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.

A/N This is one of those difficult to read chapters that will contain physical abuse.

If you're not comfortable reading it or prefer not to, please stop reading now.

It's not graphic abuse. It just may be hard for some to take.

"Love means exposing yourself to the pain of being hurt, deeply hurt by someone you trust"

- Renita Weems

Chapter 11

Let It Burn

It was something that had been brewing in her mind since Edward had found them, and then the thought was strengthened when they'd made their compromise. Bella wanted to contact her mother; she needed to know how Renee was doing. Now that the pressure of Edward finding them was removed, the pain of how long it had been since Bella spoke to her mother came forward. She was tired of substitute mothers. She hated the not knowing.

"But what do you want to tell her?" Edward asked as Bella pulled up outside of Alexis's school. They were early, so after shutting off the engine, they sat in silence for a few seconds as Bella thought over her answer.

"What do you want to tell her?" Bella asked. They'd been discussing Bella contacting Renee for a while, and whilst what Edward wanted didn't really matter, she was curious to hear what he would say.

"Whatever you want. If you want to tell her the truth, then okay," he said, catching her by surprise.

Bella gave him a sardonic look. "You know if we tell her the truth, she's going to have you arrested."

Pain crossed Edward's face. "It's what I deserve anyway."

Bella was caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice. She couldn't help the hard chuckle she gave. "As appealing as that sounds, I don't think Alexis would enjoy talking to you through a plastic window."

Bella sighed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Edward watching her.

"Then what do you want to do? Whatever it is, I'll help."

She was saved from having to answer right away by the sound of Alexis's classroom door opening. A few of the parents started walking in to collect their children. Leaving Edward for a moment, Bella went into the class to get Alexis.

"Hi, Daddy," Alexis said, as Bella buckled her into her car seat. "What are you doing here?"

It was unusual for Edward to accompany Bella to pick Alexis up from school, but they'd wanted to continue their conversation. Also, Edward wanted to surprise Alexis with her new bike.

"Well, your mommy and I have a surprise for you," Edward said. Bella shot him a quizzical look.

"We built it together, so it's from both of us," Edward said.

"What is it?" Alexis asked, calling the attention back to her.

"We're going down to the park, so you can see it then," Bella said.

The bike was lying flat in the bed of the truck, along with the helmet and guards, so Alexis hadn't seen it when they'd passed by.

"Is it a pony?" she asked.

Through the rear-view mirror, Bella gave her a confused look.

"You can't build a pony."

"Can too!" Alexis shot back.

Edward laughed at the both of them.

The park was its usual scarce self when they pulled up. Alexis hadn't stopped trying to guess her surprise the entire time.

"Can I see it now?" she asked as she climbed out of the truck.

Bella nodded towards Edward, who reached into the back and pulled the bike out.

"My bike!" Alexis yelled excitedly. "Thank you."

Bella watched as Edward helped Alexis into her protective gear, slightly amused at the sight. Edward often commented on how strange it was to see Bella as a parent, but the surprise went both ways. For Bella, it was peculiar to see Edward interact with Alexis. Especially seeing as she had been so against them ever meeting.

Sitting on one of the benches, Bella watched as Edward helped a thrilled Alexis try out her new bike. It was the first bike that Alexis ever rode that didn't have only three wheels, so Edward stayed close to her as she rode up and down the pathway.

The more Bella saw this other side of Edward, the more her feelings and resolve began to waver. Just when she thought she'd figured out Edward's character, he turned around and surprised her. All of this just amplified her confusion. She didn't know what she wanted anymore. It was easier to hate the monster than let her guard down around the Edward whom was with her now.

The soft touch of fingers trailing from her cheekbone to her chin woke Bella early the next morning. Even though the touch was gentle, she grumbled in response— her body sensing that it was too early. A soft chuckle came from nearby.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," Edward said. "I have to head out now."

At the sound of his voice, her eyes sprung open. She was greeted by the sight of a fully-dressed Edward. He was dressed in a soft grey pants and a white button-down shirt. His hair was damp— evident of a shower. Casually dressed Edward was sexy enough; Edward dressed in part of a suit made her mouth water.

"You're leaving?" she asked.

