[Disclaimer] Everything Twilight belongs to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer

[A/N] I think I'm updating this story way too often but creativity is a crazy thing.

This chapter is dedicated to RoseLillianShadow. I'm happy that you enjoy reading my story so much.

**Chapter 72**

"Dr. Cullen, I assure you that it will have severe consequences for you, if you know where your son is right now and try to hide this from us." Zafrina told him, while she continued writing down some notes on a tablet.

He sighed deeply and emptied the glass of water in front of him in one gulp.

"I don't know where he is. How often will I have to tell you that? He's not answering his cell and his secretary told me that he cancelled all his meetings for this week."

Ali hugged me tightly from behind and pulled me gently against her pixie-like body before she turned to her father. Her voice was so low that it was barely audible.

"But you're going to tell us when you know it, will you? Because I know that you don't want him to go to jail."

He nodded his head.

"I don't want him to go to jail but I also don't want him do something stupid that he's going to regret for the rest of his life."

Jasmine cleared her throat nervously and twisted her honey-blond curls into a messy ponytail.

"He's sick, you know…I mean…not physically of course. But he seems to have some serious mental problems. I told you that you should make him talk to someone professional and you didn't want to hear it. And now we have to deal with…,"

"That's enough, Jasmine." Ali stated, sitting down on the couch. I realized that her hands were trembling slightly and took them in mine to rub small circles over her wrist. However it was difficult for me to calm her down when I was so afraid myself that my heart was in my throat. This kind of stress would be poison for Ali's heart, wouldn't it?

"Mary Alice, you look as if you're going to faint any minute. Did you take your medication?" Carlisle asked her worriedly.

She rolled her eyes at that.

"Sorry that I don't look like a sunny day in June when I have to fear for the live of the woman I love. But to answer your question, I took the pills. You don't have to worry about that."

"That's good. Do you want me to give you something for your nerves too? It would help you sleep better tonight."

"You can't honestly think that we're going to sleep for one minute when…,"

"Mommy?" Lilly mumbled tiredly as she walked down the stairs. The dog whined when he saw her and licked her hands when she reached them out to stroke over the fluffy fur on his head.

"Hi, sweetie, are you thirsty?"

She shook her head and climbed on my lap, hiding her tiny face against my shoulder.

"I don't want to sleep alone in my room. Can we call Jane to come over?"

I sighed and put a wisp of her copper curls behind her ear before I planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Perhaps another time, honey."

"Can I stay here with you then? I don't want to be alone."

"Hmm,"

"I should go now." Carlisle stated, standing up from his chair.

"To be home in case he decides to call. It's way better when I'm the one who is going to speak to Edward. My poor wife is probably going to get a nervous breakdown when she hears about this whole mess."

"Esme is stronger than you give her credit for." Jasmine told him, playing with the rubber bands around her wrist.

"I know how strong she is. But this is going to break her heart. How can I do that to her, when she's done everything to make me happy, since the first moment I met her."

"If she hears it from someone else…like the police for example, everything is going to be much worse. And I assure you that they're going to talk to her." Zafrina stated, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"She's right, Carlisle. Talk to Esme before they do it."

He nodded his head and walked out of the room, his face looking as if it had aged several years in the last hours.

"Dr. Cullen?" Angela asked him, as she walked down the stairs, rubbing her eyes that were all red and puffy now.

"Why are you still here, Ela? I can assure you that it's way safer for you at your own house right now."

"I'm not afraid of your stupid son. But I can't go home when my husband still continues to keep telling me these lies about him not cheating on me."

Carlisle sighed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Look, I shouldn't be the one telling you about this but as I think that it really would be way safer for you to go home instead of staying here with Bella and my daughter…,"

"You know about his affair, don't you? Did your sexy secretary tell you about it? Jeez, the stupid wife is always the last to find out."

"You're probably the first person that called Miranda Brown sexy and if it helps you to feel better…the relationship between her and your husband is strictly professional."

"Professional? Why would he have to talk to a nurse almost every day?"

"He keeps cancelling his appointment for his surgery over and over again,"

"Surgery? Why would he have to need surgery?"

"Because his so-called heart-burn pills are not really against heart-burn,"

XXXX

I splashed some cold water into my face and frowned when I blinked tiredly at my reflection in the mirror. God, I looked even worse than I felt like. It was way too early to stand up but I was afraid that if I would lie down again the nightmare would return.

Whenever I closed my eyes I saw his face in front of me. His mouth twitching into that damn crooked smile before he raised his hand, the blade of the sharp knife covered in dried blood.

