Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Give Me A Little Trust

Chapter Five: Throw Out

Everyone feels miserable at one point in their life, and all they can do is hope it doesn't last long. Though miserable is the only emotion I seem to be feeling and I can barely recall what I was like before all of this happened. Who knew that not being able to have a baby would crush a strong marriage in seconds?

Which leads onto the thought of my wife, Lauren. I'll sit and take it. I'll deal with the smell of other men's cologne on her clothes, the trashing attitude towards me, the ability to make me feel as small as a pin, the intense glares of hatred that I so commonly see, and the way she has to make me hate myself for condemning this on us. We were happy, in love and buzzing to start our new life. So what the hell happened?

I failed her; I failed as a man, as a basic human being by not being able to have children. These thoughts weren't new but they still hurt like the first time I thought of them, like a jellyfish constantly stinging.

I was a wounded animal, down and out, with no escape. I wonder if that's how prey would feel when they know there is no escape from their predator. In this case I was both prey and predator. I was helpless because of myself and I was the problem in the first place.

Watching Lauren sleep off her hangover gave me plenty time to think. She was out cold and had been vomiting all night, which meant I was the one holding her hair up. This didn't matter to me; we made a commitment when we married to love each other no matter what so I was sticking with my end. I didn't say those vows just to suddenly take them back. They meant something to me, just like she does.

Though I have to wonder if I mean anything to her; probably not. She looks at me with hatred and I know that we are no longer happily married like we used to be. That's gone, and in place we have this bitterness, but it's all one sided. She could rebel against us as much as she liked, it still didn't change the fact that we were married.

I doubt Lauren would leave me. She likes the security and I know that deep down she still loves me. I just need to shift through all the crap to get there. I'm just tired. Tired of being the only one trying here to salvage this. We've spoken and spoken about it but she still feels the need to blame it all on me or brush it off as nothing. I'm getting sick of it. Sick of being treated like crap when it's not really my fault.

Lauren rolled over in the bed while I sat on the armchair across from her, watching as her chest moved up and down with each breath. I'd sat here all night being there for her when she needed me. I wasn't just going to let her be sick on herself. But now the after effects of sitting upright in a chair the whole night and staying awake were beginning to hurt. My back was throbbing with pain, my neck felt too heavy for my head, my shoulders were sore, my eyelids were drooping every so often with no luck of trying to fall asleep and I felt like I hadn't slept in weeks.

"Why didn't you come to bed?" Lauren asked in a hoarse voice before taking a sip of water that I'd put on her bedside table.

"I didn't want you to be sick on me."

"Oh, is that what the smell is?" I nodded once. "What's wrong with you?" She was glaring at me.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know, that's why I asked." She snapped back.

"How about me finding my drunken wife in a hotel suite and then having to stay up all night looking after her? Or if that doesn't do it how about you ruining my night out then screaming abuse at me all the way home? Take your pick." I said icily.

"I cannot believe you're mad about last night. I'm the one who should be mad!"

"What?!"

"Because you were out cheating on me!"

I laughed hollowly. "That's bullshit and you know it."

"No I don't know it Edward! You were screwing some cheap girl while I was trying to do business."

"What's your business? Are you a hooker now?!" I yelled.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" She lunged the phone off the nightstand and it smacked me in the head. "Get out! Get out of my house now." I cursed from the pain and shook my head.

"Not a chance. This is my house; if you don't want to see me then you go."

"Aghh!" She then grabbed the glass of water and threw it, followed by a few books, the light which smashed on the floor as it was plugged in, and then she got up off the bed. "I hate you!" She screamed, walking into the walk-in-wardrobe.

I was fuming, but currently occupied as the glass she threw hit my knee and I could feel the glass shards in my skin. I was also soaked but that didn't seem like a big priority. When the door didn't slam I was surprised so looked up and was struck on the head again, this time by a stiletto.

They kept coming thick and fast along with her protests and screams of hatred. I'd had enough; there was blood dripping down my head from one of the heels, cuts on my knee, I was wet, tired, angry, and quickly losing my temper. I would never hit a woman so decided it was time to get the hell out of there.

"Fine, you want me to go, I'll go!" I yelled, trying to block the offending shoe flying through the air. Lauren stopped throwing things and came out looking angrily at me.

"I want you gone in five minutes or I'm calling the police." She stormed from the room before I had a chance to say anything. Shaking my head I walked into the wardrobe and grabbed two suitcases.

Putting them open on the bed I made my way back and forth, dropping clothes, books, shoes and other items from my bedroom I'd need. After I'd gathered the vital things I nipped down stairs with the cases, placed them by the door before going into my office. I grabbed a big cardboard box; one used for transporting goods like dishwashers, etc. and started packing up my work. I placed the PC in the box, leaving the keyboard, mouse and screen then added my laptop and cables.

The box was heavy and I had to slide it across the floor, rather than lift it at this point. Lauren was standing by the door, holding it open with three sets of keys in her hands. I moved them all outside to the parked cars and went back to see what she was going to say.

"These are your keys to your Aston Martin, Volvo and the SUV you'll have to take to get all your stuff out of here." I nodded and headed out, hearing the lock click behind me.

Now what?

Sighing, I moved my suitcases and pushed the box over to the SUV before opening up the trunk and just managing to get the box in. Then I opened the back door and placed the suitcases onto the backseats. With that done I got into the car and headed downtown, towards my office.

For some reason I always felt the need to keep a spare set of keys to every property I own in the safe at work. This was now coming in handy and once had entered the six- digit code I had access to the different real estate I had purchased over the years. The best choice would have been somewhere close, so grabbing the keys and nipping back to the car I drove round the block to the apartment complex that would now be my home while Lauren and I sorted our marriage out.

