Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer and not to me… sigh.I also don't own Sleeping with the Enemy. The book belongs to Nancy Price and the movie belongs to Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.

Sleeping with a Monster


Previously…

"Are you okay?" He whispered in a calm voice, but his breathing had pickup signaling that he was not nearly as calm as he voice suggested. I looked at him and touched his cheek.

"I am now." I said kissing him lightly. I turned back around and continued.

Chapter 24 - Tormentor

"It took me an hour to clean up the kitchen. James watched the entire time, making me jumpy. I was so weak from the pain and terror that I could not seem to do anything right. When I finished, James said he would be in his office and I was not to disturb him. I slowly made my way upstairs wishing a cloud of numbness would take over and spare me the pain. Instead, I threw up in the bathroom and fainted from the pain the spasms of my heaving stomach inflicted on my broken ribs. After I came to, I looked for some pain killers hoping I could find something strong, but I only found aspirin so I took it, showered and collapsed in the bed." I let out the remainder of the air in my lungs relieved that I was done talking about those first horrid moments of my marriage.

"For the next several of months, I learned, usually the hard way, what James meant by perfection. If I got it right, there was no punishment, but if I got it wrong, he let me know viciously. He never really defined what he wanted. I learned by trial and error. Other than the initial slap, James never hit me in the face again. I needed to be presentable to the outside world, instead giving me bruises to places easier to conceal. Eventually, we fell into a routine. Just when I thought I had finally figured out what he wanted, he would change it. He would step up his expectations and I would have to go through another 'adjustment' phase as I tried to relearn what he expected of me. I soon recognized that this would be the normal cycle of our marriage. Then the unimaginable happened. My father died." My voice lowered with sadness and Alice inhaled sharply. I glanced up at her to see her face flooded with pain.

"Bella! What happened?" She gasped.

"He was killed by a drunk driver." I sighed sadly. "But the worst part was I had hardly spoken to him since marrying James. In addition, when I did, James always hovered, making sure I did not say anything to my father about the abuse. However, my father was a smart man. Strangely enough during one of my last conversations with dad, James was not in the room. Dad asked me a question that I immediately recognized as our family security question. Growing up an only child with only one parent, my father was concerned about me when I was old enough to stay at home alone while he was at work. He decided we needed to have a family password and a security question in which we could give a seemingly normal answer to without giving away the fact that what we were really doing was calling for help. When Charlie asked me the question, I hesitated, waffling back and forth on how to answer it. I knew if I gave him the answer that said help, he would rush down to get me out and I worried that James would make good on his threats to hurt my father. However, if I gave him the okay answer, my opportunity to have help to get out of the hell I was in would go out the window. Before I could answer him, Dad told me not to say anything – my hesitation said it all and he would help me get free. I was not aware that James was listening in on the other line until he made his presence known. He told Charlie there was nothing wrong with our marriage. Then he insisted that I tell my father the same thing. I knew my father was not fooled, but now that James knew, it would make it that much harder to get out. I was able to speak to my dad once more after that and it was very brief. When I received the news of his death, it crippled me. I was officially alone in this world. I had no one and my beloved father was dead. The worst of it was that James would not let me attend the funeral and constantly berated the memory of my father. James took particular delight in cutting Charlie down when we discovered that Charlie left everything to a police officer's charity, giving nothing to me. It didn't matter to me that Dad didn't leave anything to me because I would never receive a dime – James would have taken it all." It was exasperating that I did all the giving and he did all the taking.

"After that, I receded into a shell and went through the motions of my life, retreating into myself just trying to make it through one day at a time. Several months after Charlie's death, I received a delivery while James was at work. It arrived by messenger who proceeded to ask me Dad's security question. I gave the 'all-green' response knowing James was not home to know about the delivery. I signed for the letter the messenger presented me before I sent him on his way. My hands shook as I opened the letter, knowing it was from my father. I cried as I read my father's note to me. It said he loved me, was proud of me and saddened that he could not protect me from James. He acknowledged that if I had received this letter, then he was dead. He then outlined the contingency plan he had put into motion for me upon his death. Charlie had put the house, his life insurance and all his worldly possessions into a trust in an offshore account for me. With the note came a safety-deposit key to a bank in Atlanta and a contact name at the bank to assist me. I just needed to get out, away from James." I smiled a little at the relief I felt when I received my father's gift.

