A/N: Warning: emotional manipulation

Chapter 7: The Winner

Sunday morning arrived too quickly. Bella stood in front of the bathroom mirror, scrutinizing her outfit—jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. She pulled her hair back into a half-ponytail and wondered if this was appropriate for church. She wasn't religious, and she hadn't stepped into a church since she was six, when Renee had gone through an Orthodox phase.

Dark bruises underlined her eyes after a week of poor sleep. If her shirt slipped a fraction over her shoulder, others would see a fading yellow bruise. On her finger, a bandaid. Her complexion was sallow and pale. She looked like a real piece of work. She dabbed on some foundation and lipstick, but she looked even more like a ghost playing with her mom's makeup.

With a sigh, she grabbed her jacket and purse from her room, pausing to scan her email again for a response from Mr. Marsala. She had emailed him as soon as she returned home from The Diner on Friday night, and despite the urgency of his initial email, there were only crickets from him.

The Church of Christ in Heaven was a short distance from the Precious Promises Children's Foundation. As Bella parked her car, she observed a busload of children stepping out and running into the church. She spotted Gina, the volunteer coordinator from Precious Promises, guiding the children inside. The quaint little chapel was adorned with a weathered stone facade. A delicate garden of vibrant flowers framed the entrance. The church, though single-story, sprawled over the property. Hoards of well-dressed people were entering the church, greeting one another. Bella frowned, looking down at her outfit, before getting out of her car.

Bella hesitated before the twin wooden doors leading into the chapel, the distant strains of hymns drifting through the cracks, expressionless. A few people walked around her to get through the doors, sending a concerned glance her way as they hurried in for mass. She even saw Jasper, wearing a tweed suit and his hair swept back, walking past her into the church though his expression read utter disappointment. Was he expecting her to scream? To be excited to see him?

She exhaled fully before walking through the doors herself. The chapel itself was simple yet elegant, though the pulpit looked almost too grand with gold decor and a large cross adorned with a figure of Jesus. Right at the entrance of the nave, there was a small stone bowl of water. Bella dipped a finger in—ice cold. Holy water. Checking to see that no one was watching her, she cupped one hand into the bowl. Bella noticed Jasper sitting on a pew in the middle section of the church. She slid into the seat next to him.

The pastor droned on, though her mind remained elsewhere.

Jasper, without looking at her, held a note between two fingers and gestured for her to take it from him. She glanced at him briefly before flinging whatever little holy water was left in her hand into his face when the congregation bowed their heads to pray.

He blinked. He swiped his hand over his face with one hand, his jaw tense. Noted. Holy water really doesn't work on vampires. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, angrily, then stopped short as he looked closely at her face. "You look different."

"I put on lipstick," she said coldly.

His gaze dropped to her red lips. When he didn't look away immediately, her heart squeezed for a terrifying moment. "It looks like you took a bite out of a live rat," he deadpanned, thrusting the note into her hand.

She whirled to him, hand clenched in a fist, ready to hit him. She exhaled slowly. "No, I'm not doing this anymore," she said flatly, meeting his gaze.

Jasper was silent for a moment, one eyebrow quirked. "Why? Are you hurt?" He gave her a once-over. His eyes zeroed in on her shoulder; her shirt had moved slightly, and the yellow bruise peeked through. He cleared his throat. "Or... are you too scared?"

"I'm tired," she replied simply. "I'm not going to live like this anymore." Bella fished into her purse and pulled out her cellphone. "I'd rather be in jail than see your disgusting face ever again." She dialed 911 and handed Jasper the phone. An operator was speaking through the phone. Bella could scarcely hear what the woman was saying, but Jasper's expression told her everything she needed to know. He understood she was serious.

Jasper scoffed and looked straight ahead at the pulpit. "I don't need to report you. I'll just kill you."

"Fine, then kill me. I don't care," Bella retorted. "I've thought about it, and I'm ready."

