A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed/favorited/followed! All mistakes are mine. I hope ya'll like this chapter! Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Note the dates in this chapter. Time flies by fast in them, but I want to move on to the big part of the story so I had to do this. I have had these chapters written months in advance. I know exactly what is going on in this story and you guys will know soon enough. None of your questions will be left unanswered, I promise. If I didn't mention something important (not putting on a condom, Renee and Phil going on vacation at the time of the football game) there is a reason. Some of your questions will be answered in this chapter, but others will remained unanswered until the very end of this story. Everything happens in this story for a reason. Even little, inconsequential details from the first couple chapters that you probably didn't notice will come back and have a bigger meaning for the story. Just wait! Everything has a reason! Enjoy!

"Like the tears we cried that day we had to leave. It was everything we wanted it to be the summer of nineteen you and me." – Dan and Shay

Chapter 23

BPOV

June 2009

I stay with Edward and his family until June 13. The night before Phil and Renee are supposed to come back to Forks, I get Edward to take me home so I can clean and have the house ready for Phil and Renee the next morning.

Ever since the night of Edward's championship football game, he and I have been inseparable. We are constantly touching here and there, some are innocent and some are not. Everything about him is so perfect to me. He's beautiful and funny and smart and witty and best of all, he loves me, or at least he claims he does. For the first time in my life, someone has told me that they love me. I don't know if I completely believe him or not, but I definitely know he cares about me more than you would for someone who is just a friend.

Every time we go to sleep at night, he tells me loves me. Every time he sees me, he tells me he loves me. Every time we have to part, even if it's for a moment, he tells me he loves me. It's an amazing feeling just to hear someone say it. It's something that most people take for granted every day, but I don't and I hope I never will. Part of me still thinks this is all some sort of sick joke, but the bigger part of me ignores that little voice in my head.

Summer flies by quicker than it has ever before. For the first time ever, I am not at home everyday living in fear of Phil. On most days, I am with Edward and his family at his house. How he got Phil and Renee to agree to that, I will never know or understand.

My relationship with Edward makes me feel amazing. He makes me feel amazing. Emotionally, mentally, and physically, he is my everything. I trust him with everything that I am and I would do anything for him. To be cared for by someone like this… words can't describe what it feels like.

Every time he tells me he loves me, I feel slightly guilty. I know he wants me to say it back, even though he'd never admit it. I know I care for him greatly, but I've never been loved by anyone before, let alone love someone else. I don't know how it feels to love someone. I don't know if what I feel for Edward is love, but it's strong. I have no idea how to tell him this either, so every time he says 'I love you,' I simply smile because I have no idea what else I'm supposed to do. I don't want to tell him 'I love you' if I don't truly mean it.

At home, I go to sleep every night thinking about how he makes me feel, but by the time the morning comes around the next day, all thoughts of Edward have vanished. Every morning, I wake up in a cold sweat. I've been having these strange nightmares ever since I left Edward's house. It's like I'm trapped in this place and I can't get out. It keeps getting harder and harder for me to breathe. The more I struggle, the harder it is for me to get loose. It feels like I'm stuck for hours before I finally wake up.

I don't want to tell anyone about them because I don't want to burden them with all my drama. I keep this to myself even though I can feel myself slowly dying inside because of it. Edward doesn't seem to notice it either, or if he has, he hasn't said anything about it.

July 2009

One particularly hot summer day, Edward asked me if I wanted to go to his house to play football. He said it was some kind of family tradition that they always did. Edward always got Jacob and Seth to come over to play against his Dad, Mom, and his sister. He said this year would be different thought because they didn't have it last year because Alice died, so they are reinventing the tradition. Jacob is also not coming this year either. Something is going on between him and Edward because every time someone brings up Jacob, Edward tenses up. He won't tell me what is wrong, but I can gather that they are not as close as they used to be. Instead of Jacob, Emmett will be joining us and I will be taking Alice's place. Seth will still be there and so will Edward's parents.

Edward is on his way to pick me up when Phil comes up to my room. Surprisingly, he and Renee have been fairly decent to me these past few weeks. No comments about their vacation or my whereabouts the entire time they were gone. They don't suspect a thing.

