Hello again!
It's a Christmas miracle! I've been working on this chapter for the past few weeks, but after a few festive drinks I was able to smash out the rest of it and get it out to you today!
Now, just because this chapter is coming out on a holiday, don't think it's going to be happy-go-lucky. I know everyone is eager to get the rest of Bree's story and find out what Emmett discovered.
I should have done this on chapters in the past, but I'll make sure to do it on this one:
*TRIGGER WARNING*
This chapter contains themes of assault and child abuse. Please read with caution.
EPOV
I ran my hand through my hair nervously before I reached out and knocked on Bella's apartment door. My hair was in disarray after the walk from the car, though I know I'd been tugging at it for most of the drive as well. I didn't know why I was so tense.
It could have been that picking Bella up, ready to take her to hang out with her family, felt more like a date than anything we'd done. Like I was becoming more a part of her life. But I was scared of how normal it all felt.
Her brother was throwing a last-minute dinner at his house before he, Rosalie and Jasper flew to Texas to spend Thanksgiving with Mr and Mrs Hale. Emmett had wanted to get together last night, but Bella had told him it was the Friday school let out for the Thanksgiving break and she would be exhausted. So, today was the last opportunity for all of us to get together, as they were flying out tomorrow and didn't return until next week.
Emmett told Bella she should invite me. I had truly forgotten what it was like to feel like you belonged and had friends.
An odd thing happens when you've had the same best friend since you were a child, especially when you end up marrying them. You don't tend to have many external friends. Maria didn't have many either because we'd always had each other. Sure, we'd always had friends from school or work who we'd hung out with. But not many true friends; ones that you wouldn't slowly drift away from when you weren't with them every day.
Bella had extended the invitation to Alice, saying that it would be odd numbers with just me coming. Alice had been extra excited about being included. It reminded me of when Alice had been single-minded in her pursuit to not be left out of things Maria and I did as friends. There was a tone in her voice when she called me after Bella texted her, that almost sounded like relief that she wasn't being left out.
The door swung open to reveal Bella's smiling face and my heart thumped in my chest. I was sure the smile on my face and my tussled made me look deranged, but Bella was polite enough not to notice.
"Hey," she greeted. "Come in. I'm just boxing up some cookies I made this afternoon. I won't be too long."
"There's no rush," I said, closing the door behind me and following her towards the kitchen.
Bella was wearing a green turtleneck sweater and a pair of high-waisted denim jeans that made her ass look amazing. I slowed my pace a little so I could get a grip on myself and my inappropriate thoughts. It was already hard enough to shake the feeling that this evening was more than just friends hanging out and celebrating a holiday.
"I had to make an extra batch because I may or may not have tested a few," Bella laughed as she finished packing the chunky-looking chocolate chip cookies into a container. "These are Emmett's favorite and if he could, he'd eat a whole batch. So, I had to make enough, or he'll pout."
The entire apartment smelled amazing, like my favourite bakery near my condo back in Chicago. "I'd pout too. They smell fantastic."
Bella's face broke out in a sweet smile. "They're peanut butter, choc-chip," she said. Then, with a wink, she handed me the last cookie from the tray. "Don't tell Emmett I let you have one early. He'd only want to have one, too. But one would turn into two, which would turn into six."
I took the cookie gratefully. It was still warm in the centre, but the edges had begun to crisp. The large chunks of chocolate were still runny, and I could see flakes of sea salt on the top. When Bella turned back to pack everything into a waiting bag on the counter, I broke the cookie in half and ate the larger piece in one bite.
The moan that came out of me was unintentional. It was guttural, and when Bella turned around she had a surprised smile on her face. She laughed at me as my eyes rolled back in delight. The cookie was honestly that good.
"It sounds like Emmett might have some competition over these," she giggled, watching me shove the other half into my mouth with no class whatsoever.
"Oh yeah!" I nodded as I licked the last of the chocolate off my fingers. "Can I have another one?" I asked, my fingers reaching for the bag with the container in it.
"Nope," Bella tittered as she slapped my hand away. "Don't be greedy."