It took every bit of her willpower to not allow her voice to shake as she said it. She had thought of dying many times before and after the third time, inside a prison cell, she had the existential dread of knowing that her life had always been predetermined to be short.

"You're ready to die? You're fine with me killing you?" Jasper was silent for a minute before shrugging. "Alright, have it your way."

In the moment she took a single breath, she found herself sprawled on her back beneath the shade of a nearby bridge. Gasping for breath, she could catch a glimpse of the church through the surrounding tree branches. As she grappled around the concrete to prop herself up, her hand slid past shards of broken glass. "What –"

"It feels nice outside," Jasper said matter-of-factly. It was freezing cold outside, but Jasper, in his gray blazer, stood with his hands in his pockets, eyes closed, feeling the breeze on his face.

He was utterly, devastatingly beautiful, Bella thought, tears beginning to betray her show of confidence.

He opened his eyes, still smiling and turned his chilling gaze onto her. "What happened to you? Hmm? Sweet little docile Bella." Jasper's voice echoed with a mixture of concern and disdain.

"Docile?" Bella wheezed, offended.
Crossing his arms, Jasper leaned over her, his tone tinged with frustration. "Do you know how insane you're being right now? Asking me to report you, kill you, this and that, but...Bella, I'm the one who decides. Not you. So don't think too hard about it, okay?" He pointed to his temple, as if he were speaking to a child. "Just do as I say. Do you understand? I'll let you off this one time. So –"

Bella instinctively grabbed a shard of glass and slashed him across the face. "Kill me or I will kill you," she threatened, still holding the shard in front of her, though at great risk of dropping it with how quickly her hands vibrated. A thin red line appeared on his cheek, with small beads of blood emerging from the cut. "I'm tired! Why do you keep doing this to me!"

The red line faded almost as quickly as it had appeared. The brown eyes dissolved to black. "What are you doing?" he asked darkly. Jasper seized her by the throat and lifted her up. She was suddenly pinned against the cold stone wall of the bridge. He pushed her harder into the wall and grabbed her hard by the chin. "Do you think you're special? You're just a human. A weak one at that. I can manipulate you just as much as any human."

Suddenly, Bella felt fear, love, hatred, lust, joy, and despair in succession. Any sense of control she had over herself slipped away and she felt herself go limp, unable to comprehend what was happening to her anymore. It was as if a rod was shoved into her brain and electrocuted her, forcing uncontrollable thoughts and emotions. A caress from a cold, marble hand, Tyler's truck almost crushing her body against her truck, her father crooning a lullaby after a nightmare when she was five, James' scarlet eyes looking into hers before he bit her wrist, Jacob painting symbols on her face, Jasper lunging at her from across the room, Jasper looming over her on the forest floor, Jasper haloing Christine's and Jason's body parts around her…one after another, every emotion produced a new, vivid image so quickly her brain struggled to keep up. "Stop…" she said weakly. Her mouth stayed open, and although she thought she screamed, she heard nothing.

"What's wrong? You don't want to play anymore?" he taunted. "You're the one who wanted to make jokes all of a sudden." The onslaught of emotions had stopped, though Bella tensed, anticipating the next wave. Her head felt as if it were splitting open, and her vision blurred. A painful moan escaped her lips. "Go ahead and apologize. Then, I'll let you go." He tapped her cheek with his finger. "Come on, hurry up."

She thought again of Edward throwing her across the room. Of her leg breaking from a single stomp from James. Of Jasper snarling over the single drop of blood. Of Andrew holding her down. She had apologized for all of it.

She scratched at the hand holding her throat. "Bull…shit," she rasped. "You think I'll ever apologize to you? I will never lose to someone like you!" She spat on his face. "You didn't deserve Alice, you bastard. She was too good for a psychopath like you. I wish she knew who you really were."

Jasper froze, his expression crumbling into confusion and shock. He let go of her throat, and without another word, he vanished.

