A/N New readers – hello; sorry for not having the time to reply to your reviews.

Old readers – thank you for sticking with me.

Hugs and kisses go to MC, Nikki and Jen :)

This chapter I'm going to give you a word of the day. It's megalomania and it means: 1) A psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power or omnipotence. 2) An obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions.

Chapter 26

Isabella Pov

~ August 17th, 2012 ~

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I lay between the cool sheets, staring at the plain ceiling looming above me.

It must have been about two hours since Edward had closed the door to the guest bedroom, isolating himself from me. After his shower, he had gotten out of the bathroom wearing only a towel around his waist and headed straight for his chest of drawers without even looking at me. He had selected a pair of clean boxer briefs and his pajama bottoms before turning on his heels and silently leaving the room. The second I heard the door close behind him with a loud click, the tears started flowing.

Now I barely had any tears left to cry. My head was pounding, my vision was blurry, my eyes felt swollen and I had a runny nose. I wanted to get up and make myself some tea to help me calm down and maybe sleep but couldn't. I was both physically and mentally exhausted.

From time to time, I could hear soft sounds that I couldn't make out coming from the guest bedroom and knew that Edward wasn't sleeping either. I contemplated going to him. I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep with his arms around me and the smell of his body wash invading my senses. I wanted to be the one who gave in because I hated this stupid fight. But the small voice of reason at the back of my head was keeping me from acting on impulse.

I knew that I had been wrong; I shouldn't have kept the ultrasound a secret. And, including Alice and Jess had never been my intention either. But what was done was done and there was nothing I could do about it now. It never even crossed my mind that his reaction was going to be so hostile, or I would have dropped the idea immediately. It had been wrong and childish of me to assume that he was going to be happy that I decided to surprise him that way. He had every right to be there with me when I found out that we were going to have a son. Yes, I had willingly, but not maliciously, stolen that moment from him, and he was more than entitled to be upset about the whole thing. I had certainly learned from that mistake.

What really bothered me and hurt me the most was his unjust reaction to finding out that I knew about his mother's delicate condition. "Knew" was relatively speaking, because I wasn't that well informed. All that Alice had told me was that Esme was supposedly dealing with some sort of depression and that she thought it was just an act on her part. Nothing more, nothing less.

Deep down, I knew that his outburst had been the direct result of the effect the separation from his mother had had on him. Although he would never admit it out loud, he was hurting. No matter how strained their relationship had always been, he really cared about Esme and having to cut her off from his life hadn't been easy on him.

According to Edward, she had always been distant towards her children but especially towards him. Even Emmett, whom she loved the most, had to put up with her constant nagging and extreme mood swings. She was callous, stubborn as a mule and stricter than an army sergeant, and I suspected that her rigorous parental ways had taken their toll on Edward. On the surface, he was cool and collected and emotionally detached, but somewhere inside of him dwelled his alter ego; a momma's boy seeking affection.

However, his family issues and his suppressed frustration were no reason for him to lash out at me like he had. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I was his girlfriend, not his punching bag. I had feelings too, not to mention that I was pregnant with his child. I deserved better than this. I deserved respect.

For a brief second, the urge to pack up my things and go to Kate's place made me want to start looking for a bag. We both needed to reflect on us as a couple, and some time apart could either strengthen our relationship or break it for good. But then I realized that this was exactly what Esme wanted and decided against it. I would not let her win.

Although a few hours earlier I had been just as scared and panicked as Edward at hearing the horrible news, I now highly doubted that her suicide attempt had been real. She loved herself too much to take her own life. She was just trying to manipulate him into running back to her, and everyone seemed to have fallen for her poorly concealed ruse. I never would have imagined that she would stoop so low, but apparently she was more devious than I gave her credit for. She was a dangerous woman, capable of the most unimaginable things in order to always get her way. If I gave up now and left, I was only going to give her the satisfaction of having won an important battle in this ridiculous war she had started against me.

Besides, Edward and I were grown ups and we needed to act as such. It would have been immature of me to choose the easy way out. I couldn't just up and leave after our first serious fight, so I decided that I was going to give him a chance to fix this. After all, we had both made some serious mistakes, and we needed to sit down and just talk about it.

