35

Bella pulled her lips away from Alice's, leaning her forehead against hers as her tears fell down her face. The moment she felt her arms around her everything inside her felt better, normal, perfect.

"I love you," she whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, but if you ever do something stupid like this again, I'll . . . I'll spank you."

Bella laughed. "Promises, promises."

"I'm serious," she whined. "Beautiful, you can't do anything that would take you away from me. I . . . I need you too fucking much."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry, Alice. I need you too. I do, I just . . . I'm so sorry."

"Yes, yes, you both need each other," Carlisle said, rolling his eyes as he opened the back door to his SUV. "Can we please get the fuck out of here?"

Alice laughed, turned, and climbed into the car, while Bella reached over and placed her hand in the middle of his chest. His eyes closed, and he leaned forward, kissing her forehead before whispering, "I know, sweetheart. We can talk about it later."

Bella wasn't sure what to say, so she climbed into the SUV next to Alice, who immediately had her in her arms. Carlisle climbed into the passenger seat while Emmett drove. Bella couldn't stop herself from looking back at the county lock up, thinking about her mother still locked inside that room. She was the product of rape. It was no wonder her mother had never really loved her.

When they pulled into the driveway, Bella groaned when she saw the members of the press being barricaded across the street. Of course they would be there. Where else would they want to be? Emmett and Carlisle climbed out of the car first before opening the back door for her and Alice, keeping the two protected as much as they could as they were ushered into the house. She could hear their excitement as they spotted her, the click of their cameras.

Bella, however, stopped in her tracks when she found Sam and Mike sitting in the living room with Garrett, Kate, Peter, Marcus, Rose, and Esme. Edward and Jasper were sitting on the stairs, and all of them stood and turned to her as they walked in. Only Garrett, Kate, Rose, Esme, Edward, and Jasper appeared pleased to see her, though. The relief on their faces told her just how worried they had been for her. How much they truly, honestly cared about her.

But like all things in her life lately, Sam and Mike were the reminder of just how fucked up things had become, and it had nothing to do with confessing to murders she hadn't committed, either. No, they made the decision to believe a rapist over her, and she would forgive them for that.

"What's going on?" she asked, shifting her eyes between each of them.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Peter suggested, gesturing to the couch he and Marcus had just been sitting on.

"Maybe I don't want to sit," she challenged, folding her arms in front of her. "What's going on?"

Sam and Mike shared a look before they walked around the couches toward Bella, who automatically moved away from them.

"We're not going to hurt you, Bella," Sam said, putting his hands up. "We, um, we wanted to apologize, actually."

"Apologize?" she asked, looking between them. "Why?"

"Because we were wrong," Mike admitted. "We, um, know what he did to you. What he was going to do to you, and, um, we're sorry."

"You're sorry?" she asked, and they frowned and nodded. "Too bad you weren't sorry before he kidnapped me, before he put his hands on me, before he . . ." She shook her head, her eyes flickering to Peter and Marcus. "Why do you suddenly believe me?"

Sam and Mike shook their heads before Mike shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, and said, "Because we know who really killed them."

Though she tried to stop herself, her eyes flickered to Carlisle for just a split second.

"It wasn't me," Carlisle insisted, reaching for her. He tugged her into his arms, his lips pressing down on the top of her head, like a real, normal father would hold their daughter. "Sweetheart, I didn't kill them. When we left, they were still alive."

"But I heard the gunshots," she mumbled.

"I shot at the wall, and then proceeded to beat the fuck out of both of them, reminding them again they don't put their hands on you, but when we left, they were still alive."

"Then who killed them?" she asked, shifting her attention from Sam and Mike to Peter and Marcus. "Who did it?"

"Emily Young."

Bella frowned. "Who the fuck is Emily Young?"

Peter and Marcus shared a look before Marcus said, "She's your sister."

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