Sorry I took a while to update this chapter. I had lots of work to do! But anyway it's here now! I hope you guys liked my quotes I sent last chapter and no, when it said 'gine' it wasn't a typo :)

And thanks to the lovely Laura for betaing for me!

Chapter 22

Bella

I was slowly but steadily getting my life back on track. It was a Monday and nine days since I spoke to both Edward and Mike. Mike was staying with his parents and I'd spoken to him to tell him I'd moved all my things out of the apartment. He'd seemed alright on the phone but I knew deep down that he was hurting and I still felt awful for it. A couple of days ago I got a call from his mother when she showed her 'distaste' for my actions.

I was in Alice's apartment sitting on the couch scouring the newspapers for any apartment vacancies when my phone started to ring. The words on the screen read: 'Mike's Parent's'.

"Shit," I muttered to myself before pressing the green answer button and confidently bringing the phone up to my ear. I took a deep breath, "hello."

"Isabella Swan," a voice barked in my ear, "It's Patricia Newton, your mother in law."

Patricia was a very eccentric woman who made big deals out of everything. She was the local busy-body in her town and gossiped about everything and everyone. Or so I'd heard from Mike. She acted like mine and Mike's wedding was the best thing in the world so in her eyes our divorce would probably be the worst.

"Hi Patricia," I said trying to sound as pleasant as possible, "how are you?"

"How am I Isabella? How am I? Are you seriously asking me that question?"

I stayed silent not knowing what to say and already feeling slightly irritated at her calling me Isabella. I'd corrected her so many times telling her to call me Bella but she just couldn't get it through her thick skull.

"Well to tell you the truth," she continued, "I am very annoyed and worried for the well-being of my son. How dare you cheat on him. You've broken his heart, I hope you know that."

"Yes I do Mrs Newton," I replied hoping I'd earn some brownie points for calling her Mrs.

"And is that all you have to say?" She pressed.

"Look I've had this conversation with Mike and explained everything to him. I am truly sorry for the way things have turned out but I'm just not in love with Mike anymore."

"Not in love with him?" she replied incredulously, "what's not to love?"

I rolled my eyes, "look I'm sorry Patricia, but it really is none of your business. If there is anything else you want to know then please talk to Mike."

"That is not good enough Isabella. You can't get away with something like-"

"Mom," a voice interrupted in the background. A voice I recognised to be Mike's, "what are you doing?" I could just make him out and he sounded sad, only talking in monotone.

"I am telling Isabella exactly how I feel Mike." Patricia was shouting at Mike, who was obviously in another room, so was deafening me. Ouch!

"Mom just don't okay. Give me the phone."

"No Mike-"

"Mom!"

"Okay then fine," she sighed and I heard rattling as the phone was passed to Mike.

"Bella," he said.

"Hey Mike." I said carefully not knowing what his mood would be like; I desperately hoped he'd be feeling a bit better, "how are you?"

"I'm okay," he replied sullenly. He didn't sound much better, "I'm sorry about my mother. I didn't realise that she'd called you."

"Don't worry it's okay. She had every right to… you're her son after all."

"I suppose. I'll be coming back to New York in a couple of days Bella and I think its best if we stay out of each others ways. You know. Like a clean slate?"

"Yes Mike. That sounds like a good idea." I paused for a second, "well, erm, goodbye then."

"Bye," he whispered before hanging up the phone.

Mike was going to try and move on so at least I knew what was going on with him. But Edward on the other hand, I wasn't so sure. I hadn't uttered one word to him since I saw him nine days ago. He'd never called, texted, e-mailed or anything. He didn't even Facebook me for crying out loud. So I was at a loss. I didn't want to call him myself as I remember him saying that he needed time but the waiting was killing me. I just needed to know! Was he going to finish with me? Would he give us another chance? Would he ever call me at all? I shook my head trying to dispel all those thoughts and get back to what I was going. I was sitting at my desk at work and in the middle of an article. I'd gone back last Monday and was getting myself sorted. I'd been apartment hunting but still no luck. And Alice, being the saint that she is, offered to let me stay with her for as long as I wish.

