A/N I heart Mid Night-Cougar!

We're nearing the end...

Chapter 36

Isabella POV

~ January 27th, 2013 ~

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I stared out the window with trepidation, watching the muted interaction between James and my husband. James looked drunk and incredibly pissed off, which wasn't surprising given the circumstances. He swayed on his feet as he gestured wildly with his hands, disturbing the quiet winter air around him. Matthew was sleeping peacefully in his car seat carrier, and I stole a quick glance at him before redirecting my attention to the arguing men outside.

I knew something like this was bound to happen at some point. James had a vindictive nature, and Edward's offensive tactics weren't going to be taken lightly. But honestly, this had to be the shittiest moment for picking a fight. Matthew was barely two days old, I was sleep deprived, and Edward wasn't doing any better. Our son's birth had taken its toll on both of us, and we just needed some rest and quality time with our family's newest member. But apparently, that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Suddenly, James' expression morphed into one of pure hatred. Before I could even process what was happening, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small gun. My voice surpassed my brain, and I let out a shrill cry as a feeling of utter despair seized me. Matthew was jolted awake by my scream and started wailing, his little lungs pushing out more decibels than the confined interior of the BMW could handle. Instinctively, I wrapped an arm around the carrier as I began rocking it in a soothing motion, but my eyes remained glued to the frightening scene outside.

James pointed the gun at Edward, but Aaron was faster. He practically ripped his gun from its holster, and in the next second, James was lying face-down on the cold ground; his abrupt fall preceded by a deafening gunshot.

"Edward!" I yelled desperately, opening the door and trying to get out of the car with Matthew's carrier in my arms.

"Isabella, stay in the car!" he shouted hoarsely, his eyes wild as he turned around to face me. He managed to look both scared and positively livid.

Just a few feet away, James lay in a pool of his own blood, and I had to look away before my stomach revolted at the sight and compelled me to expel my breakfast. He wasn't moving at all.

"Oh, my God," I whimpered, pulling back obediently and closing the door. My entire body was shaking uncontrollably. Matthew was still agitated, and I tried to focus on him. "Shhh. It's okay, baby," I whispered in a quivering voice as I stroked his cheek with my finger. "Mommy's here." His tiny face was scrunched up in a tormented expression, and I leaned down, placing a kiss on his creased forehead. "It's okay; Daddy's okay."

Despite my words of reassurance, I had to glance out the window to make sure my husband was still in one piece. Both Edward and Aaron were now standing above James' immobile form, looking down at him with a myriad of emotions crossing their faces. A nurse, a doctor, a couple of paramedics, and a few patients burst through the doors of the maternity ward, no doubt alerted by the gunshot. The doctor, a woman in her forties, started jogging towards the scene of a possible homicide. I watched as she knelt beside James and looked for a pulse. Then she raised her head and yelled something at the two approaching paramedics. One of them turned around and ran back inside.

The seconds passed by agonizingly slow. The doctor began speaking with Aaron, her face giving up nothing. Then, the paramedic emerged with a stretcher, and they all proceeded to lift James on it. I wrung my hands nervously as I followed them with my eyes. They pushed the stretcher through the gathering crowd, and not even five minutes after he'd been shot, James was in safe hands.

Matthew had calmed down completely by now, and all I could do was wait. Edward and Aaron seemed to be having a tense conversation. Minutes later, the doctor appeared again, and Aaron followed her inside the hospital. Edward watched them disappear behind the sliding doors, before pulling out his phone for a short call. Then he turned around and headed towards the car.

My mind felt numb. I was having a difficult time comprehending what had happened. I knew what I'd witnessed, and yet, it all seemed surreal.

"Is he dead?" I blurted out as soon as he opened the back door. My hands were still shaking, and I forced myself to calm down somewhat by taking a deep breath.

His expression was grim. "No, but it looks like the bullet severed his carotid artery."

"Where did Aaron go?"

"The police have arrived; he's speaking to an officer."

I gasped. "Is he being charged with something?"

