A/N: Although I have no set schedule for updating right now, I'm hoping to update once or twice per week. It will all depend on how far ahead I can write, and you know your reviews inspire me to write faster!

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Chapter 3

It's been an hour since Jasper arrived and I've been pulling at my hair so much, I'm surprised I have any left on my head. Sitting in the kitchen with my dad and Esme, it's difficult not to listen to Bella and Jasper's loud conversation in the living room.

He's accusing her of leaving him for another man.

And she continues to reiterate that she will no longer look the other way while he fucks his secretary.

A growl slips out under my breath. I have to sit on my hands to keep myself from going in there and punching that asshole in the face. What kind of idiot would cheat on a woman as wonderful as Bella?

My dad hands Esme another tissue while he tries to comfort her. We've discussed making ourselves scarce to let Bella have some privacy with Jasper, but where is there to go on Christmas Eve? I won't volunteer this information, but there is no way I am leaving Bella alone with him now anyway.

Eventually, Dad and Esme go upstairs to their room and I make my way to my new favorite spot—the back porch. Smoking is doing nothing right now to calm my nerves. All I want to do is go to Bella, hold her, and tell her everything will be okay.

After about a half hour on the porch, I hear the front door slam followed by the slamming of a car door. The car starts up and screeches off down the street. My breath hitches, wondering if that was Jasper being kicked out, or if it was Bella running away.

The answer comes quickly when the back door opens and Bella steps out. Her cheeks are tear-stained and her face is red. I pull out another cigarette and hold it out in her direction. She accepts it with a small smile on her face as I light it for her.

I give a gentle tug on the sleeve of her jacket, pulling her from our spot by the railing over to the lounge chairs closer to the house. She follows willingly. I sit first and then pull her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her waist and holding her close.

She inhales and exhales the smoke quietly for a few minutes until there's nothing left except the butt. I don't say anything, letting her have whatever time she needs. I hope the comfort of my embrace is helping in some way.

Finally, I feel her shift in my arms and take a deep breath. "I quit my job last month," she says quietly. "I finished up the semester, but knew there was no way I would be going back to Arizona once I left."

"That must have been hard for you," I comment. Bella's a second grade teacher and has always loved her job. I can't imagine what it was like for her to leave the kids in the middle of the school year, even though she was only there for a year and a half.

She reaches up and wipes some tears from her face. "Oddly enough, it was harder to leave the kids than it was to know I was leaving Jasper." A bitter laugh escapes her throat.

"Bella," I say gently. "You don't have to tell me, but I will listen if you want. I don't want you to feel pressured to talk to me. I can go get Esme if you'd feel more comfortable talking to her."

"No," she says. "If you don't mind, I'd rather talk to you right now."

I nod my approval and pick up her hand, giving it a squeeze of reassurance, noting that her rings are no longer on her finger.

"Things with Jasper have been going downhill for a while. He was married to his job even before we moved, and the promotion only made things worse. I've wanted kids … well, I've wanted them since before we were even married, but that just wasn't in the plan for him when his career was taking off. He kept telling me 'soon' or 'once I get settled' or some other timeframe that never happened.

"That would have been fine if I was still an important part of his life." She sniffles again and turns her body to face me, keeping her eyes on her lap. "I understand not having time for a kid, but don't you think you should make time for your wife?"

I nod my head in agreement before she continues.

"After a while, I felt like I was only there to make a good impression on his boss and coworkers. I rarely saw him, unless he needed me to attend one of his work functions and play the dutiful wife. He worked long hours, often times not coming home until after I was asleep.

"It was at one of those ridiculous work functions in September—right around my birthday—that I noticed something was going on. At first, I thought I was imagining things … the slight flirtation from his secretary, the way he was touching her just a little too familiarly. I tried not to read too much into it, you know? But, it didn't take long for me to get confirmation.

"One morning, Jasper was in the shower while I was getting ready for work and I heard his phone buzzing. I figured it could be important, so I picked it up and saw a text flash across the screen. 'Need you now, I'm so wet for you' is what it said," she says bitterly. "I dropped the phone and ran out of the house."