"Yeah, I have a breakfast meeting with Carlisle, and then I have some business to attend to," he said. "I'm sorry I can't take you on a tour of the grounds, but there are helpers downstairs who will attend to your every need."

"You woke me up to tell me that?" Bella asked sarcastically. "Don't you have someone whom could have come at a more convenient time?"

The smirk Edward gave her showed that he knew she was joking.

With a devious smile, Edward walked to one of the curtains and pulled it back, causing bright early morning light to shine through.

"Now how can I not show you this glorious morning?" Edward asked with a laugh.

"That's mean," Bella said as she tried to shield her eyes from the light. Picking up one of the pillows next to her, she chucked it at him. His eyes were sparked with deep humour as he dodged her object easily. Edward chuckled as he pulled the curtain back. He walked over to the bed again and sat on the edge.

"Did you just wake me up to bug me?" Bella asked.

"Yes, and I wanted to talk to you as well."

"I'm listening," Bella said as she buried her head in the pillow.

"My mother invited you to go shopping with her and Rosalie today," Edward said.

Bella's body froze, and when she raised her head from the pillow, her eyes were wide. There were so many things wrong with that sentence that she didn't even know where to begin. Why would Esme invite her to go anywhere? The woman had made it very clear that she hated Bella with an unbelievable passion, so why the sudden change of heart? Bella was immediately on the defense.

"Your mother invited me?" she asked.

"Yeah," Edward said, but Bella wasn't so sure. It was so unlike the Esme she knew. Had she a change of heart? Bella doubted the woman had a heart to change.

"It's only if you want to go, of course," Edward said, sensing Bella's hesitancy.

A little voice in her head whispered to her that it was a bad idea. That Esme had already proven she had a bad bone, but part of Bella wanted to make amends with her mother-in-law.

"No, no. If she invited me then I'll go," Bella assured him.

Edward seemed relieved by that as he let out a sigh.

"Okay, well, they'll be leaving at eleven. I'll alert security, and they will take you. Do you want to ride with them or alone?" Edward asked.

"I'll ride alone," Bella said quickly. Even if Esme had changed, Bella would much rather not be stuck in a car with her.

"Okay, I'll let them know," Edward said. Taking out his wallet, he pulled out a credit card. Bella saw that her name was already printed on it. He laid it on the table next to the bed. "Buy whatever you want."

Bella couldn't help but grimace slightly. She hated Edward spending money on her, but she knew arguing would be pointless.

"Thanks," she said.

Leaning down, he pressed his lips to Bella's forehead and then her lips.

"I hope you have a good time," he whispered. His smell was intoxicating, and it made her slightly dizzy.

Bella couldn't help the smile that came to her face. He was too beautiful, too sweet. It was moments like this that made her want to forget about all that had happened. It made her want to fully forgive him. When he was being sweet and kind, like he'd been for the last several weeks, it was hard to remember that there was another side to him.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips, pulling her from her thoughts.

"I love you, too," she said, pressing her lips more fully against his.

He smiled against her mouth. After one last goodbye, Edward left, closing the door quietly behind him. Bella rolled over onto her back and breathed a sigh. Everything with Edward was so confusing, and she briefly wondered if there would ever be a time when it wasn't. She hoped so.

Sleep was a lost cause, so climbing out of bed, Bella really got a view of her surroundings. She'd been so out of it the night before that she didn't remember seeing any of the things she was seeing now.

The room was large, and if it was any indication to the rest of the house, Bella figured there would not be enough time to explore it all. Walking over to the window, she pulled the curtain back slightly to look out. The room overlooked what Bella guessed was the front of the house. The grounds were grand and surrounded by trees. A driveway could be seen winding its way towards a large gate. From her spot, she could see one of the men who'd been with them on the island, standing in front of the gate. She didn't recognize the other man posted there.

The sound of someone knocking on the door made her jump.

"Come in," she called to whoever it was.

An elderly woman walked in, and Bella recognized her right away. It was the woman from Florida.

"Mrs. Cullen," she said as she spotted Bella by the window.

"Bella." She wasn't use to her married name yet, and she preferred for people to use the variation of her first name instead.