Edward shook his head, glancing towards his son. "No, I don't think so. It was self-defense," he said with a heavy sigh. "Emmett's on his way back. He's going to take you and Matthew home, okay?"

"What about you?" I reached for his hand and kissed his palm. I felt so relieved he was unharmed. I would've died if it were him with a severed carotid instead of James.

"The police need my statement," he spoke softly, caressing my cheek. "It's going to be a while, and I don't want you here any longer than necessary."

I nodded in understanding, and he leaned down to plant a firm kiss on my lips. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his green eyes reflecting the agony inside.

"I love you," I replied instead. "I don't blame you for anything."

To my dismay, he didn't look convinced. We waited in silence for Emmett to make an appearance. I rocked Matthew's carrier until he fell asleep again, my mind an amalgam of reflections and emotions. Edward was still standing beside the car, lost to his own dark thoughts, when his brother's Mercedes pulled up next to us. Emmett climbed out, his eyes immediately taking in the fresh blood staining the discolored concrete. A few snowflakes had started to fall; the gray sky fitted for this ominous day.

"What the hell happened?" he demanded urgently, practically sprinting towards us.

"Fucking James happened," Edward spat; his voice laced with disgust.

Emmett stopped in front of his brother and hesitated. "Is he dead?"

"Not yet," Edward answered darkly.

"Who shot him?"

"Aaron did. Isabella will fill you in," Edward answered, glancing towards the hospital doors. A cop stepped out, carrying what looked like a black notepad.

Emmett nodded, looking relieved to hear the news. He reached for the carrier. "I'll take Mattie."

I climbed out of the car on shaky legs, standing up on my toes to give Edward a kiss. "Please come back to me in one piece."

"I will," he assured me with a hurried kiss of his own, before turning around and heading towards the approaching cop.

Emmett helped me into the back seat of his Mercedes, placing Matthew's carrier beside me on the white leather upholstery. He then got behind the wheel, and as he drove us out of the hospital's parking lot, I couldn't help looking out the back window to where Edward and the cop were deep in conversation. When they were out of sight, I turned back into my seat.

"Are you okay?" Emmett asked, his soft tone veiling the anger in his voice.

"I didn't end up shot, so I guess I'm okay," I said with a sigh.

"That motherfucker. You just wait until I can get my hands on him," he threatened.

I looked at my son, fast asleep in his forest green carrier, and felt immensely grateful and relieved he didn't end up hurt by James' madness. "That's assuming he'll live."

"I hope he will so I can kill him myself."

"I can't believe he actually had a gun on him," I whispered, absently caressing Matthew's little head.

Emmett's phone rang, and he picked it up promptly. "Yeah, babe?"His eyes burned with silent rage as they met mine in the rear-view mirror. "Did she now?" he murmured, watching me with certain cautiousness. "Yeah, they're fine. Look, I have to take Bella home; can I call you later?" He nodded to himself, averting his gaze. "Okay, love you, too."

"Rosalie knows," I stated, matter-of-factly, when he hung up.

"She knows something happened," he replied quietly. "Jess let her know. I was dropping her off when Edward called."

The rest of the drive was silent. Knowing Edward was safe was reassuring, and I found myself thinking about Aaron and the charges he might face. It made me feel horrible that a person who barely even knew us was about to take the heat for our family's personal matters. But even though my husband wasn't the most righteous man on Earth, I was willing to bet he wasn't going to allow someone else to suffer the consequences of his actions. As for James... I only hoped he got what he deserved.

As we entered the apartment, sometime later, Emmett offered to make me some tea.

I gave him a tight smile, taking Matthew from him. "That would be great; thank you."

He set off towards the kitchen, removing his suit jacket as he went, and I took Matthew into the master bedroom. It was his first day home, and we couldn't even enjoy it. Everything we did seemed to turn against us, and I couldn't help but wonder what kind of perpetual curse the evil witch had bestowed upon us.

God, I hated her so much. All of this was happening because of her.