He walks in my room with a sick grin on his face. "Where do you think you're going today, bitch? My Renee never got to be on TV because we were on vacation, so that means I get to make up for all the time I've missed while you were off screwing that boy. It's time for your punishment, little girl. I know you've missed our special times together."

I don't move. I don't acknowledge his presence. I don't do anything. He's too angry. I'm afraid that if I actually do something, then I will make him angrier than he already is, if that's even possible.

Apparently not doing anything is the wrong choice of action. Completely outraged at my lack of fright from his threats, Phil angrily grabs ahold of my shoulders and slings me out of the bed.

"You will answer me when I am talking to you!"

He stalks over to where I am currently laying on the ground. He looks completely murderous. I cower away from him. This is the worst he's been in months. I almost forgot how scary he can be. Almost.

When he gets over to me, he picks up by my hair. Pain shoots through me, but I am able to contain my screams of agony. Phil literally drags me down the stairs, by my hair, to the kitchen. When he finally lets go of my hair, it is only to sling me against the table.

My chest and stomach take most of the brunt from hitting the kitchen table. I hit the table so hard that it starts to fall over on top of me. Instinctively, my arms reach out to cover my face from everything that is falling on top of me.

I hear plates crash on the ground, breaking. I feel utensils and papers slide on top of me. Just when I think everything has fallen off already, I feel a searing pain in my forearm. I immediately jerk my arm away from the sudden pain. The motion sends a knife flying across the room.

Phil stops stalking towards me and begins to laugh. I guess seeing me in pain not directly caused by him is more amusing than causing me pain by himself. His laughter is soon replaced by an eerie calm.

"My little bitch didn't bother to tell her loving parents that they would be gone at the time that all the TV crews were going to be in Forks. That wasn't very nice." The way he says this, so eerily calm, scares me more than his words do. "You know my baby actually cried when she found out she missed her shot? She fucking cried. You made her cry and for that, you're going to pay for every single tear she shed. You will suffer and you will not survive."

I freeze. He can't be serious.

As if he could read my mind, he continues, "Oh, I'm dead serious. You will see. I'm going to drag out your punishment, bitch."

He stands there and laughs at my reaction for a few more minutes before turning to walk out the door. I hear the cruiser leave the driveway and it's only then that I let out a deep breath. He's gone. He's had his fill of torture for the day.

I'm going to die. I can feel it. Phil blames me for Renee crying and now he's going to suffer for it, even though it's not my fault. None of this stuff is ever my fault.

I suddenly get angry. Why do all the bad things in life happen to me? What did I do to deserve it? Why does my life suck so badly? Why can't anything ever go my way? Why do all the good things happen to the people who take it for granted? If I had one good thing in my life, I know I wouldn't take it for granted.

I hear tires pull up in the driveway. I freeze. Maybe Phil isn't done with me after all. I try to get up off the floor before he comes back inside, but end up tripping and falling back down on the glass. I groan in pain as my skin comes in contact with broken dishes that slice my arms and legs up on impact.

"Bella? Is that you?" It's Edward. Thank God. "Babe, are you okay?" Edward opens the door, not bothering to ask for permission.

Words can't describe how happy I am seeing him in this moment. Then I realize something. This excitement I feel, it's an astonishing feeling. Edward is the good thing in my life. He's always here for me when I need him. He makes me feel amazing. He makes me feel like I'm actually wanted. He's everything to me. Being with him makes me forget all about Phil's promises of torture and I simply relish in my Edward's presence.

I'm so overwhelmed by my feelings and thoughts that I don't even register that Edward is still talking to me until he lightly touches my arm. I gasp in pain at the movement of my injure arm.

Edward frowns and turns my arm over, inspecting it. When he sees the giant gash about four inches long going down my forearm, he gasps. "What the hell happened to your arm, Bella?"

My mind is frantic trying to give him a good explanation. I can't tell him what really happened, so I think of the best lie I can on the spot. "I tripped and a knife fell on me."

He looks at me incredulously. "I'm serious. My leg got caught on the table leg and I fell. The table came down with me, thus the knife being on the floor."

"Bella." He gives me a knowing look.

"It's the truth, Edward." I huff and break eye contact with him. I hate that he can see right through me. I know he doesn't believe my story, but he lets it go.