"How long did you stay after that?" Alice asked.

"It took me about seven or eight more months to finally get out." I admitted.

"Why so long?" I could tell she was having a hard time fathoming why I would stay that long.

"Alice, James controlled everything. He made every decision for me, from how I looked, what I wore, my hairstyle, my makeup; he had complete financial control. I had to account for every penny and for every minute of my day. I even had to present receipts as proof of my day or I would pay for my laziness. He even monitored my weight, if you can believe that. He always seemed one-step ahead of me, so I rarely did anything to deceive him, not willing to reap the consequences. I was his trophy wife, displayed on the mantel as a possession. The only time I received even a glimpse of the man I married was when we were in public together. He had to keep up the appearance of a normal happy marriage. We were newlyweds and had to act the part in public. A few times, I would take advantage of the situation, but soon learned the punishment later was not worth the little digs I could get at him. I guess you say I was a little passive-aggressive." I said with a slightly rebellious smirk.

"I think a lot of it was fear. For a while, I convinced myself that it wasn't that bad. But then James would escalate his need for perfection or he need for a release and the abuse would start again. And, after a while, I started to believe all the horrible things he called me. I still struggle with that one, with my self-worth. But, I knew I just couldn't get up and leave. I had not support, no friends, no place to go. I had no idea how to live on the run or change my identity. It's not something they teach in school. James had endless resources at his disposal. I had to make sure that when I left, James would not come after me. I also did not have money readily available to make my initial escape until I could get to Atlanta. I had no idea how much money Charlie had left me. I needed money for which I did not have to make an accounting for every penny. I did find a way get some money by accident one day when I purchased some clothing. The saleswoman rang up a bunch of clothing for me that was supposed to be on sale. I did not catch the error until after I had paid for it, but I did and came back to get a refund for the sales price. The girl must have been new because she paid me the difference in cash and never noted the refund on my receipt." I smiled at that.

"It was a little liberating. However, shortly after that, I noticed that my birth control was a little off. My period came the day before I took the placebo. I decided I could not take any chances with getting pregnant so I made and appointment at a clinic across town. That is when I met Carlisle. He was the doctor I saw about going on Depo-Provera. During my time there, his nurse noticed a bruise on my neck, but I already had a convincing story to play it off as an accident. She bought it. I got the shot, but because I could not let this visit get back to James, I had to use most of the money I got back from the shopping trip to pay for the appointment. That night, James deviated from his normal schedule. He was pretty regimented about everything from meal times, when he came home, what we did one the weekends, even when we had sex." I shuddered at that admission and Edward sucked in a ragged breath. I looked at his eyes, saw his pain, and touched his cheek.

"It was somewhat of a relief to know so I could prepare myself mentally for it. I never looked at it as making love – it wasn't even sex. It was a chore I had to endure and I did what I had to do in order to survive." I do not think I would ever be ready to talk to Edward about what went on in the bedroom with James. And not wanting to go into that part of my marriage, I turned back to Jasper and Alice. I decided I would gloss over the James's repeated attempts to get me pregnant, hoping no one would notice or bring it up.

"That's when things started to change. James started to step up his need for perfection and the abuse started to become more frequent. Before this time, it had subsided to about once a month. I had perfected my routines quite well and had even started to anticipate what James might want before he could use it against me. However, this change was different and I was unable to anticipate or figure out for some time. It went on for about three months when James finally had to spell it out for me. He had replaced my birth control pills with placebos and was now frustrated that I had not conceived. Of course being on Depo meant it was not going to happen anytime soon. My three months were up and I needed to get another shot before I found myself pregnant with his child. I went back to the clinic. Carlisle came in to ask how the shot was working out when his nurse gave me the shot. They both saw the bruising on my hip. Carlisle's nurse told him about the bruise on my neck the last I was there and he confronted me about it." I continued to tell my story knowing it would soon get to the best part – part where I died.

"It didn't take him long to get the truth out of me and that's when he offered to help me. I realized it was the break I needed, so I took him up on his offer. James was getting crueler and his abusive attacks were coming closer and closer. I had lost weight, I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't eating – I was a mess. I was scared I would not be able to endure much more of the abuse. I was pretty sure I was a few beatings away from the hospital, and I figured James would never allow his secret life of abusing his wife be made public by having it reported due to a visit to the hospital."

