The light of the moon bleed through the windows of the bedroom, everything was quiet. The only sounds were from the television and the steady breathing of Edward, lying beneath me. I relaxed against him, feeling completely at peace. Absent-mindedly, I ran my fingers along the bare skin of his chest. His eyes were closed, but I knew he hadn't fallen asleep. His hands rested on my back, giving me long, slow strokes. We didn't speak, just enjoyed this rare moment of quality time.
"How do you feel about seeing Jasper tonight?" I didn't move to see his reaction. But I could feel his body tense slightly. There was a flicker of anger I felt within him.
"I'd rather go my entire life, not seeing that asshole again. But this is… necessary." His reply was simple. He didn't hide his distaste.
"You're so mad at Jasper. It seems like you are more upset with him… than Tanya. Is that true?" It was something I've been wondering about for a long time. I knew that I would probably regret hearing his answer. But I had to know. I wanted to understand him. Even if it may hurt me in the end.
Edward sighed, one long exhale. "I grew up with Jasper. He was the first friend I've ever had. I trusted him more than anyone I've ever met. Even more than Emmett. More than my own mother. I depended on that honesty. I valued our friendship above anything else. So his betrayal… it felt like the world disappeared under my feet. My world felt like it was ending. If I couldn't trust Jasper, there was no one I could trust fully, ever. That's what I thought, initially."
"That must have been an awful thing to go through. I wish I could have been there to help you through that."
His hands lightly slid up my back further, playing with my hair. His lips moved to mine tenderly. "I wish I had met you before meeting Tanya. None of this would have happened."
"I understand that Jasper had lied and went behind your back, but Tanya did as well. Surely, you should be just as angry with her…"
I felt Edward shrugging his shoulders. "I only knew Tanya for a year. I was still in the process of building some level of trust with her. I already had low expectations. So, to find out she had cheated on me… I wasn't nearly as surprised as I was to learn who it was with."
I suppose that made sense. I guess it wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought. The way Edward was talking, he had a much deeper connection with Jasper than his own wife. But that begged the question, if he felt so little for Tanya, why did he choose to marry her?
"Well, if it wasn't for the trust you had in Tanya, what was it that made you marry her?" I asked quietly. Again, this felt like a scenario, that no matter what Edward said, I would be hurt by the answer. Either way, I needed to know.
He winced as he briefly hesitated. "Do you really want to know? I'm not particularly proud of this…"
I now opened my eyes to look at him. "Yes, I'd like to know."
"Tanya was meant to be… an outlet. At the time, I was going through huge reaping lists. I took on as much work as I could. It was stressful. And there are very few ways for a reaper to relieve stress. Sex is one of those things," He again paused, reading my expression with sheepishness. I kept myself calm on the outside. But it felt like my heart was getting ripped out of my chest with each word. I couldn't stop Edward from sensing my inner turmoil. Pain reflected in his eyes, but I nodded for him to continue.
"We kept things casual at first. She was pretty. Intelligent. And Esme hated her. All things that were appealing to me. Still, I had no plans on our relationship turning serious. But, within a few months Tanya fell pregnant. Which forced me to take things seriously."
The pain swelling in my chest was pure agony. Edward felt it was well. I clutched my arms around myself in hopes to soothe the torture. Edward quickly pulled me in closer. "Please Bella, don't jump to conclusions. Let me finish…" His tone was full of sorrow.
"O-ok," I muttered sorely.
"We got married, but soon after, Tanya revealed that she aborted the child."
I swallowed hard. "That's why Esme had asked if I was planning on keeping the baby…?"
Edward nodded with a tight frown on his face. "But, that didn't make sense to me. It was suspicious. Why would she abort the baby? She had been trying to tie herself to me since the day we met. A child would have connected us forever. That's when I suspected an affair."
"You thought the baby wasn't yours…" I said quietly.
"At first, I thought I was just being paranoid. But I did start to pay more attention. Some time passed, and I noticed a few things here and there. Random clothing that I didn't recognize in her apartment. Her leaving in the middle of the night. I knew there was another man. I just wasn't sure who. That's when I saw your painting on display at the park."