"Bella," the woman said, smiling. "I just came to see if you were awake. Mr. Cullen informed me that you would be leaving, but he warned that you might go back to sleep, so I came to check on you."

"I'm awake," Bella said, returning the woman's smile.

"Okay, well, why don't you wash up, and I'll make you breakfast. The bathroom is through there," she said, pointing to a door opposite to the one she'd just come through. Then walking to another door, she pulled it open, revealing a walk-in closet stocked with clothes. "And these are for you."

"Is there anything in particular you would like for breakfast?" the woman asked.

"No, I don't have any particulars. Thank you," Bella said.

With one last nod, the woman left Bella to get ready.

A half hour later, Bella sat at the breakfast nook as the woman placed an omelette in front of her.

"Thank you..." Bella's voice trailed off, realising she still didn't know the woman's name.

"Mrs. Miller," she said.

Mrs. Miller ambled around the kitchen while Bella ate. She wasn't really hungry; she was too anxious about seeing Esme again, but she still ate to be polite. She wanted to ask Mrs. Miller more about the Cullens, but she didn't know if the woman would tell her. Did her contract of silence still apply if Bella was now inside the lion's den? She didn't know, and she didn't ask. Nor did the woman volunteer any information. As Mrs. Miller was clearing the dishes away, a man dressed in a crisp suit walked in. Bella recognised him as being one of Edward's security.

"Mrs. Cullen, are you ready?" he asked. He had a no-nonsense look on his face, so Bella didn't even bother asking him to call her by her first name.

"Yes, I'm ready."

With one last smile of thanks to Mrs. Miller, Bella followed the man out the front door. Another man dressed in the same suite stood next to an SUV. Behind it was another SUV with two more guards. She still couldn't see the need for all this security. Neither men spoke as Bella climbed into the backseat.

As they drove farther and farther away from the house, Bella's nerves began to get the best of her. She hadn't forgotten what Esme had told her on her wedding day. She couldn't deny that Esme's sudden invite struck her as suspicious, but she wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. She wanted to do right by her mother-in-law. Not so much for Esme, but for Edward.

Looking out the window, Bella saw that they were driving through a more populated area than the one they'd come from. She briefly wondered if they were meeting Esme at her house, but when they began pulling into the parking lot of a mall, she realised they were meeting her there. The SUV stopped alongside another one just like it. One of the guards came out of the front seat and opened the door for her. Bella opened her mouth to thank him, but the sound of Esme's voice stopped her.

"About time," her mother-in-law said. Turning, Bella saw Esme climb out of the second SUV. Rosalie was right behind her.

"We've been waiting for you," Esme said harshly before stalking off. Two guards followed behind her. Rosalie gave Bella an apologetic smile as she followed behind Esme. Both women wore heavy makeup and long-sleeve shirts. Bella briefly wondered if it was too late to retract her acceptance of the invite. Clearly, this day was not going to go well, but she already knew it was too late. She'd told Edward she would go.

With a slight sigh, Bella walked towards the automatic doors that Esme and Rosalie had just gone through. Two guards followed behind her as well. As a rule, Bella hated shopping, and she highly doubted that Oakbrook Center would have anything that appealed to her, but she really didn't want this day to turn out badly, so bracing herself, she walked on until she spotted Esme and Rosalie. Bella felt out of her element as she wandered into the store they were in. Both women were going through a rack of clothing. When she walked up to them, Rosalie gave her a small smile. Esme looked at her with a grimace. Bella immediately decided that between the two, she'd rather stick with Rosalie.

"See anything you like?" Rosalie asked kindly. Just as Bella was opening her mouth to answer, she was again cut off by Esme.

"Of course she doesn't see anything she likes," Esme said with a sinister smile that made Bella's blood curdle. "This is too high-end for the tramp. Maybe after we leave, we can go down to the local street vendor and find something for her."

There it was again, the undeserved hatred spewed by Esme. Bella still didn't understand what she could have done to deserve the woman's venom, and just like before, she didn't know how to respond.

"Esme, give her a break," Rosalie said quietly.

Esme narrowed her eyes at her. "But it's true. Then again, I suppose now that she's married my son, she's gotten her sticky little fingers into his money."