"About a week later, James knocked me unconscious during dinner. When I woke up the next morning still on the floor in the dining room, I realized my unconscious state was the only thing that saved me that night and I knew I would not be so lucky tonight. That's when I called Carlisle and told him it had to be that night." My voice had an edge of desperation to it and I realized I was tense.

"That's why Carlisle was so insistent that Emmett and I get on the first plane out, no matter the cost." Edward mused. He brought his hands up and kneaded my knotted shoulders, eliciting a quiet groan from me.

"What?" Jasper's face was full of surprise and unanswered questions about Edward being involved in my escape. Edward smiled smugly at Jasper before he looked into my eyes.

"Yeah, Emmett and I helped her the night she left that fiend." Edward said as he continued to hold my gaze, his voice tight.

"So you've known this whole time?" Alice said, her eyes gleaming at the prospect of a cloak and dagger story.

"No. Emmett and I flew out to Florida to help Carlisle's friend leave an abusive relationship. That is pretty much all we knew. I didn't know much more than that when I left. I knew her name was Marie, that faking her death was the best way to keep her alive, it was obvious she was the victim of physical abuse, she was changing her name, and she had access to some money to make a fresh start. That was all Carlisle would tell me. Oh and I knew the man who abused her was named James and I knew what he looked like." Edward summarized his knowledge of Marie.

"So did you meet him? Does he know who you are? How did you get away?" Alice suddenly started to shoot off rapid-fire questions.

"No I didn't meet him, but I did see him. And no, he doesn't know who I am." Edward said as he looked over at Alice. I decided that continuing the story would be the best way to answer all of Alice's questions.

"The night I left, we had an old friend of James's over for dinner. Laurent was the only reason I got a reprieve that evening. James being James, he had to show off his sailboat and insisted on taking us on a moonlight sail around the bay. The plan was for me to 'fall' off the boat and 'drown'." I said, emphasizing fall and drown with air quotes, probably looking like a goof.

"I waited until we came upon the designated place for my accident and I fell off the boat. The water was frigid, my cardigan and dress doing nothing to protect me. I swam under water, trying to keep out of their searchlights. Once I was far enough away, I slipped off my shoes and dress, and started to swim. The plan was for me to get to the buoy where Carlisle told me his nephews would be waiting to pick me up in a small boat." I stopped when I heard Edward's chuckle. I turned to look at him with a confused look on my face.

"Love, you about did me in keeping up with your swimming." He said with a smile and he glanced up at Jasper and grinned.

"She was supposed to stop at the buoy, but she didn't. She just kept going, swimming so silently Emmett and I almost missed her altogether. We pulled up beside her in the boat, but she didn't seem to notice, so I got in thinking I would stop her. Instead, she just swam faster. I realized she wasn't going to stop for me so I swam with her the entire way to the shore." He said, but then he turned to me.

"Every time I thought you were swimming about as fast as you could possibly go, you just increased you speed. I was starting to worry that if we did not make it to the beach soon, you would leave me behind in your silent wake. Where you even aware I was there before we hit the beach?" Edward was clearly intrigued.

"Yeah. I did not realize I had passed the buoy until I had left it behind. However, I did not think I had the strength to stop and look for you and Emmett so I kept going. After a while, I became aware that someone, well you, was swimming next to me. At that point, I was too consumed by my rage to acknowledge you or even allow you to help me. I needed to prove to myself that I could do this on my own, to prove to myself that I was still capable. Does that make sense?" I said looking at Edward. He nodded before he turned back to Jasper and Alice.

"When she reached the shore, I was astounded at the sight of her. Her body, mainly her torso, spattered with bruises of all different colors and stages of healing. She was too skinny and wearing nothing but a bra and panties. But, even in that condition, she marched up onto beach, so defiant, so courageous. When Carlisle and Esme called her Marie, she growled telling them Marie was dead. Then she passed out from exhaustion, and I caught her before she hit the sand. I was completely in awe of this brave, strong unconscious woman in my arms. It was only then that I became aware that she was planning on faking her death to escape her tormentor." Edward's words amazed me and cause tears to well up in my eyes. I would have never described my actions as courageous. I never thought of myself as strong, defiant or brave. I blamed myself for getting myself into the situation and always felt ashamed of myself for it. I always saw my lapse of judge in marrying James as a character flaw on my part and therefore everything I had done after that was out of fear and cowardice. I had never considered that it was anything else until I heard it from Edward's point of view. My heart swelled with my love for him.

