The Bonds Between Us • E.Cullen x Fem oc x B. Swan

Chapter 51

Getting up in the morning, Cordelia still had that sinking feeling that seemed to almost weigh down her chest.

Walking down stairs, Jonas could see there was something off about his daughter.

"Carrot? Is something wrong?" He asked. "No-uh I don't know. Edward and I got in a bit of a fight last night and he left without it being resolved." Cori lied. "Can I ask what about?" "Just normal stuff dad. Nothing you need to worry about." She told him. "I'll always worry about you, Carrot. Go talk to him. Figure it out. Don't let it fester like I did with your mother." He told her, trying to give her actual advice.

Giving her father a sideways hug she smiled lightly. "Thanks dad." "You're welcome. Just so you know I still don't like him." "I know dad." Cori told him as she chuckled.  "Also to Carrot, I'm headed back to Seattle today. I'm supposed to be there a week, but it may get extended longer." "Okay, dad. I love you." "Love you more."

Thinking he would be at school, Cori picked up Bella like normal, driving to school. "Do you think he'll show?" Bella asked as she looked at the time on the dash; two minutes until the bell rings, no silver Volvo. "Maybe his talk with Carlisle didn't go as planned." Cori said, but the unsettling feeling in her stomach seemed to only get worse.

"I'll see you at lunch, babe." Cori told Bella, as she kissed the brunette's cheek, headed to her first class of the day as the shrill school bell rang out.

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At lunch the girls sat together, surrounded by their friends as they usually did when the Cullens were out on sunny days but this day was different. The sky was dreary and cloud covered, and the longer the day went on without a single sight of a Cullen, the more desperate the girls were to get out of school.

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Cori dropped Bella off at her house, not seeing the Cullen they had been looking for all day waiting for the girls in the side yard. "I'll find him." Cori told the brunette as she climbed out of the Jeep. "Okay. Call me?" "Of course." Cori said as they shared a brief kiss.

Cori pulled out of the drive, starting down the road when Bella came around her truck, seeing Edward. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you." Bella said but he stayed quiet. "Come take a walk with me." Was all he said, turning towards the woods as Bella turned to look back to the road, more specifically down the road. Patting her jacket, Bella remembered she left her phone up in her room. To afraid if she was to go get it, that he would leave again, she went with him.

Following behind him, they stopped as they entered as small circle like of trees, Edward facing her. "We have to leave Forks." "Why?" Bella asked. "Carlisle is supposed to be ten years older than he looks, and people are starting to notice." "Okay, I've gotta think of something to say to Charlie. What about Lia? Is she coming too?" With no answer, Bella looked up, Edward not able to meet her eyes.

"When you say "we..." "I mean my family and myself." Bella nodded, the situation catching up to her. "Edward, what happened with Jasper, it's nothing. You protected me, Lia protected me." Bella said. "You're right. It was nothing, nothing than what I always expected, and nothing compared to what could have happened. Cori, I always took her for granted, for she has no scent. But with her recent abilities-" "Don't make this about her." Bella growled protecting her girlfriend.

"You just don't belong in my world, Bella, and neither does Cori." Bella was too stunned to speak for a few seconds before anger and panic started to course through her. "I belong with you, we both do." Bella told him. "No, you don't." "I'm coming." She told him, conviction in her voice. "Bella, I don't want you to come." Edward told her harshly, his jaw locking. Bella's eyes glazed over at the proverbial slap in the face as a shaky sigh left her mouth.

"You don't want me?"  Edwards golden eyes locked onto her brown ones as he uttered one single word. "No."

"That changes things, a lot. Cordelia, you can't leave her. She'll be devastated. Edward you can't." Bella begged him. "I've left before. And she came crawling back. It won't matter if I do it a second time." He told her turning away.

"If it's not too much to ask, can you just promise me something? Don't do anything reckless. For Charlie's sake. And I'll promise something to you in return. This is the last time you'll ever see me. I won't come back, and you can go on with your life without any interference from me. It'll be like I never existed, I promise."

Bella's lip quivered as she thought of what to say. Then she got angry. "If this is about my soul, take it. I don't want it without you. And your promise means nothing. Lia's still here, she's supernatural whether she knows it or not. She'll be my reminder." "It's not about your soul. You're just not good for me." Edward told her. "Not good enough for you." Bella said. "I'm just sorry I let this go in for so long." Edward told her. Tears ran down Bella's face as she looked at him. "Please... Don't..." Bella sobbed as she looked at him. "Goodbye." He told her, stepping forward, kissing her on the forehead before turning around and running. "Edward. Edward!" Bella called out running into the forest.

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From the tree line, golden eyes locked onto Cordelia who paced by her bedroom window, her phone in her hand. "Alice, when you get this, can you call me back. We can't find Edward anywhere. I need to know he's okay." Cori said into the phone.

Edward sighed as he knew Cori would be the hardest for him. Yes he loved Bella, but Cori had been by his side for three years. They knew each other better than anyone else, in ways no one else did. He knew he would regret his words, just as he had with Bella, mainly as he knew how words affected Cori, how everything affected her. Hearing only one heart beat in the house he made his entrance.

Scaling up the house, he slid into her room. "Where in the hell have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere!" Cori said not noticing how his face was void of any emotion, for when she went to hug him, he didn't give. He was like a stone wall. "Edward?" She asked looking up to see the expressionless mask he had on.

"We're leaving Cordelia." He told her. "Okay, like just to the Denali's or-" "Carlisle's supposed to look ten years younger than he does and-" "Stop with the lies. Tell me what's really going on." Cori said seeing through him. Edward's eyes narrowed as his mind reeled with uncertainty.

"What's really going on? You want to know the truth, Cordelia? We're leaving because I have been playing human for three years to a girl who I was obsessed with just to find out she's not human at all, and unsurprisingly not my mate. You were right Cori, all along. You're a creature of the darkness that can hurt the people I love. Alice can't see you because your unpredictable, I can't read you're mind half of the time because you block me, and Jasper can only help you part of the time. We can't have a liability in the family."

Cordelia's face was stone cold, making the vampire nervous. Her breathing just barely stuttering as she tried to keep it together.

"Did she know? Did Bella know that I wasn't your mate? Did you string me along to get the girl that Alice saw all along? Is that it?" Cori asked, question after question.

Remembering what Bella had said about Cordelia keeping her connected to the supernatural world, his mind was split.

"Yes." He finally said, and as soon as he did he wanted to take it back. He saw her crumble, quite literally fall apart in front of him. Tears had started to run down her face silently as her eyes were hollow. "Edward-" "You don't belong with me. You're a danger to everyone, Cordelia." He told her harshly, wanting to cut any and all ties, trying to protect her from himself.

A sniffle came from her as he walked away from her, then her voice. "Edward, if you leave- if you walk out that door, you better never come back." She told him, a fire in her eyes that frightened him slightly. "I wasn't planning on it." He told her as he walked through the door, and soon closing the back house door.

"It was all a lie." Cori mumbled to herself, as she curled up on the floor. "It was all a lie."

A/N: IM SORRY!