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.

"You love me so much, you want to put me in your pocket. And I should die there smothered."
- D.H. Lawrence

Chapter 7

Beautiful Heartbreak

She couldn't find fault with him, and she hated it.

Edward stayed with them all day Saturday, and when he left them that night, Bella had fervently hoped it was with the intention of never returning again. But on Sunday morning, much to her dismay, he was knocking at her door again. She'd thought about running that Saturday night, but she knew that Edward would have anticipated her actions and have security camp outside her house. If she wanted to escape, she would have to be careful.

On top of everything else, Edward's arrival had brought another problem that Bella never anticipated.

Alexis.

When Bella pictured Edward finding out he had a daughter, she thought her biggest issue would be with Edward not wanting to be a father. She never anticipated the attachment Alexis would have to Edward. Alexis took to the idea of having a "dad" better than Bella could have ever expected.

When Saturday night came and Edward had to leave, Alexis wouldn't let him go until he promised he would return the next day. Much to Bella's chagrin, he did. The toy store had closed by the time they made it back from La Push, so Edward promised her that after school on Monday, he would make do on his promise to buy her a gift. Bella had held her tongue as that promise was made knowing that if her plan went well, she and Alexis would not be in Forks Monday afternoon.

Sunday night, after spending another day at First Beach, Edward, Bella and Alexis were sitting around the dining area by candlelight. Bella had ordered pizza for dinner, but Alexis was the only one who seemed to be enjoying it. Bella kept picking at the pizza avoiding Edward's gaze while Edward kept trying to catch her eye. Alexis remained indifferent to the tension between her parents as she talked about elephants and purple unicorns.

When Alexis finished eating, Bella finally spoke, telling her to go and pick out her pajamas for the night.

"But there's no light in there," Alexis reminded her.

Bella saw Edward's eyes flash to hers, and a slightly pained expression crossed his face. She knew the reason why. For the past two days Edward had been wanting to say something about Bella's financial situation, but he knew better than to actually bring it up. Even though they'd chosen to be civil to each other around Alexis, Bella's patience with him being around was already running on end.

"Okay, I'll light it," Bella said, glad to finally have a reason to be away from Edward.

Getting a spare candle, Bella lit it using the already lit candle on the table and followed Alexis into her room, then into the bathroom. When Alexis was showered and changed, Bella and Alexis were still in the bathroom, when she heard him.

"Bella!" a voice called from outside. Bella recognized it immediately. She groaned when James's voice, slurred by alcohol, called out to her again.

"Come on, Bella. Come out and play."

She heard Edward ask, "Who is that?"

Ignoring him, she turned to Alexis. "Stay here, okay."

Walking out of the bathroom she passed Edward, who was hovering in the hallway, without a word and went to the front door. Opening it, she was greeted with James's raised hand. He was just in the process of knocking. Stepping outside, she shut the door quietly behind her.

A goofy grin came over his face.

"So, you've finally given in, huh?" he said, reaching out to touch her face. She slapped his hand away. "Oh, come on. Don't be so mean." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him.

"Go home, you're drunk," she said. Putting her hands on his chest, she managed to shove him off.

"Why not?" he demanded. He was getting angry. A drunk James was bad, but an angry, drunk James was worse.

"Just one time," he said, grabbing her from behind as she turned to leave. His hand started traveling up her shirt.

"No!" she cried out.

One minute it was just her and James; the next, Edward was there, holding James against the side of the house. His forearm was pressing into James's neck. The rage on Edward's face made him look like an avenging angel. Beautiful, but terrifying.

"Stay the fuck away from her," he told James; his voice was low and deadly.

James tried sending a blow to Edward's head, but the alcohol messed with his coordination, and he missed. Edward just pressed his forearm tighter to his neck.

"Who the fuck are you?" James spat. The pressure against his neck was causing his face to turn blue.

"It doesn't matter who I am. If I ever see you around here, or around Bella again, I will hurt you." To emphasize his point, he pressed his forearm in tighter.

Bella, who had been standing as a voiceless witness to the whole ordeal, grabbed Edward's arm and tried to pull him off.

"Let him go," she told Edward.