I continued to beg and sneak into the beg, making Bella laugh, all the way to the car. She kept dodging me or batting me away, running around to the passenger side when we reached the parking lot.
"You're cruel," I huffed dramatically, shaking my head as I unlocked the car. "You give me one taste of heaven and then deny me. And all you do is laugh in contempt at my agony!"
Bella's loud guffaw rang through the quiet parking lot. "Oh my God." She rolled her eyes as she continued to chuckle. "Stop being such a baby. You'll get another one later. You're as bad as Emmett."
She opened her door and slid inside, which I quickly followed.
"I have a greater appreciation for the suffering he endured, growing up with you," I sighed, trying to keep a straight face.
I was rewarded with Bella's sweet, bell-like laugh, ringing throughout the car and making my stomach flutter. "Will you shut up and just drive, please."
With a wink and a small salute, I sat back and started the ignition. "Yes, Ma'am. Right away, Ma'am."
Bella groaned at my ridiculous behavior, but the smile never left her face.
~oOo~
We parked on the street outside of a row of five townhouses, built with the side facing the front and a long private drive that provided access to each house's garage. There was a hedge bush that blocked you from being able to see into the first house and a few small trees, which were most likely planted when everything was built, as they only just reached over the hedge.
Bella led the way, getting out of the car and moving toward the driveway. I jogged around the car to meet her.
"So, which one is your brother's place?" I asked, blowing into my cupped hands. It had gotten a lot colder as the sun went down.
"The one at the end." Bella pointed down to the end of the row, to the house with a red door. Each of the doors were a different color.
We started to walk in that direction, and I saw a shiver run through Bella.
"You don't think Emmett would actually insist on barbequing in this weather, do you?" I sincerely hoped I'd passed whatever 'test' he'd come up with when he was trying to be intimidating. We'd gotten past that, right?
"No, I don't think so," Bella said, shaking her head. "He'd be the one out there cooking it, and he's not a masochist."
"Who's not a masochist?" The voice of my sister, coming from out of nowhere, made both Bella and I jump. Alice giggled, seeing the looks on our faces. "Sorry," she apologized.
"Geeze, Alice," I said, a little accusingly. "Where did you come from?"
"Just up there," she nodded further up the street from where I had parked. "I was just playing on my phone in my car, waiting until you arrived."
The little v Bella got between her eyes when she was processing what someone had said appeared on her face. "Why didn't you go inside and hang out with Emmett and Rose?"
Alice shrugged. "I didn't want to be a weird third wheel, hanging out with a couple."
Thankfully, I was able to stop the snort that threatened to escape me. 'Weird third wheel' was practically Alice's nickname growing up.
"They wouldn't make you feel like that," Bella reasoned. "And Jasper might be here already and would have kept you company."
"He's not," Alice said, quite definitively. When she noticed Bella's inquisitive look, she quickly added, "I mean, I've been waiting for a little while and I didn't see him arrive."
There was something in Alice's tone that made me think there was something she was not saying. Maybe she didn't feel comfortable with Bella's friends without Bella being there yet?
Bella hadn't noticed the shift in Alice. But then, she hadn't grown up with her and wasn't attuned to Alice's subtleties. "Oh well," she shrugged, continuing down the drive to the townhouse with the red door. "I'm sure Emmett and Rose wouldn't have made you feel awkward if you had gone in, though. They really like you."
When we reached the door, instead of knocking, Bella fished a set of keys out of her bag and unlocked it. Alice and I shot each other a look before we followed her inside, into a small, tiled entryway with a set of stairs leading up to where warm light was shining.
"Hey!" Bella called up to the floor above. "We're here." She began to remove her coat, hanging it on a hook attached to the wall.
A figure appeared at the top of the stairs, momentarily obscuring the light. Even though I couldn't see the face of the person, by the shape and size, I knew it was Emmett.
"Hi, everyone," Emmett greeted politely. "Welcome. Come in."
Bella looked up at her brother with a furrowed brow, as if she trying to figure something out. She seemed to shrug it off though and climbed the stairs to where Emmett was standing.
"Hey, Em," she said, giving him a one-armed hug, as she was still carrying the container of cookies.