"When did you see James?" Alice said, remembering what Edward had said earlier. I was eager to hear Edward's perspective of this part of the story, since Carlisle had merely glossed over it for me.

"After I caught Bella – well I only knew her as Marie at the time. Esme wrapped her in a blanket before we got in Carlisle's car to pick-up Emmett at the dock. We arrived just as Emmett pulled up. I got out, helped him secure the boat and put the cover on. While we were there, James and, um what did you say his name was Bella?" Edward said turning to take in my enthralled expression.

"What?" I said. Edward chuckled.

"What was the name of James's friend?" Edward asked still amused.

"Sorry, I was unconscious for this part of the story. It's all new to me. Um… His name was Laurent." I said feeling a little out of the loop with my own story.

"James and Laurent pulled the sailboat up along the dock, further down from us. I could hear James as he yelled into his phone something about in 15 minutes someone would be dead and I knew it was him. I was so angry with him it was all I could do to keep myself from killing him right there on the spot. Emmett finally had to drag me back to the car. It was a good thing because James was coming towards me on the dock and I probably would have taken him out if he got anywhere near me." Edward looked at me before he continued.

"You know even while he thought you were dead, he was still angry at you? Just before we drove off, I could hear him yell at Laurent. He said that you had better be dead, because if you were not, there would be hell to pay. It was appalling to me that even at the prospect of you death, there was no affection or concern for you. I knew then why you had to make him think you were dead in order to get out. But know that you have me, it changes things." Edward admitted and I knew where he was going with this.

"Wait, Bella? Are you still married to James?" Alice said as the realization hit her.

"Well yes. I disappeared; I did not divorce him. They conducted a search for me, finding nothing of course. By the time I regained my consciousness, the search had been called off. A few days later James held a funeral or more of a wake, I guess. It was for show and he even had the gall to bring a date." I said in a disgusted tone.

"You're joking!" Alice gasped in surprise.

"Some red-head was plastered to his side. The paper said she was a friend of the family, but I had never met her. Funny thing is it did not even bother me that he replacement me so soon, or that he might have been seeing her before I died. I was just relieved I was out and he had a distraction that might keep him from thinking about me." My voice sounded relieved.

"Well, James sounds like a real pig if you ask me. But you know the ending of this story is romantic. I mean Edward helps save you from your tormentor and then brings you back to Arizona and takes care of you…"

"What?" Edward and I laughed in unison astounded at the little pixie's misunderstanding in thinking that Edward carried me away on a white horse.

"But you just said –" Alice started but Edward cut her off.

"No, Alice you assumed." Edward chuckled at her scowl.

"Alice, I left James last spring. I did not move to Arizona until late July. When I met Edward, he didn't know me anymore than I knew him." I smirked

"Carlisle arranged for Bella to take my rental, telling me that she was the daughter of a colleague who needed a place to stay." Edward explained.

"Carlisle asked me to move to Arizona because he knew people here who I could turn to in case I had a problem. I did it more for Carlisle and Esme's peace of mind. They were so worried that James would rear his ugly head again and they wanted to have a way to help me." I said adding the last of the reasons for moving to Arizona.

"When we met, I had a sense of déjà vue, but could not place her. I don't think you knew who I was either." Edward said smiling at me.

"No I didn't." I admitted. I was starting to feel drained, but I knew Alice still had about a thousand questions and we still had not addressed any of the issues that necessitated this little heart-to-heart.

"Of course, as soon as Bella found out I was Carlisle's nephew, she knew exactly who I was." Edward's voice teased. I swatted his arm in feigned annoyance as he silently made fun of my initial reaction to him when we met.

"Did you tell him?" Alice said directing her question to me.

"No." I sighed, not wanting to rehash all the reasons for not telling Edward and the resulting fight we had when he found out the truth.

"Why not?" Alice pressed. Luckily, Edward seemed to be on the same page as me when it came to the need for some privacy about our relationship.

"She had her reasons, Alice and let's just leave it at that." Edward said firmly.