Bella collapsed to her knees, her own hands clasping around her throat, feeling the bruised skin. Her head was throbbing, and her brain was still overwhelmed by the chaos of emotions he had forced on her. She must have sat there on the ground for hours as the sun began to set. The world was disorienting and hazy, and she teetered on the edge of consciousness. Yet, she began to laugh, tears streaming down her face. He gave up! she thought. That stupid bastard. I hope I never see his face again. Finally, it's over!

Life went back to normal.

Well, mostly normal if Bella didn't count the two "missing" people that were reported on in the news every day, the bruises on her body, the constant headaches, and the fact that none of her friends wouldn't text her back anymore. But other than that, everything was back to normal.

By Thursday, she had completed her finals. Despite the persistent headache that plagued her all week and the lack of effort she had put into studying, she reckoned she managed to scrape by with Bs in all her classes. It wasn't the stellar performance she hoped for in preparation for med school, but it was better than she'd anticipated. She hadn't felt so much joy all semester as she ticked off the last exam in her planner.

Unfortunately, Bella had barely seen Jen the entire week. By the time she had packed her own suitcase, Jen had already left with nothing more than a short goodbye and a promise that she'd see Bella in January. She slammed the door shut before Bella could even lift her hand to wave goodbye. Bella had cried for about two hours before her head and face hurt too much to continue.

Bella had called and talked to Charlie about Renee's wedding, which he had only recently found out about as well. She had planned her trip to Florida to be as short as possible so she could spend the winter break with Charlie and Sue.

"You go only if you want to, Bells. Don't feel pressured," Charlie told her. It was good advice, but Bella hadn't seen or talked to her mom in over a year. If not now, then she might never get the chance again. "And it'll be nice to have you home again. Uh, well, Sue's hosting a Christmas party in La Push and you're of course welcome to join. Uh…."

"Dad, what is it?"
"Well, Jacob will be there too, so…."

"So?"

"It might be a good chance for you two to patch things up," he said nonchalantly, though she heard the nerves in his voice.

Jacob Black had broken up with her the day before classes at UW a year ago. Three weeks later, she started dating Andrew. It was a very sore subject. "Yeah, maybe," she said noncommittally. "And maybe too much has happened for things to go back to the way they used to be."

Bella stumbled on the uneven cobblestones as she made her way toward the wedding venue. It was pleasant in the Florida Keys and if she had time or money to spend, she would have liked to have taken a day at the beach and enjoy her vacation. She tripped again on an unusually tall stone and nearly twisted her ankle before she found her balance again.

Why did I even dress up? I'm only going to see her for a minute, she grumbled to herself, adjusting her cardigan over her long olive green dress, a relic from her high school graduation, a silk scarf, and a pair of modest block heels. Her ensemble wasn't great but she needed to hide all the bruises on her shoulder and neck before her mom made comments about her "getting into trouble again."

Her phone chimed. She clicked on the notification and her eyebrows raised in surprise. It was an email from Mr. Marsala. "Can we meet? I would like to hear more about the details of your circumstances." Although she pitied him and his situation with his deceased son, she clicked off the message. I don't have anything to do with that stuff anymore.

She stepped onto a historical estate her mother was getting married in. It was a beautiful building and no doubt paid for completely by Patrick and his family. Glancing at the sign announcing the bride and groom, Bella couldn't help but shake the surreal feeling hanging in the air. Here she was, doing normal life things and yet... It feels weird. Like it didn't really happen. A sense of unease crept over her. She shook off the feeling and went inside the building, following the sign to the bridal suite.

"Bella?" A voice interrupted her thoughts, and Bella turned to see Renee's younger cousin Katherine approaching her. "Why're you here?"

"Aunt Kathy," Bella sighed, attempting a strained smile. "Long time, no see—"

Before Bella could finish her sentence, Kathy grabbed her by the wrist and began to drag her towards the front door. "Hey! What are you—"

"Why are you here?" Kathy hissed, her grip tightening on Bella's wrist. "Are you trying to ruin the wedding? You're not invited."