Edward looked at her in shock. "He was hurting you!"

"That is none of your business," James spluttered.

The sight of Edward's eyes darting back to him made James flinch.

Removing his arm from James's neck, Edward pushed him towards the stairs. The sudden movement coupled with the alcohol caused James to stumble back and fall off the steps. When he regained his stance, he stared at Edward with deep hatred.

But there wasn't much he could do to hurt Edward, so he turned to Bella instead.

"Well you know what, you're fired!" he yelled at Bella, walking back. "Don't ever come around my store again!"

Turning, he went to his car, that he had parked in front of the house, and drove off.

"Thanks a lot for that," she yelled at Edward. "Now I have no job."

Turning on her heels, she stalked back into the house, slamming the front door as she went. Edward's hand caught it before it could make a sound.

Following her in he yelled, "Wait. You're mad at me because I stopped that man from harming you?"

"Sorry if I don't find this new chivalrous Edward wonderful. Besides, what makes what he did so different from what you did? At least he has the excuse of alcohol," she spat back. "Why won't you just leave? We were doing fine without you!"

Pain like Bella had never seen before flashed across Edward's face. He opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of the bathroom door opening made them both stop.

Alexis poked her head out from inside, the bear gripped in her arms, deep fear in her eyes. Neither of them wanted to have that conversation in front of her so for the time being they were able to put aside their differences, if only for that moment. Edward stayed until Alexis was in bed, and when Bella emerged from Alexis's room, she found him leaning against the opposite wall.

"Is she asleep?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she replied; her earlier anger had vanished. Then taking a deep breath she said, "Thank you for helping me with James."

Edward seemed momentarily stumped by her thanks, but after a few moments, he smiled slightly.

"You're welcome," he replied.

They stood on either side of the hallway, eying each other.

"It doesn't change anything, though," she added, wanting to emphasize that nothing he could ever do could make up for what he had done to her. Nothing would ever make her abort her plan of taking Alexis and running again.

"Bella," he said softly, but Bella raised her hand, halting his words.

"Please, not tonight," she said. She didn't know why she stopped him from talking. All she knew was that she didn't want to hear what he had to say.

He nodded. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."

Then without another word, he left.

"Mommy!" Bella heard Alexis call from in her room.

Walking in, Bella saw Alexis had woken up.

"Yes?" she asked, walking over to her.

"Is he coming back tomorrow?" she asked, as Bella kneeled beside her bed.

"I don't know," Bella sighed.

She didn't want to get her daughter's hopes up just in case Edward came to his senses and realized he had no business staying in Forks.

"Mommy?" Alexis asked again.

"Yes?"

"Were you really married?" Alexis asked, rubbing the bear's fur again.

"Yes," Bella said.

"Oh. Did you have a princess wedding?" Alexis asked.

Bella laughed slightly. "I guess you could say that. I had a wicked witch at it at least."

"What?" Alexis asked, confused.

"Nothing," Bella said, leaning down to give Alexis one last kiss on her cheek.

Bella didn't want to delve into that memory, so she was glad when Alexis turned over and went back to sleep. Her wedding day was not something she was fond of, and even though it had been four years since that dreadful day, the pain of it was still too raw.

She didn't sleep soundly the night before her wedding, and when security knocked at nine a.m exactly, she'd been awake for several hours. The maid was just in the process of cleaning up the dishes from breakfast. Two guards flanked either side of her as she made her way from the room, to the elevator, then down into the same garage she'd arrived in. Neither of them spoke to her as they escorted her to a waiting SUV. Behind it, Bella saw that there was another SUV with security in it. She couldn't understand the need for all of that. The child locks on the doors had been activated, and security always locked the doors anyway once they got in, so there really was no reason for the extra precautions.

The window was tinted dark from the outside, but from the inside, Bella could see everything. They rode along a beach for a while, the other SUV trailing right behind, then onto the highway. Eventually, the landscape began to change as the car wound its way through an area covered with trees. Bella could no longer see anything but green out the window. After several minutes the landscape cleared out, and they began an incline up a small hill. Finally, they pulled up in front of a mansion that Bella knew well. It was Edward's house. She didn't have time to take in the scenery, before security ushered her through the doors, where she was met by Esme and a blonde woman, who Bella guessed must be Rosalie.