"Hey, Sis," Emmett replied, his voice much quieter. His large arms enveloped Bella, one hand patting her on the back.
He released her when he saw me coming up the stairs behind her, Alice behind me, and stuck his hand out to shake. "How you doing, Edward?" Emmett asked.
His grip was firm, but thankfully not the vice-like hold he'd taken when we'd first met. "I'm good, man. And you?"
"I'm fine," he said simply, then nodded to my sister. "Hey, Alice."
"Hi, Emmett," Alice waved, standing a step below.
We all came to the top of the stairs and into a large, open-plan living and kitchen space. A good-sized dining table was in front of us as we came into the room, while a large grey sofa took up the majority of the living area to the left. The kitchen, with white cupboards and sleek, silver appliances, was to the right, where Rose was just setting down a pitcher of what looked to be iced tea on the counter.
"Hey, Be," Rose said sweetly, coming forward to envelop Bella in a hug.
Bella pulled back and looked between her brother and sister-in-law. "Okay, what's going on with you two?" she asked as she placed her free hand on her hip. "You're both acting weird."
Emmett stiffened and Rose frowned.
"No, we're not," Rose huffed, mirroring Bella and crossing her arms over her swollen belly.
"Yes, you are," Bella insisted. "Em's being formal, which he never is, and you're being sweet. You're not sweet, Rose. You're fierce and loyal, but when you're too pleasant, it's a bit of a red flag."
Rose raised an eyebrow. "Well, that was unexpectedly hurtful," she said pointedly.
Bella softened, her arm dropping back down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just, you guys don't seem to be acting like yourselves. So, either you've just had a massive fight and are trying to hide it, or you're being weird because of me." she paused, looking between Emmett and Rose, who were both looking exceedingly more guilty. "Please tell me there's not something to worry about."
The couple looked at each other for a moment, while Bella watched them intently and Alice and I shared a glance, as if questioning what either of us should do.
Finally, Emmett turned back to his sister, his shoulder square. "I have some news. I wanted to wait until I had all the facts before I shared anything with you, but it can't wait much longer," he said, cryptically.
"Okay," Bella drew out, hesitantly. Her body language had shifted once again, and now she looked uneasy.
Emmett stepped towards his sister, then guided her over toward the U-shaped sofa. He took the container of cookies, placed them on the coffee table and sat, pulling Bella down beside him into one of the corners.
We all followed. I took a seat on Bella's other side, while Rose sat next to Emmett and Alice perched across from us, on the opposite side of the U.
With a deep breath, Emmett looked Bella in the eye. "I found out what happened to your birth mom."
For a moment, the only noise that broke the stunned silence was Bella's shuddering breaths. Then Alice's phone dinged and it was like an electric shock. Alice quickly checked her phone, switched it to silent, and then put it away in her handbag.
"You found her?" Bella breathed; her voice unsteady. "How?"
Emmett nodded. "It took a few days to piece it all together, but I started at Tacoma General Hospital."
The front door opening downstairs interrupted what Emmett was saying. Jasper's jovial voice felt incompatible with the tension in the room.
"Hey hey! I'm here," he called as he came up the stairs. When he finally strolled into the room and saw all our faces, he frowned. "Why do I get the feeling I just walked in on something?"
It didn't take long to get Jasper caught up. He looked anxiously at Bella as if wanting to sit next to his friend and comfort her. But I was the one already doing that, so he took a seat beside Alice.
Bella took a shaky breath and looked determinedly at her brother. "What did you find out?"
"Well, there's a lot," Emmett hesitated. "How do you want me to lay it out? In the order I found out, or chronological for Bree?"
Rose pushed his shoulder. "Christ Almighty, Emmett," she said in exasperation. "Stop trying to be Columbo or something and just spit it out."
Emmett shot an apologetic look to his wife before he turned back to Bella. "At the hospital, I found your mother's full name - Bree Tanner. The nurse who helped her with the adoption was named Carol Cope. She still works there, and I talked to her."
I watched Bella as Emmett delivered his news. Her eyes had begun to glisten when he said her mother's name and they danced over his face, as if trying to decipher what Emmett already knew, but was yet to reveal.
