"You know what, we should leave London and just go back to New York." I suddenly said as all of us were nearing the end of the week when Alice, Edward, Rosalie & Emmett were supposed to go. We were sitting around in Rosalie & Emmett's hotel suite in the middle of the night after dinner.
Edward paused. "You're really coming in with us?" He asked with his eyes wide. "I thought you said—"
"I know what I said, but now, I think that Renée has taken it too far. The fact that she hasn't tried to contact me since that day is actually pretty stunning." I told him. "I'll just grab my things then we can actually just get one of the SIGO private planes from the London headquarters."
"I never thought about the headquarters," Rosalie smiled. "Have you been there before?"
"A couple of times. I can get you all a tour before we leave, if you'd like. Now all we need is to get back to the Clifton House so that I can grab my stuff." I sighed.
"Tonight?" Alice widened her eyes.
"Yeah, tonight. What, did you think I'd actually delay some more?" I cocked an eyebrow.
"I'm in," Rosalie immediately said.
"I'm in too," Emmett raised his hand.
"If I come, it wouldn't make any difference, would it?" Edward asked me.
"You coming with me would prove my point further to her." I held his hand. "Come on."
"Bella, I have a feeling something bad is going to happen." Alice warned.
"Something bad is going to happen, of course. It won't be pretty as it would be before we go in." I told her. "This might be your last chance to see Mom."
She hesitated, then sighed, nodding. "Fine."
"Alright, guys. Come on," I stood up from the bed and tugged Edward along. The rest gathered up their things and the next thing I knew was that we were in the black Range Rover.
The feeling of discomfort started to settle on me as I drove us to Oxshott. Throughout the one hour drive, I kept changing the radio stations for something that would calm me down.
Edward's hand grabbed mine when I reached out towards the radio again. "Are you okay?" He asked softly as he looked at me from the front passenger's seat.
I cleared my throat, smiling uneasily. "I'm fine."
He didn't question me further, but probably knew that I was lying. His fingers just laced with mine and I took a deep breath. I just allowed Russian Red to play on the stereo.
Once we reached, the gates opened automatically for me and the tires squealed against the gravel. I pulled up right in front of the patio and looked at the front door from my seat.
"Is this the place?" Alice asked from behind.
"Yeah. Come on, guys," I said as I struggled to keep my breaths steady. I got out of the car and unlocked the front door. Pursing my lips, my eyes swept around the front hall. "Mom?" I said out loud as I entered. Everyone else followed behind me quietly.
There wasn't a response.
"I'm really not liking this." Rosalie whispered.
"We have to do a sweep around the area. Check upstairs first." I said.
I led them upstairs and they went on to check the bedrooms. I checked some of the guest rooms and no one was there.
"Bella," I heard Edward call and my head snapped up.
I saw him staring into my bedroom. I thought that he was just taken aback as to how similar it was to mine back in NY, but that wasn't it.
I heard a cry and I ran to him, curious about what it was.
Renée was at the corner of the room, in a bright yellow sundress as she hugged her legs. Her head was hung low and her hair cascaded at her sides. There was a gun beside her, which made me a little wary and worried.
I took a step into my bedroom. "Mom?" I said softly so that I wouldn't startle her.
She looked up. She looked horrible, with bloodshot eyes and dark eyebags. She was pale and her lips were chapped.
"Bella?" She rasped with her wide eyes.
I bowed down to her so that she didn't need to keep looking up at me. "Are you okay?" I asked.
She covered her ears and shut her eyes tight, shaking her head vigorously as she started to break down. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry. Bella, please, forgive me."
"Mom," I held her arm gently as I pulled down her hands from her ears. She was clearly in an unstable condition. I couldn't believe I left her like that. "Mom, I forgive you." I told her.
"Oh my god." Alice gasped from behind. I looked at her and found Rosalie, Emmett & Edward standing at the door while Alice was right behind me. She stared at Renée and scrambled to her. "Mom?"
"Oh, Alice," Renée grabbed her into a warm embrace. "I'm so sorry."
"For what?" Alice sounded confused.
"I'm so sorry for not being there for you— both of you." Renée looked at me as she continued hugging Alice. "I love you both so much. You both are my daughters, don't forget that."
There was too much to absorb for me— with my mother apologizing for everything she had ever done bad to us. Just looking at her current condition made me feel guilty. She was now obviously emotionally and mentally unstable.
She released Alice from her grip and I just didn't know what else to do, so I held her hand.
"Mom, we love you too, okay? We're sorry for everything we've done too." I took shaky breaths as I looked into her brown eyes that were once the windows to my closest childhood friend and my mother. I remembered her pretty smiles that she gave me when I was a young child and her soothing voice. Her hugs were the best. She was my mother, after all. I still loved her even though she had put me through all this pain for the past few months.
