Rosebud by Arabella's
Review by JaimeArkin
Rating: M
Genre: Romance/Mystery, AH
Characters: Edward/Bella
Summary: Millionaire Edward fell quickly for small town Bella, and their dreamy romance soon led to wedding bells. When their new marriage is about to fall apart, Bella goes missing. Edward is determined to search for her, but does Bella want to be found? AU-Human
When my co-collaborator, phoebes.promise, rec’d Rosebud to me I was immediately hooked on this creative, mysterious story. Arabella’s intriguing storytelling and unique plot leaves you breathless and anxious for more.
From the open we learn Edward Cullen’s wife is missing, however there are no leads, no answers. We agonize along with our hero as he painfully wonders and worries...
Thank you, Steve...In more somber news, the wife of prominent millionaire Edward Cullen has been reported missing. Twenty-year-old Isabella Cullen was last seen at the couple's Seattle estate on Saturday night.
An anonymous source with ties to Isabella told us that marital problems and even talks of divorce had recently been going on between the newlyweds. However, our source stressed that it was not Isabella Cullen who initiated these talks. What is most alarming is the fact that no luggage or possessions seem to have been taken from the house upon Isabella's departure. Only her black Audi convertible is missing. Police are trying to determine whether heartbreak is the cause of the sudden fleeing, or if something more sinister is at work. If anyone is aware of Isabella's whereabouts, please call police or Channel -
I flick off the TV, carelessly sliding the remote across the hardwood floor.
My disheveled hair is pulled roughly as one thought repeats inside my pounding head.
Oh, my Isabella...where are you?
Through a series of flashbacks and present point of view, we quickly learn of a timeless, whirlwind romance. Edward is a handsome millionaire, Bella is the beautiful waitress he falls in love with. But as the story moves forward we realize something has gone very wrong. They are in the midst of a divorce but we aren't privy yet to the nature of the trouble as they still appear obviously, deeply in love...
"Why won't you take your share?" he asks quietly, sounding offended. He has not moved from the entryway, and I have barely breathed.
"Are you trying to hurt me? Villainize me? I just don't understand."
"No..." I murmur disbelievingly. How can he think that?
"I didn't earn any of that money, Edward. I didn't buy this house. You should keep it."
"I want you to have it. I'd never be able to live with myself if I left you with nothing."
I glare at him.
"Oh I get it. Poor Bella, right?" I ask mockingly, my voice picking up volume. My elevated height from the steps must be giving me an added boost of confidence.
"Poor wrong-side-of-the-tracks, diner fucking Bella! Well fuck you, Cullen! I don't want your charity."
I have always tried to hide my swearing and other unladylike traits from him, but there really is no point now. Edward doesn't try to mask the shock on his face as he silently stares at me in wonder. When he finally snaps out of his stupor, he walks over to where I've crumpled myself on the stairs. The polished surface of the stone step is cold against my skin, like most of the house.
"Please just talk to me," he pleads above me. I look down at my buffed fingernails so I can avoid his towering form. I can't stand his soft, gentle tone. I'd rather he yelled at me. He's never yelled at me.
"There's nothing to say," I mumble, my previous strength completely absent. It's a complete lie. We could probably write a book with all the things we need to tell each other. But I won't let myself feel guilty. If he really wanted to talk, he would not have hired the intermediaries tonight. "Please just go."
He hesitates, then I stare at his shined, brown leather shoes as he walks to the door. From my low viewpoint, I can see that the sun is still shining when he opens it. It makes me angry. The sun doesn't deserve to shine when my world is falling apart.
Edward's feet have paused at the doorway, waiting. He's still here. I finally force myself to look up. His hair is a mess of auburn, as if a thousand hands have run through it within the last minute.
"I'm sorry," he whispers.
My voice refuses to work.
I'm sorry, too,I try to show.
I love you, his eyes say.
I love you more.
Edward shuffles his Italian leather against the hardwood. Emerald irises are still glowing into mine.
Don't ask me to leave.
I already did.
Arabella's captures the emotions of her characters brilliantly and with very few words. The mystery surrounding Bella's disappearance is so captivating. Is it possible she left of her own accord or was she forced... by someone, somehow? Edward is convinced of the latter...
"I found Benny in our room, and I don't think she would willingly leave without him. Her father gave this to her."
"Maybe Isabella just forgot to bring him, in her rush?" he guesses tiredly. He doesn't understand.
"No!" I exclaim, holding Benny up with my left arm. My frustration is being fed by my shattered nerves, my shattered reality.
"She loves this fucking bear. She wouldn't just leave him behind. I knew that she wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. Maybe this means that she didn't want to go. Maybe - "
My favorite fics leave me thinking and feeling, they pull me, they intrigue me with their plot. Rosebud by Arabella's does all of that and more. It is a creatively told story, well written, leaving a solid mystery for us to piece and solve. The updates are wonderfully consistent and at only 12 chapters, you don't want to miss a clue to this fabulous mystery...
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