"Please, no more lies," Emmett begged. "Where is Rose?"
Izzy knew the frustration of being lied to.
"He got that way overnight, I swear!"
Bull. A dog doesn't go from healthy to malnourished skeleton after one missed meal.
"I'm doing it for the dogs!"
He cleaned a couple of kennels. And showed his appreciation for Izzy's chest.
"My kids are starving. I just need $50 to get me to payday."
More like she was starving for her next fix.
"Please," Emmett repeated. "Where is Rose?"
Izzy looked over at Esme. They should have taken some time to get their stories straight. What was she supposed to do? Tell the truth and hope Emmett didn't join Jasper under the bed or lie and hope he wasn't too upset when the truth came out later?
Emmett took a shaky breath. "Is she.. dead?"
"No, of course not," Izzy said. "She's okay."
Rose survived a less than ideal childhood, 2020, and the death of her husband. She wouldn't die until she was good and ready.
Emmett leaned forward in his wheelchair with a lopsided grin on his face. "Will she be here soon?"
Izzy swallowed the lump forming in her throat. He looked like the old Emmett. The guy made deliriously happy over Friday nights, greasy fast food, and kissing his wife. Izzy hated that she had to be the one to replace that happiness with heartbreak.
"I'm so sorry, Emmett," Izzy said, unable to watch the smile vanish from his face. "She isn't coming."
Emmett looked down at his bare ring finger. "Did she move on? Find someone else?"
Izzy nodded.
"The man she's with…"
"Her fiance's name is Roy King."
"Roy. Is he a good man?"
The Seattle Children's hospital would say so. The money Roy's company donated helped fund the new cancer wing. The general public would also say he was a good person. Unlike Izzy, there were never stories of Roy using drugs or mistreating his employees. As for Izzy, she wasn't sure what to think. They'd crossed paths once after a show. He was charming, handsome, and well dressed but something about him seemed off.
Izzy hadn't been expecting to see her there. The designer clothes made her stand out like a sore thumb among the piercings and torn jeans. Had she meant to come or had the spiky-haired fans making a ruckus in the Chicago Symphony Center taken her by surprise? Either way, Izzy was glad to see Rose. The unanswered texts had been starting to worry her.
When the crowd finally started to disburse, Izzy hopped off the stage and went to the VIP section where Rose was sitting with her hands folded in her lap. Roy, her new fiance, was sitting next to her squinting at a paper-thin phone.
"Wasn't expecting to see you here," Izzy said with a smile.
Before Rose could answer, Roy spoke up. "A client gave us tickets. He's a fan of your work."
Judging by the way Roy said "work," Izzy suspected he wasn't exactly clamoring to join the fan club. At one point, she would have been offended. Each song contained a fragment of her battered soul. Now, after nearly three years of enduring the harsh words of critics, Izzy wasn't even phased. If Roy didn't like her music that was his problem.
"How did you like that last song?" Izzy asked Rose.
A fan favorite, Brother Bear was the topic of endless online debating. Some argued it was about Jake while others believe it was inspired by Sam or Quil. Little did they know they were all wrong. Izzy hoped Rose had figured out her real inspiration.
Rose smiled. "It was wonderful. He would have loved it."
At that moment, Izzy wished more than anything that it had been Emmett in the seat next to Rose's. He would have spent the entire show screaming her name instead of staring down at his phone like Roy. Then again, in a world where Emmett could still go to concerts, the band probably wouldn't exist and Izzy would be at home with Edward sans tattoo and motorcycle.
"You should come backstage and meet the rest of the band," Izzy said.
She'd been trying to get Rose to visit the Black Pack for years. Now that she was no longer married to Emmett, the Cullen family ban didn't apply to her. She was free to come to La Push and see everything Izzy had built for herself.
Roy stood up and stretched. "We'd love to, but it's late and I have a plane to catch in the morning."
Knowing the band couldn't afford any more bad publicity, Izzy held back a snippy remark.
"Where are you staying?" Izzy asked Rose. "I'd be glad to drop you off later if Roy needs to go get some rest."
Rose looked at Roy then back at Izzy. "He's right, it's late."
"Are you sure? Really, I don't mind dropping you off."
For a fraction of a second, Rose looked like she might change her mind.
Roy took Rose's hand and squeezed. "We should get going if we want to beat traffic."
"Another time, Bella," Rose said, rubbing her hand. "Let me know next time you have a show near Seattle."
Two weeks later, a $20,000 check came in the mail saving Izzy from an awkward conversation with the electrical company. Jake said it was a miracle, but Izzy couldn't help but feel like Roy was buying her silence.
"Your father and I met Roy at a fundraiser last year," Esme said, saving Izzy from answering. "He's a kind and generous man."
Emmett looked to Izzy for confirmation. "Bella?"
Izzy trusted Carlise's assessment of Roy far more than her own. He had years of experience treating victims of abuse. He'd know if something was amiss with Roy.
Not wanting to worry Emmett unnecessarily, Izzy shrugged. "I've only met him once for a few minutes."
She was probably oversensitive and allowing her experience with Phil to color her perception of Roy. Roy was probably just having a bad day and wanted his fiancee close by. Izzy couldn't fault him for that. She felt the same way about Jake on days when it seemed like the world was crashing down around her.
Emmett closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He wrapped his arms around his torso and exhaled slowly.
"Emmett?" Esme asked. "Are you o-"
Esme stopped herself before she could say okay. Anyone with eyes could see Emmett wasn't okay. His wife was going to marry another man and there wasn't anything he could do to stop it.
"It there somewhere I could lay down for a while? Emmett asked, his eyes damp. "The painkillers are making me dizzy."
Izzy had seen Emmett cry before, but those tears were accompanied by side-splitting laughter. This was different. This was raw, unfiltered heartbreak. Izzy struggled to find the right words to say only to find there were none. Emmett had been kidnapped, starved, and forced to drink his brother's blood. If that wasn't bad enough, he couldn't turn to the love of his life for comfort. There wasn't anything Esme, Izzy, or anyone else could say to make his situation any less awful.
After the Nurse wheeled Emmett out of the room, Izzy turned her focus back to Edward. He hadn't attempted any words of comfort for his brother. Instead, he was laser-focused on rubbing a hole in Izzy's palm one circle at a time.
After three more circles, Edward spoke up. "Can I ask you a favor?"
"Of course," Izzy replied.
Food, water, extra blankets. She'd gladly retrieve anything with a remote chance of making him feel better.
With great effort, Edward scooted over and patted the spot next to him. "Will you lay down with me for a while?"
Edward had no idea what he was asking of her. Holding his hand was one thing. She'd gladly hold his hand all night if asked. But sharing the bed? That was a big step on a journey she wasn't prepared to take.
"Please," Edward begged. "Just until I fall asleep?"
She'd already seen Emmett's heart break. She couldn't watch the same happen to Edward.
"Alright," Hoping she wouldn't regret it later, Izzy lowered the railing and climbed into the bed. "Just until you fall asleep."
"Thank you," "Edward laid his head down on her shoulder and closed his eyes. "I don't know what I do without you."
The first few bars of Bad Moon Rising vibrated in Izzy's pocket. Jake was calling. What would he say if he knew the love of his life was once again in bed with a Cullen?