I wanted to take one of Bella's hands to comfort her, but she had wrapped them around her waist as if to stop herself from falling apart. It was a move I'd seen her do in our group sessions a couple times, though she'd always been successful at keeping herself together when in public. Now, in relative private, I wanted to be the one to hold her pieces together.
"She told me everything she remembered about Bree and what happened. Then I took all that and found her in police records," Emmett continued. However, he seemed to hesitate another moment before he went on. "Bree's family was originally from California. Her father, Donald, died when she was nine, leaving her mother, Erica, to fend for Bree and her little sister, Jenny, by herself. A year after Donald's passing, Erica met and married Kyle Rusher, and the family's life quickly changed.
"Kyle was a Christian Scientist and introduced Erica to the religion. Not long into their marriage, they made a move to a 'community' in southern Idaho, which turned out to be little more than a cult."
"A cult?" Bella asked weakly, echoing what I'm sure was the question on all our minds. "What kinds of cult?"
Emmett shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I had to look up Cristian Science to really understand it, but they seemed to believe that your belief in God and adherence to that belief would make you impervious to any sickness or bodily ailment, including mortality. There's a lot more to the cult, but that's one of the big pillars. Another was their practice of polygamy…" Emmett paused again, finding the next part hard to say. "Often with very young women."
Rose let out an uncharacteristic whimper. "Oh, Lord."
"She was married to a man with a pack of other wives?" Bella asked, her voice stronger. "She was only a child!"
"Is that why she ran away?" Alice chimed in.
Emmett shook his head. "It wasn't quite like that," he stipulated. "I wasn't able to find out when it started, but… another member of the church, named Aaron Vulto, began abusing Bree."
Tears dropped from Bella's eyes at hearing that. I could only imagine the grief anyone must feel when they discover the way they came into the world was filled with so much torment. I wanted to pull Bella into my arms and tell her that she was an amazing and beautiful person, and none of this would change that.
"When she was fifteen, she discovered she was pregnant. She hid it for a long time but made the mistake of telling her mother. Erica told Kyle, and he went straight to the monster that had done it to her and arranged for their marriage to take place as soon as Bree had given birth. Her stepfather and mother then kept her locked in the house, so no one would find out she'd been pregnant before she was married.
"But eventually Bree found a way to escape. She took some money and a few items of her parents to sell and ran away when they went to church one day. She got on multiple different buses, finally finding herself in Oregon. It was there that she came up with the idea to go to Seattle to put her baby up for adoption and then continue up to Canada. We know for a fact she didn't make it all the way to Seattle before she gave birth."
"That's when Charlie picked her up," Jasper surmised.
Emmett nodded in response, but never took his eyes off Bella. He sat, hunched forward, hands clasped between his legs.
"She genuinely didn't know she was having twins. When the doctors told her, she freaked out so badly that she had to be sedated," Emmett said sadly. "Nurse Cope was the only person Bree opened up to. She told Carol the plan she had made to put her baby up for adoption and a little bit about her family. She was frightened of the repercussions she would suffer if her family ever found out she'd had twins. The cult apparently had strong convictions of the power of bloodlines, and twins were somehow significant to them.
"It was Carol that suggested adopting you both to different families, but it was Bree that decided to give you to Dad. They did it the way they did, with all the secrets, partly because of Bree's paranoia, but also because she was determined to give you to Dad, by any means necessary."
My brow furrowed. "Why was she so paranoid? She'd escaped them and they had no idea where she was," I asked.
"Bree felt that her family would stop at nothing to find her or her children," Emmett explained. "She wanted to make sure that it was as hard to find them as possible, not because she wanted to keep Bella and Maria apart. She wanted to keep the cult her family belonged to away from them. For Maria, they followed the original plan. They contacted the adoption agency, pretended like it was a regular birth and there was the promised child."
That fit in with what the Di Nali's had experienced. For them, the mother who chose them had simply not been able to make it to Seattle to give birth. When Eleazar contacted Guardian Angel Adoptions, they'd been just as clueless about there being another child as we all were.
"For you," Emmett turned back to Bella. "Nurse Cope made a duplicate of Bree's file but put Renee's name on it."