Slowly, he helps me up out of the broken dishes. He picks everything up so I don't have to later. He takes me to his house and immediately gets Carlisle to patch me up.

Carlisle's eyes go wide when he finally sees all the cuts on me. "I think you are going to need more than just a few bandages for these. I think I have some supplies for stitches in my office. Bella, if you will follow me." He sticks his hand out and gestures for me to walk with him.

When Edward starts to follow us up the stairs, Carlisle stops him in his tracks by putting his hand up. "Go help your mother set up for the game in the backyard. Emmett and Seth are already back there." Edward's eyes shift to me. Carlisle notices and a small smile comes across his face. "I've got her, son. I am more than capable of giving Bella here a few stitches. Don't worry. We'll be down in a few minutes." Edward looks like he wants to argue further, but nods anything.

Carlisle and I continue our way to his office. I'm slightly apprehensive because this is my first time being alone with only Carlisle. All of the other times I've been with him, I've had either Esme or Edward with me.

My apprehensiveness disappears once he starts stitching me up. It's no wonder why this guy is a doctor. Carlisle's bedside manner is impeccable. He makes small talk with me, trying to get me to forget about the fact that he is repeatedly poking holes in my skin with a needle.

When he finishes most of the major cuts on my arms and legs, he starts bandaging up the smaller ones. When he is almost done, I hear Carlisle take a deep breath, like he is preparing himself for something big.

"I want to apologize for my behavior when I first met you, Bella. I want to apologize to you about how I treated my son when I found out you and him were together. It was inexcusable and I can't tell you how sorry I am for that. I made my son's life miserable because I felt miserable. I didn't want him to find happiness in something other than what I could do for him. I thought my son was ruining his life because he is thinking with the wrong head. I couldn't have been more wrong. I see that now. I hope you can find it somewhere in you to forgive me for my actions when we first met. If you can't, then I understand. Quite frankly, I don't think I deserve yours or my son's forgiveness at all, but my son has found it him to forgive me, so can you Bella?"

I am completely shocked at Carlisle's words. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect anyone to ever ask for my forgiveness about anything – I wasn't worth it to anyone – and yet her I am. My eyes well up in tears and I throw my arms around Carlisle, giving him my answer.

"Easy, Bella, I don't want you to rip open your stitches, not five minutes after I put them in there." He slowly untangles himself out of my grasp and checks my arms and legs to make sure everything is still intact. "So you'll forgive me?"

I nod my head yes and I can see Carlisle's eyes well up in tears. "Thank you, Bella. I can't tell you what it means to me."

I smile and he and I walk back downstairs and out the door to the backyard where everyone is waiting for us.

When Edward sees me, he runs up to me and pulls me in for a hug. He pulls back slightly and looks to his dad. "What's the verdict?"

"Nothing too major. I had to put seven stitches in that gash on her forearm. Everything else just needed bandages. She'll be fine. I do suggest that she sit out on the game today, though. I wouldn't want her stitches to tear unnecessarily."

Edward nods his head in agreement. He takes my hand and leads me to a chair on the porch that has a view of everything. "Just stay up here, okay? I'll come and check on you every couple of plays."

I smile and nod my head.

Emmett and Seth walk up to our place on the porch. "What's the matter, Bella? You get too scared to play against the big bad teddy bear Emmett here?" Seth jokes.

I roll my eyes and laugh along with the guys. I love feeling so free when I am around these people. It's another good thing I have in my life.

"Are you three ready to play or are you guys just going to stand up there like a bunch of pansies?" My mouths drops and I have to fight to hold in my giggles. I never thought I would hear those words come out of Esme Cullen's mouth.

Em and Seth give each other funny looks before running back to their home mad field for the start of the game. Edward stays behind for a few more minutes to ensure that I am okay. With one quick peck on the forehead and an 'I love you,' Edward is off to the field too.

I watch them play for hours. Edward, Esme, and Carlisle smoke Seth and Emmett over and over again. No matter how hard Seth and Emmett tried, they just couldn't even compare to the Cullen's.

Throughout the entirety of their game, I sat back, watched, and enjoyed myself for what felt like forever. It felt amazing.