Bella had to bite her lip hard to stop herself from sending back a retort. She had to remember that things between her and Edward hung in the balance, and getting into a fight with Esme would not end well for her. Also, she was pretty sure that the security guards would stop her before she could really let Esme have it. So all Bella could do was stand there and take it as her mother-in-law let out every hurtful comment she could think of— one after the other.

Each store they went into, Esme had a crude remark for Bella. Though she never missed an opportunity to put Rosalie up on a pedestal, she never missed an opportunity to jab Bella with hurtful words. By the time they'd gone to lunch, Bella's lip was slightly bleeding from the number of times she'd had to bite it.

"Look, Bella, you can order the salad!" Esme said when they were seated at the restaurant for a very late lunch. Bella couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at her. Bella hated salads, so she was at a loss as to what Esme was talking about.

"You know. You put on so much weight while on your honeymoon that I figured you might want to start losing some."

Even Rosalie's jaw dropped slightly at Esme's words. Esme just shrugged and continued reading from the menu. Dropping the menu she'd been holding, Bella stood up and walked out. She couldn't take it anymore, and she didn't care of the ramifications. She refused to sit there and take Esme's abuse any longer.

Security followed Bella as she ambled through the mall, trying her hardest to forget Esme's words. Each remark Esme had said cut Bella like a knife. Bella walked until she came across a bookstore, then without even thinking about it, she ducked inside. Now she felt in her element, but even the comfort of books couldn't provide the solace they once did. They only brought back memories of all the times she'd gone to bookstores with Renee. Bella remembered how she and Renee would go to the local mall in Florida, and while Renee busied herself with all the pottery stores and clothing stores, Bella would find a bookstore. Her mother often joked that Bella could sniff out a bookstore from anywhere on the planet.

The bitterness returned to Bella as she remembered her mother. It had been more than a month since Bella had last seen Renee, and again, it pained her to think of how much her mother must be suffering with Bella gone.

Walking through the aisles, Bella passed her fingertips reverently along the spines of each book as she fought the urge to cry. Making amends with Esme was a hopeless cause. The woman hated her with a passion that Bella doubted any amount of time would erase. But what did that mean? Obviously Esme would always be a part of Edward's life, so Bella would have to endure the woman's spiteful words throughout the duration of her marriage to Edward. Just the thought of that made Bella sick.

"Mrs. Cullen," one of the security guards who'd been following her called.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Esme Cullen is ready to leave."

"What does that have to do with me?" Bella snapped.

The man remained impassive to her tone.

"She wanted you to know that Mr. Edward Cullen would be home soon and thereby expecting you," the man said.

Bella sighed.

Edward.

She'd almost forgotten about him. Bella hated leaving the bookstore, but she knew she had to. With one last wistful glance, she followed security out of the store. The SUV that had brought Rosalie and Esme was gone and for that Bella was glad.

It wasn't until she was secluded within the confines of the SUV that Bella let the tears fall silently down her cheeks. She couldn't believe she'd actually fallen for it. She couldn't believe she'd actually wanted to give Esme the benefit of the doubt. She didn't even try to stop the tears from falling. She cried, not only for what Esme had told her, but also for everything that had happened. She cried for all that Edward had done to her. She cried for the life that had been taken from her. She cried for the future she wanted but would never have. Mostly she cried for her own mother. She missed Renee, now more than ever.

It was late evening when they pulled into the gate at the estate, and Bella's sobs had not subsided. She didn't even wait for security to open the door before she flung it open herself and climbed out. Neither followed or said anything as she went into the house, slamming the front door as she went.

The house was quiet, so she knew neither Edward nor the housekeepers were in. She was glad for the brief solitude. Bella didn't even make it to the bedroom before she collapsed on the couch in the living room. She covered her face with her hands as the last of her tears fell. Esme's words had unleashed a flood gate of emotions, and Bella didn't know how to seal it back up.

The sound of the front door opening reminded Bella of who was really to blame for all that had befallen her. By the time Edward had made his way to the living room, Bella's sadness had turned into rage.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly as he spotted her wet eyes. He kneeled beside her spot on the couch. He reached forward to wipe her tears away, but Bella jerked her face away from him.