His words reminded me of the first time I met Edward. Our awkward conversation at the table of my run-down apartment. The spoiled eggs I served him. The painting requested of the affair. It felt like it was just yesterday.
"So, what did you do? After you took that painting?"
"I investigated the clinic she had gone to. Luckily, reaper fetuses don't go into the process of decay until nearly a year. So they are kept within the lab of the clinics. The aborted fetus was autopsied and a paternity test was taken. The fetus belonged to Jasper."
I couldn't believe he went to such extremes. He had been in pain and wanted answers. I couldn't blame him for wanting to know the truth. Although, it didn't make me feel any better about the whole situation. An innocent life had been taken… just so an affair wasn't brought to light. It made me sick. I thought that I hated Tanya before knowing all this. Now, I was disgusted with her. Maybe she did deserve what Esme had done to her.
"That's the most horrible thing I've ever heard. The poor baby." Tears came to my eyes.
Edward gently wiped the tears away with a few more soft kisses. "It's clear that getting involved with Tanya was a huge mistake. A lot of people ended up hurt by her actions."
If she is as terrible of a person as she sounded, why was Emmett around her? It was reported that they were seen together in public. Arguing. But still. Why would Emmett want to involve himself with her? I had a feeling that there was something going on. Scheming. It wasn't just Aro. Tanya was part of this as well. It was a gut feeling. Her ring being found in Ana's room already was proof enough.
We talked for a while, onto lighter topics. Neither one of us wanted to dwell on the negatives of the past. It was nearing midnight when Edward had left me in our bedroom. Reapers were arriving in rapid concession. I heard the mutterings of quiet conversation, just outside of the door. The first I could pick out was Jacob's low, sour tone. Followed by Katlyn's soft, motherly nagging. And another voice that I didn't recognize. I assumed the unknown voice was Jasper. The meeting was just starting.
There is no way I'm going to miss out on this meeting. I had to know what was being said. I wanted to help in any way that I could.
I clutched the blankets around my nude body and quietly tip-toed to the closed door, straining to press my ear against it. I closed my eyes in an attempt to focus on the chattering, but everything was muddled.
Suddenly there was a knock on the bedroom door, causing me to take a quick step back. The blankets wrapped around me, caused me to trip. I landed on my butt on the floor with a thud.
I groaned, rubbing at my sore backside.
"Oh shit, sorry." There was a man standing at the other side of the door. But I didn't recognize him. I felt my throat close up as his eyes peered down at me. Eyes of alabaster, so pale, you couldn't tell the difference from his sclera and his iris. It made his pupils really stand out.
He quickly averted his gaze from me. "I didn't realize you weren't dressed."
I looked down at myself, taking note that a single breast was clearly exposed. My face boiled as I adjusted my blanket, covering myself up completely. "What the hell are you doing in here?"
Suddenly, the man was thrusted out of the doorway by a furious Edward. His eyes were completely black. He had him by the collar. A vicious sound erupted from him, something almost animal-like in nature. It sent chills down my spine.
"Keep your filthy eyes off my woman." Edward snarled, appearing half-crazed. I've never seen him so hostile. As if he had gone completely feral.
He ripped the man out of view, where I heard crashing, glass breaking, utter destruction of the living room.
My heart was racing in my chest as I quickly got off the ground and dashed to the bed to pull my night gown back on. I followed after the two of them, taking note of both Jacob and Katlyn attempting to keep Edward pinned to the wall opposite to where the stranger stood.
"Edward please, calm down. He had no idea she was in there. He meant no harm at all." Katlyn pleaded with him.
"Do you think I'd be trying to stop you, if Jasper had done that on purpose?" Jacob grumbled with a glare on his face. "Get yourself together before you lose complete control. You don't want Bella to see that, do you?"
Edward narrowed his eyes on Jacob, responding to his words. "Let me go. Let me end this, once and for all." His voice sounded completely different. It wasn't the same. It was darker. Menacing. Deep and bone-chilling. I barely recognized him.
