As promised, I'm here with the next bit.

Its another long chapter though, sorry :S … We're almost there though =D!

Chapter 20 – Part TWO:

10pm. After the concert.

Edward took the path leading up to the house, having already parked his car on the Manfields driveway.

First impressions - the house looked deserted; all lights were off, and the Manfields family car was no where to be seen. But Edward knew from the dim light that had suddenly switched on in one of the upstairs windows, that she was home. The movement of a shadow said so too.

He didn't bother ringing the doorbell; he simply entered the porch-way, knowing full well that if the front door was locked, it wouldn't prove much of a problem, as a spare key was always stashed hidden beneath the mat. Anna Manfield had made that quite known to him following his second week of dating Lizzy. Even fresh in their relationship, Anna had already considered Edward as her son-in-law and apart of the family.

Unlocking the front door Edward stepped inside, he wasn't entirely sure what he planned to say to Lizzy when he saw her. But it was becoming increasingly obvious to him that 'something important' hadn't come up. She was simply too selfish to bother showing up.

He closed the door with care, ensuring he made no loud noises. His raging frustration and upset was distracted however, at the sight of a pair of male dress shoes which sat beside the inside of the doorway. He grasped the right shoe, taking a closer look at it. They weren't her father shoes, that was for sure, Henry Manfield's feet were much larger than that, and his tastes exceeded that of cheap fancy knock-offs. Placing the shoe back onto the floor, his confusion ever growing, Edward stepped towards the base of the staircase.

He contemplated calling her down, demanding her to come to him this instant, but his feet led him in silence up the white marble staircase.

Mid-way, his eyes scanned the family photos that covered the walls like wallpaper. And he couldn't help but smile at the one of him and Lizzy, taken at last years Summer Gala. She really was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

Edward shook his head in exasperation, telling himself to focus on being mad at her. If he let her pretty face and sweet talk win him around as he always did, they'd never get anywhere. If they really were in it for the long hall, she needed to pull her weight. He supported her, so surely it was only right she offered it back!

The sound of the kitchen drawer closing with a thump caught his attention, and he almost turned back, wondering if she was really downstairs. But he kept on, heading for her bedroom where he'd wait for her to join him.

Edward stepped onto the landing walkway. A second later brought to the attention of footsteps sounding up ahead. He looked in the distance to watch as Lizzy walked around the corner from her room, joining him on the expanse of the landing.

"Did you get lost or something?" Lizzy laughed happily, ignorant to the world around her, before her face fell expressionlessly straight. Clearly Edward hadn't been the person she was expecting to see.

"Excuse me?" Edward asked in confusion, taking note of her ensemble as he did.

"Edward" she gasped, trying to smile; pulling the over-sized shirt around her to conceal her naked body. "Erm… what are you doing here?"

A nauseous feeling curdled his stomach. "I could ask you the same thing by the looks of it" Edwards face frowned at the gentleman's shirt she wore, as his perplexed eyes raked her form all over. All sounds then froze between them.

They weren't alone for long though... "This place is like a maze Liz. How do you not get lost in here!" an oblivious voice appeared behind him, one he happened to recognise, and Edward turned to see a flash of black hair, that of someone he'd considered a best friend up until now, standing behind him, his face managing to drop in records speed at Edwards unforeseen appearance.

"Matt?" spoke a gobsmacked Edward, and as the puzzle pieces came together, Edward could only sigh a lengthily exhale. A nervous Matt rooted on the spot as Edward's disbelieving eyes stared him down.

Turning back to Lizzy, who remained standing several feet away, her expression with 'guilt' written all over it, Edward's heart sunk in his chest, and he found tears stinging his eyes. "Whyy?" Edward's voice was a crying breath.

For only a moment she seemed genuinely sorry. But Lizzy was manipulative, and in that same time frame she kept her head up high, and harshly twisted it back on to him. "You changed Edward" she said simply, as if he'd been the cause of it all along.

"What?" his voice didn't sound like himself, it choked in his throat before he swallowed away the lump that had risen there. "You're saying this is my fault?"

"You didn't appreciate me" she folded her arms across her chest. "You'd rather play with that stupid instrument than be by my side. I don't deserve that Edward!"

"Since when did I ever choose anything over you! … It's only ever been you" his voice was soft and timid, laced with confusion.

"Well if that's true then, then why do I feel like this?"