"Am I okay?" she asked, the rage finally taking over. "I have not been okay for the last month!"

"Bella, what's wrong? What happened?"

Bella contemplated, just for a moment, telling him what had happened, but she pushed it aside. She doubted Edward would care.

"It doesn't matter," she grumbled. She walked over to the other side of the room, wanting to get as far away from his as possible.

"Of course it matters, I want you to be—," Edward began, but Bella cut him off.

Holding up her hand, she said, "Don't, just don't. Please don't drop the 'I want you to be happy' crap on me. I will never be happy here."

Edward blinked at her words, and for a moment, Bella could see the hurt reflected on his face.

"It's not crap," Edward said as he walked towards her.

"Yes, it is," Bella yelled. "I will never be happy here. Did you actually think that after everything that happened, I would actually want to be here?"

Bella knew it was her rage talking, but she was too angry to stop it.

"What are you talking about?" Edward demanded. "You agreed to marry me."

"Because I had no choice! I don't want to be here. I never loved you. I only agreed to marry you because it was my only fucking chance of getting away from you!" Bella yelled.

There were a brief few seconds as her words sank in, and when they did, she could see the shock, the pain, the agony on Edward's face. He really had had no idea. Just as quickly as those emotions came, anger took their place, but Bella was too far lost in her own rage to care. Just as quickly, Bella saw sweet, gentle Edward slip away; the monster here now taking his place.

When he grabbed her and began hitting her, Bella was long over being a doormat. She met Edward's anger with her own. Not even when he pushed her into the glass vase and it broke, the shards cutting into her, did she stop.

Then with one quick move, Edward grabbed her and threw her onto the ground. He held her hands above her head with one of his, his body weight pinning her to the floor.

"Well, that was stupid," he said. His voice was deathly quiet, and there was no sign of gentle Edward anywhere in his blazing green eyes. "Because if I can't have you, no one will. You will never escape me. No matter where you go, I will find you." There were scratches on his face as well as a forming bruise on his cheek from where Bella had struck him as he struck her.

When he stood to get off of her, Bella sent one quick kick to his shin. The blow caught him off guard, and as he fell, she scrambled away from him and headed for the stairs.

"Bella!" she heard him yell, but she didn't stop.

She could hear him coming behind her. When she reached the master bedroom, she slammed the door and locked it. From the other side, she could hear him pounding against the wood.

"Open the fucking door," he yelled.

"No!" she yelled. She walked backwards until her back met the opposite wall.

"If you don't open this fucking door, I will get security to break it down."

"Fuck you, Edward," she yelled back.

"Fine, but this is not over between us." The pounding stopped, and she heard his retreating form. Minutes later, she heard the sound of a car on the gravel below. Looking out the window, she watched as he drove away from the house. When his car passed the gate outside, she breathed a sigh.

Even without looking at her arms, she knew she was going to have awful bruises from where he'd struck her. With shaky legs, Bella stood and walked into the bathroom. She didn't even turn on the light as she began taking off her clothes. She didn't want to see what she already knew would be there.

She was too afraid to touch her skin, so she let the water wash away the reminders and her tears. As the pieces of glass, from the vase Edward had pushed her into, ran down with the water, Bella knew one thing for sure; the honeymoon phase of their relationship was over.

Bella's grip on the telephone tightened.

"Do you know where she might have gone?" she asked the other person on the line.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't have any forwarding information for her," the disgruntled woman said.

"All right, thank you for all your help," Bella said, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, before she hung up.

She'd been on the phone all day, calling neighbour after neighbour, family member after family member, friend after friend, all in efforts to try to locate Renee. She'd been careful to alter her voice slightly as she spoke, only telling them she needed to get in contact with Renee, but they'd all told her the same thing. Renee had moved away a few years ago, and no one knew where she'd gone. The person Bella had just spoken to was Renee's less than helpful old boss. She, too, hadn't seen Renee for a while.

Passing a hand through her hair, Bella glanced at the clock. She still had fifteen minutes before she had to pick Alexis up from ballet class. Bella hated that Edward was paying for the classes, but he'd gone behind her back and promised Alexis that she could start.

