Chapter 125

Bella

I couldn't believe what I was hearing and Charlie just stood looking at me pleadingly. After a few seconds collecting my thoughts I turned towards the man I had known as my father with venom filling my eyes, feeling like I had just been kicked in the gut,

"How could you do this to me? I'm your daughter or at least I thought I was. Yes, it's true that I've been going through my newborn stage and yes it's been hard. But how could you not at least tell Jasper and have him explain it to me? Why would you think that it would be alright to just wait and spring it on me? I might have wanted to come to my father's wedding and yes I understand that I probably wouldn't have been able to travel the normal way, but you could have sent the jet for us. With no humans around it wouldn't have been so bad. Jasper could have helped keep me calm at least long enough to meet the woman who is now, or would have been, my step-mother. You took that choice away from me! I thought you loved me, but apparently your love for me pales in comparison to that of your wife. Don't get me wrong, I can understand that but surely I still meant something to you? Surely you could have found a way to include us or at least me since I'm your daughter, but you chose to not only keep me away but to hide the truth from me. I didn't realize how little I mean to you but don't worry I promise to stay out of your way and out of your lives. I wouldn't dare try to impose myself on you two."

I swung around to look at the others who were standing around gaping in shock,

"As for the rest of you, none of you is any better than Edward. Sure he betrayed all of us and almost got us killed and I admit that what you did to me didn't threaten my life or anyone else's but it destroyed me all the same. You kept quiet and helped them keep all of this from me, you didn't even tell Jasper or me when you finally saw me. No, you were too busy sniggering behind my back. I thought you cared about me, but it's clear to me now that was just wishful thinking. Charlie was my only flesh and blood relative and you went along with his idea to keep his mate and their wedding a secret from me. I don't think you can even imagine just how deeply it hurts to know that neither Jasper nor I have a real part of this family anymore. I guess Jasper never was really a part but I thought as my mate you would welcome him, stupid me, I guess that neither of us is a part after all. Family, true family, doesn't keep secrets that are this important from other family members. I'm sure that our presence right now must be causing problems, after all Jasper is a killer, and I'm a wild newborn. Don't worry though we'll be leaving just as soon as we can get the hell out of here, and I can promise that you will never have to worry about us again. We won't be coming back ever!"

Jasper

Bella fled pushing through the rest of the party and I only caught up with her as she punched the door to our suite open. Catching the door before it could hit me in the face I grabbed her arm and ignoring the fact she was fighting me I pulled her close and sent her calming emotions until she stopped struggling and clung to me instead.

"How could he do that to me, Jasper? How could they? I trusted them, I trusted my dad and he did that to me."

"I don't know darlin', but I promise you they will never hurt you again, any of them."

I continued to soothe her as she sobbed dryly and struggled to control my own anger knowing it would only make matters worse.

Hearing footsteps approaching I looked up to find Charlie standing at the door but before he could say anything I slammed it in his face then leaned against it to stop him pushing it back open.

"Who was it?"

"Your father."

"I don't want to speak to him, I don't even want to see him...or any of them, ever again."

"Then you won't Bella unless you change your mind."

"I won't."

I didn't argue with her, she was in too much pain to even imagine she would want to see any of them again. What I needed to do was to get her out of Volterra and away from everyone. Give her some peace to recover from the shock.

There was a hammering on the door,

"Bella please let me in. Let me explain."

"Go away."

"Bella this is ridiculous. I never thought you would react like this. We only kept it all a secret because we thought Jasper had enough on his hands with you going through your newborn state. You couldn't have coped with anything else and it wouldn't have been a good idea to have you in Volterra as an out of control newborn. It's hard enough to stamp our authority on our world without having problems here."

"Well, I'm so sorry I didn't see myself as a problem. I always saw myself as your daughter, but that was sheer folly I get that now. Just go away, run back to your... wife."

After a few minutes, we heard Esme's voice and then Carlisle, they had joined Charlie along with Chloe which was a really bad fucking idea. When Bella heard her voice she tried to struggle free of my grip,

"That bitch is out there and I'm gonna rip her face off, see if Charlie likes her then."

The only thing I could do to stop a bad situation getting even worse was to hit her with enough lethargy that she stopped fighting, but she looked up at me pain in her eyes,

"OK you won't let me, then just make them go away, I don't want to see anyone."

"I will if you just promise me to wait here. Please, I promise I'll make them go away."

She nodded and started to shake as dry sobs racked her body.

I lifted her up and sat her in one of the deep armchairs where she curled up like a scared little child then went to the door slipping through to stand with my back to it gazing with contempt on those who had hurt my mate so deeply.

"Don't even think about trying to get in there to see Bella, she's made herself extremely clear, she doesn't want to see anyone."

"Jasper that's my daughter in there and I have every right to speak to her if I want."

"Wrong. You had every right until you broke her heart by getting married without a word. There is only one person she trusts now...me. And I intend to respect her wishes and make very sure you do too, all of you. I'm taking Bella back as soon as we can get a flight and if I see any of you try to approach her I'm warning you I will take action to make very sure you never do it again. That goes for all of you."

"I think if I could just speak to Bella, tell her the circumstances, she would understand better."

I looked at Chloe coldly,

"You are the last person she wants to see whatever justification you think you have for keeping Bella away from her father's wedding so you'd best scurry back to whatever hole you crawled out of."

Charlie started forward and I raised an eyebrow in question, did he really want to get into it with me here outside Bella's door?

"Charlie perhaps it would be better to leave it to Jasper to calm Bella down and help her see things in a more mature light."

If Carlisle thought he was earning brownie points with his words he was sorely mistaken but I couldn't be bothered to argue with him, instead I just opened the door and left them in the corridor while I went back to Bella.