Careful as not to wake Matthew, I placed him in the middle of the bed and started to remove the heavy winter clothes he had on. When I was done, Emmett entered the room with a steaming mug.

"Here you are." He handed me the floral mug with the teabag still in, and I took it gratefully.

"Thanks, Em."

He nodded, sitting next to me on the bed. "I hope you don't mind, but Rosalie's on her way here."

"Oh," I exhaled, unsure of how to react to such news.

"I told her what happened, and she was worried," he added quickly.

"Okay," I said, trying to sound neutral. She was my sister-in-law, and I told myself she only wanted to help. At least I hoped she did.

"He looks a lot like Edward, doesn't he?" Emmett observed, his eyes fixing his nephew.

"Yeah, he does." I chuckled. "Edward's deliriously happy about it."

"I bet he is." He grinned, stroking Matthew's clothed foot. "He's a quiet little guy. In that regard I think he's more like you than his loud-mouthed dad."

"Yeah." I smiled down at him. "Although, I'm secretly hoping he inherits his father's fiery personality."

Emmett laughed quietly. "I don't know about that, Bella. Edward can be a real pain in the ass sometimes."

"Was it hard for you being a big brother?" I inquired curiously.

"To him? Yeah, definitely. Jasper was always quiet and easy to get along with. But Edward... man, I felt like beating his ass up eighty percent of the time we were in the same room."

"Was he that bad?"

"He was... still is." He shook his head, looking like he was reminiscing. "He always talked back to me, which I hated. Plus, he pulled a lot of stupid shit, and I was the one who had to cover up for him."

"Like what?" I wanted to know. Any distraction was welcome right now; it kept my mind from playing out the earlier events in a loop.

"Like... one day in college, when I was a senior and he was a freshman, he broke a guy's nose because of some girl. Knowing my parents were going to go ballistic on him, because he always got into fights, I took the blame."

"How did you do that?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I threatened the other guy that if he ever told the truth, I was going to beat him up so badly, his parents weren't going to be able recognize him after I was done with him."

I had to chuckle at Emmett's bluntness. "What happened afterwards?"

"I went into detention for a month. Oh, and I kicked Edward's ass for being stupid."

"That's very insightful. Edward never told me that."

Emmett smirked knowingly. "Of course he didn't."

"It must have been hard on Jasper to grow up between two hot-headed big brothers," I mused.

"Oh, you have no idea." Emmett chuckled. "But on the good side, one of us always had his back. He got bullied a lot in middle school, and Edward was very protective of him."

"He still is," I noted. "As you are of Edward."

He nodded. "That is how it's always been."

We went on, talking about their childhood until Rosalie arrived. She offered to make dinner while we waited for Edward. At some point, Emmett insisted on changing Matthew's diaper, and I was amused he still remembered how to do it.

The rest of the wait was torture. I kept glancing at the clock every five minutes, wishing Edward would at least call. When I couldn't take it anymore, I grabbed my phone and texted him, but received no reply.

Rosalie made pot roast, and I watched her work, from time to time making small talk. She could tell my mind was wandering and didn't insist on carrying on an actual conversation. Emmett kept Matthew glued to his chest, walking around with him in his arms, talking to him like he could really understand, and showing him different stuff around the house when he was awake. It was endearing, and it made me wonder why he and Rosalie never had more children.

Around 4:00 p.m. we were all gathered in the living room, when the front door opened and Edward stepped in with Dave in tow. Rosalie was holding Matthew for the first time, so I got up from the armchair I was sitting on, as quickly as I could, and hurried into Edward's arms.

"Hey." He kissed my hair, his arms wrapping around me tightly.

"Where's Aaron?" I questioned, glancing past him at Dave.

"I sent him home."

I pulled back slightly, looking up at him with concern. "Is he going to be okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. No matter what happens to James, he was acting in defense of his client. The law will side with him. Besides, Aaron is properly licensed to carry his weapon whilst James wasn't."

"You mean he didn't have a permit?" I was shocked and relieved at the same time.