"You must be Bella," Rosalie said, extending her hand out to Bella.

Taking her hand, Bella was slightly taken aback at the sight of her. Emmett's girlfriend was beautiful. With her blonde hair and perfect body, she looked like she deserved to be on the cover of a swimsuit catalog, not planning weddings. The only flaw Bella could see was that she had on too much makeup. It covered her arms and neck, making her look slightly pale. Actually, both Rosalie and Esme did.

They were both elegantly dressed in flowing light purple dresses. Rosalie's had a slit running up the side, showing off her perfect legs.

Bella had met Esme once before, only for a few minutes, when she'd gone to Edward's house during the early days of their relationship. They hadn't talked much then, but something about her had immediately put Bella on edge.

"Well, let's get started," Esme said, without greeting Bella. She walked ahead while Bella and Rosalie followed. The room Esme led them to was filled with all types of hair and beauty products. Bella thought they looked more like weapons of torture. As Rosalie was shutting the door, Esme led Bella over to a chair in front of a large mirror and motioned for her to sit. Then taking Bella's chin in between her fingers, she tilted her face up until Bella was looking up at her. "I don't see it. What is it about you that has my son so obsessed?"

Letting go of her face, she stepped back as Rosalie handed Bella a robe.

"Take off your clothes, and put this on. I want to make sure that you don't mess up the makeup later."

When Bella emerged wearing the robe, she took the seat in front of the mirror as Rosalie began working on her hair.

Esme watched Bella through the mirror as she spoke. "It's odd. You're nothing special. Not even remotely pretty."

Bella felt like she'd been slapped. Actually, that was exactly what she wanted to do to Esme at that moment, but she was pretty sure attacking Edward's mother would not end well for her. So all she could do was sit there as her future mother-in-law continued releasing her verbal abuse.

"I really thought my son would find someone smart. Someone special. Someone beautiful like Rosalie," she said, placing her hands affectionately on Rosalie's shoulders. "Instead he shows up with you, and no matter how many times I try to convince him that you're not good enough, he refuses to let you go. He's making the biggest mistake of his life, tying himself to some low-class tramp like you."

Bella's jaw dropped at her words. She couldn't understand how someone she'd only met a few minutes before had formed such a deep hatred of her. Esme had to have known what her son put Bella through those last several weeks, yet here she was talking like Bella was the lucky one.

Bella tried to ignore Esme's words, but it was becoming harder and harder. "When I had asked him what you were doing after high school, he told me you were going to some school to study photography. I told my husband 'Ha! Photography? She'll be lying on her back and spreading her legs for a living.' " She laughed at her own joke.

"Esme," Rosalie said softly from behind Bella. "It's her wedding day."

"So? I'm just saying it as it is."

Turning, she walked to the door. Before stepping out, she called out behind her. "Good luck, Rosalie. It's going to take more than makeup to save that."

Then she left, shutting the door behind her.

Bella had to squeeze her eyes tight to stop the tears from falling.

"Don't cry," Rosalie whispered.

Opening her eyes, Bella thought she was saying that to comfort her, but when she looked, Rosalie had mascara in her hand. Rosalie just didn't want her to mess up her work. It was quiet as Rosalie continued to work on Bella, and Bella continued to mull over Esme's words. She hated how much it hurt her. After all, Esme didn't know her. Didn't have the right to say such things to her. But no matter how many times Bella tried to reason it out, she couldn't erase the pain she felt.

"Okay, are you ready to see your dress?" Rosalie asked, pulling Bella from her thoughts. Rosalie didn't wait for Bella's response. She walked out the door, then returned a few seconds later with a garment covered in a bag. Hanging it on a hook on the wall, she unzipped it, revealing the dress inside.

The dress was stunning and surprisingly something Bella would have chosen. It was white and sleeveless, with tiny black stones running along the top area and just below the breast. It was simple, yet beautiful.

"Come on, we don't have time to waste," Rosalie said. Taking it down from the hook, she ushered Bella into the bathroom, handing her the dress.