Around seven o'clock, the skies begin to darken and the inevitable happens. This is Forks after all. The rain pours down in an instant. Seconds later, everyone is rushing to get inside. When everyone makes it in, Esme offers to cook some dinner before everyone leaves to go home. Everyone quickly agrees and we are now sitting patiently around the kitchen table.

The storm outside begins to get worse and worse. Not even an hour after we came inside, the entire backyard is flooded. The rain keeps pouring, too. The thunder and lightning keep getting louder and louder. Not that I would ever admit it, but I'm still terrified of storms like this. In an effort to not show how scared I really am, I curl up on Edward's arm and try to listen to the boys' conversation.

Not even two seconds later, Esme comes in, holding mountains of food for us all. Immediately, everyone starts to dig in. We enjoy the food and the time together for a little while longer. When everyone decides to go home, Esme absolutely refuses.

"Are you people crazy? It's raining cats and dogs outside! Not to mention the lightning every two seconds!" As if on cue, another round of lightning strikes, this one closer to the house than all the rest. "All of you are staying here tonight. The weather is just too terrible for anyone to be driving in right now."

I freeze. I look to Edward for help. I can't stay here tonight! Phil and Renee are going to have a fit!

Edward notices my reaction and grabs my hand reassuringly.

"Mom, can you call Bella's foster mom and tell her what's going on? I think Bella is worried that Renee will worry about her." I hold back a snort at Edward's attempt at making it seem like Renee actually cares about me, but it still gets the job done.

Esme calls Renee and explains the situation to her, and oddly enough, Renee agrees that it's safer over here and wants me to stay here for the night. I'm sure shock is all over my face when Esme comes back to the table and tells us what Renee said.

Edward's face breaks out into a giant grin. Carlisle and Esme must have picked up on what Edward was thinking because the next thing out of their mouths were room arrangements.

"Seth and Emmett, I am sure you two will be comfortable enough on the couches in the game room, right? Don't you think it's best that the lady of the group gets the spare bedroom?" Both Seth and Emmett agree by nodding their heads.

We all stay downstairs for a few more hours. Eventually, Esme and Carlisle retire to their rooms for the night. It's not until about an hour later that Edward notices me yawning. He announces to the group that we should all be going to sleep and with that, Edward walks me to my room. Like the perfect gentleman, he kisses my forehead and whispers 'goodnight' to me. Knowing I won't be able to sleep without him, I take my time in the room. I change into some of his clothes that he gave me and I shower. I want to give him time to do the same things before I head back to his room. I also want to give Emmett and Seth a chance to go to sleep so there is no chance that they will walk on Edward and me.

Just like I did at the beginning of the summer, when I finish my shower, I sneak all the way down the hall to Edward's room.

I haven't even opened the door completely before I'm engulfed by his embrace. "What took you so long, baby? I missed you." It is obviously a rhetorical question because he doesn't give me enough time to answer before he connects his lips to mine.

The moment his lips connect to mine, I moan. It's been too long since I've been with him, since he's been inside of me. We obviously are thinking the same thing because the kiss becomes more heated. I feel Edward's hands start to roam my body. We slowly start making our way to his bed. When we reach it, he carefully lays me down and stares at me like I am the most precious thing in the world. We make love the entire night before falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning, wrapped in each other's embrace.

August 2009

I wake up in the middle of the night when I hear heavy boots stomping up the stairs. I silently pray that he's too drunk or too tired to come see me. It doesn't work.

I try to cover myself up as much as I can when I hear him open my bedroom door. I try to make myself as small as possible in hopes that he'll leave me alone.

"Wake up, bitch!"

I don't move. Maybe he'll buy that I'm asleep and go away. The universe seems to like screwing with me, so the moment that I think he's going away, I feel my thin blanket being ripped off of me.

"I said, it's time to wake up, you bitch!" Phil grabs my arm and yanks me out of my bed. I quickly stand on my own two feet, but that doesn't stop Phil from yanking me across my room.

"You've been gone all day every day for the past two months, I think I deserve some fun now too."

I whimper in pain for what I know is about to come.

Phil shoves me against the wall of my room. I hit it hard, my shoulders taking most of the brunt of the hit. Phil yanks me back from the wall by my hair.

