Bella

She just had to get through this. This seemed to be her theme for the past 6 weeks. Phase after phase of uncomfortable interactions. She'd gotten this far, she could make it through this final decision. Besides, there was no argument between her and Emmett. They were under no pretense about how this was going to turn out.

Emmett had been quiet on the limo ride back, and she imagined the last thing he wanted was for the incidents with Rosalie to be brought up. Nor would he bring up her own interaction with Edward.

They pulled up to the building for the last time, and she took a breath, and Emmett took her hand to help her out of the car. Her ankle ached, and she hobbled along on the crutches up the steps to the elevator taking them up to the room on the third floor. For the last time, she recalled how considerate he had been, even offered to carry her the whole way. She hoped it would be the last time…that she could walk away from this with no regrets. She'd followed through with Alice's advice, done what she had to do, and it was almost over. If it so happened that Edward and Rosalie had stayed married, Bella had already decided she was going to make peace with that. Their last conversation made Rosalie more human, more fragile, more relatable. And though Rosalie could have taken credit for her videos, she'd given all the credit to Edward. She truly appreciated his influence, and anyone who knew her would see what a profound influence he'd made on her life. Would they be happy together? Bella didn't know.

"Ready?" Emmett asked.

"No. But let's do this anyway." Bella pushed back that feeling she always got when it came to moments like these: when she would be forced to speak…she even hoped they would receive a call that this would be postponed.

"It's going to be okay, Bella," Emmett said.

Bella realized he wasn't just talking about this final interview. They were about to be divorced, and they would be okay. Though, she couldn't lie. She wouldn't have minded having Emmett by her side as they had to watch and rehash all these moments. At least she had Alice.

They took their seats on the other side of the long table and Bella adjusted the dial on her mike, as she seemed to be the one who'd never spoken loudly enough. When the producer announced they were filming, they exchanged pleasantries with the experts. Dr. Muncher…oh what an experience they'd had with her and the intimacy. Then there was Pastor Ray, who she really had not seen too much of but had counseled her over the phone. Dr. Saltz she'd had minimal interaction with, and that didn't bother her at all. She seemed kind and sympathetic, and Bella was relieved all over again that this experiment was almost over. That this marriage was almost over.

Dr. Saltz spoke first, "Hello, Bella and Emmett. You two have been extraordinarily fun to watch."

Bella felt her cheeks getting warm and her palms sweaty.

"You two were perfect for each other in every way," Dr. Muncher said.

"Except," Pastor Ray cut in, "That you lacked chemistry. Thought you might've been going somewhere there for a minute…but…it just didn't happen."

Bella spoke up, surprising herself. "It was my fault. Emmett was amazing. Any woman would be lucky to have him."

Emmett looked at her like she was crazy. "What?! Bella?"

Dr. Muncher spoke then, "It seemed as though Emmett had…other interests."

Bella laughed. "Who can blame him? You saw Rosalie. Besides, if we would have been more like a real couple, he may have not even been so interested in her…"

"Bella, come on. That's not fair," Emmett said.

"It's okay, Emmett. I'm not blaming you. If I had done what Dr. Muncher asked me to do, then maybe this decision might be going another way…but it was my fault."

Dr. Saltz spoke then. "So, you're basically accepting blame for Emmett's interest in another woman."

Pastor Ray shook his head. "Yeah, that's not a very healthy outlook for you to have. Emmett, knowing he was married, should have behaved accordingly. Well, Rosalie and Emmett both."

Whoa…seemed they were coming down a little heavy on these two. Had they seen footage with the cake?

"He's right," Emmett said to Bella and then faced the experts. "It's my fault. Not Bella's. Bella tried her best, and I don't want her to be portrayed otherwise."

"That's very noble of you," said Dr. Saltz. "But, the result of a relationship is quite often due to the effort or lack of effort put forth by both parties. So, maybe Bella was hesitant. Maybe she was still hung up on her ex…Maybe that's why she couldn't engage with you."

"Maybe. But I don't want it to be her fault."

Bella hung her head. Emmett knew damn well that her affections had been misplaced, but it hadn't been due to Jacob. Should she say something?

"How about we just see how to move forward from here?" Dr. Muncher suggested.

Dr. Saltz looked at Bella and then at Emmett. "Absolutely. We have to ask you now: Emmett and Bella, do you want to stay married or get a divorce?"

Bella didn't want to be the first to say it, and she had more respect than ever for him now.

"I want a divorce," Emmett said.

Dr. Muncher exhaled a breath. "I'm sorry to hear you say that, Emmett, but Bella, what is your decision?"

"I…want a divorce, too."

The experts let the moment settle in, and Pastor Ray spoke up, "We are certainly sorry to hear that. I suppose there's no way you'd be willing to give it another try?"

Bella and Emmett both shook their heads.