"Exactly. And to top it all off, he was drunk and high on heroin."

"Jesus," Emmett breathed incredulously.

"Is he going to survive?" Rosalie intervened; her voice devoid of emotion.

"The doctors are skeptical about it," Edward said, pulling me towards the couch. He didn't look surprised to see her there. "His condition is quite serious."

I sat on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Do you want him to die?" I asked quietly.

"You don't really want me to answer that, do you?" he replied darkly.

No, I didn't, because I already knew the answer. But did that make him a bad man?

No, it didn't; James was the evil one here.

Dave excused himself, before disappearing into one of the guest bedrooms.

"I just can't believe how far his revenge went. If Aaron wasn't there..." I trailed off, shaking my head to chase away those thoughts.

"Don't think about it. That's exactly why we got security in the first place." Edward stroked my upper arm soothingly. "James is insane and if he doesn't die, I hope someone has the common sense to lock him away in a mental facility."

I sighed. "Do you think his parents know?"

"His father was at the hospital."

My eyes widened as I pictured a distraught Mr. Hall getting into a violent argument with Edward. "Did he say anything to you?"

Edward hesitated for the briefest of seconds. "No."

"You're not lying to me, are you?" I almost whispered, fixing him with my eyes. I knew him well enough to realize he wasn't telling me the whole truth.

"I'm not. I promise."

Promise or not, it looked like there was more than he was actually letting on.

~~ 0 ~~

That night, I woke up to the feeling that something, or better said, someone, was missing. Glancing at the digital clock, I saw it was three minutes after 2:00 a.m. The crib was empty and so was Edward's side of the bed. Carefully swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I got up, in search of my boys.

As suspected, there was a dim light coming from the nursery, and I pushed the door open, poking my head inside. Edward sat in the blue polka dot rocking chair, his protective arms cradling our son.

"Hey, Daddy," I whispered, my heart swelling with love and adoration at the sight.

He lifted his head and offered me a tired smile. "Hey."

"You two look good together," I observed, stepping into the room and making my way over to them.

"We do?"

"Yes, you do, my two handsome men." I leaned down to place a soft kiss on Edward's forehead before gently running my finger over Matthew's rosy cheek. He was fast sleep in the confines of his father's secure arms. "How long have you been here?"

He stole a quick glance at his watch. "A couple of hours, I think."

"You should rest. You look really tired."

He nodded, but made no move to get up, his eyes once again trained on the bundle he was holding. "I like holding him."

I smiled indulgently. "You know, he's going to get used to sleeping in your arms if you keep this up."

"I don't mind."

"He has to sleep in his crib, Daddy," I said with a soft sigh. "He's been home a mere few hours and you're spoiling him already."

Edward gave a half-shrug. "I know, but I can't help it."

I reached down for Matthew, and he reluctantly gave him to me, making sure to pepper his little forehead with a couple of kisses before doing so.

"Come to bed with me," I coaxed, starting to walk towards to the door. "I miss sleeping in your arms."

"Okay," he responded simply, standing and following me into our bedroom.

Matthew's crib sat at the foot of the bed, and I gently placed him into it, trying not to disturb his sleep. So far, we considered ourselves lucky; our son seemed like a pretty quiet baby. He only cried when he was hungry or something really bothered him, but when that happened, the entire building became aware of its new resident.

I gazed down at him and stroked his head, vaguely aware of the silly smile tugging at my lips every time I laid eyes on him. I was so incredibly enamored with my son; I would've never suspected I was capable of such intense feelings. I loved my husband as a lover, as a friend, as my other half. But this was different. The love I had for Matthew was so fierce and selfless, I felt like I was capable of just about anything for him. He was the best thing that had happened to me since meeting Edward, and I was unable to picture my life without him in it.

Edward came to stand behind me, his arms circling my waist. "You smell good," he murmured, burying his nose into my hair.

I chuckled, leaning back against him. "I had a shower, remember?"

"It's not that." His voice became thicker, laced with unmistakable desire. "You used that lotion I like."

