Here's chapter 8. Enjoy :)

Bella's POV

When I woke up the next morning my body was stiff and hurt like hell. I was still so tired after not being able to get hardly any sleep last night because every time I closed my eyes I would have flashbacks of the many beatings my father give me over the years. Every slap, every punch came bubbling to the surface of my mind.

I also couldn't stop thinking about Edward. I felt a strong connection with him. When he's in the room I feel completely safe and relaxed and when he touched me sparks went through my body like electricity.

I only met him yesterday but I already feel myself falling in love with him and I tried not to knowing he would never want someone as ugly as I am when he is so handsome.

Nobody will ever love me like that as Im frequently told by Charlie whilst he is beating me. At first I didn't believe what he was saying but I was suppose after so many years of being told your ugly and worthless you start believing it.

I just don't understand why everyone hates me so much. What did I do that was so bad to deserve this?

A knock on the door of my hospital room bought me out of my thoughts. I sat up in the bed when Carlisle walks in and gives me a small smile which I return. Edward and Alice were very lucky having him as their dad.

He was such a kind and caring man and his bedside manner was perfect. He made you feel comfortable and relaxed in his presence. I wished I had a father like him. I would do anything to have my old father back, the one that wasn't always so angry and drinking all the time.

'Good morning Bella, how are you feeling this morning?' He asked me.

'A little sore and stiff but i'm feeling much better' I said smiling slightly at him. He nodded his head and got some painkillers out of a medicine cabinet by the door of the room and handed me a glass of water to take them with.

'There they should kick in soon. You should be able to go home this afternoon if you're feeling up to it' He said and I cringed at the thought of what was going to happen when I got home knowing how angry Charlie was going to be.

'Thank you' I said to him.

'Your welcome Bella and you are always welcome at our home Bella if you need anything at all just let us know' Carlisle said to me. My heart warmed at his words. For so many years nobody has cared whether I was alive or dead and now they actually cared about me.

'I will and thank you for looking after me yesterday' I said whilst smiling.

'You don't need to thank me Bella. I was just doing my job. Your father phoned and he will be here to pick you up this afternoon but for now you get some rest so your injuries can heal' Carlisle said and give me a small smile and left the room. I decided to take his advice and get some rest knowing that I would need my energy to be able to cope with Charlie tonight. I couldn't wait till I was eighteen and could finally get away from him. I turned over and feel into a dreamless sleep.

I woke up a few hours later when there was a knock on my door and Alice and Edward came walking in. As soon as my eyes rested on Edward I felt happiness sweep through my body. He smiled at me and came and sat on the right side of my bed whilst Alice sat on the other side.

'Hi Bella. How are you feeling?' Alice said in her chirpy voice.

'Hey guys. I'm feeling much better thank you' I said smiling at them both.

'That's great' Alice said.

'Yeah Carlisle said I could leave this afternoon' I said. They frowned when I told them this. I don't understand why though. I thought they might be happy that I was getting out of this place.

'Are you sure your well enough to leave the hospital?' Edward asked me looking deep into my eyes. I felt like his question had a hidden meaning behind it. It made me think that they might know something was up at home.

'Yeah why wouldn't I be?' I asked him.

'Well you were severely attacked and your injuries are bad. I just thought maybe you could do with at least a few more days to heal before leaving' Edward explained.

'Edward I'm fine. Your dad even said I was fine to go home' I said looking at him confused. Why did he care so much?

'I suppose but you have to make sure you get plenty of rest ok' Edward said. Yeah like I would get much rest with Charlie. He doesn't give a shit that im injured, he will have me cleaning and cooking for him the minute I get home.

'I will' I lied.

'Do you have a mobile phone Bella?' Alice asked me.

'Yes it's in my school bag. Why?' I asked. She got up from the bed and grabbed my school bag and opened it and grabbed my phone out. I remember buying it a few years ago not that I use it much. It was only one of those really cheap ones. You couldn't even use the internet on it but it was better than nothing. I always kept it hidden from Charlie and kept it on me incase of an emergency.