"Can I at least ask when you did find out that Bella was Marie?" Alice asked. Edward looked at me for approval and I nodded.

"After we returned from the boating trip to Lake Bartlett, Labor Day weekend." Edward said, giving no further details. Alice's eyes were still burning with unanswered questions, but before she could ask anymore, Edward turned towards Jasper.

"So Jasper. If Bella decides to seek a divorce from James, revealing that she is still alive, what are the legal ramifications for her because she is assumed dead?" Edward asked the question I was reluctant to ask. Reliving the whole story for the first time since leaving James reminded me how much I still believe his threats to kill me. I did not think James would grant my request for a divorce so easily and let me go.

"Bella, faking your death is not illegal. It is pretty much the same as disappearing, which is essentially, what you did. You did not fake a suicide with a note and you motives were such that most people would understand. The fact that you never reported the abuse is a problem, but understandable. On the other hand, you do have witnesses to the condition of you body. Do you have pictures as well?" Jasper asked and I was about to tell him no when Edward spoke up.

"Yes." Edward looked at my shocked face. "Esme took pictures while you were unconscious just in case you needed proof or insurance later on. She was discreet." Edward's assurances of Esme's discretion did nothing to lessen the blush that spread across my cheeks.

"Okay, that will make this a little easier. Nevertheless, you need to know that since there was a search conducted for your body, you may be expected to pay the cost of the search if you come forward. In addition, if James collected on an insurance policy you could be brought up on fraud charges and James would be expected to return the money. That being said, the fact that you were fleeing for you life instead of trying to get out of debts or something like that is certainly a point in your favor. It really is a deciding factor in cases like these. It depends on what the District Attorney in Florida decides to do." Jasper explained.

"Is there anyway I can find out what the DA will do? I cannot afford to pay back the cost for my search and I certainly don't want to go to jail. It hardly seems fair that my I would have to choose between death at the hands of my husband or prison all because I want a life free of abuse. I guess my life under an assumed name is still the best choice." I said sadly.

"Not necessarily. I'll talk to my friend in the DA's office here in Phoenix and see if he would be willing to call the DA in Florida to get his take on the situation." Jasper offered.

"Please don't tell him who I am. James is very well connected, so please, no hints about James either. I do not even want either DA to know I'm in Arizona. If James even suspects I'm alive…" My voice trailed off as I shuddered, my voice sounding a little panicked. The circle of people who knew was rapidly growing, making me nervous.

"I won't. But, if you don't mind, I would like to do a background check of James – a discreet check so see what we can find out about him. Okay?" I was still worried, but I knew Jasper knew what he was doing to I gave my consent. I answered Jasper's questions, telling him everything I knew about James that would make it easier to look into his past. I looked at Edward and grabbed his beer, taking a long pull from it before I gave it back to him. He smiled at me and I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves before I laid my head on his shoulder.

"So Bella? Who else knows about this?" Alice asked, her curiosity still burning in her voice.

"Edward, Carlisle, Esme, you and Jasper. My friend Angela knows that I have changed my name and am hiding from James, but she doesn't know the specifics of the abuse or my story. I suppose she has told Ben, her husband." I said, but then Edward spoke.

"Uh… Emmett knows too." Edward admitted.

"What?" I said, my voice rising in annoyance. I wasn't so much annoyed that Emmett knew – he was there when I left James. I was annoyed and scared that Rose probably knew as well – as if I did not have enough problems with her hating me. Now I would have to endure her smug looks and comments knowing why I truly was unworthy of Edward. Would she even bother to keep it a secret? Would she blab it Tanya? Rose held no special affinity towards me and I doubt she would feel any sort of obligation to protect my identity.

"Calm down, love." Edward said trying to assuage my fears.

"Calm down? Why did you tell him?" I turned towards him and glowered, feeling hurt that he would tell Emmett without asking me first. Edward saw my betrayed look and backpedalled. He captured my face between his hands and looked into my frightened eyes as my panic spread.

"I didn't tell him. He figured it out all on his own. When we had the fight when I found out who you were, I went to him for advice. Before I could even say anything about it, Emmett told me he knew you were Marie." Edward explained. I searched his eyes for any signs of deception and found none.