"I might have." I wiggled my ass against his front, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Are you trying to seduce me?"

I turned into his arms, wrapping mine around his neck. "Nope."

He smiled knowingly, his eyes drifting towards my not-so-modest tank top. "I think you are."

"Okay, so what if I am?" I asked in a playful tone of voice, mostly because it made me feel good that he still found me attractive after childbirth.

He kissed me briefly before whispering against my lips. "You know I won't be able to touch you for at least six weeks. Stop being a tease."

"But I love teasing you," I whispered back.

He shook his head, amused. "Don't make me spank you for being naughty."

"Mmmm..." I raised my head for another kiss, which he granted me eagerly. His body was warm and familiar, and I wished I could've stayed pressed against his chest for days in a row.

When he finally pulled back and guided me towards the bed, he looked very stimulated. "These are going to be six extremely long weeks."

I chuckled, shaking my head at him as we climbed into bed.

Twenty minutes later, we were both still wide awake. I was exhausted, and yet, couldn't seem to fall back asleep.

"Still thinking about what happened?" Edward whispered into my hair, his hand caressing my stomach.

"Yeah," I murmured.

"Me too."

I sighed. "When is all this going to end, Edward? No matter what we do, we can't seem to catch a break."

"I don't know, baby," he replied. "I honestly don't know."

Turning around to face him, I saw his eyes glowing in the dark. "I meant what I said earlier today. I don't blame you."

He stroked my hair lovingly. "I know you don't, but you should. I've made so many mistakes..."

I shook my head. "We all make mistakes. We're a family now; we'll get over this together."

"You're so strong," he said softly, almost sounding like he was in awe of me. "I don't deserve you."

I smiled, but didn't reply. I didn't know whether he deserved me or even if I deserved him. All I knew was that he made me strong. Despite all the drama, I was never going to regret meeting him. He was my one true love; the father of my child. He'd given me a family, passionate love, both emotional and financial support, a beautiful home, and above all, wonderful memories. He'd given me his all, good and bad, and for that reason, he was the imperfect, perfectly fitted man for me.

~~ 0 ~~

The next morning, bright and early, Edward got a call from Jenks. I was perched up on the bed feeding Matthew, while Edward paced the length of our bedroom, his ear glued to his phone.

"Okay, thanks," he said after a few minutes of complete silence, during which he listened intently. "Let me know how things progress."

"What's wrong?" I asked, watching as he ended the call and sat down in an armchair across from me. He had his flannel pants on, his hair still bearing the traces of last night's restless sleep.

"James is dead," he replied simply. "He died last night."

"Oh, my God." I gasped. "How..."

"Heart failure," he explained promptly.

"Was it because of the drugs or the gunshot wound?"

"Both." His voice was flat, and I could tell he was neither happy nor upset with James' death. He simply seemed to accept it for what it was. Fate.

I, for one, felt a little shaken. I hated James with a passion, too, but I'd never really wished for him to die. Not like this, anyway. He had clearly been unstable for a long time, and it made me feel a bit sad that no one had ever done anything to help him. Not even his parents.

"I never thought we'd get to this point," I whispered with a frown.

"Honestly? Me neither," Edward replied, just as the intercom buzzed. He stood, starting to walk out of the room. "I'll get it."

I sat still, staring into space and trying to imagine what was going to happen next. Edward was back not even a minute later.

"Who was it?" I asked, as he went straight for his chest of drawers.

"Dad is on his way up," he said hurriedly, pulling out a t-shirt and covering his naked torso.

"Why?" I inquired, panic seizing me instantly as the worst scenarios possible invaded my mind. Edward had assured me nothing was going to happen to him from a legal standpoint, but I was still scared for him.

He shook his head. "I have no idea, but it must be urgent if he came over here at 8:00 a.m. instead of calling."

Edward left the room once again, and I glanced down at Matthew. He was done nursing, his little face set in a peaceful expression as he slept. After burping him, I got up slowly and placed him into his crib before pulling on my robe and following after my husband.