Luckily the lift was working and I had no problem getting all my belongings up to the penthouse apartment. The place was cold and eerie when I entered, with fake flowers centered in the dining room table and fake plants dotted around the place. Of course there wasn't much here but minimal furniture, which I expected.

Putting away all my clothes took no time at all and then I moved on to rearranging the main room. It was a joint living/dining/kitchen and since I had no use whatsoever for the dining room I was planning on converting it into an office.

I pushed the table towards the windows, giving me a great look over the city, and set it up like a desk. There was a computer here but it wasn't much use to me so I took the monitor, keyboard, and mouse for that and placed them onto the large table. Organizing and filing my paperwork was easy as it just consisted of two piles on my makeshift desk, 'read' and 'unread'. Adding a lamp and a few other things that would come in handy it was perfect for what would now be my office.

The living room now looked off so I spent about twenty minutes moving that about so that it no longer looked so unusual. When I was finally content with what the apartment looked like I then didn't know what do to. No one knew I lived here now, and I was praying no one would find out, especially my family, so I couldn't invite someone over. Well…maybe one person.

"Hello?" Bella answered after three rings.

"Hey Bella its Edward. I hope I'm not bothering you."

"Nope not at all. What can I do for you?"

"Uh…I was wondering if you wanted to come round for dinner." Only realizing after I said this that there was no food in the apartment.

"Sure, that would be great. Is Alice and them going?"

"Not exactly and I'd kinda like it if they didn't know."

"Oh, right. Is everything okay Edward, you seem a bit off?"

"Some things have happened; I'll inform you when you get here." With that I gave her the address and then went out to buy food.

Within forty minutes Bella had arrived and was sitting with me in the lounge. I really should have taken her out for dinner since I am using my table as a desk, god I'm an idiot. Dinner was cooking away in the oven and could be unattended while I came and spoke to her.

"What happened to your face?" Bella asked worryingly, lightly brushing the cut from the stiletto.

"Lauren."

"She did that to you?"

I nodded. "She threw a shoe at me; I guess she has better aim than I thought." I tried to make light of the situation but Bella wasn't having it.

"I'm sorry Edward; you shouldn't have to put up with that." She placed her hand on my knee and I cursed. That was one thing I never did, check my knee out for the glass shards.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I said nonchalantly.

"When some when says mother fu-er it does not mean nothing." She gave me a challenging look, asking me to defy her.

"Fine it's my knee."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Well, you see these holes in the material, they were made from glass which I'm pretty sure is in my leg. But not to worry, I'll be fine."

"Puh! As if. Show me." She demanded.

"How?" I asked, shrugging.

"Take of your pants."

"Whoa, no way."

"Oh come on Edward, it's just to see your knee." There must have been another way but she was waiting so I stood up and undid my pants, letting them fall to the floor around my ankles as I sat back down.

My knee looked quite ghastly. There were definite cuts and glass pieces in my skin, light trails of dried blood running down my leg and around the area of each cut. Bruising was starting to show as well and I was rather repulsed to see this offending knee attached to my body.

"Ow." Bella stated. "You got a first aid kit?"

"Yeah, in the bathroom." She came back, dumped the first aid kit on the couch next to me, went to the kitchen and grabbed a big bowl, filling it with water and taking a fresh cloth.

"What are you going to do to me?" I asked, eyeing everything she had.

"I'm going to heal you up the best I can. If I don't think its good enough then we're going to the hospital."

"There's really no need for that."

"I knew you'd protest. That's why I'm doing this. Now lie across the couch." She ordered. I did as I was told and watched as Bella knelt next to me.

She placed the cloth into the warm water then lightly washed my knee and cuts, trying to be as gentle as possible. After that things got bloody sore. She took a cotton wool pad from the first aid kit, doused it in antiseptic lotion then wiped each cut individually. It felt like someone had put salt or lemon juice in them.

"Sorry, it'll just take a minute." Eventually the pain subsided and then Bella took out a needle and some tweezers.

"What are you doing?!" I asked with wide eyes.

"You have a few cuts with glass shards in them. I have to take it out."

"What? No you don't leave them there." She laughed and shook her head.

"Not a chance."

"Where did you learn how to do this?"

"I've had a lot of accidents over the years and I decided to take a first –aid course to save me time with all my injuries. Lucky for you these shards aren't deep, otherwise we would be in the hospital waiting room. They're just on the surface so it shouldn't hurt too much."

With that she quickly pulled a small piece of glass out, causing me to almost howl in pain. Almost. Bella made quick work of the rest of them and I thought I was in the clear from all the pain but then she took more antiseptic lotion and burnt the cuts to hell.

"Done! Can I just say thank god you didn't bleed much?"

"What do you mean?" I pulled up my pants and redid the belt.

"I get nauseous when I smell blood and can pass out, I'm just glad it never happened."

"Me too." That really could have been a disaster.

"Though if your knee is causing you a few problems you should go see a doctor or go to the hospital. I would hate to later find that I had missed something and you have a glass shard stuck somewhere."

"Oh god!" I groaned, looking at the clock.

"What?"

"Dinner will be burnt." Bella smiled and shook her head.

"I turned the oven down when I was fetching this stuff. It'll be perfect."

And it was. Everything was cooked to perfection and for that night I finally had a decent dinner with someone who wanted my company and not just because of my money.

Bella was a lovely change and considering what happened with Lauren today I would gather that we might be getting a lot closer.

A.N.

Thanks to bronzehairedgirl620 for beta-ing the chapter.