I hold her a little tighter while she takes some deep breaths. When she settles herself, she continues.

"It didn't take long to confirm everything, but it took me a while to get my mind wrapped around it. When I finally did, I knew that I'd be coming back here. I've missed Esme since the moment we moved and knew I needed to come home. But, you have to understand, Edward … I'm not a cheater. As strained as things were in my marriage, I never once sought comfort elsewhere. And, even with you …" she looks right into my eyes and holds her hand on my cheek. "My last words to Jasper before I left for the airport were, 'I want a divorce. I'll send for the rest of my things.' I didn't even tell him where I was going, but obviously, it didn't take a genius to figure out that I'd come here."

"So, he chased you down to get you back," I confirm.

"Yes." Her fingers twine together as she fiddles with them in her lap. "But, I've already made my decision. I thought long and hard about this before I left, and I don't want to stay married to him. I could never forgive what he's done—what he'd been doing for a while."

I place my hand over hers to stop the fidgeting. "Have you told Esme what's been going on?" I ask gently.

She nods. "She's known since I started to suspect something, and she's been completely supportive. I didn't tell her that I was leaving him for good until I got here though."

"You know you have my support, whatever you need, right?" I squeeze her hands in reassurance.

"I do know that," she says, looking into my eyes as more tears begin to fall. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this last night, though. You probably think I used you to get back at Jasper."

"Hey, now." I cut her off gently. "I don't think that at all. You needed comfort and I offered it to you willingly." I hug her close again. "I'm here for you, Bella," I murmur quietly. "Anything you need."

"I wish I could tell you what it is that I need right now, but I really don't know," she mumbles with her face buried in my chest.

"That's okay, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere."

We sit quietly for a while, arms wrapped around each other, until Bella speaks again.

"I don't think he's going to give up so easily."

"Well, he's going to have to go through all of us to get to you," I promise.

With a deep sigh, she lifts her head and looks at me. "Thank you for understanding, Edward. I know I've put you in a bad position, and you have every reason to hate me. I know there's more that we should talk about—"

"Not now." I kiss the top of her head before adding, "Not until you're ready. I'll be here."

She gives me a relieved smile before standing up and reaching for my hand. "Come inside?" she requests, and I comply.

We make our way into the kitchen and each grab some food, before sitting down and talking about everyday things while we eat. The conversation is light and easy—how it always has been between us—and I suspect Bella needs this to get her mind off of her troubles. When we finish eating, it's almost as if there's an unspoken agreement that we part ways.

I watch her as she closes the door to the guest room, and with a sigh, I head into my own room.

I don't know how long I sit on the end of my bed with my fingers gripping my hair. My mind is in a million different places. I know I should be upset with Bella. In a way, she did use me. But I can't bring myself to feel anything other than relief that she allowed me to comfort her. At some point, we will have to discuss whatever is going on between us. For now, though, I'll be here for her—as I promised—in any way she needs me.

It's entirely possible that she will continue to use me. Sadly, I'm okay with that. I'm sure the emotional attachment I have for her is not the same as what she feels for me, but since every other intimate experience I've ever had has left me completely unfulfilled, I'm happy to offer her whatever part of myself I can. It seems she's the only one capable of filling the empty space that's always been in my heart.

When I finally get myself together, I grab the bag from my earlier shopping trip and pull out the books. I carefully place them in the gift bag I purchased, along with some tissue paper and the other item I bought. Regardless of what is going on in Bella's life or between the two of us, I want her to have this.

A soft knock sounds at my door just as I've crawled into bed.

"Come in," I call out quietly.

The door opens and a hesitant Bella is on the other side.

"Hi," she says nervously.

Knowing what she needs, I lift the covers and motion her over. She bites her lip before closing the door with a quiet click. I smile at her as she climbs into bed with me. As soon as I click the lamp off, I pull her into my arms and hug her close.

"Thanks," she says before kissing my cheek.

"You're welcome." I run my fingers through her hair as she settles on the pillow next to me. My movements don't stop until I know she's sleeping soundly, and only then do I allow myself to close my eyes and relax.

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