Stay calm. Stay calm. Bella tried to quell the rising panic.

Kathy continued. "You're just trying to ruin everything for your mom after everything she's done for you. You never want to see her happy, do you? Just jealous of all the—"

"Yeah, Kathy, I'm soooo jealous of Mom. Do you think I'll get more attention than her if I played dead by the doors? Do you think she'll be jealous of me then?" Bella retorted, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Shut up. Get out of here," Kathy spat. She then gave Bella's dress a once over. "Ugh, what are you even wearing?"

"Why, are you jealous?" Bella shot back.
"Ugh, you—"

"Anyway, I didn't come here to ruin things. I came here to see my mom and leave." She held up the invitation from Renee. "So mind your own business, Kathy." She turned back to walk towards where the bride would be getting ready.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Kathy screamed, grabbing Bella's cardigan by the sleeve and pulling hard. The sleeve ripped at the seams, falling off her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Bella protested, trying to break Kathy's grasp on her clothes.

"Don't you dare take another step," Kathy seethed.

"Stop it! Let me go!" Bella yanked her arm free and darted into the bridal suite, hoping to see Renee already in there. Mom will straighten this out.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw her mother, already in her wedding gown. Her hair was pulled back into a bun with a beautiful silver comb. Renee had always been a pretty woman, but today she looked brilliant.

"Um, Renee, who is that?" a short blonde woman asked, pointing at Bella.

Renee looked at Bella, her torn dress, the ugly silk scarf, and her messy hair from her tousle with Kathy. She swallowed. "Oh…I'm not sure."

Bella's heart thudded to a stop.

Oh.

I'm not supposed to be here.

The invitation was just the bare minimum, Bella realized, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach.

Two years ago, her mother would have begged to know what was going on in Bella's life and and Bella would mumble her way through stories of her friends and dates until Renee was satisfied.

Kathy attempted to grab Bella's arm again, but Bella swiftly yanked it away, her eyes fixed on her mother, who avoided her gaze.

Bella felt her lower lip tremble, but she brushed off the hurt and made to walk out of the room.

"Bella, I found you!" Bella strode right into Jasper's broad chest. "I've been looking for you." With strong arms gently encircling her waist and a warm smile reserved for her, he pulled her away from his chest and seemed genuinely delighted to see her. Bella looked down at his clothes, perplexed by his presence and wondered if she was in a nightmare. He wore a navy pinstripe 5-piece suit with the Cullen crest gleaming on his cufflinks, brown leather loafers, and his blond hair swept back. He looked like he had just walked off a runway. With all the horrors she had endured the last few weeks, she had forgotten how inhumanly handsome he was.

Bella's heart raced as she braced herself. "Why are you here?" Her mind reeled over how he knew she was here in the first place.

"Why did you leave by yourself when I was parking?" He chucked and casually draped his hand over her injured shoulder. His fingers fidgeted slightly with her scarf, as if trying to pull it away so he could see his handiwork. "You're always in such a rush."

What the hell is he doing? Bella recoiled from his touch, her hairs standing on end. Oh my god, she realized, he must have seen the wedding invitation the same night he stole back his note.

"What happened to your clothes?" Jasper's eyes scanned her, examining the other sleeve closely. Without waiting for a response, he swiftly removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"What the fuck are you-–"

"Ah, today's main character!" Jasper interrupted, grabbing Bella's wrist and intertwining his fingers with hers. "You're Bella's mother? I've heard so much about you. Congratulations. I'm so happy to finally meet you."

"Ah, yes, thank you. Thanks…Bella," Renee replied, her tone strained, her discomfort palpable. Bella stared at her mother incredulously.

"Oh, that's your daughter?" The blonde woman next to her commented.

"You look very familiar. Um, how do you know Bella?" Renee inquired.

Jasper started, "We're best frie-–"

"We're obviously dating," Bella interjected. She barely caught the single blond eyebrow that rose, though her eyes challenged him to contradict her.