Realising she only had a few more minutes of the house to herself, Bella tried to rack her brain again. She couldn't think of anyone else who might know where Renee was. She knew that she always had the option of asking Edward, but Bella had promised herself when she'd made the compromise that aside from caring for Alexis, she didn't want anything to do with Edward. Even though she was desperate, she refused his repeated attempts to help her. She was stubborn and wanted to find her mother on her own.

Figuring she wouldn't get a full call in anyway, Bella left the house, disgruntled, to pick up Alexis. Alexis was her usual chatty self as they drove home, and as hard as Bella tried to listen to what she was saying, her mind kept wandering to her mother. For the past four years, she'd lived with the oblivion that her mother still lived in the same house in Florida. Bella had not contemplated the possibility that Renee had moved.

The sound of Alexis calling out "Daddy!" from the backseat pulled Bella out of her thoughts. Turning into the driveway, Bella spotted Edward sitting on the front porch.

"Daddy," Alexis called again when Bella had unbuckled her from her car seat.

"Hey," Edward said as he picked her up. In his hand, Bella saw that he held a manila folder.

"Hi," he said to her over Alexis's head. Bella smiled slightly in response. The confused feeling she usually felt around Edward came to her again. She needed to distance herself from him before she did something she might regret.

When she walked into the house, Bella assumed Edward would stay out on the porch with Alexis; riding her bike during their time together had become an evening tradition for them. She was surprised when he followed her into the kitchen.

"What is it?" she asked.

He stood on the other side of the small kitchen, his gaze uncertain as he looked at her. The folder was still in his hand.

"I wanted to know if you'd found Renee."

Bella weighed her answer before she said anything. She knew Edward would jump at any opportunity to help her, but she didn't want it. She refused to be dependent on him for anything. Not even if it was something she really wanted.

"No, I haven't," she said, deciding that for once, honesty might be the best policy.

Edward sighed and then walked towards her, laying the folder on the counter next to her. Bella couldn't help but tense slightly at the close proximity to him.

"Here," he said, as he pushed the folder towards her. "I know you said you didn't want my help, but I still want to offer it."

Looking into his eyes, Bella knew immediately what the folder contained. Picking it up, she opened it with slightly shaky fingers. Not surprisingly, it contained every bit of information on Bella's mother. From her current address, to financial records— all information a stalker might have on his victim. Looking at Edward again, Bella was reminded of how dangerous a person Edward could be. Not just physically, but powerfully. With the snap of his fingers, Edward could make just about anything happen. It was why Bella had taken so long to actually get away from him. One side of Edward may be the loving father he was a few minutes ago, but the other side was the businessman with more than enough resources at his disposal.

"Why do you have all this?" Bella asked. Even though she already knew the answer, she wanted to hear him say it. Maybe hearing him admit it would be enough to remind her why she needed to distance herself from him.

Edward knew why she was asking him this, even she could see it in his eyes, but he answered her question truthfully, nevertheless.

"When you left, I had someone keep tabs on Renee in case you went to her."

Dangerous, yes, he was. Another reason why she'd wanted to make that compromise with him. She was afraid of what he'd do once pushed hard enough.

Closing the folder, she pushed it towards him. Before it could go far, he laid his hand on it, halting her movements.

"You don't have to use it, but I just wanted to give you the option. I know I took everything from you in the past, but I want to help you get it back," Edward said. Then taking his hand off, he walked out of the kitchen before she could respond.

Bella watched him depart, her resolve of not accepting help from him wavering. Even she couldn't deny the sincerity in his voice as he spoke. She couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. Despite everything that had happened, it was hard to stay angry at him when he was trying so hard to make amends.

Picking up the folder again, Bella glanced at the main page. This one held all the contact information for Renee. According to the paper, Renee lived in Arizona. Bella didn't understand her reasons for moving there. As far as she knew, Renee had no ties to the "The Grand Canyon State." Bella passed a gentle finger over the phone number on the page. Picking up the telephone, she began dialling, but her finger hovered over the last digit.

Contacting Renee was taking a big leap, but as her finger pressed firmly on the last digit, Bella realised that even though it seemed difficult, compared to all the other leaps she'd taken already for the past several years, this one was the easiest.

