Author's Note: AH-HA! The real begins now! Muhahahaha! :) Double POVs! ENJOY!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Chapter 25
Edward's Point of View
Bella seemed to be enjoying herself. The game of monopoly had her forgetting her troubles for a moment. She fought with Emmett over whose turn it was. She argued with Jasper for not giving her the correct amount of money. She told Alice off for bankrupting everyone.
Finally, after three hours, she couldn't hide her yawn, and I knew she and the baby was beat.
"Come on, Bella," I said. "You should get to bed."
She didn't protest. Smiling sleepily at the others, she waved goodbye lazily before being dragged out of the room by me.
As soon as we were in our pretty bedroom, she placed her hands on her hips and said crankily, "I'm not tired anymore."
And she certainly didn't look tired. She looked more alert.
I chuckled. "I'm glad, but you still don't get to go back and play with them."
She pouted. Just then, we heard a loud roar of triumph over at the library, where we'd been playing monopoly.
Bella huffed. She opened the door and yelled, "SHUT UP!" And she slammed the door again.
The house was totally silent.
I started laughing. "Bella. I really love having you pregnant. It shuts everyone up."
She scowled. "Whatever. I'm happy about the baby, but being pregnant really sucks." She sat on the edge of our bed gingerly, as if her stomach was already bloated.
I went over and hugged her. "It'll be over soon. Just try to enjoy it."
She hugged me back. "I love you, Edward."
I chuckled. "Love you more."
We withdrew after a while, and I set my phone on our nightstand. I began taking off my shirt, planning to take a shower. I went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
"Are you going to sleep right away, Edward?" she called over the loud water.
"Yeah!" I called back.
I enjoyed the hot shower. It felt nice after a long day.
I'd really enjoyed Bella's valedictorian speech. She'd said some meaningful words, and I'd been proud of her. I was proud to call her my wife.
And then, Tanya's face flooded through my mind. I felt immensely guilty for even thinking about her. I'd promised myself that I would enjoy my two weeks with Bella. What a bad husband I was.
All through the graduation ceremony, Tanya had been calling me. I'd been rejecting her calls constantly, knowing that I would have to answer to her worried texts later. But I wasn't about to get caught. Especially not on Bella's graduation day.
I'd been avoiding my siblings' stares at me all night. I knew that they knew about everything. Emmett had obviously sensed that I hadn't ended it with Tanya. And he'd told Alice.
Luckily, he and Alice hadn't informed Jasper, who would've killed me immediately if he'd known. I would still have to answer to my siblings' accusations later.
I just hoped Bella would never find out. I knew that I was two-timing her, and I also knew that I was committing a grave sin against her.
But what could I do? The devil had seduced me.
Bella's Point of View
"Are you going to sleep right away, Edward?" I called over the loud roar of the shower.
"Yeah!" he called back.
Smiling happily to myself, I changed into my pajamas. For the first time in months, I would be sleeping next to my husband. I'd missed his warmth.
I was just brushing my hair when Alice knocked and came in.
"Bella?" she whispered. She looked around. "Where's Edward?"
"In the shower," I answered. "What's wrong, Alice?"
"Shh!" she said quickly. "Look. I just came to warn you. Emmett told me that he hasn't broke it off with that bitch yet."
I blinked. Then, I realized what she was talking about, and my expression soured. "Oh, Alice. You don't still believe that, do you?"
"Yes, I do," Alice said firmly. "I'm telling you. Emmett told me that he talked to Edward about her. He told him to break it off with the slut, or he was going to tell you and Jasper. Edward apparently agreed, but Em saw him a few days ago kissing her in the corner of the library. And, yes, he was positive that it was Edward," she added, her eyes narrowing as I opened my mouth.
I shut my mouth, frowning. "Really, Alice. This has to stop. I really can't believe that you won't trust your own brother. I trust him."
"I did trust him," Alice grumbled. "This isn't right. That bitch is obviously seducing him, and while he's acting all lovey-dovey with you, he obviously cannot forget her. He's two-timing you, Bella. Please, you have to listen to me this time! This is serious!"
I frowned at her.
"She's right, Bella," Emmett said, coming in quietly. He shut the door, afraid that Jasper would hear. "Jasper's in the shower. We came to warn you while he's not around. Look, Bella. I know what I saw, and I know what I heard. Even though he didn't admit it with his own mouth, I saw his expression. And I know him like a book."
I stared at him, wide-eyed. Why were they doing this to me? I trusted them. And I knew them. I knew that they wouldn't be doing this to me without a good reason.
"He was feeling guilty about this, but he can't help it," Emmett continued quietly. "He can't help himself right now. I saw what that bitch was doing to him. She's brainwashing him to make it seem as though she was better than you were. Edward was trying to break it off with her constantly before we found out you were pregnant. I suppose we have to give him credit for doing that.
"But once I told him that you were pregnant with his child, he looked like he came back to his senses. I warned him – threatened him – and told him to break it off. I think he tried, but…" He shook his head helplessly. "That girl's good. She convinced him somehow to forget the idea of breaking up with her, and now, he can't forget about her. He's in too deep."