"Edward, it doesn't have to be this way. I'd never make a mistake like that again. I know she has your eternal marking." Jasper said, lifting his hands up, as an attempt to suggest innocence.
"Shut your fucking mouth." Edward snapped.
There were very few times I've heard Edward curse like that. I was afraid I needed to intervene, before things escalated further.
I moved from the bedroom into the living room and pulled a serious look to my face. "Edward, that's enough." I kept my voice calm, but stern.
Edward's demeanor shifted slightly as his eyes flickered to me. But he looked away, keeping his sights on Jasper. "Get back in the bedroom Bella, I don't want you to see this."
Hesitantly I walked across the room, Jacob and Katlyn moved to the side to allow me space to reach Edward. But they kept a tight hold on his arms. I wrapped my arms around his torso and lightly placed my head against his chest. His body felt like stone. He remained rigid.
"Please Edward, you're starting to… scare me a little." I admitted quietly.
This seemed to unfreeze him. He looked down at me and hesitantly his eyes softened turning back to the normal emerald color I was used to seeing.
For a moment, I felt all his negative emotions overwhelm me. There wasn't just anger inside him. There was also a great amount of pain, confusion and guilt. But I didn't allow it to corrupt my own feelings. I focused on anything and everything that made me happy, which mostly was Edward and the baby at this point in my life. There really was nothing else that brought me any form of joy.
Katlyn and Jacob released their hold on Edward once they saw a full change in his overall mood. He seemed to regain his composure and get control over himself. Once his arms were free, he wrapped his arms around me. I felt his chin rest on the top of my head and a slow sigh. His body relaxed.
"I'm sorry Bella, I didn't want you to see me like this." His voice, thick with emotion. It sounded like he was nearly in tears. I knew he was hurting. Seeing Jasper after all this time. And the first interaction was him getting a glimpse of me naked. It was too much for him to handle.
"Try to stay calm for me, okay?" I said quietly lifting my head to look up at him.
He nodded, leaning down to gently peck my lips. "I'll try,"
Katlyn had excused herself, just long enough to grab my full length robe. She neatly wrapped it around me and tied it. My nightgown only reached the tops of my thighs, but the robe would cover me fully.
"Thanks," I gave Katlyn a smile of appreciation.
Katlyn responded with her usual grin.
"Now, let's get this meeting back on topic. Ana's room is the second door, down the hall." Jacob grumbled, openly glaring at Jasper.
I guess Jacob didn't like Jasper either. Although, I wasn't sure why that was. Maybe he had a history with Jasper as well.
Jasper bobbed his head, causing his unpigmented curls to bounce slightly with the movement. He kept his head lowered as he walked out of the living room and down the hall. Katlyn followed after him, leaving the rest of us behind.
Jacob huffed, folding his arms across his chest. "He hasn't changed much, has he?" There was a bitterness in that statement.
"Still a hopeless idiot," Edward nodded in agreement, releasing me. Instead, he took my hand and led me to the couch. The room was a mess. Papers strewn throughout, broken glass, knocked over furniture. It appeared a fight erupted. "I'm sorry about the mess. I'll take care of this." Edward said with a remorseful look.
I relaxed into the couch, pulling a warm fuzzy blanket around me. "It's fine, but I do have a question." Edward and Jacob began cleaning up the disheveled room. "You brought up Jasper as if you have known him a long time, is that true Jacob?"
Jacob glanced at me, but kept his head lowered as he swept up a few pieces of broken glass. "Unfortunately. We all grew up together. Edward, Emmett and Jasper, sort of welcomed me into this little group. We used to spend a lot of time together."
"So you were all pretty good friends…Why does it sound like you hate him?" I muttered.
"Because I do hate him." Jacob said coldly.
"And why is that?"
"You're a bit nosey, aren't you?"
I narrowed my eyes at him for a second, not replying. Jacob always knew what to say to annoy me. That hasn't changed.
"You don't have to be an ass." Edward snipped at Jacob, before carrying a garbage bag full of broken items out of the room.
Once Edward was no longer in sight, Jacob slumped his shoulders, offering me a rueful smile. "Sorry, it's just better this way. If I get too friendly with you, Edward will go back to hating me. This just makes things a lot easier to deal with."