The phone rang once, twice, three times. From the corner of her eye, Bella could see Edward helping Alexis ride her bike in the driveway. Yes, this was the easiest leap. On the fourth ring, Bella was about to hang up when a familiar voice came onto the line.

"Hello?"

For a few seconds, Bella was too overwhelmed to speak. She'd been so focused on actually contacting Renee and figuring out how she was going to explain her absence, that she hadn't thought about what she would actually say when they first spoke.

"Hello?" Renee called again.

"Mom?" Bella choked out.

From the other side, Bella heard Renee gasp.

"Bella?"

Still unable to answer, Bella remained silent.

"Bella, honey, please. If it's you, please answer me."

Bella could hear the tears in her mother's voice, and she hated it. It reminded her of when her father had died, that dark period.

"Yeah, it's me." It wasn't until one of the drops fell on her hand that Bella realised she was crying.

"Bella, it's so good to hear from you," Renee said, her voice filled with deep emotion.

Bella was confused by her words. The way Renee worded her sentence made it sound like they had only been apart for a little while, and they were now catching up. Her next words showed Bella that that was not the case.

"I miss you," Renee said, tears in her voice.

"I miss you, too," Bella said. "I'm so sorry."

She couldn't pinpoint what exactly she was apologizing for. After all, what had happened was not her fault, but Bella just felt she owed it to her mother.

"It doesn't matter," Renee whispered. "All that matters is that I can hear from you again. Are you coming home?"

"You don't live in Florida anymore," Bella said. The thought saddened her.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to stay there because I believed that when you came home, you'd go there, but after some time, the pain became too much, and I had to get out. I can go back now if you want."

It didn't escape Bella that Renee had said when instead of if.

"You believed I was coming back?" Bella found herself asking.

"I never gave up hope, Bella. I kept believing that one day I would hear from you again. Even if it was just one more time."

Renee's words made Bella's tears fall faster. She looked out the window to make sure that Alexis wasn't seeing her.

"Are you okay?" Renee asked. In those three words, Bella could hear the deep underlying meaning.

"I don't know," Bella answered honestly. "I'm too confused right now to figure out how I feel about anything."

This conversation was not how Bella had pictured it. She expected Renee to drill her on where she was. Bella was expecting to be questioned on all that had happened. Yet, Renee hadn't even asked any of the hard questions.

"Well, maybe I can come to wherever you are, and I can help you figure it out," Renee offered.

Bella's breath caught. "I don't think that's a good idea," Bella said quietly.

Suddenly, Renee's voice was frantic on the other side. "Please, Bella!" Bella could hear the desperation and grief in her mother's voice. "I've gone four years without knowing if you were alive or dead. Please, please don't make me go through that again."

Hearing her mother beg tore at Bella's heart. She wanted Renee to come to Forks, but she didn't want her mother to become mixed up in the mess that was her life now. Looking out the window, Bella could see Edward and Alexis enjoying their time together. If Renee came to Forks, and things between Bella and Edward turned sour, then Renee would be involved. It was bad enough that Alexis was; Bella wasn't sure she could do that to her mother. But keeping her mother in the dark could be even worse.

Renee coming to Forks would also mean Bella would have to go into some type of explanation about Alexis. Dangerous questions would come up.

As if she could sense the reason behind Bella's hesitancy, Renee said, "I promise I won't ask what happened, and you don't have to tell me. I won't even ask where you've been. I just don't want to lose you again, Bella."

"Okay," Bella said, unable to deny her mother this one request. Looking out the window again, Bella's eyes fell on Alexis. She knew she would have to come clean about her at least.

"But there's someone I need to talk to you about."

Well, if you've continued reading, I don't think a simple thank you will be enough, but seeing as that is all I can offer, thank you for sticking by this story and of course for your amazing response.

I know alot of readers have questions about Esme. Don't worry, we'll get to know a little bit more about her soon enough. What happened in the flashback be an indication as to why she treats Bella the way she does.

If you have a moment and want to share your feelings, don't hesitate to review. I enjoy reading everyone's response to this story.

You can find me on Twitter XxMementoMorix

Special thanks to Project Team Beta, Emily-Masen and Ajr818 for proof-reading.