I'd been working on this one article for three hours and sometimes I can finish articles in half that time. But my mind had been wandering too much and I was getting nowhere. It was nearly half twelve so I decided to take my lunch break early and go for a brisk walk to clear my mind. I grabbed my coat and slipped it on and made my way out of the building. When outside I was greeted by a breeze of fresh air which woke me up and made me alert. I decided to just walk down the street and pick up a sandwich. All of a sudden 'supermassive blackhole' by Muse started coming from my handbag. It was my phone. I stopped suddenly on the street causing someone behind to bump into me. I muttered my apologies and slid over to the side of the pavement and picked up my phone.

The screen read: 'Edward Mob'.

My heart rate sped up instantly and I let out a little squeak. I looked down at the phone one more time and confirmed that it was indeed Edward calling me. I took a deep breath and answered the phone.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi Bella. It's Edward. How are you?"

Oh dear he said how are you. Was that a 'how are you' because if you're in a bad mood I'll wait till you're happy to break up with you? Or was it a 'how are you' as in if I ask to get back together with you will you say yes?

I hoped it was the last one.

"I'm gine." Oh my God did I just say gine? I smacked myself on the head.

"You're gine?" He questioned.

"Um yes," I replied nervously, "I'm good and fine so I'm gine."

"Riiight." He said. Oh God I've just made a complete fool of myself. "I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for lunch?"

"Yes, I'd love to," I replied too quickly.

"Okay great then. How about we meet at le Bistro in quarter of an hour?"

"Sounds good. Bye Edward."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and started jumping up and down in the street getting some funny looks from passers-by. But I didn't care because we were having lunch. I knew it might not necessarily be a good thing but I was trying to be as optimistic as possible. A huge grin stretched across my face.

Edward

Forgive her.

Don't forgive her.

Forgive her.

Don't forgive her.

It had been nine days since I last spoke to Bella. Nine torturous days. I'd been suffering huge inner turmoil over what to do. Could I trust that she'd left Mike? Could I get back together with her? Could I really get over what she'd done? I was going back to work tomorrow after my time off due to the accident so I decided that I'd use today just to think and mull over everything. I still didn't know what to do and it was driving me insane. I'd asked loads of people but it still hadn't helped.

"Do what your heart tells you," my dad had said.

"Just dump her," Rosalie had said.

"If you love her then you can forgive her," my mom had said.

So there were lots of conflicting opinions, none of which helped me to figure out what to do. I'd been debating over giving her a call and asking to meet up but I didn't know if seeing her would make any difference. Would it instantly make me ache to be with her? Or would I just be oozing with hatred?

As if to make matters worse… or better depending on how you looked at it, I'd had a bit of a surprise yesterday when someone I wasn't expecting had shown up at my door…

It was Sunday, and I was slowly but steadily getting my life sorted. I was making myself a sandwich for lunch when all of a sudden the intercom from the gate beeped. I groaned, not in the mood for visitors, and pressed the open button to let them in, not even bothering to see who it was. I assumed it was my parents or my sister. I heard tires crunching on my stony driveway and then the car stopped.

Whoever it was knocked at the door so I abandoned my tuna sandwich and went to answer it. I swung it open and saw the last and worst person I expected standing in front of me.

It was Mike Newton.

He looked like a broken man. His face was pale and he was dressed scruffily. He had dark bags under his eyes and looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Hi Edward," he croaked, "Could I come in?"

Still trying to get over the shock of seeing him here I nodded slowly and moved out the way to let him in. We both stood in the hallway shifting uncomfortably as Mike leant on his heels with his hands in his pockets.

Well this was awkward.

"Do you um, want to come and sit down?" I gestured to the living room.

"Yeah sure," he said.

I led him inside and we both sat down facing each other.

"So how you doing?" he asked.

"Not great," I replied honestly.

"Neither," he replied and I could tell from his tone that he really meant it.


"Yeah I guess she screwed us over pretty bad," I said trying to make him get to the point.

He looked up suddenly seeming interested, "yeah, so you, and, her you're ur, not together then?" he asked trying to seem nonchalant but I could tell that he was eager to know.

"No," I replied," not really."

"Not really?" he probed. I groaned internally not really feeling comfortable having this conversation with the husband of the girl I love. It just seemed wrong.

"Well I mean she came to see me asking to get back with me," I looked to see how he would react, "and she said that you and her had broken up?" I said as both a statement and a question.

Now I was the one feeling interested. Maybe I could find out if she actually had broken up with him.

"Oh she said that did she?" he replied evasively.

I nodded.