I guess I could understand that.
Shrugging my shoulders, I gave him a nod. "Fine, but I would honestly like to know… about your relationship with Jasper."
"There is nothing much to say. I was closer with Edward than anyone else, before Jasper came around. Once Jasper came into the picture, I was basically tossed to the side. Forgotten. We stopped hanging out. He was always with Jasper. I got mad. We got into a fight. A bad one. I said some things I didn't mean. And before I could reconcile, I was forced to move away. We didn't speak for years, until I got the call to return to the company."
Well, that did clear up some of my questions. It was sad. There is no reason these two can't forgive and forget. They were kids. It was ridiculous that they were holding onto grudges from the past.
Edward cleared his throat, bringing both Jacob and my attention to where he was leaning against the doorframe. His arms were folded across his chest. He rolled his eyes at Jacob's look of embarrassment.
"I hadn't intentionally stopped hanging out with you. Unless you have forgotten, Emmett worshiped the ground you walked on. He wanted you to be his best friend. He felt I was standing in the way of that. So, I backed off a little." He spoke in a hushed tone, letting his eyes fall to the ground. "So, I spent more time with Jasper."
Jacob grumbled under his breath, tying his garbage bag closed. "Would have been nice to know. If I would have, I wouldn't have called you an insufferable momma's boy." A dark smirk came to his face as he passed Edward, walking the garbage out of the room.
Edward gritted his teeth, moving to take a seat next to me. The look of annoyance was on his face. I moved to sit comfortably in his lap. He draped his arms around me, a smile returning.
"I think it's time for you to make up with Jacob. He may be a complete jerk, but he is your friend. Like it or not. And he has stuck by you, all this time. He proved that he is loyal."
"Time will tell," Was his only reply.
It wasn't much, but it was a start. He didn't outright say 'no', so there was hope. Jacob pissed me off purposely. But it was only because he wanted to remain on Edward's good side. Hopefully that could end as well. I didn't want to hate Jacob. He just made it so hard for me not to.
Jasper and Katlyn reentered the room after a while. At the same time, I felt Edward tense below me. His hold tightened.
"Tanya was definitely here." Jasper concluded, running a hand through his pure white hair. "Her scent is there, faintly. But she covered her tracks well."
"When was the last time you had contact with her personally?" Edward demanded with open hostility.
"New Year's day," Jasper said, remaining passive. "She called me."
"What were the details of the phone call?"
"She was asking for money. She's been homeless for the past few months. She only needed a few extra bucks to pay for a hotel."
I didn't know Tanya was homeless. I guess she has remained in hiding since Esme's curse made her look like some kind of monstrous creature. She had the appearance of a devourer. Did that mean she would have to keep out of view of reapers and human society completely? If a reaper was to stumble upon her, they may try to kill her.
"Did you meet up with her?"
Jasper nodded. "I did, I gave her some money for the hotel. And brought her some soul stones. She was starving. Esme wasn't allowing any replenishing stations to serve her."
That was believable.
"So, the two of you aren't a couple anymore? Why is that?" I blurted out. I couldn't help it. I had questions for him. There was so much more I needed to know.
Jasper looked at me, raising a brow. "Why is that relevant?"
"Well you ruined a marriage and friendship over this woman. So, why aren't you with her anymore? Wasn't she worth sacrificing everything?" I knew this was a little out of character for me. I knew it wasn't my business. It was a cruel statement. But I wanted to know what happened.
Both Jasper and Edward flinched, as if I had struck them. The atmosphere began to feel tense.
"If you must know, the entire affair was orchestrated by someone else. I had no control over myself. Tanya had no control over herself. Neither one of us would ever want to hurt Edward." Jasper's voice was sharp. A glare came to his face as he looked away from me.
"You're lying." Edward spat at him. His hands clenched into fits.
Katlyn placed a hand on Jasper's shoulder. "He's telling the truth Edward." A sad look came to her face. "I've known about this for a while. I wasn't permitted to tell you. But now that Esme is no longer in control, I can speak freely."