Edward's mouth opened to interject, but the words failed to present themselves, simply calculating in his head like meaningless garble. Before another movement or word could be made, the front door slammed shut below them, and a voice calling out for 'Elizabeth' rang through the walls. Edward squinted at the high pitched noise, feeling a headache coming on.

No one moved as they heard the lady of the household, Anna Manfield's footsteps grow closer as she made her way up the grand staircase towards them. It wasn't until the tapping sound of heels on marble came to a stop, that Edward knew she was right behind him.

"Elizabeth?" her voice was as equally confused as Edwards had been. Clearly she had no idea of her precious daughters little trysts. "What's going on?"

"Mom …" Lizzy quivered, sounding afraid, as she tugged on the shirt, encompassing it tighter around her. "I'm sorry" Elizabeth's face scrunched up. Her lips then started to pout, an attempt at a look of innocence no doubt. But Lizzy was far from innocent, and Edward could see that now.

Whilst Anna took in the knowledge that her daughter was a two-timing cheat, Edward took one last look at his so called best friend, Matt, whose head dipped shamefully as he stared at the ground before him. Unable to stand the sight of him, Edward felt his fists clench up.

"I have to go" spoke Edward to no one in particular, as he sensed he was on the verge of lashing out.

"Wait!" Anna turned to him with panicked eyes; seemingly more concerned than her daughter about having Edward slip through her fingers. "We can sort this out" she told him.

"I'm sorry Mrs Manfield, I can't be here. I can't be with people that would do this" his voice was forcefully controlled as he looked at her; but there was anger that raged in his tone. Before he turned on his heel, hastily heading down the staircase and onto the ground floor.

"Edward?" Anna called after him in distress. "Wait!"

The last thing Edward heard was Anna Manfield's voice sounding out once again, this time, it was directed at her daughter. "Elizabeth, what have you done!" before he slammed the door behind him, running down the path towards the driveway where he jumped into his car to escape…

...

I couldn't speak. I felt like I was experiencing everything that Edward had gone through, just in a fast forward motion. My heart ached for him. He adored her so much and she'd betrayed him with his best friend. I suddenly had the urge to introduce my fist to Lizzy's face.

"I can't believe she did that" I uttered my thoughts to Rose who sat before me, my voice sounded distant though, probably because I was too preoccupied with thoughts about Edward. "And Matt, some best friend he turned out to be". I'd often wondered why Edward had never openly mentioned his friends from his previous life… I guess this was why, because they'd all completely screwed him over.

"Yeah, well, I guess you never really know what a person is capable of. People grow up, they start to change. And unfortunately, they take others down with them" she eyed me as her eyebrows raised. And it was suddenly clear to me why Edward was so guarded all the time. He clearly had major trust issues now, and understandably so.

"You know, I'd never seen Edward so distraught up until that night" Rose went on as her mind wandered back, and mine too had meandered elsewhere. To all the times Edward had gone to kiss me but pulled away, that troubled look I'd often witnessed in his eyes. It was making a lot more sense now. "I mean, he'd cried before, but that was over a lost toy when he was 3… So to see my fully grown brother running into the house in a sobbing mess, completely hysterical, bent up on wanting revenge, was a bit of a shock…

…When I'd left him from the concert he seemed so upbeat, so proud and satisfied the night had gone so well. I knew he was annoyed that Lizzy hadn't turned up, but the fact that he was so pumped seemed to override that…

…So to find him so broken, an emotional wreck when he came in that night. Well, I hadn't expected that. Nor had I expected him to say she'd been cheating on him, with Matt of all people…

…As you can expect, neither of us got much sleep that night. Edward eventually drifted off, but only out of emotional exhaustion…" I nodded understandingly, but wondered silently where their parents had fit into this. Rose seemed more like the caregiver than either one of their parents did. I silently recalled a conversation I'd had with Edward not so long back, in which I'd gone on about my absentee mother and how much I longed for her, but Edward had simply stated that I should appreciate what I have got, because even families that appeared perfect on the outside, were rammed with imperfection. I understood why he'd said that now. And it made me even more grateful to have Charlie in my life.

I cut back into the conversation half way through, wishing I hadn't drifted off so ignorantly. But I managed to grasp where the story was headed…

"…And if there's one thing about Private Society High School's…gossip follows you everywhere…"

...

Monday Morning.

Like raging wildfire, the news quickly spread. It wasn't certain how though, Edward had only told a handful of people, and the ones he had told, weren't likely to spread it. But in the world of power-hungry backstabbers, you could never be too sure. Eavesdroppers weren't uncommon either.