With that final thought in mind, I turned on my side and rubbed my hand over my stomach gently. The sun was starting to rise, and I contemplated pulling the curtains and trying to get some sleep. My stomach gave a loud growl, and I sighed, glancing over to the digital clock on the nightstand. It was six fifteen in the morning.

It was unlikely that I would fall asleep now, so I sat up slowly and covered my face with my hands. After a minute, I got up and shuffled my way to the bathroom. A single glance in the mirror was enough for me to lower my eyes and avoid meeting my reflection. I splashed cold water on my face before brushing my teeth and fixing my messy ponytail.

On my way to the kitchen, I passed the guest bedroom. Halting my steps for a few seconds, I listened for noise but couldn't hear anything and assumed that Edward had finally gone to sleep. It wasn't until later as I was sipping on my herbal tea at the kitchen table, that I heard the bedroom door open and his light footsteps heading in my direction.

Dare I say that he looked even worse than me? His pajama bottoms hung low on his hips, he had dark circles under his eyes and his hair appeared to have suffered his hands' abuse all night long.

"Hey," he said quietly, his voice hoarse.

"Have you calmed down?" I asked, taking another small sip from my tea.

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry," he started apologetically, leaning back against the counter. "I know I overreacted and said some things I shouldn't have and I apologize for that. I was just so stressed out and-"

"Let's get something straight, Edward," I cut him off coldly, pinning him down with my eyes. "You were an asshole last night. I've wronged you, yes, but I really don't think I deserved the tongue lashing."

He opened his mouth to protest, but I held my hand up, stopping him.

"I'm not done yet," I said, the slight tremor in my voice betraying the emotions overwhelming me. "You haven't got a clue how I felt lying in that bed all alone. I felt sad and alone and completely miserable. I would have cried myself to sleep if I'd actually gotten any. At some point, I kept thinking, what is going to happen to this baby when Edward leaves me?"

He swallowed thickly. "Isabella, I would never-"

"I said I'm not done speaking, Edward. I couldn't help but wonder what I was going to do when you're finally forced to choose between me and your family, and you choose them. Because sooner or later it's going to happen; I can guarantee you that. After witnessing your reaction last night, I'm inclined to believe that between me and your mother, I'd be the one losing big."

I took a deep breath before going on.

"I know you love her although she treated you badly pretty much your entire life. I also know that you have a lot of guilt weighing down on you right now because you cut her off from your life all those months ago. But let's be reasonable here. It's not my fault that you two have such a rocky relationship. It's not my fault that you're not able to communicate with each other. I had some really extraordinary parents, so I have no idea what it's like dealing with such an emotionally abusive one.

"I sympathize with you, I really do, but you need to leave me out of this. She's your problem, not mine, so learn to deal with her. I was already getting used to the idea that she'll never accept me, and to be honest with you I'm starting to be okay with it. She can have her opinion about me and I'll stick to mine about her. But please don't put the burden of her maniac behavior on me. Don't throw reproaches at me because you simply don't know how to handle her. Do I need to remind you that breaking off contact with her was your decision? I didn't make you do it; I didn't even suggest it. It was your idea.

"So why lash out at me like you did last night? Yes, maybe I should've told you that I was aware of the fact that she wasn't well, but I'm going to be honest with you once again. I chose to listen to Alice's advice because to me, she seems like one of the few people in that family who actually sees Esme for who she truly is. She's not deluding herself with false hope created by deliberate neglect and disregard for the harsh reality. In fact, she was the only one to really warn me about what I was in for when we first met.

"Edward, I like to think that I've come to know you pretty well, and because of that reason I realize that you're regretting your behavior towards your mother. I can accept that. She's your mother and you're entitled to feel however you want to about her. What I don't appreciate is you dragging me into your mess. It was your family's job to tell you that she was depressed, not mine. Instead of throwing insults at me, you should ask them why they decided to keep you in the dark."

"You should also think really hard about our future as a couple. You know that I love you more than life, but I'll be damned if I allow my son to be raised in this kind of hostile environment."

The moment those last words left my mouth, his expression shifted from abashed to fury.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he gritted, standing straighter.

"It's supposed to mean that if you don't get this situation under control, I can always go back to Angela. I'm sick and tired of your mother slowly and painfully driving us apart. And you're letting her."

"How can you talk like that?" he snapped, taking a step towards me. "She's in the hospital for Christ's sake!"