'Here, I've put all of my families numbers in this phone. You can call us or text us whenever you need to, we will always be here to talk' Alice said handing me my phone back. I smiled brightly at her. The thought of finally have a friend made my heart swell.

'Thank you so much Alice' I said smiling.

'Your very welcome' she said.

'What time is it?' I asked them.

'It's 2pm' Edward answered smiling kindly at me.

'Do you know when my father is coming?' I asked.

'Carlisle said he would be here about 3pm' Alice said and I nodded. I had an hour left before he would come to pick me up and ruin this day. I had a sudden urge to tell them everything about Charlie but something inside me stopped me from doing it. I knew that I should be wanting to do everything I can to get away from him but something inside me believes that my dad is still in there somewhere and I wished he would come back to me. It was harder enough losing one parent but two was the worst feeling ever. The day my mother passed away was the day my whole world collapsed beneath me and I lost everyone.

I don't know why I keep going. What did I have left to fight for? everyday was just nothing but pain. sometimes I just wanted to give up but I suppose there was always a voice in my head telling me to be strong and keep going. I had to believe that life would get better and I would get through this.

I wanted to someday go to university and become a nurse like I have always wanted to be ever since my mother became ill and all the nurses were so kind and caring towards her. I wanted to someday get married maybe even have kids. I was going to do everything I could to survive this and get a better life for myself. I wanted to make my mother proud of me. I knew she would want me to keep fighting no matter what.

God I missed her so much. I wish more than anything in the world that she could be here right now and could tell me everything was going to be okay. She was always there for me, she was more like my best friend and I missed her more every single day.

I was snapped from my thoughts when I felt a cold finger wipe away a tear that had fallen. 'Are you okay Bella?' Edward asked me with concern in his voice.

'Yeah don't worry im fine. I was just thinking about my mum. I miss her so much' I said with tears falling down my face again. I felt totally embarrassed crying in front of them well especially Edward.

'Aww Bella' Alice said pulling me gently into her arms and hugging me. I hugged her back tightly, my ribs screaming the whole time. She slowly released me and Edward handed me a tissue. I thanked him and he give me a small smile.

'I'm sorry. I don't know what is wrong with me, I can't stop crying' I said whilst blushing in embarrassment.

'There's no need to apologise. believe me if I had been through what you had, I would be crying all the time' Alice said. I nodded at her. We sat and talked for a little while until it was nearly time for my dad to come pick me up. I needed to get changed before he came so that he didn't have to wait for me to get ready. I wanted to do everything I could to ensure that he didn't have any further reason to hurt me more than he was already planning on doing.

'Here I've brought you some clean clothes, there brand new in your size. I figured you would need something nice and comfortable to wear and clean' Alice said handing me a plastic bag.

'Thank you Alice' I said to her, truly thankful to her for bringing me the clothes. My old ones were covered in dirt and my blood. I slowly got out of the bed and placed my feet on the floor. My legs felt very stiff and sore but I managed to be able to stand without falling over. Edward left the room and Alice helped me get changed into the clothes as I couldn't hardly move without some part of my body hurting.

Once I was dressed, Edward and Carlisle came in the room. He did a quick check over and told me I was free to go but to call if I needed anything. I thanked him for everything and he left the room. I got to my feet and picked my belongings up and walked slowly to the waiting room with the help of Alice and Edward to wait for Charlie to pick me up. Dread filled my body at the thought of what was about to happen. My hands started to shake from the nerves.

'Are you okay Bella?' Edward asked kneeling in front of me.

'I'm fine Edward' I said whilst scanning the room for Charlie. I knew if he saw I was getting closed to the Cullen family he would force me to stay away from them and I don't want that to happen.

I loved Edward... I loved him and didn't care if he didn't love me back and I knew I couldn't ever be with him even if he did like me back. Charlie would kill him for even speaking to me and that was what stopping me from telling them about what he was doing. I didn't want them to get hurt because of me.

'Bella you know you can tell me anything you know. I want to help you' Edward said which made my eyes snap to his in shock. Did he know something was going on?

'I know' I said to him.

'Is someone hurting you Bella?' He asked. Truth or lie?

Will she tell him the truth?

Thanks for reading xx