God, you better not think about it, Bella. You'll turn crazy if you do it.

I walked down the stairs and held the dog around his collar so tightly that my palms cut into the cold metal.

Jasmine's curly head was resting in Zafrina's lap. Had they both slept here after spending half the night discussing where Edward could be right now?

"Pssst," she whispered, carefully standing up from the couch again.

"Let her sleep."

We walked into the kitchen where she pulled out her cell to read a new text.

"You don't look too fine to me, Bella. Didn't you sleep at all?"

"Not much…and not very good. I'm glad that Ali and Lilly are sleeping now. It's good that at least they get some rest."

"You should have swallowed some of the sleeping pills that your father-in-law left here for you."

"I'm not a fan of drugs."

"Hmm, I see. Do you have coffee? Because I don't think that the caffeine free crap that my secretary makes me drink is going to help me make it through this day."

I nodded my head and started the machine. Then I sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and sighed deeply.

"This is really messed up, isn't it? Not really what you expected when I hired you to handle my divorce problems."

Her mouth twitched for a moment.

"Didn't I already tell you that complicated cases are my specialty?"

"Yes, you did that. But I kind of expected a different kind of complications. How could I not see that coming? How could I be married to someone…someone like that, without noticing what kind of monster he truly is? What does that say about me?"

"Bella, this is not your fault. A lot of people are blind when it comes to love."

"You're wrong." Jasmine stated as she entered the kitchen, nibbling on a granola bar.

"Love makes people see more…way more. But we never know everything about another person. Jeez, some people don't even know themselves…,"

"Are you going to send her a bill for your psychological advices at this early hour?"

"No, I won't. Are you going to sue me, if I would?"

"The only precious thing you owned was your bike and you already sold that to me."

"Hmm, whatever…you look a lot better on it than your brother. A bike is like a woman you have to treat it with love."

"You know far more about bikes than you know about love."

"And you think you do? You can't even choose between men and women."

"Grow up, Jasmine. Love has nothing to do with gender. If you love…you just love. Arg, forget it. It's no use talking to you about that. You're the most stubborn, jealous, narrow-minded person I've ever met and I honestly don't know why I like you."

I poured myself a cup of coffee and sipped on the steaming hot liquid. My hands were trembling so much that it was difficult for me not to spoil the whole content all over the table.

"Breathe, Bella." Jasmine instructed while Zafrina kneeled down in front of me and squeezed my hand gently.

"She's right. Try to calm down. I know it's difficult for you right now, for all three of you but you're going to be fine. We'll find your creepy ex and make sure he'll never get free again. He's not going to hurt you or…Ali or Lilly or any other person."

"I wished we could run away." I whispered my voice so low that it was barely audible.

"Run away? Bella where would you go?"

XXXX

Ali took my hand and planted soft kisses on each of my knuckles.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" she asked me as I turned off the engine of the rental car in the parking lot of the airport.

"Somewhere I never expected to go back. But I'm sure that Edward won't come looking for us there. He knows how much I detest that place. It holds too many bad memories for me."

"And that is where you want us to go?"

"I want us to go where we can feel safe or at least safer than here in Seattle."

We entered the building and I went to the counter to get our tickets.

"Port Angeles?"

"That's just a stopover. Forks is not big enough to have an airport."

"Oh, I see. And you told nobody where we're going? Not even Zafrina?"

"Zafrina has my cell number when she needs to get in contact with us. It's better if she and the others don't know where exactly we are."

"What about your job?"

"Benjamin promised to cover my shifts until I come back. He's thrilled that Angela moved back to their house. Seems like at least for them things are going to get back to normal."

"But her husband is still sick, isn't he? Carlisle told Angela that he needs surgery."

"That's just a routine procedure. I think that he didn't want her to know about it because he didn't want her to worry. Or because he didn't want her to feel sorry for marrying someone who's so much older than her."

She sat down with Lilly on her lap and started rubbing her back in small circles.

"You're okay, honey, aren't you? If you're tired you can sleep on the plane."

"I am not tired." she murmured, raising her head from Ali's shoulder.

"Auntie Ali, where are we going?"

"We're going to go where your mommy lived when she was your age."

"Is my daddy going to come there too?"

I shook my head and wrapped my arms around them.

"No, he won't. He's not going to find us. We'll be safe there." I told her, trying to keep my voice cheerful and light. Somewhere deep inside myself I wondered if my words would stay true.