A/N: Hey all, back with a new chapter. Sorry that I'm slow at writing. I'm trying to post more frequent updates but sometimes I just get stuck at one part and can't move past it. That takes time and I can't rush it even if I try. I tried to respond to your reviews, sorry if I missed anyone.

Recap:

"Why are you crying?" He asked, pulling me into his arms, rubbing my back with his large, warm hands.

I shook my head against his shoulder. If he only knew.

Grasping my shoulders, he pulled me away, green eyes searching my brown ones for an answer.

"What is it that you're not telling me, Bella?" he asked firmly. When I stayed silent, worry clouded his features "You're beginning to scare me now," he whispered.

Unable to hold it in any longer, I cried, "Oh Edward, I'm pregnant."

Chapter 31 – Splintered

Edward drew in a sharp breath, staring into my eyes unseeing. And then he pulled away, turning his back on me. He ran his hands through his hair, pulling at them.

"Say something," I whispered, tears slipping down relentlessly down my cheeks.

He turned back towards me, lips firm, eyes blazing. "It has to be a mistake…it's not possible. You're on the pill."

I shook my head slowly… hesitantly, watching the expressions flight across his face. Disbelief. Anger. Worry.

"Bella, tell me it's not what I'm thinking," Edward said, frustration drawing at the corners of his eyes.

"I stopped taking the pill recently-" I stopped abruptly when he looked up at me sharply.

"What do you mean by 'you stopped' the pill'?" He interrupted bitingly, making me cringe internally.

When I failed to respond, he turned away pressing his palms to his eyes. "Fuck!" He said harshly, causing me to back away.

Looking back at me with hurt eyes, he said. "How could you be so careless, Bella?"

I didn't have an answer for that. "I'm sorry. I know I messed up."

"You messed up?" Edward said incredulously, before advancing on me. Towering over me, he grasped my shoulders, shaking me lightly.

"Do you realize what we're talking about here? Bella, this is a child we're talking about… a new life that you want to bring in the middle of this fucked up mess we're in? " I closed my eyes, realizing the extent of our situation.

"Didn't you think for a second that I was supposed to be part of this decision?" He said, clenching his jaw.

Abruptly, he gave a harsh laugh, shaking his head before saying, "Sorry, my mistake. It seems like you've decided you don't need my opinions when it comes to us," he said cuttingly, referring to my decision to stay for a year in New York. He was being overly judgemental, and I was beginning to lose my patience.

"Stop alright!" I exclaimed angrily. "I said I was sorry, Edward, but that doesn't mean I did this intentionally," my voice went hoarse in the end, betraying my fear. "It just happened, okay?"

"Easy for you to say!" Edward said angrily. "We need money to raise a child. We can barely pay rent Bella! How do you expect us to bring a child in this world…we can't even afford it right now," he said resignedly.

"So that's it then," I paused, my eyes filling with tears. "You just want me to abort the baby?" My heart squeezed in my chest at the sound of the word.

A baby. A new life that we had made stared at each other in silence, a moment that seemed to go on forever.

"I don't know what I want," he said finally. "All I know is that I'm not ready for this, Bella," he continued in a hushed voice.

"It's too much…first your refusal then the construction job and now this. It's just too much," he said, closing his eyes and pressing his fist to his forehead, looking extremely overwhelmed.

Opening his eyes, he looked at me bleakly. "I just need to get away," he said in a tired voice before quietly leaving the apartment. I leaned back against the counter and finally let go of the tenacious hold on my tears, watching as the pink lines blurred before my eyes.

~x~x~x~x~

Days.

Weeks.

And now months.

It had been four months since the day I had found of my pregnancy.I settled my hand on my little baby bump, trying to make sense of the life developing inside me.

Nothing.

"Bella, I need those papers I was asking you about," Aro called from his my teeth, I tried to tamp down by building frustration at still not being able to find a loophole in Aro and Francine's scheme.

"Coming," I replied, trying to calm my inner voice.