"Well," Pastor Ray said, "I like to think that you've learned something from this whole experience. Maybe something the other taught you."

"Emmett taught me to speak up for myself. To stop apologizing for everything. He pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I learned I could try new things."

"Those are very important life lessons," Dr. Muncher said. "Now you, Emmett, did you learn anything from Bella? Or from this whole experience?"

"Yes, I realized that…" He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe I wasn't ready to get married."

Pastor Ray had this look on his face, with an eyebrow raise that said, well, duh!

"But, I did enjoy aspects of it. Even without the sex, Bella was companionable, we had a lot of laughs. She was fun to do things with. She always allowed me to be me. Now, I have a better respect for what having a serious relationship entails."

Bella smiled, and Emmett took her hand in his.

Dr. Saltz spoke up, "We're certainly sorry this relationship did not work out for you. Not every experiment or union will be successful, but we're happy to know that you both are able to take something of value away from it."

"Right," Pastor Ray said. "If nothing else, it's the best we can hope for."

Bella turned to Emmett, "I just know that the right woman is out there for you, Emmett, and she's going to want you and love you and just be your everything. You are such a good man. You deserve it."

He squeezed her hand. "We'll see. I thank you, Bella. I know she's out there somewhere. And you too. But hey, we had a good time, didn't we?"

Bella's mind flashed back to their helicopter ride, their axe throwing, their lounging by the pool as well as jumping in that gravity room. He'd definitely pulled her out of her comfort zone. "I had such a good time with you, Emmett. You made me laugh so much. I think that's what I'll miss the most—your sense of humor."

"You two can still be friends, can't you?" Dr. Muncher suggested.

"Well, I hope so. Call me anytime you need me to scare away your ex," he laughed and Bella chuckled. "Or you just want to hang out and drink a couple."

This made her feel more hopeful. No matter what had transpired, she would love to see him again as a friend. "Absolutely."

Emmett

It hadn't been as painful as he thought it would be, now breathing a sigh of relief as he signed his name on the lines after Bella. This document showed that their marriage was officially over. They were now free to go on with their lives—be single again. He didn't know what the future held. He liked to entertain the idea that maybe Rosalie and Edward may have divorced as well but kept that to himself. Anyway, his and Rose's blatant flirtation would now be available for the nation to see, so it's not like he was going to seek her out at this point anyway. They were due to fly out again one more time. The first time they were to gather was to watch the premiere as a group. Then, again for the after show that concluded the airing of this final phase. After all they'd been through, it would be a snap.

They took the limo back to the hotel and gathered their things. He gave her a bear hug, and as they readied to part ways, Bella hugged him hard, and tears welled in her eyes.

"Awww it's okay, Bella."

Bella sniffled. "It really isn't. None of this has been fair for you. Like I told them, it was my fault."

"Now, now, come on. There's definitely blame to share," he said.

"Yeah, but how's it going to look for you, Emmett? You deserve so much better than how it's going to appear on television."

He hadn't given a lot of thought to that, but yeah, he could imagine he would be viewed as a playboy. Would that really hurt him, though?

"Nah, I'll be okay. I'm a McCarty, after all. Goes with the territory."

He gave her one last hug and watched as she hobbled toward her gate. It had been some experience. He wanted her to return back to Knoxville with him, so he could help her heal and then return after a couple of weeks with the rest of her things, but she insisted she would be okay on her own and that it would just be easier to send her things. Bella hadn't wanted to go to Tennessee, and now she would not have to.

When he arrived home, he saw her clothes hanging in the closet, feeling a pang. She'd been a special girl. Sure, maybe they weren't meant to be together as a couple, but he meant what he'd told her in front of the experts. She had been fun to talk to and hang out with, and heck, she could probably teach him a thing or two about how to keep a woman—give him advice on how to find the right one.

When he'd made it back to work, the guys teased him endlessly. They hadn't seen the premiere yet made pretty accurate guesses about why it hadn't worked out. And none of it was about his wife.

Still, Rosalie was on his mind. He couldn't very well call the show for her number, as he didn't know whether it had worked out for them or not. He found himself watching her videos and becoming more and more enamored by this woman. That Edward was one lucky man. He held the affection of Bella in one hand and that amazing woman in the other.

It wasn't long, though, before they would all meet again to watch the premiere and he was looking forward to it. Looking forward to seeing Rosalie again.

A/N: Alright! One social experiment down. Next, we have the premiere where they meet again and view the first episode. Then in the weeks to follow, they will live their lives and see each other again at the after show. Lots going on in these last 10 or 11 chapters, so stay tuned for that! These darn alerts…check back as I will try to update as I have the opportunity.(I'm also trying to catch up on replying to the reviewers as I write this) I will be out of town for the next few days but should be able to post again on Thursday. Thanks so much for all your love and support and I appreciate you all and the ones who engage with their feedback!