"Are you having fun yet, you worthless slut? I told you that I was going to make you pay for how you screwed over my Renee. I'm here to collect another punishment."

Another whimper escapes me as he tightens his hold on my forearm – the same forearm that was cut with a knife a month earlier.

"We're going to go on a little trip down the stairs. Doesn't that sound like fun? I know it will be for me." His face is only a few inches away from mine now. For a split second, I think Phil is going to rape me. He's never done anything like that to me before. He's never crossed that line. I had marked off the chance that he would rape me because he has always said that I'm too ugly and nasty to touch like that, but the way he's looking at me right now makes me rethink the possibility that he might actually do it.

All thoughts of Phil raping me leave my mind as he yanks me towards the stairs.

"I want to play a game, girl. I want to see how many times you can bounce down the stairs before passing out! Doesn't that sound like a great game? I know I'm excited for it!" His voice grows darker as he continues, "Each bounce is for one tear that my Renee shed over not being on TV because of you. I want to see you suffer just as I saw her suffer. I want to see you cry."

I barely have time to scream before I am suddenly thrown down the stairs. My ass is the first thing to make contact with the stairs, about half way down from where he initially threw me. From there, I begin to tumble down to the bottom. Before I finally stop rolling at the bottom of the stairs, I hit my head, shoulder, and my leg.

The pain in my leg is unbearable. Before I can stop it, I find myself screaming in pain.

Phil comes down the stairs and picks me up once more. A sick, sinister grin crosses his face. "Looks like you've hurt yourself on the stairs again, bitch. You always were very clumsy."

He walks back up the stairs, me in his arms. This time when we get to the top of the stairs, he lays me down on my side and kicks me as hard as he can on my back. I begin to roll down the steps. Every time I hit the stairs, I can't help the yelp of pain that escapes me. It feels like every time I turn, my right leg hits something. The pain is so intense that I am almost to the point of blacking out.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs for the second time, I slowly lift my head up and try to see why my leg is in so much pain. The sight I find makes me throw up, literally. The bone is sticking straight up out of my leg. I can actually see my bone, the thing that is supposed to be inside my body. There is blood everywhere. It's running down my leg. It's gushing out of the spot where my bone is sticking out of my leg.

I feel the tears burn the back of my eyes, begging me to let them fall. I'm in so much pain right now and all I can think of is that I can't cry. I'm not weak. I'm not going to give Phil the satisfaction of seeing me cry from what he's done to me. I refuse to give Phil what he wants.

My entire body is on fire. There is not a spot on my body that doesn't feel like it isn't in hell right now.

I can't help the scream that escapes me when I feel Phil's hands on me once more. Haven't I suffered enough for one night?

He takes me to the top of the stairs for the third time and literally chucks me back down them. I don't remember hitting any stairs on my way down. The last thing I remember is hearing Phil laughing at me as I hit my head on the something very hard. Then my whole world goes black.

I wake up for the first time, in what has probably been days, in a pile of what I'm guessing is my own blood and vomit. I can't feel anything. I can't feel my entire body. I can barely keep myself conscious enough to hear Renee and Phil talking somewhere close to me.

"You have to take her to the hospital, Phil!"

"Why the hell should I waste my money on taking that bitch to the hospital? What has she ever done for me? And since when have you cared about this girl's well-being? I told her I would make her pay for what she's done to you! This was just the first step!"

"I don't care about the girl! All I care about is the monthly check we get from keeping her! If she's dead, then the checks stop coming, Phil."

Phil scoffs. "Dead? She's not dead, Renee."

"She may as well be! That girl has been lying in a pool of blood and vomit for almost three days! If she's not dead by now, she will be soon enough."

Phil mutters something under his breath.

I can't tell what happens next. Darkness starts to invade my vision once more.

A/N: What all do you think is wrong with Bella? What did ya'll think of Carlisle's and Bella's conversation? Do you think she was right to forgive him? Leave your thoughts in a review. See you guys next week! If you didn't read the first A/N at the top, then go back and ready it! It's important. If you still have questions about what happened with Renee missing the football game and not being on TV, feel free to PM me. If you have questions about the condom situation, wait a few weeks and you'll figure it out!