Bella dressed silently, avoiding the mirrors, as Esme's words continued to have their effect on her. No sooner had she slipped it on Rosalie entered the bathroom and zipped it up behind her.

"Perfect fit," she said, standing back and admiring her work.

She led Bella back over to the chair again, where she made last minute adjustments to her hair and face. She helped Bella into a pair of white high heels that Bella knew if she wasn't careful would surely injure her. With one last nod, Rosalie turned to leave.

"Someone will come and get you when it's time to come out," she said before closing the door behind her. When she was sure Rosalie was gone, Bella closed her eyes and squeezed them tight, willing the tears not to fall. Rosalie hadn't applied much makeup on her, choosing to go simple, but one tear could still leave a trail down her face. When squeezing her eyes wasn't working, Bella looked up at the ceiling, willing the tears to remain where they were. It worked. She was able to stop her tears from falling for a little longer, but her eyes were still wet.

"Ah-hem," a voice said.

Looking towards the door, Bella saw that she was not alone. She didn't know how long the woman standing by the door had been watching her, but from the way she was casually leaning back against the door she'd just come in, it had to have been a while. Just like Rosalie and Esme, this one wore the same shade of purple dress. But whereas Rosalie's and Esme's dresses flowed to the floor, this one reached to the woman's knees. Her black spiky hair and pallor made her look slightly ill. Whereas Esme and Rosalie's paleness was caused by makeup, hers seemed natural. In her hand she held a bottle of Schnapps.

"So you must be Bella," she said, looking her over. Then spotting her wet eyes, she said, "So I'm guessing you've met Esme."

Walking over to Bella, she motioned for her to share the seat Bella was on. Bella moved to the edge of the seat, allowing the other woman to take up the other part.

"Yes to both of your questions," Bella said, her voice shaking slightly.

"I can tell. Well, I'm Alice by the way," she said, holding out the bottle to Bella. Bella shook her head to decline, but Alice said, "You're about to be married into the Cullen family. You better start using alcohol to numb the pain," Alice said.

Taking the bottle, Bella took a drink, then handed it back to her. Alice smiled as she took a drink as well.

"She's a bitch, huh?" Alice said, handing her the bottle again. They continued like that, swinging it back and forth between them, each taking a drink.

Bella nodded at Alice's question.

"Well, you better get used to it, because it's going to get a lot worse. I love Jasper and all, but nothing in this world would ever make me marry into his psycho family, and you haven't even met Carlisle yet."

Bella hoped Alice wasn't trying to make her feel better, because if so, she was doing a really poor job at it.

"You'd think Esme would at least give you a break seeing as she's been where you are," Alice said, staring off into space. Her eyes seemed to glaze over as she spoke. Bella remembered what Edward had told her about Alice. She supposed this was one of the side effects of pill popping. "But nope, the evil hag has it out for you. Odd. I've never spent much time around Esme, and that is part of the reason why."

Turning to look at Bella, Alice's eyes were no longer glazed over. "I don't have to be a psychic to see that you are fucked."

Alice was really beginning to scare Bella, but if she had to choose between her or Esme as company, Bella would rather have the crazy woman at her side. Gripping the now empty bottle, Alice began rocking slightly back and forth, humming to herself.

"Alice," Bella said slowly. "What did you mean when you said Esme was where I am?"

At first Bella thought Alice didn't hear her, but then she stopped rocking and looked at her.

"You didn't think Edward was born evil did you? Like father, like sons," Alice said. Then she started rocking again.

Bella now understood the reason for the makeup on Esme's and Rosalie's bodies. It didn't make her feel any sympathy towards Esme, though- it just made her dislike her even more.

"Well, I'll leave you to your fucked up future," Alice said, standing.

"Good luck," she said, walking to the door. "You're going to need it."

Then she shut it, leaving Bella alone again.

"This is it," Bella said softly to herself as she allowed the tears to fall now without stopping. This would be the day she tied herself to a man who she wasn't even certain loved her, and a family who, if Esme's views were shared amoung them, probably didn't want her. Bella rarely pictured how her wedding day would be, but when she did, it was never like this. Bella thought of her father. She wished he was the one walking her down the aisle.

