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IT felt like his pale, grey heart was caving into his chest.
He didn't know how he was going to handle it. He knew something was wrong when they traveled back home from Volterra, and she didn't take his hand or lace her arm through his. She simply curled herself up on the plane, remaining quiet as the memories of the Volturi echoed in her head. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay, that he was here now – but something was holding him back. He could never read her mind, but something had told him that her distance was worse than he could've ever imagined. He should've expected this.
They stood under the apple tree on her front lawn, him leaning against his silver Volvo as the clouds gathered in the sky. Bella kept chewing on her bottom lip as she repeated the word, sorry, over and over again. It sounded like she was pleading with him to forgive her. Edward could've sworn he saw Jacob in her kitchen window, watching their conversation with narrowed eyes. His thoughts were too obscene to say out loud.
"I don't know how ... to make this easier," Bella said, rubbing her arm, "but you know it has to happen, Edward."
He bit the inside of his cheek, yet his expression didn't show a hint of frustration. He wouldn't allow himself to crack. "I know."
"Imprinting is a serious thing, and after you left ... Jacob was there for me when no one else was." A corner of her mouth lifted, and the infamous Bella Swan smile appeared for a mere second. Edward's breath hitched. "He brought me out of my lowest point. I'm happy with him."
Edward stayed quiet.
"That doesn't mean that I was never happy with you, or that I never loved you," Bella continued, "because I did. So much. You have to know that."
"I'm happy for you," he said, without a hint of delight in his tone. How could he feel anything but grief when a girl was tearing his frozen heart out? "I just want to make sure you know the life you're choosing. It's humanity. A human ending – something I've always wanted for you." But not without me.