So aside from being the main subject of school gossip following the discovery of his girl friends affair, there were also several rumours going around, about his love and passion for keyboards.

Lizzy had often teased him about his newfound hobby, but always degraded it by claiming they were simply plastic toy keyboards. It therefore seemed obvious to him now that Lizzy had felt the need to dish the dirt on his new found hobby, probably with the hope of deterring the gossip from her affair and regaining some kind of power, not that it did of course. Her affair may as well have been front page of the school's weekly newsletter it was suddenly that infamous.

Edward wasn't too bothered though, he wasn't ashamed of his hobby, and he could handle the smirks and geeky connotations that came along with it. What he couldn't handle though, were the whispers, the raised eyebrows and the fact that Lizzy's deceit was literally inescapable, buzzing its way through the school corridors like a mass of bees.

It was mortifying. And although the idea of revenge and revealing Lizzy and Matt's true colours to their entire classmates seemed tempting Friday night, Edward was far too humiliated for that now. His best friend and girl friend had screwed him over, and the fact that his fellow classmates sucked it in like some form of entertainment, like his life was an amusing soap opera, made him feel like the laughing stock of their entire world...

As Edward walked to class that Monday morning, he felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness, loneliness and betrayal. People usually flocked towards him; he was, after all, the son of the successful Esme' Cullen, with a heart of gold and those handsome looks to die for. But today he sat alone, keeping to himself and those consuming thoughts of his, as the world continued to move around him. The only thing that did catch his eye, was when Elizabeth passed him in the lunch hall, her usual trail of friends now reduced to a loyal two, who walked closely by her side. She gave him a glance and their eyes connected, and for a second he thought he saw a glimpse of melancholy there. But it quickly disappeared into that hard, haughty face he'd witnessed that late Friday night.

She'd changed, or maybe he had. But something was different. She wasn't the girl he'd fallen in love with, nor the one he'd planned to spend the rest of his life with. Maybe his naivety at the time had been a mask for noticing what she was truly capable of? It was plausible that his crush had deluded his ability to recognise she was simply a selfish and manipulative girl.

Or maybe Lizzy had once been a girl with morals, a good heart and a sense of loyalty; she'd just been consumed by the dark side of power and prestige. It wasn't uncommon. In fact Edward hoped it was the latter, wanting to cling onto something that told him it wasn't all a lie, and that in fact, she was once a good person.

And then there was Matt; Edward's best friend of 15 years, who too had done a total 180.

Unlike Lizzy however, Matt did show some level of shame for his behaviour, confronting Edward before school was out that Monday afternoon, and apologising for his betrayal and the breakdown of their previously solid friendship.

"Whatever", Edward muttered his response, his face in a fixed frown, and Matt gave a nod of understanding and solemnly walked away. Edward wasn't in the mood for this, especially if Matt was only doing it for forgiveness.

As the days went by though, it all started to fall into place.

Despite his friendship with Matt once being genuine, it struck Edward that, to their peers, Matt had only ever been seen as Edward's sidekick. The friend in the shadows, always there but rarely noticed.

It therefore shouldn't have been a surprise to Edward, that Mathew had been the one to blow their cover, spewing about his illicit affair with Lizzy to various gossip mongers, probably hoping to raise his status in some twisted way, just to get that chip off his shoulder.

And in some messed up way, it had actually worked, this was juicy gossip which the students of the school lapped up without a moments thought. And now, unlike ever before, fellow classmates suddenly flocked towards him, some either in awe or just in dire need of some gossip. No longer did Matt need Edward to remain in the limelight, the gossip was enough to make him standout, providing him with the chance to be the centre of attention for once, which was something Mathew had long craved for.

Thinking about it now, Edward almost felt sorry for him. But he understood why he'd done it, particularly when growth in a world such as theirs meant a hunger for power and competition.

It was just a pity it meant a farewell to their previously long and loyal friendship.

...

I huffed a soundly exhale. "Please! That still doesn't warrant him cheating with his best friend's girl friend!" I butt in with enrage half way through, shifting forward in my seat as I did and accidently kicking the table in the process. I winced at the pain. That did nothing for my already injured foot. I leant down rubbing my ankle.