The sound of someone knocking pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Come in," she said.

A man with blond hair and dressed elegantly in a black tuxedo entered. Even without introductions, Bella knew this was Carlisle. Bella now understood what Alice had meant when she mentioned him. Carlisle had a dangerous air about him, and his gaze was hard as he looked at Bella. Already Bella was terrified of him.

He made no remark on Bella's tears as he held his arm out to her. Bella's hand shook slightly as she took it. He didn't speak as he led her out the door and down a hallway. When they turned the corner at the end, Bella was finally given a view of her wedding.

A trail of white flowers started from where Bella and Carlisle stood and went across the floor, out the door, onto the grass, and straight up to where a minister stood waiting. Beside him was a small symphony orchestra. There were a few rows of chairs, but they were arranged in such a way that it didn't make the area look scarce. Each row was adjoined with bows and even more flowers. Bella could see Alice sitting next to Jasper, while Rosalie sat next to Emmett. Bella had met Jasper and Emmett once before this. There were a handful of other guests, all of whom Bella did not know. Edward stood underneath a canopy of lights and white roses. At the sight of him Bella's breath caught. He was beautiful. Even through the tears, she couldn't help but smile slightly.

Despite his mother's qualms, Edward seemed so sure of his decision to have her. So sure of his decision to be with her. Whether it was possession as she believed or love as he had said that made him go through all that trouble, she didn't understand. But she did wish then, so desperately, that it was the latter. She wanted him to love her. To truly love her. She wanted his love for her to be genuine, and for his actions to be his only fault. Even if the marriage was forced, and it was just all just a ploy for her to gain his trust then leave, she wanted the love to be real. She wanted him to feel the same way for her, as she did for him, because despite everything he put her through, she did love him. Seeing him standing there, joy on his face at finally being able to marry her, she was reminded of that.

But she made the mistake of catching Esme's penetrating gaze. It was only for a moment, but it was all she needed to snap her out of her earlier thoughts. Even if Edward did love her, she knew she couldn't stay. Even if she loved him, what he had done was unforgivable. No amount of love could ever make up for it.

The music began playing and the guests stood, as Bella and Carlisle made their way down the aisle. When they reached the end, Edward didn't even look at his father as he took her hand gently in his.

As the minister began talking, Bella couldn't hear him over the sound of her heartbeat. She didn't know if she could do it. Despite her thoughts from earlier, she felt like she was in the middle of a nightmare. She barely heard the minister as he spoke to her.

"Do you, Isabella Marie Swan, take Edward Anthony Cullen, to be your lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, forever and ever?"

She couldn't stop the tears that fell. They ran down her cheeks of their own accord. The next two words she would say would seal her fate. It would bind her to a life she didn't want. It would bind her to the person whom she loved, but would never forgive. Would never be happy with. But fate had already delt her a terrible hand, and this was the only way to survive it.

Her voice broke as she replied.

"I do."

"And do you Edward Anthony Cullen, take Isabella Marie Swan to be your lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, forever and ever?"

Edward watched the tears run down Bella's cheeks. She didn't know if he knew the real reason behind it, or if he was deluding himself into thinking they were tears of joy. Either way, he still replied, 'I do' with certainty and conviction.

The minister's voice carried an authority that seemed to ring throughout the area. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

When Monday morning finally arrived, Bella didn't see Edward as she got herself and Alexis ready for school. It wasn't until she was pulling out from in front of her house that he pulled up in his car. For a fleeting moment she considered hitting him with her truck as payback for all he'd done to her, but she knew she would never have the guts to actually do it. Not because it was morally wrong, but because she didn't want Alexis to see that.

He walked up to the driver's side, then waited for her to wind down the glass to speak. "Hey," he said, more to Alexis than to her.

"Hi!" Alexis called back enthusiastically from the back seat.

"What time do you finish class?" he asked Bella. The expression on his face caught Bella off guard. He seemed agitated, and when he looked at her, she could see something brewing in his eyes.

"11:00 a.m, why?"

"I wanted to talk to you privately," he said. "Can I meet you here then?"