"Renee?" Bella interrupted, incredibly confused.
"Yeah," Emmett nodded. "She did it so a twin birth wouldn't be as noticeable. It also meant that she could generate a false birth certificate without it being flagged. As far as anyone looking into it would see, there was the same number of babies born as there were women admitted that night."
"Okay," Bella said in understanding. "So, do you know where she went, before Dad or the Di Nali's got to the hospital?" she asked with much more curiosity.
"She, um, she hadn't actually left the hospital." At hearing that Bella shot him a probing look. "Bree was there for another two days. After that, well, she actually went home with Nurse Cope."
"Wait, what?" Bella interjected.
"Bree had wanted to leave for Canada straight away, but Nurse Cope convinced her to go back to her house because she was still recovering from giving birth. Bree went but didn't stay for long, as she was convinced her family would eventually find her. Carol wanted her to stay longer, but Bree was adamant, threatening to run away again. Carol got her warm clothes, some food, and a little money, then bought herself a bus ticket to Vancouver. The last time Carol saw Bree was when she got on the Greyhound."
"So, that's it?" Rose questioned. "We don't know what happened to her after that?"
Emmett turned to his wife, shaking his head. "That's what Carol remembered. When I did a search back at the station, I was able to find out more."
"Did you find her in Canada?" asked Jasper.
I could tell that underneath his questions was another one we were all desperate to know - had he found where Bree was now?
Emmett looked around at all of us, caution in his eyes. "She never made it to Vancouver," he said in a low voice, struggling to find the right words. "She was stopped at the border by authorities when they saw her ID matched an AMBER alert put out by the sheriff in Idaho when her family reported her as missing. She was detained there by social services until her family came and got her."
Bella's quiet gasp and Jasper swearing under his breath didn't stop Emmett now. He obviously wanted to get everything out. Not sharing all this with Bella must have been eating away at him.
"Her trail drops off then, but they must have taken her back to Idaho because the next information I could find that mentioned her was the arrest report for her mother and stepfather, Aaron Vulto, a man named Mark Dodds, as well as a few other members of the cult. The files describe the conditions at the compound they were living in and the many cases of abuse that authorities had been watching them over.
"They'd been on the radar of the FBI for a while for 'harbouring' missing people from various states. But when they talked to the people, they told the FBI they were there by choice. There wasn't sufficient evidence of the group taking or keeping those people against their will, so they ran into a dead-end with their investigation. The group had also been flagged for suspicions of child abuse after three children died from preventable medical issues; one was from an asthma attack. But they maintained modern medicines were against their religious beliefs, so there wasn't much that could be done under the constitution."
Bella was biting her lip so hard, it looked like she would break the skin. I doubted she ever assumed her birth mother's life would be sunshine and butterflies. A person doesn't make the choices Bree did without having a good reason. But I could tell this was as far from what Bella had expected or assumed, and hearing it was breaking her heart.
I reached over and unwound one of Bella's arms from around her waist, taking her hand gently in mine. I rubbed my thumb over the back of it, trying to comfort her, to show her she wasn't alone. Bella looked at me with watery eyes, her expression grief-stricken for a woman she couldn't remember.
"It wasn't until a body was found that authorities were able to finally charge them," said Emmett, cautiously. "It was unearthed by a storm that flooded a local river and was washed downstream. While they couldn't identify it originally, DNA testing came back as a match for Bree."
A choked sob escaped from Bella, though she quickly covered her mouth to muffle her cries. Tears streamed down her face, over her hand, and dripped onto where my hand clasped her other one.
Emmett looked tormented as he watched Bella, wringing the back of his neck as if he could take some of the hurt from his sister by inflicting pain on himself.
"Finding her allowed the FBI to shut the compound down," he said gently, as if it was any compensation for what Bella had lost. "They put the leaders of the cult in prison, and most are either still there today, or they died there. She got some justice."
"Justice?" Bella responded, her voice scathing. "They murdered her, and you call that justice?"
"Bella," Rose said in a mediating tone. "Some people don't get any form of justice for what was done to them. The people who hurt her, or that allowed her to be hurt, got what they deserved eventually."