"Does Rose know?" I whispered looking into Edward's slightly panicked eyes. His face blurred as tears flooded my eyes once again.

"No, love. She doesn't." Edward said, but then paused as he contemplated what he was about to say next.

"But I think you should tell her." I could not believe Edward had just suggested I share my biggest darkest secret with someone who hated me. I pulled my face out of his hands and moved away from him.

"Why don't I just take a full page ad out in the Arizona Republic or, better yet, the Miami Herald and announce who I am? Are you nuts? Why in the hell would I tell Rose?" I yelled, gesturing my hands in the air. After reliving the emotional turmoil of my past, making myself vulnerable, displaying my shame to people I had known for barely a month, I was done. How many more people needed to know? Certainly not Rose. I was already gun shy from Edward's initial reaction to tell anyone else, but Rose? Of all the people… I got up off the couch and hurried out of the room, ignoring the protests of those in the room.

"Bella! You don't understand!" Edward pleaded, his voice full of regret, but I just shut the door to his bedroom – ignoring him. I slid down the door to the floor and hugged my knees to my chest as the tears ran down my cheeks. I buried my face in my knees and cried. I could hear hushed voices talking and people moving in the other room and knew immediately that Jasper and Alice were leaving.

"I'm such an idiot. I knew this was hard for her to talk about. I should have never brought up Rose." Edward's hushed voice said.

"I sense the emotions from reliving that nightmare have taken its toll on her system right now." Jasper's voice was quieter, but the high ceilings of Edward's place carried their voices making it sound like they were almost in the same room with me.

"Is this the first time she's talked about it?" Alice whispered.

"I believe so. It's the first time I've heard the full story from start to finish." Edward admitted and I felt bad that he found out all my secrets that same time as Jasper and Alice. But at the same time I was grateful I did not have to relay the information more than once. It was hard enough the first time, only becoming aware of the toll it was taking on my emotions now that I found myself hiding from everyone in Edward's bedroom. I felt like a little child, vulnerable and unprepared for the emotional onslaught I was feeling.

"Let me talk to her." I heard Alice's higher-pitched voice say quietly.

"Alice…" The warning in Edward's tone was clear even with the loud clicking sound of Alice's stilettos on the tiled floor as she neared the door I leaned against.

"Bella?" Alice said softly through the door. She was so short, it almost sounded she was on the same level as my slouched form on the floor.

"Please let me in." She begged from the other side of the door. I was tired and emotionally exhausted and even though I should feel ashamed at my emotional outburst, I could not find it in me. Did Edward not get it? Did he suddenly think Rose would welcome me with open arms when she found out? What in the hell was wrong with that man?

"Please? Bella?" Alice continued to beg as she lightly tapped on the door. I could feel the fight drain right out of my system as physical exhaustion fatigued my body almost instantly and I stifled a yawn.

"What do you want, Alice." My voice sounded defeated.

"Please let me in. I just want to talk." Her voice was full of concern.

"I'm sorry Alice, but I don't. I just can't talk anymore, alright?" I said, putting up my last defense.

"You don't have to. I'll do the talking, you do the listening." She was a persistent one and I found I no longer had the will to fight her or the patience to listen to her beg. She was keeping me from wallowing in my self-pity and it slightly annoyed me.

I sighed loudly, positive she could hear it even through the door. I slid to the side away from the front of the door, reached above my head, turned the knob and opened the door to Alice. I didn't look up to meet her eyes. I just wrapped my arm back around my knees while I laid my head back down as well, concealing my face in a curtain of brown waves. Alice closed the door softly behind her, sat down next to me, and put her arm around my shoulders. That simple gesture caused my defenses to falter and I felt fresh tears well up in my eyes as my silent sobs shook my shoulders uncontrollably. As hard as I tried, I just could not hold back the torrent of emotions coursing through my system.

A/N: I completely forgot to thank Bunnybabi for helping me with all-things related to Miami. She suggested the location for James and Marie's house in the last chapter, as well as giving me the name of Miami's largest newspaper. Thank-you!

Now, on with the accolades! Thank-you for getting this story up to over 500 reviews! Woo Hoo! You are all amazing, just like your reviews! I'm in so deep with my addiction, I don't think there is any hope (or desire) for a recovery! LOL Thanks to everyone to reads and/or reviews! - SavageWoman