I swear to God I wanted to hurl my mug at him.

"How many pills did she take?" I asked, fighting really hard to remain calm.

"I can't know for sure. The doctor said about five or six."

I chuckled bitterly, my suspicions confirmed. "You consider taking five sleeping pills a genuine suicide attempt?"

His eyes narrowed at me. "What are you implying, Isabella?"

"You're a smart man; I think you can figure it out," I replied sarcastically.

"It wasn't like that," he insisted, grabbing a fistful of his hair and tugging hard. "I know she can be a real piece of work sometimes and yeah she's really controlling and manipulative but she'd never do anything like that. That's just taking it too far."

I got up, leaving my still half-full mug on the table. "Exactly my point."

He looked at me like he was actually considering the possibility, but then he quickly shook his head, chasing those thoughts away. "No. Just… no."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," I said over my shoulder, already starting to head out of the room.

"Wait, where are you going?" he called, his voice suddenly turning anxious.

I turned around, gesturing towards my pajamas. "I'm going to change clothes then go out for a walk."

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked, walking over to me and taking my hand into his.

I arched an eyebrow at him, trying to portray the perfect picture of unaffected when on the inside I was melting from his touch. "Don't you have to go to work?"

"I'm taking the day off," he said, bringing my hand to his lips and kissing the inside of my wrist. "So, can I come along?"

I was tempted to say yes.

"No," I answered reluctantly, starting to leave. "I'd rather be alone."

"Baby, wait," he whispered, pulling me back to him. He wrapped his arms around me, his lips peppering soft kisses along the shell of my ear. "Were you serious about going back to Angela?"

"Yes," I said softly, fighting the urge to close my eyes and lean into him.

He pulled back so he could look at me, our faces mere inches apart. "You can't do that. I love you. I promise I'll keep my temper in check from now on."

I sighed, shaking my head. "You really don't get it, do you? It's not about your temper, Edward. I love you just as you are. This is about your mother and how easily she can turn you against me."

"I know that I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did, and I'm really sorry about it. But we've had fights before. Why is this so different? Why do you want to leave me?"

"First of all, I don't want to leave you, but I will if you force me to. I won't accept a man who treats me badly. I will not tolerate a partner who insults and belittles me as a way to expel his own frustrations. And yeah, we fought before, but this was the first time you actually distanced yourself from me. You pulled from me. I still can't believe you slept in the guest bedroom."

"I was upset, and I needed to clear my head that's why I chose to spend the night away from you," he said quietly, resting his forehead against mine. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

I couldn't keep the façade anymore, so I broke down and started crying. "But you did hurt me. You hurt me so bad. Can't you see what your coldness, even temporary, does to me?"

"I'm sorry," he breathed, his voice a strangled whisper as his arms tightened their hold around me. "I'm so sorry. I love you so fucking much. You don't even know how much I love you. I would do anything for you, Bella. I would die for you and our baby. Please don't ever leave me."

His words only made me cry harder. He stoked my hair and kissed my tears away in an attempt to soothe me, but I pushed against his chest, still upset with him.

"I'm okay," I sniffed, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. "I'm okay."

"Come, let's get changed," he coaxed. "Fresh air will do us both good."

"You should go to your mother. I'm going to take a walk in the park; I need to think and clear my head."

"I'll walk with you," he insisted, sounding like he was too afraid to let me go even for a short walk. "I can go to the hospital later. In fact, you should come with me. Mom asked about you last night."

"She did?" I inquired, suspicious.

He nodded. "Yeah."

I frowned. "I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean, the woman hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," he argued weakly. "She's just really… stubborn."

Whatever you say, Edward, I thought to myself. I knew better.

"Fine," I huffed, eager to get some much needed fresh air. "I'll go."

"Really?" he said, surprised that I accepted so easily.

"Yeah, but this walk I'm taking alone."

~~ 0 ~~

When I returned to the condo a couple of hours later, I found Edward sitting on the balcony, his head resting in his hands. He was still wearing his pajama bottoms but now had a ratty t-shirt on. At the sound of my footsteps, he looked up, a sad smile making its way to his face.

"Come here, please," he breathed, holding his hand out.

I hesitated for a moment, and he frowned, his eyes dropping to the floor. He looked so beaten down, almost broken. I finally felt like he was realizing just what he had done.