"Look Edward, man, I know I don't know you very well and this situation is really strange but can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I said hoping he'd get to the point.

"Could you maybe talk to Bella for me? I mean if she asked to get back with you she might listen to you and well, I mean, I'm her husband. She should be with me."

I froze. "Wait you want me to ask Bella to get back with you?"

Was he seriously asking me this? I guess she did finish with him after all.

"Just try and explain to her that she should be with her husband. The man she married."

"Look I'm sorry but I don't think I'm the guy to do this." I held my hands up.

I still hadn't decided whether I wanted to be with Bella or not so I didn't want to go and convince her to get back with her ex and then realise that I couldn't live without her. That would be like literally shooting myself in the foot.

"Please man," he seemed desperate, "she'll listen to you."

"I'm sorry but I can't do that. You'll have to talk to her yourself."

"I did. I have. She's seen me and we talked on the phone and said that we're over but I can't finish with her. We can't be over. We just can't."

I stood up, "I'm sorry. I can't," he stood up too, "look I think you should leave."

"No!" he raised his voice and the desperation was clear on his face, "please I'll do anything."

I was way out of my comfort zone right now, "please just go and talk to her yourself."

"No! Look I'm begging you, please. I'll do anything." He repeated.

"No Mike I'm sorry." I said firmly.

"Do you want me to beg?" he asked, "do you want me to get on my knees and beg? Because I will."

"No please don't!" I knew I couldn't handle seeing a grown man literally begging me. I walked over to the door and held it open for him.

He looked like he'd been emotionally ripped to shreds.

He sighed and bowed his head in defeat. "Okay," he said and took a deep breath "okay. This was my last chance and I get it now. I-I understand."

"Understand?" I questioned.

"Me and Bella. We're over. Finished. This is the end for us. I see that now." He looked into my eyes with a fierce look of determination. "But you better look after her. I mean it. I don't care what she's done… I still know that she is amazing. You treat her good."

I didn't know what to say back. I didn't even know if we were going to get back together. I didn't know if I could handle it.

"She really loves you," he continued, "more than she ever loved me."

We stood in silence for a second. "I-I better be going." He thumped me gently on the arm. "I'll see you Edward."

"Yeah," I replied stunned, "see you." I pushed the door closed behind him and stared ahead vacantly as I listened to the sound of his car tires roll away.

I wasn't sure how to feel after that. First he was begging me to convince Bella to get with him and then he was telling me that she loved me.

I didn't know whether to feel more of less confused after that encounter.

It was now Monday and nearly lunchtime and I was walking through New York to get myself a sandwich. I was starting back at work tomorrow so today I was using today to get my head sorted. As I was walking all of a sudden something caught my eye.

Well not something.

Someone.

Bella.

I spotted her on the other side of the road walking along. The wind was blowing her long silky hair into her face and her cheeks were rosy red from the cold.

She looked beautiful. Too beautiful.

I didn't know whether looking at her would remind me of her lies or bring my feelings of love to the surface. But seeing her walking in front of me I knew the answer.

It was painfully obvious.

So I decided I needed to talk to her and get it out of the way so I could get on with my life. I picked up my phone and dialled her number. I was still watching her walking down the street while staying a few paces behind her on the other side of the road. She stopped suddenly causing a load of people to run into her and took her phone out of her bag. She slid over to the side of the pavement and answered it.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi Bella. It's Edward. How are you?" I asked partly out of courtesy but also because I really did want to know how she was.

She paused for a second.

"I'm gine." She replied and I watched with amusement as she smacked herself on the head. I smiled at how funny she was but then stopped myself when I remembered the possible outcome of what I was about to do.

"You're gine?" I asked.

"Um yes," she replied unsurely, "I'm good and fine so I'm gine."

"Riiight." I said. She seemed nervous.

I asked her if she wanted to meet for lunch and she agreed without hesitation. Was that a good or bad sign considering?

I suddenly saw her jumping in the middle of the pavement causing people to stare at her. Was that because of talking to me? Or did she get a fly on her or something? I shrugged my shoulders and turned away from her and continued walking. Then I took a deep breath and made my way to the restaurant preparing myself to do something that could potentially change my life.

-

Ooh what's he going to do? Thoughts?

Yes, a mean ending, I know, so I shall be sending out either quotes or mini-previews. You choose.

Please review! :)