Well I hope you are all enjoying this, again, no infringement intended.

Apologies to my beta, I forgot to mention her in the previous chapter, and she did such amazing work so fast for me, she deserves a massive hand. Maybe I'll get her address and send her some choccies, what do y'all think?

Chapter Two

As Angela pulled into the drive I began to shake uncontrollably. I was truly afraid of how Edward was going to take me returning home covered in pop and blood. My door opened. Angela gave her hand to help me out of the car. I stumbled to my feet and leant against her for support. Not once did she complain that I was too heavy, or that I was dripping blood on her dress. She walked as slow as necessary to get me to the door. She took my purse from me, made short work of locating my keys and unlocked the door. Angela ushered me through and shouted for Edward to come, that I was hurt and needed him. I flinched as the sound of his feet pounded down the steps. He stood staring at me for what felt like the longest time.

"Help me sit her on the counter, Angela. I need to look at that cut," he said softly.

She steered me to the nearest counter top. I heard her ask me to sit on it, but I couldn't get my limbs to cooperate, which was ridiculous, I'd sat on these counters a million times. My body just refused to obey me. I looked at Edward's face—a flash of annoyance speared his features, then it was gone again. Gently wrapping one arm under my legs, bracing the other under my head, he lifted me onto the worktop. She wanted to help more, until Edward mentioned that I would need stitches. Angela went deathly pale at that. Sidling up to me, she hugged me tight, whispered she was sorry, but she couldn't do the needles. I nodded feebly and mouthed my thanks to her, nodding once more as she made me swear that I would call her in the morning.

"I told you not to go to that party, Bella. Now look what's happened. You've come home covered in pop and blood, you clearly can't see straight, and now I'm left with the task of patching you back up," he sneered at me.

"The dress and my eye were an accident, Edward. No one meant for me to get harmed. Mike was messing around, knocked the glass Angela was holding out of her hand and into my face. It was just one of those things; it could have been anyone stood near him at the time," I whispered.

"Yes, except Mike Newton has had a thing for you since high school. He was always pining after you, following you like a lost puppy. Either way, sit here while I go get my medical kit. I need to tend to that eye."

He turned on his heel and left the room, leaving me to sit miserably while feeling sorry for myself. Unfortunately, he had a point. Mike always had a thing for me. He obviously knew that time wouldn't change it. I, however, had thought it would. Now Edward was angry with me. I was about to have a needle stuck in my head and my dress was sticking to my skin. I felt like the sorriest mess on the planet. I'd let my husband down and allowed myself to be made vulnerable by Mike. What a night!

When Edward returned, I didn't try to hide the tears that were free-falling down my face. I didn't want to have stitches. I was frightened and in pain. Normally, he would have drawn me in for a hug, but he was obviously extremely pissed with me. He looked at me with disgust as he opened his kit and rustled around until he found what he needed. Out came some peroxide, gauze and small strips that looked like mini plasters.

"They're butterfly stitches, designed to hold the skin together for a short period of time while the skin knits back together," Edward said, seeing what I was looking at.

"But Angela..."

"Angela heard stitches and assumed I meant a needle and thread kind of stitch. I didn't get the chance to say that I only meant butterfly ones. Still, it got her to leave so I can deal with you properly and not with her hovering over you like a mother. I need to see what I'm doing."

I flinched as Edward put some peroxide on a piece of gauze and stuck it to my head—it burned like a mother! Once the cut was clean enough, he swiped it with a little pad. Again it stung, but not as bad as before. Edward held a cloth under the cut, to stop any of the antiseptic from running into my eye. Not only would that be painful, I knew that it could blind. The cloth moved, replacing it was Edward's hand as he closed the two folds of skin from the cut together and stuck one of the stitches over it. Stitch by stitch, he put me back together again. I couldn't remember the last time that he had been so gentle with me. Well, it had been a long time, let's leave it at that.

"Edward, I'm sorry I came home like this. It genuinely was an accident. If you'd been there you'd know what..." I started.

I didn't have time to react before the back of his hand slammed into my face. I slumped off the counter to the floor shocked. Edward had never hit me, no matter how big our arguments got, he never laid a hand on me. It had been a long time since he was gentle, but I meant sweet, not physically gentle. I'd never thought him capable of hitting a woman. I felt the rage boil inside me as it spilled over the edge.

"What the fuck was that for, you prick? Because I came home bloody from a fucking accident? " I screamed.

I should have known better before arguing back when he was this way. I saw a flurry of movement in time to register it as his shoe before it connected with my ribs. All the air suddenly left my body. I lay on the cold floor gasping for air that I just couldn't seem to get. Coughing blood up, I heard Edward as he ranted and raved.

"How do you think it makes me look, huh? You getting into a fight at a party, the wife of a top surgeon who owns his own practices. People will be talking about this for weeks. I'll have patients coming in asking about it. Don't you ever answer me back either, Bella. I am your husband and you will treat me with the respect I deserve," he raged.

I cowered on floor not breathing a word. I was terrified that I might spark him off again. On top of that, I was still stunned that not only had he hit me, he'd kicked me as well. I tasted something salty—more blood. He must have cut my lip when he smacked me, unless it was coming from somewhere else. I looked up in time to see his look of disgust before he turned on his heel and departed the room, muttering to himself. Looks like I had a lot of grovelling to do in the morning. With that, I dragged myself off the floor, headed toward the spare bedroom and locked myself inside for the night. I didn't really want to be anywhere near Edward at that moment.