"Bella, stand back," Rosalie said to me from the door. "She's unstable— she's prone to hurting you."
I turned to face her and placed a finger to my lips, trying to tell them to stay silent.
"Mom, please, let's get you some help," Alice chanted over and over to Renée. "You need help, Mom. Please."
"I don't need help anymore, sweetheart." Renée said in a warm tone that somehow had a bit of an edge to it. I saw her hand inching towards the gun beside her.
"No, Mom!" I screamed as she let go of my hand and placed the gun to her head.
"Mom, please," Alice pleaded as she stood up again. She pulled me up to my feet too, moving us away from Renée.
"I'm sorry." Renée cried with her eyes closed.
"Mom, don't!" I reached for her but she pulled the trigger.
The sound of blood splattering was instant and I could feel the droplets of it on my body and my face. I froze and looked at her bloodied body and the blood that oozed out of her head from the messy gunshot.
"I'm calling the police. Now." Rosalie said firmly as she moved to the hall.
I felt a hand tug at mine. "Bella," Edward murmured.
"How... How could she...?" I stuttered as he made me turn to face him.
I was in shock. I couldn't really process what had happened. Everything happened faster than what I could take in. I looked at Edward with wide eyes.
"She... She just..." I turned to look at her body. "I—"
"Edward, get the girls out of the room now." Emmett said. "They're in shock. It won't be easy once they've taken it all in."
"The police will be here in eight minutes, and I've told them to contact the SIGO headquarters here since the suicide is by an agent of ours." Rosalie said.
Edward held my hand as he walked me out of my own room, but my eyes were on my mother's dead body.
I then heard Alice cry out loud as she kneeled in front of the body. She sobbed into her hands and she moaned. Emmett quickly ran to her and tried to bring her to her feet, but she pushed him away, screaming.
"Don't touch me!" She bawled as she held her arms out to make sure Emmett would keep his distance, but Emmett just carried her up in his arms and threw her over his shoulder as she cried. He sighed as he brought her out.
I heard a loud siren and saw from the top of the stairs that Rosalie had opened the door. The paramedics came in together with the police. I recognized my second aunt who managed the SIGO headquarters here, Makenna Swan Kingsley, and another agent who came in.
The paramedics asked Rosalie where the body was and she gave directions. They passed by me as they entered my room. I watched helplessly as Edward continued to tug me down the stairs.
My aunt Makenna saw me and she quickly attended to me. Edward stayed by my side.
"Bella, my dear sweetheart," she murmured, as she took out a moist handkerchief. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry."
She wiped away the blood from my face and my arms. I just stood there, watching her clean me up.
"Aunt Kenna?" I whispered.
"Yes, my dear, I'm here. Come on, take a seat." She brought me to the chairs in the hall and sat me down. "How do you feel?"
"I... I don't know..." I stuttered.
She looked at Edward. "I don't mean to sound rude, but who are you to her?"
"I'm her boyfriend," he replied steadily. "She's still in a state of shock. I think it'll be better if the authorities don't ask her the questions— I'm a witness, so you can ask me."
"Okay, good." Makenna said. "Sweetheart, do you need anything?" She looked at me.
I shook my head.
I saw Alice in the dining room from here, crying hard as the paramedics examined her. Emmett stood by her to see how she was doing.
Makenna saw Alice too and patted my shoulder. "I'll have to see your sister." She told me before leaving me.
Edward bent down in front of me. "Bella?" He looked up at me, pleading for a response in his eyes.
"Did Mom... really just killed... herself?" I struggled with my words.
He had a grim expression on his face as he nodded.
I choked. "Mom—" I stopped myself and brought my hands up to my face.
I couldn't believe it. My mother just killed herself right in front of me and my sister a moment ago.
Alice & I had seen plenty of people die in front of us, but none of them were people we loved; they were strangers, and that was how we kept them. But this— this was our mother. We loved her even though all she did for the past few years were staying out of our lives and making it hell when she came back. She was an important figure in our lives and had been even before we were born. She was even more significant to me than Alice since I was her favorite.
When I told Alice that it might be her last time seeing Renée back at the hotel, I didn't know that it would be my last too.
I could feel the dam of emotions break as a sob escaped from my lips. Soon after, the tears filled my eyes up and flowed down my flushed cheeks.
"No," I whimpered. "Mom couldn't have—"
Edward hushed me and hugged me tight.
I cried into his shoulders as the chaos around the house kept moving.
So was that unexpected for you guys, or what?
Anyways, so sorry for the two-week delay. There has been too much going on, especially with Christmas around the corner. *grimaces* Sorry again!
xx