"Dad, are you alright?" I heard Edward ask, the concern evident in his voice.

"Read this." Carlisle thrust a piece of paper in his son's hand, just as I was walking into the living room.

"Carlisle," I said in greeting.

"Isabella." He nodded, but looked distracted. "I apologize for the early hour."

Edward unfolded the paper, read it and frowned. "Don't look for me. What is this?"

"It's a note from your mother," Carlisle said matter-of-factly.

Edward looked at his father, his eyes hardening. "How do you know? It's not signed."

"Who else could it be? Besides, it's her handwriting."

He sighed heavily, looking like he really didn't want to be dealing with this. "What do you want me to do about it, Dad?"

Carlisle ran an exasperated hand through his graying hair. "I don't know. I just thought you had to see it since it arrived shortly after Hall's death last night."

Edward's interest was piqued. "Who brought it to you?"

"Miriam found it on the foyer table around 3:00 a.m. It was in an envelope with my name on it," his father explained. "I keep thinking... what if she harms herself?"

"I really don't think she would, Dad," Edward assured him. "Come on, you know her. She likes to put on a show, but she wouldn't do anything to truly harm herself."

"Does this mean she left the city?" I inquired softly, capturing both men's attention.

Edward shrugged. "It could be. Although, I'm more concerned about her lack of reaction towards James' death than anything else."

"Why?"

I would've thought this to be a good thing...

"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about it."

Carlisle seemed to agree with his son as he gave a stiff nod. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke again. "Do you think she really loved him?"

Edward puffed out a deriding snort. "I don't think she's capable of truly loving anyone but herself. My advice to you, Dad, is to let go. Live your life, and forget about her. I can guarantee she's already forgotten about us."

"Yeah," Carlisle agreed softly, his brow furrowing.

"How's Karen?" Edward quickly changed the subject.

Carlisle's lips stretched into a slight smile, his demeanor immediately changing. "Actually, I'm having brunch with her in about an hour. I'm helping her with some legal matter."

"Who's Karen?" I looked to both of them for an answer.

"She's an old friend," Carlisle replied quickly, and if I wasn't mistaken, he was starting to look... flustered.

Edward's eyes penetrated his father's with keen awareness. "Is she back in town for good?"

"Mmhmm," Carlisle murmured, distracting himself by glancing at his watch.

"I guess that means you're not staying for Susan's delicious Spanish omelet."

"I'd love to, but I can't." He smiled tightly, turning his attention to me. "How's my grandson?"

"He's sleeping."

"Can I see him for a bit?"

"Yeah, sure." I gestured towards the general direction of the master bedroom. He started heading that way, and I followed behind him, not before throwing my husband an inquisitive glance over my shoulder. He was staring down at the note in his hand, a pensive look on his handsome face.

~~ 0 ~~

"I think he's hungry," Edward said, rocking a crying Matthew in his arms.

I reached for him. "Come to Mommy."

Sitting on the couch, I removed the strap on my tank top, freeing my right breast. I was still having a bit of a problem getting the little guy to latch on correctly, but we were getting there.

"It's fascinating," Edward observed, watching the feeding process attentively.

I smiled up at him. "What is?"

"The fact that you can feed him like that is," he replied, nodding to our son, who was now happily sucking on what was turning out to be his favorite breast. "Not to mention that you carried him inside your body for nine months."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I agreed contently. "Sometimes I too marvel at what my body can do."

"Let's have lots of kids," he suggested; his eyes warm and his tone of voice unmistakable. He wasn't going to settle for only one child.

I chuckled, shaking my head at him. "Don't get too carried away. I'm not sure I want more than two."

Edward smiled but said nothing. By the look on his face, I was willing to bet he was mentally calculating how soon he could get me knocked up again… and again.

I stared down at my son and ran the tip of my finger over his barely-there eyebrows. His hair looked visibly darker than Edward's, and I suspected he was going to inherit my color. His skin was porcelain white and his eyes looked the typical newborn blue, so I couldn't quite tell what color they were going to end up eventually. Though, his mouth and little nose were all Edward; anyone could see it from a mile away.