Maybe Edward and Rose could understand Matt's need to be in the limelight, but I certainly couldn't! Not if it was at the expense of Edwards feelings! "I don't care how peeved off he was about being on the sidelines" I grunted, not sure if I was more annoyed over Matt, or the fact that I'd probably done more damage to my foot now. "You don't do that to your best friend!"

"I know, Bella" Rose spoke calmly, a complete opposite to my raised irate voice. "I'm not saying its ok that he betrayed Edward, it's definitely not ok. But, you have to understand how easy it is to get sucked in. When you're surrounded by competition, and you see everyone around you with so much popularity, you're bound to feel dismay. Some people will do anything to raise their status" she told me, and I felt like a sulking school girl. "Well, that and, I also think hanging out with Lizzy influenced his motives. Matt never used to be like this" Rosalie pulled a sorrowful face. And I could tell she'd once cared dearly for Edwards ex best friend, Mathew.

Again I felt the need to punch her, Lizzy, not Rose. Just to wrap that pretty blonde hair of hers around my wrist, and swing her from pillar to post. I wasn't usually a violent person, but I had some pretty cool ideas in my head, and I would've loved to practice them, on her that is.

"So, I'm guessing school became so hard for Edward, that you ended up moving?" I concluded, thinking we'd reached the end of the story. Apparently we hadn't…

"Not quite. School was bad, but Edward dealt with it as best he could. I think his music helped a lot. He spent a lot of time alone in the penthouse writing songs; it was a healthy distraction for him, a way to vent that pent-up emotion in a more productive way ... After a week or so, he was starting to perk up. His music gave him a purpose again, and the whole Lizzy/Matt thing was starting to look like a distant memory. Especially when Lizzy failed to show up for school for days on end" I frowned a little at that. "After a few weeks, she'd missed so much school it was like she didn't exist anymore, which, certainly helped Edward with moving on. Out of sight, out of mind and all that".

I nodded thoughtfully, but something didn't quite add up. If Edward had managed to deal with the upset, then why did they move in the first place?

"It was a few weeks later when it all kicked off. One day, completely out of the blue, and Lizzy was standing on our doorstep…red blotchy eyes, sickly pale face, you only had to look at her to know something was wrong… "

...

"I'm pregnant".

Edward's legs turned to jelly at her words. And Elizabeth's eyes pooled with glassy ocean-like tears, the confidence and sunshine that usually radiated off her was no where to be found. It was like she'd transformed into a completely different woman.

"What?" Edward asked with panic-stricken eyes, hoping he'd simply miss-heard her. He'd been so exhausted of late, he hadn't told anyone, but he'd had trouble sleeping after the big reveal, so it seemed possible he had miss-interpreted her. But as she repeated it once again, he knew for a fact he wasn't delusional.

"I said… I'm pregnant".

Edward's eyes filled with horror, and he glanced up to Lizzy's mother, Anna Manfield who stood beside her for support. He observed as Anna's head dipped in shame and disappointment, before Edward's perplexed eyes turned back to his ex girl friend for answers… "How? … How is that even possible? We used, protection". This didn't add up. Maybe Lizzy had been slack when it came to contraception, but Edward certainly hadn't.

"I know" she whispered weakly. "But apparently, it's never foolproof" Lizzy began to sob then, her hand covered her mouth, muffling her weeps. She really was just a little girl that had grown up waay to fast.

"It'll be ok Edward" Anna piped up, trying to reassure him, whilst her arm wound around her daughters waist, rubbing her back to try and soothe her. "As long as we stick together in this, and support each other, it'll all be fine…"

Edward shook his head in distress, his vision starting to blur. Fine? How was this fine! And as so many words formulated in his head he started to feel dizzy. "I… I can't, hear this…" his voice faded away, as did the world around him, and the last thing he heard was the shriek of his sisters voice from beyond the darkness, as Rosalie abruptly dashed to his side.

...

"Bella?" a delicate hand reached over the table, placing itself on top of mine. "Are you ok? You look a little… pale" Rose commented warily, as I took a moment to sit back and process this recent twist to the tale.

"Pregnant" I mouthed the words in shock, as I stared in disbelief at the table before me.

Not long into my daze, a figure approached our table, and Rose asked for a glass of water. In my state of incredulity and hysteria, she must have called the waiter over. They promptly brought me a large glass of cold water to our table, and Rose urged me to take a sip. She must have thought I looked like I could pass out at any moment; I wasn't far off to tell you the truth.

"Pregnant" I spoke the word again, as I placed the glass back onto the table, staring at it like it was some kind of alien species.