Edward's face twisted in anguish as he looked between Katlyn and Jasper. "What are you trying to say? This was all a lie? The affair was forced?"
"I tried telling you, the day you came to confront us. But you wouldn't listen. You didn't believe me. Which is understandable. And before I could try to explain, you had Tanya fired and had me so buried in reaping lists, I barely had an hour a day of free time. Not to mention, I was sent to the most remote places possible." Jasper grumbled with a glare on his face as well.
"Well, I'm listening. Explain the situation." Edward said, a mixture of emotions tumbling around inside of him.
"Your mother wanted Tanya out of your life. So, she put a curse on me and Tanya both. We were forced to fall in love. The curse could only be broken if your feelings for Tanya ended permanently." Jasper explained, his eyes darted between me and Edward. "Once Bella received that marking from you, the curse ended."
"I can't believe she would go to such lengths…" Edward grumbled, lightly stroking my back. Sadness clouded his eyes for a moment. "You really didn't have feelings for Tanya?"
Jasper cleared his throat. "I did… but I wouldn't have ever acted on it. I respected your relationship. I knew you two weren't going to last long term. I was waiting patiently for things to end."
"If you wanted a real relationship with her, why didn't you just tell me? I would have ended things. It was casual."
"Because it wasn't for Tanya. She was taking it seriously. She wanted to be with you. Not me. I wanted her to be happy. And give you a chance to start taking it seriously." Jasper said with a sigh. "But before that happened, Esme cursed us. Which ended everything."
"So… Tanya had no plans on cheating. She isn't just some dumb whore?" Jacob muttered as he re-entered the room. "So what, that doesn't change anything. That's her ring in Ana's room. That makes her our enemy."
His words were cold.
Jasper sighed, narrowing his eyes at Jacob. "Yes, she was here and that is her ring. I know that she has been plotting against Esme. But I don't know why she would target Ana. Unless she wants revenge against Edward as well."
I looked up at Edward, feeling a little insecure. After everything I had just heard, it was hard not to. Tanya and Jasper haven't betrayed Edward on purpose. Does that mean he would change his mind about us?
"She must be aware of Bella, having my eternal marking. So this means her fate is sealed. The curse can't be lifted. So… she wants to make everyone miserable. Punish us both." Edward concluded with a glare coming to his face.
"Exactly, we need to hunt her down. And end her miserable existence." Jacob suggested.
Katlyn nodded with a hard look on her face. "I truly believe there is no other way. You know how Tanya is. She won't stop once she has her mind set."
Jasper shook his head. "Don't be so dramatic. She's been put through enough. She's clearly being manipulated by someone. That girl doesn't have an original thought in her head. Trust me."
"If you think so highly of her, why aren't you with her right now? If you ask me, it sounds like your allegiance is with her. Not us." Jacob snapped, marching across this room to jab a finger into Jasper's chest.
Jasper roughly pushed Jacob's hand off him. "Don't touch me you asshole," His voice was just as harsh. "I'm not interested in Tanya anymore. I've found my life partner. I've marked someone. But that doesn't change the fact that she is my friend."
"Well, your friend attempted to kill my sister." I said with a frown of my own. I don't think I like Jasper. Anyone that is friends with Tanya, was no friend of mine.
"I still don't believe she would actually do that. She must be being manipulated by someone else." Jasper insisted.
"Well, unless you can prove that, Tanya will be treated as an enemy to our company. I will be putting an order out to capture her." Edward said with a definitive nod. "End of discussion. You can go Jasper."
Jasper blinked a few times, a sad look on his face. "Fine. But I will prove her innocence. And hopefully, you and I can have a chance to talk properly. Without an opinionated audience."
"Fine. We will speak later." Edward said, letting his eyes fall to the ground.
With that, Katlyn escorted Jasper out of the room. Jacob threw daggers towards him as he left. It was clear he hated Jasper. He didn't hide it.
I had so much to think about after the events of today. I just hoped this wouldn't change our relationship somehow.
Thanks for reading and reviewing! Let me know what you all think of this so far. Do you think Tanya is acting alone? Or is she being manipulated?
