Blockbuster

Chapter Thirteen

I adopted this plot bunny a year or so ago. It really intrigued me. I posted a poll in my group asking which story I should work on next, and this was the winner. It's definitely a WIP. I've only got a rough outline figured out and I'm going back to my roots with this ... writing with a vague plan. I hope that I can do this justice.

None of this is mine ... I wish it was. Sigh ...

To be continued ... in this chapter. Bella's story is not pretty. Just warning you all now!

*Trigger Warning*

Chapter Thirteen

Edward

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice deep and raspy from her tears.

"I had to make sure you're alright," I answered honestly.

"I'm alive," she said coldly, moving to close the door. "But, leave me alone."

I put my foot against the door, preventing her from closing it. "No, Bella. I'm not leaving you alone," I said. "Obviously, you're upset, and I don't blame you. I need to know you're okay. Please, let me in?"

"Why should I?" she snapped. "You probably believe Paul."

"No, I knocked him out," I shrugged. "He's an asshole and what he did was absolutely deplorable."

"Yeah, well, welcome to my life," she grumbled, stepping away from the door. I walked in, closing the door, and locking it. "What Paul said and how he acted was how Seth's sperm donor and his father treated me for almost four years. I thought I was over that emotional abuse, but clearly, I'm not." She crawled onto the bed, curling around a pillow. "Hearing those things ... it broke me to pieces. I was that eighteen-year-old girl who found out that she was pregnant after having sex one time. The one time I wanted to feel something other than grief."

Tears tracked down her gorgeous face. Her mascara was smudged, her eyes were puffy, and her cheeks were pink. She looked so shattered, but still beautiful. Tragically beautiful. I crouched down, reaching to wipe the tears away. She jumped back, her body trembling. "I won't hurt you, Bella," I whispered.

"How do I know?" she asked, her eyes vacant and her voice tortured. "I'm not even human anymore. I'm a shell. A broken, battered shell. No one cares. The bruises, the scrapes, the bleeding ... it never stops. It will never stop."

"Bella?" I choked out, my own eyes filling with tears. "I would never hurt you."

She just stared blankly at me, unseeing, as she cried. I crawled into bed with her, gathering her into my arms. She struggled against me, but she eventually broke down completely. I knew that Bella had a story, but it was clear that she'd been broken and shattered by this Jacob Black character, through the extension of Paul Lahote. I wished I'd broken Paul's jaw.

Asshole.

I carefully gathered Bella into my arms, cradling her sobbing form against my chest. She cried, gripping my shirt. I held her until her sobs eventually dwindled to quiet whimpers and then, nothing. I looked down, seeing that Bella was in a troubled sleep. I kissed her forehead, holding her closely to my body. I prayed she got some rest and was able to calm down.

Unfortunately, her sleep was anything but restful. She battled nightmares, screaming out in agony. I held onto her, trying to calm her. It didn't work very well. I barely got any sleep, eventually drifting off around dawn.

When I finally woke up, I was alone in the bed. I sat up, scrubbing my face, and searching for Bella. She was curled up on the couch, huddled underneath the robe from the room. She was holding a steaming cup of coffee and looking out the window. However, her eyes were unseeing, empty. "Bella?"