"I know it's … unbelievable, isn't it" she tried to smile; but there was no happiness or joy there. And I suddenly felt awfully sick. A few more gulps of water eventually settled the stomach and calmed the nerves. But all I could think about was Edward, the father of that witches baby.

"So, wh..what happened then? He got her pregnant. What else?" I hurried her on, desperately wanting to get to the end of the story.

"Well, obviously he didn't take the news very well. In fact, he was, inconsolable for days. His life, turned upside down at the point when he was finally starting to move on. Everything was so up in the air Bella ... But, you know Edward, and as a true gentleman, he stuck by her side..." I could very much see that happening. Edward was undeniably good natured. That was one of the first things I'd learned about him in the few weeks that I'd known him.

"He'd spend hours around their house after school, sacrificed his music to look after her; waited on her hand and foot, you name it he did it. They weren't together the way they used to be, Edward made sure of that, but, you could certainly see, from Anna's eyes especially, that she was happy Edward was still around. They were, a family again". It was starting to creep me out how much this woman, Anna Manfield, adored Edward. I could understand how he'd be the most perfect son in law, but her preoccupation with having Edward in the family was sounding very much like obsession.

Something inside me told me the plot was thickening…

...

A few weeks later…

"I better go. Mom wants me home tonight" Edward told Lizzy, who was sat on a chair at the dining room table, her feet propped up, resting on the chair in front.

"Oh won't you stay for dinner Edward?" Anna pleaded as she neatly placed each set of cutlery onto the table one by one.

"I'm sorry, I'd love to, but maybe next time" he suggested with a small smile, before turning back to the pregnant mother-to-be. With hesitance he lightly kissed her cheek, his hand went to rest on her stomach tenderly, before he told her he'd be back soon.

He wasn't sure what was going on between them. He felt stupid to even suggest giving it another go, considering she'd cheated on him. But each day they spent more time together, it was starting to feel like the olden days, when they were happy in each others company. Perhaps rekindling their relationship wasn't such a crazy idea after all. Let's not forget, she was pregnant with his child now...

On leaving the Manfields porch way Edward remembered he'd forgotten his school bag. Spinning on his heel he strolled back inside, but prior to him re-entering the dining room, something caught his attention. He hung back secretively around the corner, listening to the conversation intently.

"Mom, come on, is all this really necessary?" Lizzy rose from the chair pushing it backwards; it made a scratching sound against the tiles as it did. "I've got Edward constantly fussing over me, panicking because he's going to be a father. And I've got Matt phoning me every two seconds, asking me why I'm not in school; and I know that he knows somethings wrong. This lie is getting exhausting" she implored. And Edward's ears began to prick. Lie? What lie?

"Elizabeth, listen to me" Anna took a hold of her daughters hands. "You can't give in now. If you blow our cover, if Edward finds out the truth, it's all over for us, the business will go down, we'll lose everything..." she spoke those words with so much meaning, like her entire livelihood depended on them.

"But mom…"

"This is our only chance of succeeding!" she went on to bribe her daughter; her eyes wild with determination. And Edward only proceeded to listen harder. "Things are bad Lizzy, really bad" Edward swallowed hard at Anna's fearful tone. "If you and Edward stay together, the Manfield's and Cullen's can join forces. Just think of the money, of the prestige we'll get. Everyone will know your name when it comes down to the wire, and there's no greater feeling than that" The passion radiated from Anna's eyes, even Edward could see it from where he remained hidden around the corner.

"But Edward… how can I do this to him?" for once a flicker of guilt and remorse flashed through Lizzy eyes. And it was suddenly Anna that held no shame.

"Edward will make a fantastic father" Anna Manfield touched her daughters cheek. "He's kind and thoughtful, and he has the looks and intelligence to do well in this world. Edward's a leader, people will follow him. Are people likely to follow Matt?" she asked dubiously. But Lizzy failed to respond, seemingly caught up in an intense train of thought.

Matt? What did Matt have to do with this?

The discussion petered off then, and it was then that Edward chose to slip away. Lingering any longer would risk getting caught, and he didn't want that.

Millions of thoughts flooded through Edwards brain as he jumped into his car, fired it up and headed down the driveway out of sight. So something wasn't right. A nasty, big fat black lie was floating around that involved the four of them. Edward, Elizabeth, Anna and Matt.

But what could it be? Well, Edward had a few ideas. It was time to start digging!

A/N- Part 3 up soon!