With a sigh, I took his hand and let him pull me into his lap.

He rubbed my baby bump lovingly, nuzzling my neck. "I can't believe that I'm going to have a son."

"Yeah, me either," I said softly. "Are you still mad about the ultrasound?"

"No." He shook his head, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and kissing my cheek. "I'm just grateful to have you and my son in my life."

I smiled, turning my head to give him a light peck on the lips. "I'm glad to have you in my life, too. You're a good man, Edward."

"If you say so," he murmured, running his palm up and down my thigh. "We should probably get going."

"I'll go put on something nicer," I said, getting up.

"You look fine."

"I don't want your mother to see me wearing cut-offs and flip flops. She'd most likely have a heart attack if I showed up like this."

He chuckled, wrapping his arm around my waist as he led me to our bedroom. "You're right. Although, it's really hot outside. I think I might wear shorts today."

I gasped in mock outrage. "You in shorts? No way."

"Yes way," he teased.

"Has your mother ever seen you in shorts?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "Of course she has. I don't wear suits all the time, you know."

"And here I thought you even slept with your suit on," I joked.

He smirked, leaning down to kiss me. "No, I sleep in the nude, I thought you knew that."

Later, as I finished putting on make up in front of the bathroom mirror, Edward stood at the foot of our bed with his arms akimbo, staring down at the two pairs of shorts lying on it. He had a light blue shirt on and a pair of black boxer briefs, but he couldn't decide on the pants.

"What do you think?" he called, "navy blue or black?"

"I don't know," I replied, putting down my lip gloss and walking out of the bathroom. "Both pairs go well with the shirt. But I think I like the black ones better."

"Black it is," he said, leaning down to pick them up. "You look good in purple."

Thanks." I smiled, twirling around. "This dress feels amazing."

He pulled the pants on and began buttoning them. "Ready?"

I shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's go, then," he said, grabbing his wallet from the nightstand. "Oh, and have you seen my sunglasses?"

"No." I grabbed my bag. "I think you left them in the car."

On our way to the garage, we were greeted by Peter, who was sitting at his desk, reading a sports magazine.

Edward unlocked his car, which was parked right next to mine, and held the door for me. He smiled, and I rolled my eyes at him playfully, knowing that he usually wasn't that chivalrous. As he got in behind the wheel, I heard him groan, his right hand immediately going to his back.

"What's wrong?" I inquired, my brows knitting together.

"It's my back," he hissed, closing his eyes and leaning into his seat. "It's starting to hurt again."

"Should you see a doctor?"

"Maybe; I don't know. I'll make another appointment with my chiropractor tomorrow," he said, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed thickly. "Jesus."

"I can drive," I offered. "You really look like you're in pain."

"No, I'm okay," he protested, giving me a weak smile. "You don't have to worry about me."

"Edward…"

"I'm fine," he insisted, starting the engine and putting the car in reverse. "You only need to worry about yourself and the baby."

I shook my head disapprovingly but remained quiet. I had a sneaking suspicion where he'd gotten his stubbornness from.

At some point, during the silent ride, he placed his hand on my thigh to get my attention. "Isabella?"

I turned to look at him. "Yeah?"

"I want you to know that I meant what I said this morning. I'm really sorry about last night. I shouldn't have reacted that way. I shouldn't have said the things I said. I don't want us to fight anymore, and I certainly don't want you going back to Angela. I love you."

"I still love you, too," I replied playfully, my mood brightening.

He nodded, the right corner of his mouth turning up. "Good."

~~ 0 ~~

By the time we arrived at the hospital, it was just past noon. As we were rounding the corner to where the single rooms were, we ran into Emmett and Rosalie who were just leaving. The second Rosalie's blank gaze fell on me, her jaw set, her nostrils flaring dangerously.

"What is she doing here?" she hissed, her icy eyes fixing mine.

"Rosalie," Emmett interfered immediately, throwing his wife a pointed look.

"What?" she snapped, glaring at him. "She has no right showing up here. She's just as guilty as Edward for what happened."

Oh, bad, bad choice of words. My hormone levels were higher than ever and I was in no mood to be messed with. I'd had enough of her and was damn well ready to give her a piece of my mind.

