She's No Beauty Queen

Mark frowned. Edward had seemed so sure she was still alive earlier when he insisted on continuing with their plan as if she was.

"We don't know for sure that she's dead. She might be out there still. Lily thinks she is," he pointed out.

He let out a sardonic laugh. "Don't get me started on Lily! I have to keep seeing a woman who has Angel's face but isn't Angel in order to keep up appearances before we get a solid answer. Even though I think she's never coming back I have to act like she is on the off chance because if I break our deal she'll have no reason to stay.

"Isn't that pathetic? I already believe she's gone yet I'm still clinging to the foolish notion that she might be alive for such a paranoid reason. She's already gone either way. It's been two weeks; if she was going to show up by now she would have."

"What exactly is your deal?" Mark couldn't help but ask.

He had been wondering for ages but didn't think it was his place to comment on his boss's love life or lack thereof. But since he was talking about it already…

Edward sighed and leaned his head against the back of the couch. "That she wouldn't abort Aria and would marry me in exchange for my secrecy and financial support as she worked toward becoming Miss Americana. We have a contract and everything.

"Stupid, right? She was the only person I ever felt any sort of meaningful connection with and she blames me for ruining her life. Which I did, but it was a misunderstanding. A horrible accident orchestrated by a selfish jerk she trusted.

"I was so tired of being alone that even after she was traumatized by what happened I still couldn't let her go. I came up with the dumbest plan possible to get her to stay with me, figuring that having her unwillingly was better that not having her at all.

"In all the time she's lived with me she's stayed in her own room. We hardly talk unless she needs something or it has to do with Aria. When you showed up I was looking through all the pictures I have on my phone.

"There isn't a single one that we're both in together and we've lived under the same roof for more than three years. She's everything to me but to her…I'm just the person that destroyed her dreams and her trust in people at the same time.

"I found out later that she already had depression before we met but what happened between us made it worse. When she was pregnant she was so despondent sometimes I was afraid she would actually kill herself to get away from it all.

"Aria made things a little better…sometimes Angel actually seemed happy when she was spending time with her. I lived for moments like that. They gave me hope that maybe someday if she won Miss Americana and got what she wanted out of life that she might actually be happy here. Maybe she would even forgive me.

"But now…I don't even know if she's alive. And if she is she'll probably be even more traumatized. I have no idea what's happening to her right now and it's killing me. If I do get her back it will be in nothing more than body. Her spirit might be completely crushed this time and I really will lose her forever."

Yikes. Mark knew there was something odd about their relationship but suddenly Angel's detachment made so much more sense.

His worries weren't unfounded either. If a previously traumatized person who already had depression went through something even more horrific there might not be any coming back from that.

With no idea what to say, Mark ended up patting Edward's shoulder. That tiny bit of comfort was all it took for him to break down completely. Tears ran down his face and he buried it in his hands.

"I never even got to properly explain my feelings to her. She probably thinks I was using her too but I wasn't; I really wasn't. I love her. I love her so much and never once showed it in a way she could understand because I was afraid of getting rejected more than I already had.

"I didn't think she would listen to me because when I tried in the beginning she didn't seem to process a word. After that I lost confidence and never bothered trying again. But if I do get her back…I'll tell her everything even if she is disgusted or doesn't understand.

"I have to tell her I love her at least once but I can't do that if she's dead! Maybe I should go to the police but then they'll tear her life apart and find out everything. If she's alive she would hate me even more for that."

As horrible as it was, another reason not to go to the police crossed Mark's mind. They would think Edward was the prime suspect. In this sort of situation it usually was the woman's significant other.

He would be particularly suspicious since his affection was so obviously one-sided with a beautiful minor celebrity eight years younger than him. Going to the police probably wasn't his best bet at this point. They were on their own.

"I've heard that twins can have special connections with each other. If Lily says she's alive, I believe she is too. We're going to find her and you'll be able to tell her all the things you want to say."

Edward sniffled and looked up at him with the tiniest hint of hope in his soulless eyes. "You really think so?"

"Yes. If we pretend everything's normal right now she'll probably thank you when she gets back too. Everything is going to be fine."

Giving false hope to a broken man filled Mark with guilt but it was all he could do. He was no good at comforting people! But if false hope was what allowed this normally stoic man to carry on without falling apart all over again it was necessary.

Edward couldn't go off the deep end now. Aria needed him. And if her mother truly was gone forever…she would need him more than ever.

Mark gently took the wine bottle away and made his boss drink a lot of water in an attempt to detoxify himself. He was going to have a wicked hangover tomorrow and it was a work day. It seemed that he would have a lot to do on Edward's behalf.

Lately he had been going above and beyond his usual job description but that didn't matter. He would do anything for the man that had given him a chance to succeed. If he ever wanted to get a job somewhere else, working for the great Edward Todd would look amazing on his resume.

He had been a trailer trash loser yet the most successful man in the city saw potential in him and took him under his wing. He would always owe his boss for that. Helping him now was nothing compared to that.

Wherever Angelina was Mark fervently hoped she was okay and would be able to come back to Edward for real. But he had to wonder…if she was alive, what had she been doing all this time?