"Okay," she lied. They weren't coming back there.

He waved one more time to Alexis, before letting them drive off.

Bella only had five minutes to spare when she arrived at her first class. She had two hours to waste before she put her plan into motion. That would give Edward enough time to not grow suspicious. Unfortunately, that also gave her time to really think of the consequences of what she was about to do.

She knew by running she ran the risk of Edward finding her and Alexis again. He had been patient so far, and she had not yet seen the monster rise out of him, but her flight might be what set him back to his old ways. If she ran, and he found her, the number of things he could do to her and to Alexis terrified her. He hadn't yet spoken of dragging them back to Chicago, but at any moment he could. She would be defenseless if he did. She refused to subject her daughter to the horror that is his family.

Her other option was to stay and run the risk of Edward still dragging them back to Chicago. At least running gave them a chance. She would have to be discrete though. She didn't know for sure if Edward would have security watching the campus, but she went with the assumption that he had.

Looking at the clock on the wall, she saw that she still had an hour before she would leave, so Bella used that time to try to absorb what the lecturer was saying. She hated that after all her hard work, her education would be thrown down the drain. Leaving Forks meant leaving everything behind.

When the clock said 10:00 a.m exactly, she gathered her things and excused herself from the class. Walking quickly, she made her way to the back of the campus building. The building was small and stood in front of the forest dense with trees. The only way out of the building was through the front door, the side emergency exit or the back door. The backdoor was rarely, if ever, used, because the surrounding area was so overgrown and it was impossible to take it to get to the car park. The only pathway led deeper into the woods. Even the door itself was hard to find from the outside unless the person knew where it was.

This was exactly what Bella needed. Going out the front or the side doors, she ran the risk of encountering Edward's security team. They wouldn't watch the back door.

It took a few minutes to push it open enough for her to pass through, and when she did she emerged onto the pathway that would lead deeper into the forest. Before she left, she pushed the door to close it, so anyone who passed wouldn't grow suspicious.

Bella followed the path deeper into the woods, going over fallen trees and logs. She kept going until she caught sight of the road, then being sure to stay covered, she continued until she reached the back of Alexis's school. By the time she had spotted the school, her pants were covered with moss, and she had a scratch along her hand from where she'd fallen.

She now faced the real problem- getting Alexis out of the school without being detected. If Edward's security was watching her school as well, they wouldn't be hidden in plain sight, but they would be watching the front entrance.

Unlike her school, Alexis's only had two exits. The main entrance in the front and the back entrance where the children were taken on brief nature walks. The front entrance wasn't an option so Bella aimed for the back.

Unlike with her school this back entrance didn't have the cover of the trees, so it would be risky to try it. She prayed that they wouldn't look at that back entrance. Making her way to it, Bella knocked, knowing it would be locked. It was several seconds before it was opened. Alexis's startled teacher, Mrs. Evans, answered.

"Miss Swan," she said, confused.

"Hi," Bella said, stepping into the classroom. She knew she needed to be quick. She didn't know how long she still had before Edward was expecting her.

"I came to take Alexis home early," she explained.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, eying the way Bella had arrived. Parents never used the back entrance so that immediately put her on edge.

"No, everything is alright," Bella said, making sure she sounded calm.

Mrs. Evans nodded, then called Alexis over. Bella helped her put on her coat and get her bag, then with a last goodbye, they went out through the back door again.

"Where are we going?" Alexis asked as the door closed behind them.

Bella waited until they were a distance away before she answered. "We are going on a little trip," she said. She hated lying to Alexis, but she didn't want to scare her by telling her they were leaving Forks with the intention of not coming back.

"Is Daddy coming with us?" she asked.

Her words made Bella pause and look down. It was the first time Alexis had ever acknowledged Edward as her father.

"No, it's just us," she said.

"Will he come later?" Alexis asked.

"No."

Alexis looked confused. "But he said he was staying with us."

This was news to Bella. "When did he say that?"

"At the beach."

Bella hadn't heard that conversation. "He can't come with us," Bella said. She wished Alexis would drop that line of conversation. She did, but Alexis then found another reason to worry.