"I have no right coming here?" I said, my voice rising with each spoken word. "What gives you the right to judge me like that?"

"I know the likes of you. I'm willing to bet you filled Edward's head with so much nonsense, he doesn't even know what's right or wrong anymore. You're a bad person and you're going to pay for everything you did."

"Rosalie, I thought we agreed on something," Emmett said cryptically, grabbing her elbow.

She pulled her arm away almost violently. "I'm sorry, but I can't just passively stand by and watch as she tears this family apart. It's her fault we ended up in this situation. If it weren't for her bad influence on Edward, things would have been different. I feel sorry for the innocent creature that she's going to bring into this world. He doesn't deserve such an unscrupulous mother."

"That's enough, Rosalie," Edward fumed beside me. "I won't allow you to disrespect her like that. She's my-"

"Edward, shut up," I cut him off sharply, not even looking at him. My eyes were trained on Rosalie.

"You have the guts to lecture me about scruples? Where the hell are yours?" I accused, pointing my finger at her. "Where are Esme's? Where were your principles that evening, many months ago, when the both of you treated me like dirt? Oh, let me guess. You don't have any. You don't have any scruples, any principles and you definitely don't have a conscience. Your megalomania knows no limits. You both think you're so much better than me, but you're not. I'm a good person, worthy of Edward's love, and I don't need to prove it to any of you."

Blood colored her cheeks as she took a menacing step towards me. "How dare you speak to me like that?"

I laughed incredulously. "How dare I? How dare you act as if I'm the devil incarnate? How can you judge me when you don't even know me? I've done nothing wrong. My only mistake is falling in love with a man whose family is obviously deranged."

Rosalie gasped as the three of them stared at me in shock. This pregnancy was making me too bold for my own good. Rosalie obviously needed to be put in her place, but I also needed to keep some semblance of decency.

"It's time to go," Emmett said, blinking rapidly at me and starting to lead her away.

"Let go of me!" she yelled as if pulled out of a trance. "Did you hear what she just said? First she calls me a megalomaniac and now this?"

Then she turned to me, her teeth clenched. "Let me tell you something, Bella. I'm not trying to delude myself with an inflated sense of self-esteem. I actually am better than you. You don't measure up to me and my family and you never will."

"Emmett, take her home before I drag her out of this hospital," Edward said, his tone of voice menacing, and I stared up at him in surprise.

"What did you just say?" she gritted, outraged. "Did you actually fucking threaten to kick me out of here? I dare you to do it. Touch me with one finger and you'll see what I'm capable of."

"What's going on here?" asked an old nurse, suddenly materializing at my side. She peered at us severely over the rim of her glasses.

"We were just talking," Emmett said, giving her a tight smile.

She pursed her lips, crossing her arms over her chest. "It sounded to me like you were arguing. Do I need to call security?"

"No. We were just leaving.

"I'm not going anywhere," Rosalie huffed, nodding towards me. "She is."

"Yes, you are. Don't test me, Rosalie," he said in a low voice, squeezing her upper arm.

She glared down at his large hand on her and looked like she wanted to argue, but didn't. Instead, she perched her bag higher on her shoulder and stomped away without sparing any of us another glance, her heels hitting the white tile furiously.

Emmett let out a heavy sigh, his dark eyes following her.

"I'll see you later," he addressed his brother, starting to head after his wife. He jogged up to catch up to her and they both disappeared from sight seconds later.

"I'm so-" Edward began to apologize, but I cut him off quickly.

"Save it, alright? Let's just go see your mother."

We headed in that direction and Edward knocked on the door lightly before opening it. Esme was propped up in the hospital bed, looking absolutely bored to death. There were flowers everywhere, the TV was on, and the balcony door was slightly ajar to let some of the hot air in. As I stepped into the room, I noted that it was quite chilly and assumed that the air conditioning had been left on for too long. Carlisle was sitting on the couch, reading what looked like paperwork.

She turned her head and her eyes fell on our linked fingers. Almost instantly, she looked away like she couldn't stand the sight.

"Hey," Edward greeted, leading me inside and closing the door behind us with his foot.

"Hello," I said, speaking exclusively to Carlisle.

He smiled, placing his papers aside and getting up.

"It's good to see you, Isabella." He kissed my cheek, taking everyone in the room by surprise. "You look beautiful. The pregnancy is really becoming you."