Jasper's smile faltered only for a moment before he recovered. "Ha ha, yes, we love each other to death," he quipped, squeezing her hand tightly, the insincerity evident only to Bella.

"His name's Jasper Whitlock. And he's rich."

Jasper continued to smile, though it did not reach his eyes. Tactless, his eyes seemed to say when he glanced at her. "Ah, yes, I'm…rich. Bella sure loves to brag about me," he remarked, his gaze never leaving Bella's.

Renee was about to respond when Patrick, a tall, handsome man with graying hair, suddenly walked in, drawn in by all of the commotion. He did a double-take when he saw Bella and Jasper by the door. "Bella? What are you doing here?"

The woman next to Renee ran up to Patrick and tried to shoo him. "You're not supposed to see the bride, Pat!" she hissed. Patrick gave her a stern look and brushed her aside.

"I'm Jasper, Bella's boyfriend. Nice to meet you," Jasper greeted him, extending his hand for a shake.

Patrick shook his hand awkwardly. "How have you been, Bella?" he asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

For a moment, she couldn't decide who she hated more. Her eyes darted to Jasper. Him. "Oh, Jasper, you said you'd give a gift to their cash fund, right?" Bella asked innocently.

"Ha…of course…Let's see," Jasper replied, pulling out his wallet and extracting a wad of bills, which he handed to Patrick. Patrick's eyes widened in disbelief at the generosity of the donation. "It's nothing since it's for Bella's family."

"Oh wow, Bella, you met such a good guy," Renee gushed, her smile now less forced.

The bridge of her nose hurt; she knew she was only seconds from bursting into tears. "Let's go," she muttered, clutching Jasper's arm. "We're done here." She stumbled back, surprised at how difficult it was to move him, as if she were trying to drag a statue.

"Aunt…Father…Mother."

What?

As she watched one of her mother's friends place a diamond tiara on her head, a pang of dread rose in her chest. Her gaze shifted to Jasper's face. Bella felt the blood drain from her body. He had the same gleeful expression as the night he showed her the video of Chrstine's body being dragged through the woods.

She grabbed him again by the sleeve, her voice trembling with urgency. "Hurry…up."

"What's the rush? I want to know more about your family," Jasper teased, his demeanor chillingly casual.

"Stop it," she muttered, her hands shaking. "Let's just go."

"Then, let me say goodbye. We were just getting to know each other," Jasper insisted, amused by her sudden fear.

Bella clenched her jaw, frustration boiling over, as she pulled Jasper's arm with all of her strength as they made a beeline for the exit. She knew Jasper could have resisted, but to her surprise, he willingly followed her out.

"Stop this, and tell me why you came here," Bella demanded, her voice quivering with anger as she crumpled his jacket and threw it back at him. "What the hell do you want with my family?"

"Renee, was it? I'm glad I came to see her," he replied cryptically. His tone sent a shiver down her spine. "Your mother looks so alike to you. But she doesn't seem to be as tough or as strong-willed as you. I bet they don't even know what you've been through, poor little swan. Would any of your hardships ever happen to them?"

He slid his arms around her, hands flat against her back, and pulled her close to him.

"What–"

"I feel you," he murmured, his lips grazing the shell of her ear. "You want to cry, don't you?" He brushed his fingers through her hair and despite him causing nearly all the chaos and strife in her life in the past couple weeks, she wanted to melt into his arms and bawl her eyes out. "You can let it out."

"Let go of me," she muttered.

"Shh, your family's watching. Don't do anything stupid," he whispered.

"Look who's talking," she hissed. "Stay away from my family." Then she laughed out loud and slapped his shoulder playfully but hard enough that it would have hurt a human.

He tilted his head by her ear and suddenly she froze, feeling his breath on her throat. She could hear the laughter in his voice as he slipped another folded piece of paper into her hand, hidden from the prying eyes inside the venue.

"Do the job correctly, and they will all be fine."