Taking the stack of neatly piled papers I headed into Aro's office, halting as his creepy gaze slithered down my body. I shuddered inwardly as the urge to cover myself hit me strongly. I set my jaw, and moved towards smiled, gliding his hand along my arm suggestively. I pressed my lips together, stepping back, out of his reach. He frowned, folding his arms as he stared at me with faux patience.

"Bella, now now, don't be like that. I've been patient enough with you."

"Aro, you're being inappropriate," I said calmly, although I trembled inwardly as he advanced towards me.

As I stepped back, my shoe caught on the back of the carpet and I slipped, slamming my hip against the excruciating pain shot down my spine, causing me to cry in agony as I slowly collapsed on the floor.

The world spun as my head collided with the floor.

Pain.

Unbearable pain shot through my body, lighting it up with flames.

Voices. So many voices.

"Bella, are you okay?" Aro said, gently nudging my shoulder.

And then I felt a sense of overwhelming fear. The baby.

Was the baby okay?

My heart thudded as I heard the sound of others trickling into the room. I couldn't think, couldn't answer the questions…couldn't even move. It was like the fear was paralyzing my body.

Everyone was touching me, asking if I was okay but all I wanted, no…needed was for someone to tell me if my baby was going to be lips trembled as I thought of Edward. Oh how I needed him right now.

With some effort, I turned my head trying to stabilize my vision. I moved my fingers across the floor, looking for purchase to lift myself fingers found a curious hard metallic object under, but I was too drained to think. Cold hands helped me up, and despite my disgust I leaned heavily against Aro, too tired to think about my actions.

A nurse hurried in and checked my vitals, vision and reflexes. She smiled at me as she assessed me, gentle in her approach.

"Just a small little fall. You look like you'll be just fine," she said, smiling reassuringly. But mind cried out in protest…what about my baby?

"You should take the rest of day off," Aro said in a concerned voice, seemingly out of character.

"I think I will," I said, trying to mask my pain. As the nurse began to move away, I couldn't stop myself as I reached out to grab her hand.

"Are you alright?" She asked, concern seeping into her expression.

"I'm pregnant," I said, pausing as I heard Aro draw in a sharp breath. Paying no attention to him, I continued, "Is my baby going to be okay?"

The nurse looked alarmed and hurriedly said, "If I was you, I would go to emergency to be safe. You should also check for spotting."

Those words were all I remembered as I was ushered into a cab. The cab ride to the hospital was nerve wracking, a haze filled with pain, fear and exhaustion. By the time we were halfway, I had dug my nails into my palm deep enough to leave bloody marks.

"Are you okay, miss?" The cab driver asked.

"Fine," I choked out, feeling miserable as his knowing eyes caught my lie.

With shaking hands, I dialed Edward's number. One beep. Two. Three.

"Hello?" Edward's voice sounded on the other end of line. To say that we had developed a distance would be an understatement. We hardly ever talked beyond the bare essentials.

This was probably the third or fourth time I had called Edward in four months. The other two had been on the occasions when Edward hadn't come home late into the night.

"Edward." My lips trembled as I said his name, seeming so foreign coming out of my mouth.

I heard his sharp inhale before his alertness reached me through the line. "Bella," he said suddenly. "Are you okay?"

"No," the word left my voice in a sob.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" He asked calmly, although I could practically see his face crowding in concern.

"I fell." Two words that created a silence as his breath left him.

"I'm scared," I cried into the phone when he didn't respond. My words seemed to jostle him out of his stunned state.

"Where are you now?" He asked in his all business voice, hustling sounding in the back as voices came through.

"I'm on my way to the hospital close to our house," I said in a blubbering mess.

"I'm on my way there. Just hang in there," he paused. "Breathe Bella. It's going to be okay."

"What if I lose the baby?" I asked, my voice a pained whisper. I heard Edward's voice hitch.

"Let's pray for the best, sweetheart," he said hoarsely. "That's all any of us can do."

~x~x~x~x~

I couldn't go to the washroom. What if there was blood? My knees shook as I clasped my hands tightly together between my knees. I couldn't recall a time where I had been more scared. For the millionth time, I looked up again towards the waiting room entrance wishing…hoping Edward would show up soon.I looked elsewhere, searching for anything that could be a distraction.