I blushed. "Thank you."

"Well, I'm glad you came. I'm going to get myself some coffee. Can I bring you anything?"

"No, thank you, sir," I replied.

"Esme?" he inquired, his glance sliding over to his wife.

"No," she said flatly.

He left and Edward approached the bed, giving her the pink lilies he'd bought for her.

"Mom, you look so much better. These are for you."

"Oh, they are beautiful." She gave him a megawatt smile, smelling them. "Thank you, darling."

"Isabella picked the bouquet," he lied. I had done no such thing. "She was really worried about you."

I internally rolled my eyes and fought the urge to burst into laughter. You could see it on her face that she didn't buy it.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"It was nice of you to come," she muttered, her forced smile coming out as a grimace.

Edward motioned for me to sit on the couch and he joined me, his arm going around my shoulders. "I suppose you're happy they're letting you go."

"God, yes," she huffed, watching Edward's arm like a hawk. "This awful hospital smell makes me sick and the food is horrible. I'm craving chocolate soufflé so badly."

"I'm sure Gina will be more than happy to make it for you," he assured her.

She nodded, stroking a pink petal as she looked at me innocently. "So, Isabella, you've put on quite a bit of weight, haven't you?"

I bit on my lower lip in an attempt to refrain from yelling at her that she was a mean old hag. "Yeah, well, I'm pregnant."

"Rosalie used to be thin as a toothpick when she was carrying Jessica. But I guess not all women are fortunate enough to have her figure. Oh, well, what can you do, right?" She shrugged, sensing that she was hitting a sensitive chord.

"I'll lose the extra weight after I give birth," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. Cupping Edward's cheek, I gave him a soft kiss on the lips, knowing that my display of affection was going to drive her mad.

"You'd better," she laughed nervously, watching us. "Edward likes his women thin and fit. Don't you, honey?"

"Isabella is beautiful just as she is," he murmured, looking down at me with heat in his eyes.

I smiled sweetly at him, then turned to Esme only to see her scrutinizing our loving exchange. Oh, yes. She had declared war, and I had just accepted the challenge. Edward was the prize, and I was going to win him on my side, no matter what.

His phone began ringing, and he pulled it out of his pocket, giving us an apologetic look. "I really need to take this. I'll be back in a minute."

As soon as the door closed behind him, Esme's mask fell off.

"You look fat," she spat, her expression oozing disgust as her glacial eyes took me in. "What in God's name have you been eating?"

"Seriously, Esme?" I got up, opening the balcony door widely to let the outside heat come in. "Telling a pregnant woman she's fat is really tactless."

"I was just stating a fact," she replied, throwing the flowers on the bed stand carelessly. "Why did you come? You know I don't want you here. I don't need your pity."

"I came because I know what you're up to and I'm not going to let you steal Edward from me. I have every intention of fighting for him."

Her head cocked to the side, her eyes narrowing. "So you admit this is war?"

"Yes," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and staring back at her defiantly. "Bring it on, grandma."

All color drained from her face at the appellative. She opened her mouth and without a doubt was about to throw something nasty at me when Edward showed up.

"I'm back." He smiled, gesturing over his shoulder. "I ran into Dr. Smith in the hallway, and he said that he'll be ready to let you go anytime now."

"Good. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again. I spent a horrendous night here," she complained, picking up the lilies and pretending to look for a vase.

"I'm going to step out for some ice tea," I said, heading towards the door. "Can I bring you anything, Esme?"

"No, thank you," she replied, looking at me like she suspected that I intended to poison her.

I smiled at her sweetly, kissed Edward one more time then left the room. To be honest, I felt like her presence suffocated me, and I needed to put some distance between us.

At the cafeteria, I ran into Carlisle and Emmett. They were sitting at a table, seeming deep in conversation. I had half a mind to spin on my heels and go back upstairs when Carlisle's gaze met mine.

"Isabella, would you care to join us?" he called, causing Emmett's head to whip around.

I thought he had left with Rosalie. The fact that he was sitting here with his father, looking like they were discussing something important, made me apprehensive.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, approaching the table tentatively.

They both rose to their feet, and Carlisle held out my chair for me.

"Yes."

A/N Thanks for reading!

~ Andreea ~