Usual disclaimer applies.

March, 2012

~67~

I extricate myself quickly from Edward's arms and it's like he doesn't notice. Sitting back in his seat, a small smile plays on his lips, and his face has brightened considerably. His eyes are sparkling, and his body appears relaxed.

I swear he suddenly looks younger.

"Well, that is something."

I lean towards him slightly, scarcely able to make out his words. They are muttered in the lightest of voices, his lips barely moving to accommodate them. And I realize they were not intended for me.

I quickly turn my head, looking back out the windshield, embarrassed. I can feel my cheeks warming, and am doubly glad for the coolness the ice provides. I cannot believe that I've been gawking at him, staring at him like he's a specimen to observe, an animal at a zoo that intrigues me. It is not my concern how he takes this news; I've done my job by telling him. That's it. That's all this should be.

But the fact that he is happy about it…

My lips tug upwards again, but I quickly stifle the unwanted smile.

Because, yeah, it's obviously good news, but doesn't he realize yet the implications? Doesn't he understand how this connects with his mother?

Dread courses through me, weighing me down like lead.

Edward is going to want to know more. He's going to want to know how I came to learn about the affair, how I was so sure Esme purposefully lied to him, and wasn't just mistaken. If I tell him about the photos Esme had taken of me…

Well, it's going to destroy any sort of positive image of Esme that Edward has left. Not that she deserves any better, I admit, but come on. This is his mother. No one wants to learn that kind of shit about the woman who raised them.

And I hate it. I hate that I'm going to be the one to tell him. That I'm the one that will tear his family apart…

Finishing the job Renee started, eh Bella?

I push the unbidden though aside. It's not like I care at all about Esme or Carlisle. They can go to hell. But Edward…

I just wish that he didn't have to be hurt in the crossfire, in the mess that began with our parents, but has harmed us in the process. Yeah, he's hurt me this year, desperately so, but anyone can see that he's been in pain too. How can I purposefully add to it?

And then there is Alice.

Oh, God. Alice.

The girl with more passion, more fire, than anyone I know. What will she make of this? It was this lie that basically forced her to leave home, to end all contact with anyone that she cares about.

Maybe Alice is the major victim within this entire catastrophe. I can only hope that she won't let it deter her, let it put out her light. I can only pray that she has managed to escape the claws of the Forks' socialites enough for this scandal not to harm her any longer.

But there is no way I can let Esme get away with any of this. First of all, I would never forgive myself. I have too much respect for myself to let that happen. Secondly, my mother deserves her own retribution. For no matter what her choices were, what Esme did to her and to my family in the process was unacceptable.

Thirdly, the nutcase had the audacity to hit me.

And it goes without saying that my Dad won't let any of this slide either. He already knows about the photographs; I've even given them to him along with the receipt proving that Emmett McCarty was the person who took them. And the bruise that I'm positive will appear on my face is definitely not going unnoticed.

I close my eyes, releasing a sigh.

It would be kinder to tell Edward now, tell him all of it, then for him to find out from the gossiping busybodies of Forks once this all gets out. Who better to hear it from than me…the girl whose family Esme specifically targeted? How can he get a better deal than to hear the complete and honest truth?

I open my eyes and look down at the clock. Coming to this realization, this decision, has taken almost five minutes. Five minutes that Edward has had to think things through as well. I turn my head slowly, not sure what I'm going to find on his face.

And he is staring at me, smile gone, darkness in his eyes once more.

Okay… I think he's figured it out.

A/N: Sorry for the late update everyone. I blame the story Edroar the Angry Lion by Tropical Sorbet. I basically read all 110 000 words of it (so far!) in the last 24 hours lol. Way too hilarious and addicting.