Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Epov
I watched Dad as he prolonged the dinner party with more conversation and wine as I waited for a moment to speak with him.
He knew it too.
I could see it with the nervous look on his otherwise perfectly pleased face.
"Edward, I mean it, I'm not upset," Angela whispered to me, feeling the tension that was radiating off my body as she sat next to me.
I glanced at her and shook my head.
Part of me was flabbergasted by her naivety over the situation and the other part couldn't blame her as I had never spoken of Bella, Mara or of my marriage. Everything she had been told came from one source,
Carlisle Cullen.
His version of the event would not match mine so it was fair for not to understand it.
"That's good," I whispered back, trying to take the bite from my tone as she flushed red once more.
I waited with little patience as the Webbers finally were calling it a night.
I plastered a fake grin on my face as they hugged me.
I smiled as I pulled Angela close in a watched display of affection.
"Get a ride home with your parents," I whispered in her ear in what appeared to words of love and she did not miss a beat by flinching at the coolness of my words. Instead, she pressed a soft kiss against my lips and nodded like the skilled actress I had discovered her to be.
"See you at home," I lied as I called after her as she grabbed her things and slid out the door with her mom and dad.
I waited until the car was gone and Esme nervously left without another word to turn to my father.
"What did you tell her?" I asked in a soft whisper that hinted at the rage simmering beneath the calm exterior I was displaying.
"Someone needed to tell Angela. Lord knows you wouldn't have had the stones to do so and you know what? You should just be happy that she…." He began with a bored sigh as he turned away from me as if my question was too tedious to truly answer.
"I'm not talking about Angela," I corrected him.
I watched as Carlisle stopped mid step and turned to face me with an amused smirk.
"Of course," he chuckled darkly as we faced each other.
"Bella," he said with a shake of his head. "It's always about her."
"What the hell did she do that even now she has this type of a hold on you?"
"What did you say to her?" I repeated, ignoring his question.
"You have a good woman who is willing to overlook your past…"
"Answer the question, Dad," I demanded as he continued to ramble on about the virtues of my fiancé in comparison to the so-called failures of my past.
"Did you give her money?" I asked him, finally earning his silence as a response.
I watched a slow smile spread across his face as he looked at me.
"I gave her $20,000," he said in a low, pleased tone.
"It was my low offer, but she took it so what does that say about her?" He laughed and then continued on about how cheap it was to buy her off while I struggled to breathe.
"She wouldn't have…" I began breathlessly causing him to stop mind sentence.
"Oh, but she did and then off the Florida she went," he chuckled as he shook his head at whatever memory had invaded his thoughts concerning Bella.
"You know, I never faulted you for being with her. She was and continues to be absolutely stunning," he said in a low murmur that hinted a sleaziness that turned my stomach and caused my vision to go red as we faced each other,
Dad had no time to react before my fist connected with nose with a satisfying crunch. Blood sprayed against the wall as he howled in pain. It was enough to being Esme running into the room.
"Don't ever speak of her again," I managed to say as I swallowed back the bile that burned at the back of my throat as I stood over his crumpled form on the floor as Esme knelt to help him.
"I've tried to do that," he laughed loud as he held a towel to his bleeding nose as I remained silent. My hand throbbed and I couldn't seem to catch my breath as I loomed over the stop of him.
"It's you, Edward, who refused to let go of the past."
AN:
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