I exhaled sharply, disbelieving. Emmett and Alice wouldn't tell on their own brother without a good reason. They loved Edward and cared for him. They were doing this for a good reason. A good reason.
But why couldn't I believe them?
I trusted him. I loved him. I loved Edward. I would do anything for him.
But something about his siblings' desperate tone… Their concerned expressions held something in them…
I was torn. Who should I believe? I'd sworn to trust my husband no matter what happened. Yet, on the other hand, I had known Emmett and Alice all my life. They'd never lied to me in all the years we'd known each other, and even if they did lie, they'd told me the truth afterwards.
And yet, here they were, repeating what Alice had told me weeks ago. What was going on?
Suddenly, Edward's phone that was sitting on the nightstand started vibrating.
Emmett and Alice glanced at each other. I glanced back at the phone.
"Go on, Bella," Alice urged. "Take a look and see who it is. I'll bet you anything it's her."
I stared at the pair of them. Despite my stubborn refusal to believe them, I had my doubts. Just one test, and I could see who was lying…
Getting up swiftly, I walked over to the nightstand and picked up Edward's phone. The caller ID read: Tanya
I felt a lump in my throat. It couldn't be. No, Emmett and Alice were wrong. I trusted Edward. No.
"Who is it?" Emmett whispered.
"Bella!" Alice whispered desperately. "Who is it?"
I turned to face them, expressionless. "Emmett," I said in a low voice. "Do you know what that girl's name is?"
"Tanya Denali," Emmett answered promptly.
My heart sank even further, and the lump in my throat tightened, but I kept my poker face. Wordlessly, my lips pressed into a thin line, I accepted the call and held it to my ear silently.
"Edward, baby?" a girl's voice rang out. "Why haven't you been answering my calls? I was so worried about you! Was it your wife again? Is she nagging you or something? I miss you! Hey, can you come over right now? My house isn't that far from your mansion; can't you come over by making some excuse to your wife?"
My face hardened, and my eyes flashed.
"Baby?" she asked. "What's wrong? Why aren't you answering?"
Silently, I ended the call. I went into call history and deleted the recent call. Then, I set it back down on the nightstand, positioning it just like it had been earlier. And I turned to face the other two again, who were looking alarmed by my terrifying expression.
"Bella!" Alice whispered, rushing forward and hugging me tightly. "I'm so sorry!"
Emmett merely stared at me, his eyes tortured.
I could feel the sobs racking through my body but I fought to keep control. I couldn't afford to lose it now. The shower had stopped running in the background, and Edward would be coming out soon.
Biting my lip and swallowing the lump, I took a deep breath.
"You were right," I whispered. "You were telling the truth. He was cheating on me all this time."
"What are you going to do?" Emmett asked in a low voice.
I closed my eyes briefly before opening them again. My hand jumped to my precious baby. What should I do now?
"Go," I whispered brokenly. "Go. Edward can't find you here. He certainly can't know that I know. You two keep quiet to Jasper, do you understand?"
They nodded readily.
"I'm going to handle this myself," I said determinedly. "So leave it to me. Don't do anything rash. Don't let Edward know that I know either. I'm going to catch him at it."
Their eyes were wide. Emmett opened his mouth to say something, but the locks to the bathroom door clicked. With surprising speed, Emmett and Alice slid out of the room, closing the door quietly just as Edward opened the bathroom door.
I turned away quickly, arranging my face so that he wouldn't suspect anything. I still couldn't believe it. If it really was true, then he was giving me the best graduation present ever. The best anyone could ever get.
I knew my life was becoming too perfect.
He smiled when he saw me, and he hugged me from behind. "My beautiful wife," he drawled.
I tried not to grimace. After all, I had to act like nothing had happened.
"Come on," I grumbled like I was tired. "Let's get to bed."
He chuckled and watched as I lay down on the wall side of the bed. "Good night, Bella."
I merely grunted, facing the wall. I didn't have the confidence to look at him straight in the eyes.
He got into bed next to me, and I could sense that his back was to me too. He turned off the bright lamp and the room was suddenly engulfed in darkness.
I opened my eyes. I waited.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, a dim light could be seen from the corner of my eye. I turned slightly and watched as he turned down the volume to silent. And then, he was texting someone.
I closed my eyes and turned back to face the wall. A tear escaped from the corner of my eye that was closest to the pillow. My heart felt like it was breaking into pieces. It was shattering into small little pieces.
I gripped the blanket in my fists and squeezed. I bit my bottom lip to keep myself from bursting into tears.
AN: I know some of you were afraid to read what was coming last chapter. But since I updated, you probably had no choice but to find out. Now then…what did you think? You all know I appreciate your comments!
And finally… We reached three hundred reviews! Thank you to all those who reviewed! Every word meant so much to me! It's the reason I keep updating. Because I want to see more of it! :) And I love how you all express more enthusiasm for the story each time! I hope you'll keep doing so, and stick with Edward, Bella, and me till the very end! Thank you, thank you! And now…you know what I'm going to ask for, right? ;) More reviews! Let's try to reach four hundred by the next ten chapters! Perhaps less! Thank you so much, guys!
