never wore it out in public, because he knew it would cause too much of a stir. He did, however, keep it on him at all times. He turned the ring over and over in his fingers, reading the inscription on the inside. All his feelings for her, summed up into four simple words.

Semper et in Saecula.

The response I've been getting for this story is really blowing me away. I really hope I don't disappoint. Thank you to each and everyone of you who reviewed, story alerted and favourited. I enjoy reading each and every one of your comments. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if so, don't forget to review.

Special Thanks to Project Team Beta, Marly & Pain Jane for proofreading.