"He's so small and fragile," I said adoringly. "Sometimes I'm afraid I'll hurt him if I hold or touch him in a certain way."

"Me too." Edward sat down beside me, resting his arm on the back of the couch behind me. "Did you think about my proposal?"

I looked up at him questioningly. "About hiring a nanny?"

"Yeah."

"I did," I said vaguely.

"And?" he pressed.

I sighed. "I have a few exams coming up in a couple of weeks, and I'd like to be able to study for them. But…"

He frowned, not understanding. "But what?"

"I don't know how I feel about having some strange woman take care of my child."

"Ah," he concluded simply. "So, you're not too keen on the idea."

"Not really."

"Then who's going to stay with Matthew when you're at school?" He gave me a pointed look.

I shrugged noncommittally. "I don't know. I'll figure something out."

"Baby…" Edward exhaled softly.

"I'll talk to Angela," I added quickly. "Maybe she knows someone who's trustworthy."

He looked like he wanted to argue, but didn't. "As you wish."

"Thank you," I said, leaning over to give him a brief kiss.

~~ 0 ~~

A few days later, I was eating lunch alone in the kitchen, when Edward's phone started ringing loudly from somewhere in the house. He was taking a shower, preparing to head into the office for a few hours, and I ignored it, thinking whoever it was could wait until he came out. After a little while the ringing stopped, and I went back to savoring the last bites of my meal. I didn't like being nosy anyway. His phone was private, and I had no business answering his calls, unless, of course, it was an emergency.

Not even a minute later, the damn thing began ringing again even more insistently, and it crossed my mind it could actually be an emergency. Abandoning my almost empty plate, I got up from the table to hunt it down. I found it in Edward's study and stared at the unknown number flashing on the display before reluctantly picking up.

"Hello?" I answered, hoping it wasn't one of Edward's clients.

"Who is this?" A deep masculine voice greeted me from the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry, but I think I should be the one asking that question."

"I need to speak with Edward Cullen," the man said more sharply. "Is this his number?"

How rude, I thought.

"Yes, it is," I replied in kind. "I'm his wife. Edward's busy at the moment. Can I help you?"

"Have him call me on this number as soon as possible," the man demanded impatiently. "My name is Friedrich Hall."

The line went dead immediately after that, and I stared at the wall in front of me in shock. James' father.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost," Edward noticed with concern, as he stepped into the room wearing only a towel around his narrow hips. "I heard the phone ring. Who was it?"

"Friedrich Hall," I said, turning to face him. "Is that..."

His jaw set. "What did he want?"

"I don't know. He wanted to speak with you." I held the phone to him. "Edward, was that really James' father?"

"Yeah," he muttered, taking it from me and looking for the number. He dialed, pressed the phone to his ear and exited the study.

I followed right behind.

"Mr. Hall, Edward Cullen speaking," he said in his most business-like voice, as he walked into the living room. "Yes, I heard." He was quiet for a minute, listening to what Mr. Hall had to say. Then, all of a sudden, his face turned ashen. "What!" he exclaimed, looking like he was about to be sick. "What do you mean—" He was cut off, and he listened again intently. "That can't be."

I was starting to get scared at this point, a dozen scenarios flashing through my mind, each one worse than the others.

"I see," Edward said with finality after a couple more minutes. "Yes, we'll work something out. Goodbye."

I didn't even get the chance to ask what Mr. Hall had wanted before Edward's expression contorted into one of pure rage. "Motherfucker! I knew it. I fucking knew she was going to pull some kind of stupid shit."

"Edward, you're scaring me," I told him with a shaky voice, taking in his feral appearance. "What happened?"

"My fucking mother happened," he gritted, forcing himself to lower his voice. "She ran away with James' money. Every fucking penny."

Oh. My. God.

A/N Opinions?

Thanks for reading!

~Andreea~