A small child was seated next to me. A child that was very sick. His eyes were tired with dark circles under them and his color sickly pale. As my eyes met his, time stopped.

"He's leukemic," his mother said from beside him.

He smiled up at me, and my heart broke. Tears trickled down my cheeks as he waved back at me when he was called in.

"Bella!"

I looked up at the sound of Edward's voice, forcing myself to stand on my weak feet.

"Edward," I sighed a breath of relief as I let myself sink in the comfort of his warm embrace. I relished the feeling of his hands skating over my face, his warm lips kissing my head repeatedly as he mumbled reassuring words.

I crumbled the collar of his shirt in my hand, wanting to feel closer to him.

"I can't bring myself to check for blood," I murmured against his neck.

"Then we'll do it together," he said against my forehead.

Grasping my hand, he led me to the ladies room. Rather than standing outside, he moved in, pulling me along. Closing the door behind us, he turned towards me.

"Come on sweetheart, check…we need to know," he said, grasping my shoulders firmly.

As I pulled my underwear down, Edward and I let out a sigh of relief. No blood, thank goodness.

I collapsed against Edward, underwear forgotten halfway down my legs. Edward squeezed me tightly against him.

"I know our circumstances are not the greatest, Bella. Still I want you to know something. I want this baby just as much as you do. I don't know how we'll manage, but I promise I'll figure out a way."

I sobbed tears of relief, wetting his thin shirt. Bending down, he lifted my underwear and pants back into place as I gratefully leaned against me.

I was going to crush Edward's hand as the doctor examined me. It was hard to tell, but the doctor didn't look too concerned after the ultrasound. Placing a device on my stomach, she smiled. The whooshing sound of a rapid heartbeat filled the room, and my eyes met Edward's wet ones.

Our baby was alive and okay by the sounds of it.

Once I was back up together, she smiled at me reassuringly. "Everything is fine, fortunately the fall didn't have any negative effect on the baby. The amniotic sac, which is intact, did a good job of cushioning the baby against the fall. But you'll have to extra careful, and I have a set of precautions I need you take."

I relaxed back in the chair, Edward's hand squeezing mine reassuringly as he listened to the doctor's instructions carefully.

Once we arrived home, I collapsed down on our mattress, feeling the exhaustion of the day creeping into my bones. The fear had left me shaken, and although I was relieved to hear my baby would be okay, it was still hard to fully believe. I felt Edward's strong arms slip around me, his lips against my hair. My body turned towards him, of its own volition. I returned his hug, as I murmured into his neck, "I was so scared."

"It's over now, Bella. You're safe…and so is the baby," he said, his voice overcome with emotion.

I was feeling too much, I needed an outlet. Pulling at the hem his shirt, I placed my hands on his warm chest, palms flat. Edward flinched, probably at the coldness of my hands. I rubbed my hands against his chest, desperate for the warmth he my face between my face, he kissed me urgently like a hungry man. When I made a sound of pleasure, he pulled back, shaking his head.

"Bella, sweetheart we can't," he said soothingly. I wasn't willing to hear his excuses and I pulled him back to me, trying to hush him with my kisses.

Edward kissed me back sweetly but with restrain. "Bella, stop," I pulled back, frustrated.

"I want you, Edward, and I want you now!" I said angrily.

When he stared at me in astonishment, I continued helplessly, "I'm desperate."

"You need rest, Bella, and sex most certainly doesn't constitute rest." That definitely got me a little flustered. "We need to do what's good for you and the baby right now," he said wisely.

"Fine," I said haughtily, frustration getting the best of me. Edward took my hand in his, kissing it gently. "Trust me you're trying the patience of a saint," he said quirkily, guiding my hand down south along his impressive bulge. I flushed at his suggestiveness, smiling as he curved his hand around my cheek.

"It's nice to finally see that smile. I thought I had lost it somewhere," he said wistfully. I leaned into his touch, grateful for the departure of his silence. If there was something today had accomplished, it was the bridging of the gap we had developed over the past few months.