"But what about Maisie?" she asked. "We can't leave him behind."

"It will be okay. I'll get you a new bear," Bella said. There was no way she was going back to the house.

"But we can't leave him!" Alexis said, crying now.

Bella groaned. She'd wanted to make their departure as easy as possible on Alexis.

"Alright, we'll go for him," Bella said to soothe her.

Alexis wiped at her tears and nodded.

Staying covered beneath the trees, they made their way to the house.

Their journey to the house was slow, but eventually they came up to it. As they approached it, another problem presented itself. They were across the street from it, and Bella could see a black SUV parked just down the street from the house. There was no way to get to it without being seen.

Looking back at the house Bella froze, then she pulled Alexis further under the cover of the trees. The house had been vandalized. The front door was hanging by its hinges, and both front windows were broken. Alexis's tricycle lay in a crumbled mess on the front yard. It looked like someone had taken a hammer to it or rolled over it with a car. Across the front of the house, someone had written the words "Not Over" with spray paint.

Bella couldn't understand why anyone would have done that, or even who. It wasn't until she noticed a familiar car parked right down the street that the message on the wall began to make sense.

It was Edward's car.

Bella couldn't believe that Edward had gone so far as to trash her home to gain control over her. It only reinforced her decision to leave. To her, it explained why he was on edge this morning. He was getting ready to wreck her house. Maybe it was his desperate ploy to force her back to Chicago, maybe it was because he didn't want her to have a life outside of him. Either way, she knew she had to leave.

The front door opened, and Edward stepped out, holding Alexis's toy bear in his hand.

"Maisie," Alexis said, but Bella put her hand over Alexis's mouth to stop her from giving away their position.

Bella didn't wait to see if Edward had heard, she pulled Alexis away from the house.

"What about Maisie?" Alexis asked.

"We'll have to come back for him," Bella lied.

That was enough for Alexis, and Bella was glad she didn't question anymore.

They kept walking until they reached town. Making sure the coast was clear, Bella and Alexis ducked into Forks' only auto repair shop. Looking at the clock on the wall, Bella saw that it was 10:55 a.m. She had five minutes to get as far away from Forks as possible. It didn't take long for Bella to see Sam's feet sticking out from underneath one of the cars he was working on.

"Sam," Bella called.

Rolling out from underneath, Sam was surprised to see them standing there.

"Hey, Bella, something wrong?" he asked. He looked behind her, searching for someone.

"No, but I need a huge favour. Can I borrow your car?" she asked. There was no way for them to leave town on foot, so Bella needed a ride. Fast.

"Okay, but can I ask why?" he asked, standing now.

Bella knew she didn't have time to explain anything, not that she was planning on delving into her and Edward's sordid relationship with Sam, so she lied again.

"I have a really good job offer in Oregon, but I need to make it to the interview in time," she said. She hated lying to Sam like that but as usual, she didn't have any other choice.

"Okay, cool," he said. He went over to his workbench and came back with a set of keys. As far as he knew, he was getting his car back eventually. Bella didn't know how she was going to give Sam back his car, but she pushed that out of her mind. She would worry about that later. "Well, you know where it is. Good luck with the job."

"Thank you," Bella said, taking them from him.

The car was easy to spot in the yard. After buckling Alexis into the back seat, she sent a quick wave to Sam, thanking him one more time for the favor.

Every red light they hit, Bella shook with fear that she would see Edward. The clock on the dashboard said it was 11:05 a.m. He would be expecting her. She didn't want to think what he would do when she didn't show up.

As they got further and further away from Forks, Bella still wasn't at ease until they hit the interstate. She breathed a small sigh of relief. But they weren't out of the woods yet and she knew it. They were only prolonging the inevitable.

Hearty welcome to all my new readers, and thank you to everyone who continues to review regularly. You all are amazing, and I am grateful for each and every one of you.

I really hope I don't disappoint, because I'm starting to wonder if I bit off more than I can chew with this story.

If you have a moment, don't forget to share your thoughts by reviewing. Reviews make me giddy.

You can find me on Twitter XxMementoMorix

Special thanks to Project Team Beta, Lyta7 and BelleDuJour for proof-reading