Rose's comment seemed to mellow Bella's anger, the tension in her shoulders releasing a small amount.
"I know. I'm sorry," Bella sighed in resignation. "It's just, why did she have to die before the police, or the FBI could do anything? It was all pointless."
"It wasn't pointless," Emmett assured her. "There were more people in that cult that were all in danger from those leaders. Children who'd had no choice but to suffer for their parent's whack-job beliefs."
Another tear slid down Bella's cheek. I could see the things she wanted to scream in her eyes. How unfair it was; how horrific the story of Bree's life was; how mad she was she would never get to meet her birth mother. The grief and heartbreak were bearing down on her. For someone who had already lost so much, I had to wonder when Bella would break under all of it.
Wiping at the tracks of tears, Bella turned her shining eyes back to her brother. "What did they do to her?" she asked in a trembling voice.
Emmett looked unsure. "Bells, I don't think it would be a good idea to…"
"Just tell me," she interrupted more forcefully. "Please."
Her brother nodded his head, taking a deep breath to steel himself. "What they could tell from the autopsy was that she… she had been beaten at some point. They think she died at least two years before, so a lot of evidence was lost, but they determined the cause of death was probably a broken neck." Emmett watched Bella intently as he revealed the truth. "The story that her mother and stepfather told the sheriff didn't match, saying that Bree had suffered from a seizure of some kind and had died before anyone could try to help her. It was enough to catch them in a lie and get a warrant to search the compound. Let's just say, Bree's wasn't the body the FBI found there."
We all sat in quiet shock, digesting the huge news. I don't think any of us expected that was what would be unearthed when the truth came to light. It was like we had tugged on a thread and unravelled the whole sweater.
I couldn't envision how Maria would have felt about all of this. She probably would have been the one to go with Emmett and lead the investigation. She was very pragmatic and would have dealt with each of these bombshells with the clear rationale of a lawyer.
But I knew, under a thin veneer of calm, Maria would have been beside herself. She had tried to find her birth mother before our wedding, feeling like a part of her would be absent on such a momentous day in her life. Now, I was thankful she didn't find out. I could only imagine how news like that would have spoilt what was supposed to be a happy occasion.
Maria would never have the answers she wanted, but she was also spared the pain of knowing the truth.
"What happened to all the others?" asked Alice, her voice the first sound in nearly five minutes.
"All the other bodies?" Emmett asked, exceedingly perplexed. Even Jasper looked at her like he was worried.
Alice shook her head. "No. What happened to all the other people from the cult compound when the FBI shut it down?"
"Many of them were charged with child abuse or endangerment, some seem to have settled in the nearby towns, and others went back to where they came from. Quite a few of the children were placed in foster families around Idaho."
"How awful," Alice said sadly. Jasper reached behind her and embraced her, rubbing her shoulder in comfort.
Emmett shifted back to face Bella. "One of the children that were placed into a foster home was Jenny, your aunt." He pulled out his phone and handed it to Bella. I looked over her shoulder to see what looked like a photo of a driver's license for a woman named Jenny Lloyd. "She was eventually adopted by her foster parents, the Martins, who lived in nearby Grand View. She married Trevor Lloyd in 1998, but has been alone since he died in 2013."
Bella sniffled as she stared at the photo. "This is my aunt?"
I could see the family resemblance between Bella, Maria, and Jenny Lloyd. Their faces were all heart-shaped and their hair brown, though Jenny's was a lighter shade, and her eyes were blue. Their noses had a similar shape, and Jenny may have had lips like Bella's when she was young, but now in her late forties, they were much thinner.
It made me more curious about how much Bella and Maria look like Bree.
"Yes," answered Emmett. "I thought, I don't know, maybe you'd want to reach out, ask her some questions about your mom."
Bella stared at him a little blankly, like she had reached a limit for information and had stalled. I could see her body trembling, as if she were chilled to her core. She was barely holding it together.
"Bella?" I asked gently. "Are you okay?"
When she didn't answer, I shot a concerned look at Emmett and Rose. I had seen Bella during a range of different difficult conversations, but I'd never witnessed this catatonia.