"Come on," he said, interrupting my thoughts, "let me run you a bath."

Undressing was a bit of a challenge. Edward as always was truly comfortable in his skin, wasting no time pulling off his shirt and pushing his pants and boxers in one go. I on the other hand, was another story altogether. I watched longingly as he relaxed into the tub, resting his arms on the ledge. A small tub seemed to be the one luxury we had in our run down house.

Edward looked up at me. I squirmed under his intense gaze. "Come on Bella. You don't need to be shy. I'm your husband," he said reassuringly.

Trying to gather some confidence from his words, I pulled off my dress, leaving me clad in my plain bra and panties. His eyes burned as I felt his gaze zero in on my little bump. "Go on," he said in a low voice.

Shyly, I undid and removed my bra, wondering if he thought my breasts looked as big as they felt. Too self-conscious to look up, I slowly pulled my underwear down my legs.

"Come here." The huskiness in his voice made me look up. Swallowing my nervousness, I awkwardly climbed into the tub, unsure of how to lean back until Edward pulled me back until my back was flush against his chest.

His lips on my neck made me relax. "You're so beautiful. The pregnancy has made you only more lush."

"I feel bigger," I admitted uncomfortably. I felt his smile grow against my cheek.

"Well in a way you are bigger," he said, palming my full breasts making me moan as he applied the right amount of pressure that only eased the ache briefly. "In a very good way," he whispered.

"And look at these," he said leaning me further back as he ran his knuckles over my nipples. "These are bigger too, pinker…it makes me want to suck them hard." My nipples tightened further, goose bumps pebbling my skin.

Turning me around on his lap, he got down to the task; placing his warm mouth on my overly sensitive nipples making them ache as he sucked hard on one and then the other. He palmed my breasts with his hands.

"But what makes you most beautiful is this," he said, sliding his hand down to my little baby bump. "This beautiful baby that tells the world you're mine."

I threw my arms around his neck, murmuring against his neck, "I've missed you."

"That makes two of us," he said, running his warm soapy hands down my back.

When we finally went to bed, skin to skin, I sighed contently against his chest.

"I should probably thank Mrs. Cope for urging you to go to the hospital," Edward said softly against my hair.

I squeezed my eyes shut in regret, knowing I couldn't tell Edward yet that I wasn't working at the library anymore but in fact was working with his biggest enemy…Aro. It was too soon, I needed something concrete before I could disclose anything to him.

"I'll be sure to pass on your thanks," I lied, feeling like a hypocrite. His arms tightened around me, and I closed my eyes, praying that I would find some evidence soon. I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to keep the truth from Edward.

I had a restless night; some hidden knowledge that kept evading me in my dreams, tantalizing me at the edge of my subconscious. Even the safety of Edward's arms wasn't enough, and I kept waking, sifting through my thoughts yet unable to pin point what it was that I couldn't remember.

My eyes shot open as my mind caught on to the exact moment when I had fallen to the floor.

The hard object under the carpet.

Don't be stupid, my mind told me, it's nothing, but I couldn't help myself. I knew I was onto something, maybe a hint…anything that would fulfill this quest to find the truth. I knew now that I needed to check it out first thing tomorrow even though I should be on bed rest.

I looked up at Edward, eyebrows furrowed in his sleep. I smoothed my hand down his bearded cheek, pleased when his face relaxed into peaceful sleep.

I had to do this for him, I reminded myself. The demons from his past had to be abolished, and if this was the only way, so be it.

I could only hope I would get some answers.

~x~x~x~x~

My body awoke from the brief sleep I had fallen into as Edward rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Sometimes it surprised me how attuned my body was to his. I woke almost instantaneously when he did and it was something I couldn't rationalize, but I had grown to accept as spiritual down at me sleepily, he swooped down, pecking my lips before sitting up. I ran my hands down his muscular back, suddenly cold now that I was deprived of his warmth.

"I wished I could stay in with you while you rest. Give you some TLC," he said grinning. "But jokes apart, how are you feeling?" He asked in all seriousness.

"I'm fine, feeling much better than yesterday," I said, patting his hand lightly.

After much convincing, I urged Edward to leave for work. Getting down to business, I changed quickly. I mentally recapped Aro's schedule, he was going to be on an offsite meeting at 10 a.m. It was a good thing that I had texted him yesterday to let him know that I was taking a sick leave. I still had to gauge how he was going to respond to my pregnancy. I hoped that my outburst hadn't raised any doubts in his mind. He had to believe that Edward and I were not at good terms.

Once I reached the office, I exchanged the customary hellos and how are yous before rushing to the elevators. Once I checked the hallways, I knew the coast was clear. Advancing towards Aro's room, I turned the knob, sighing in frustration as I discovered it was locked.

Inspiration hit me then. I was Aro's personal secretary and that came with its own benefits. Calling the building guard, I made up a story about how Aro needed some documents and had called me to get them for him despite me taking a sick leave. I was just hoping that he would buy the story or it could seriously jeopardize my planning for months. Aro was highly guarded and that made it difficult for me to search his office for evidence.

I relaxed as the guard unlocked Aro's office door. I smiled at him pleasantly before saying, "Thank you, I appreciate your help."

"No problem ma'am. Glad to help," he returned. I felt my stomach twist at how easily I had fooled him. I didn't want to have to play this game any longer than I absolutely had to.

Once he left, I steeled myself and let myself in quietly. I knew I had to work quickly and so I wasted no time in getting on my knees, blindly feeling for the hard metallic object. Feeling the bump, I realized I had to move around to access it better. Once on the other end, I looked until I found it covered by a mat.

I removed the mat, staring at the strange dial and then it struck me…a safe.

Once I realized what it was, I clenched my hands together at the impossible feat of decoding a code for a safe. What were the chances?

I tried for the most obvious, Aro's birthdate. No luck.

The date when Aro's company started. No luck still.

Frustrated, I pulled at my hair. As an idea struck me, I retrieved my phone, scrolling up to Franco's phone number to text him.

Can you please send me Elizabeth's birth date ASAP

I don't like the sound of this Bella. Is everything okay?

Yes, everything is fine. Please find it fast.

Okay I'm working on it.

I was really beginning to sweat. It was 10:45 a.m. Aro would be here by 11 a.m.

I sucked a sharp breath as my phone beeped.

Found it. January 20th 1960.

Yes! I put the numbers in, holding my breath while I waited for the lock to click.

Nothing.

"Ugh," I moaned in frustration, wiping my forehead. 10:50 a.m. I didn't have time, cracking a safe was not an easy job. What else, there was nothing I could think off.

And then it struck me…Elizabeth's death date. I pulled out my phone, frantically typing.

Can you tell me Elizabeth's death date fast

That's easy. March 17th 2003. Be safe.

Always

I looked at the time again. 10:52 a.m.

Turning the numbers, I said a silent prayer, hoping this would work.

The lock clicked, and I held my breath as I pulled the safe open.

There were documents inside. Not just any documents…it was a will.

Elizabeth's will.

I skimmed the contents, lifting my hand to my mouth as I stared at the will in shock.

Elizabeth had left all of her assets, property and Cullen & Masen Corporation to Edward?

I squinted at the document in confusion as Edward's words came back to me.

"You know what hurt more, Bella? She never included me in her will. I don't care about the money, but it hurt that she had practically disowned me."

Nothing was adding up. As far as I knew, Francine Cullen had claimed the assets, property and the company as per Elizabeth's will.

I shook my head at the documents, staring at them while I tried to connect the dots. That was until my eyes landed on the date of the will.

March 17 2003.

Elizabeth's death date.

Phew, glad to get that one done. Thanks for reading! Forgive Bella for her mistakes, but I can't make her perfect. She's going to have to learn with time.

Your reviews are getting close to the truth…have you changed your theories yet? Keep thinking and keep me posted. Please review, it really gets me pumped! Can't wait to hear from you guys