"Bella, sweetie?" Rose reached out and lightly patted Bella's knee. Once again, Bella didn't respond and Rose looked at her with concern. "How about we go upstairs and have a lie down together?"
Without waiting for Bella to respond, Rose gestured for me to take one of her arms. "Edward, do you mind helping me take her upstairs?"
"Of course," I said quickly, jumping up and turning to coax Bella from her seat. Rose stepped over Emmett's legs, who then got up to follow us as we led Bella upstairs.
Once on the next floor, I followed Rose down a hall to the large bedroom at the end. The room was decorated in neutral tones, with white furniture and pops of blue. A large, king-sized bed took up a good portion of the space, looking enticing with the excessive pillows piled on top.
Bella instantly curled into the fetal position, once she was on the bed. She turned away from us, hugging one of the throw cushions to her chest. Rose mimed toward the door, so we all made our way quietly from the room and she pulled the door closed gently.
"I think it might be best if she spends the night here," Rose practically whispered. "I really don't want her to be alone at her apartment tonight."
"Oh. Yeah, okay," I mumbled, running my hand through my hair. I knew it was for the best that she be around family right now, but I hated the idea of leaving her when all I wanted to do was crawl onto that bed beside her and wrap her in my arms.
"We can drop her home on our way to the airport tomorrow morning," added Emmett. "Then Dad, Sue, and Seth will be staying here tomorrow night, before they fly out Monday morning, and they'll look in on her. I need you to make sure she's doing okay on Thanksgiving. You need to look after her, man." He clapped me on the back.
"I will," I assured him. "I promise."
Rose headed back into the darkened bedroom, softly closing the door and shutting off all access to Bella. I followed Emmett downstairs, where Alice and Jasper were chatting in low voices. They looked up when they saw us descending the stairs.
"Sorry for ruining the night, guys," Emmett grumbled tiredly, flopping himself down on the sofa. "I kind of blew everything up by dropping that bomb. We didn't even do anything for dinner,"he pouted, rubbing his stomach.
"There are still the cookies Bella made," I pointed out, indicating to the container abandoned on the coffee table.
"Sweet!" he cheered, as he leaned over and snatched up the container. It seemed Emmett had finished his first cookie before he'd even gotten the lid off. "Mmmm," he hummed, shoving another one in his mouth.
Alice cleared her throat, drawing my attention from the obscene display of Emmett devouring cookies like the Cookie Monster. "We were actually just talking about dinner, Edward. I don't know how you feel about it, but Jasper suggested we could go out and grab something." She turned an apologetic look to Emmett. "Sorry, we didn't think you would want to come after everything."
"It's all good," he waved her off, plucking another cookie from the container.
I didn't feel particularly hungry, my stomach churning and hollow for completely different reasons. The idea of being a sullen third wheel at whatever restaurant Alice and Jasper chose was also highly unappealing.
"You two do whatever you like. I'm not hungry," I said, trying not to sound too tense. "I might just go home and try and get some sleep."
"If you're sure," Alice said, her voice concerned, though I could tell she wasn't entirely disappointed by my decision.
I explained to her that I needed time alone to process everything we'd found out tonight. It had been a difficult night. Between the shocking revelations and holding myself back from comforting Bella, I was completely drained.
Before long, I made my goodbyes to Emmett, shaking his hand in a manner that was much more friendly and familiar than it had been last time. He restated that he and Rose would look after Bella and then thanked me for being there for his sister. I shrugged off his thanks and reassured him that I would look after Bella on Thanksgiving. A part of my brain was already planning ways to distract her when she came to my parent's house.
In a growing state of numbness, I made my way down the stairs and out into the crisp November night. The cool air washed over me like a baptism, clearing away the jumbled torment that had flooded my mind.
I tugged viciously on my hair as I made my way back down the driveway. The night had ended in a very different way than it started. For a brief moment, hope and happiness outweighed all the other hardships we were facing. Then in one fell swoop, we were once again thrown into turmoil.
Well, there you go! The truth is revealed. We now know what happened to Bree and all the mysteries have been solved. Or have they...
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And don't worry; there's still more to come! The story isn't over yet :)
Until next time, Lovelies!!