Prologue

Edward Cullen POV

I watched her from the exterior of the prestigious home on the outskirts of some posh suburb in Charlotte, North Carolina, through a window twice my size.  Velvet curtains hung from the top of it, caressing the wall, and faux wood shutters were my only disguise as the dinner party played out.

A middle aged man sat opposite a woman I had to assume was his wife.

His attire screamed money, but, of course, I knew that didn’t necessarily mean he had any.

I mean look at me. 

But honestly, everything about him just oozed wealth.

And greed.

Bella’s face seemed pleasant enough, but it wasn’t the one that I remembered.

It wasn’t the one she wore when her guard was down or hell, even the one when she was being a smart ass. It was just…pleasant.

The man who sat at the opposite end of the twelve person table seemed…new.

It was freezing outside and I pulled the collar of my freshly purchased trench coat around my neck to keep the wind from flowing down the back of my shirt.

Their voices were mostly mumbles through the glass plane, but I could still hear what was being said when he asked her, “Coffee, babe?”

Babe?

She hated that word.  In fact, I distinctly remembered the first and only time I’d ever called her that. 

Almost the only time, anyway.

She’d narrowed her eyes at me, balled up her fists and then knee’d me.

Right in the nuts.

It was brilliant.

I had swelling the next day and a bruise on my balls that lasted a week.

I laughed at the memory, but my smile immediately disintegrated as I watched her beam over at him with the fakest of happy grins, telling him, “Sure thing darling.”

Excuse me while I empty my stomach of all things retched.

And as she got up to go make her happy little cups of happy little ground up coffee bean filtered juice for their guests, I knew this was my chance.

I pushed my way out of the prickly bushes I’d lodged myself into for my spy session and made my way around the newly constructed stone house to the back yard.

I found the sliding doors that lead into the ridiculously large kitchen and pulled on the handle gently, remembering how she would always like to leave it cracked open, even on cold nights, to let the fresh air move through. 

And sure enough, it slid for me, easily.

Her back was to me as I quietly stepped toward her, slowly reaching for my hand gun.

It was a precaution I’d come to make a habit of lately.

I watched as her body moved in ways my mind wanted to explore further while she pulled the coffee pot off of its hot plate and poured four cups for her and her…visitors.

I was just behind her.  Within arm’s reach, dying to stretch a hand out to touch her and, as though she had a sixth sense that I was there, she stopped suddenly at the last cup.

She set the pot back down.

Her head turned slightly and I could just see the nape of her neck that still held the locket I’d given her.

I smiled.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered and her voice… just the sound of it… something I hadn’t heard in months, made my heart beat again.

She wasn’t pleasant Bella anymore.  I heard my Bella there again.  Which meant I might actually have had a chance, after all.

I was nervous as shit.

I knew what consequences might lie ahead because of my actions, but I couldn’t do it. 

Couldn’t stay away from her anymore.

So I steeled myself and conjured up the nerve I needed to follow this through before I lost everything that I had and just…ran.

“Leave with me,” I said.  “Right now.” I looked around at the immaculate room…its fine china and over the top cappuccino maker. “This isn’t…”

“No,” she told me flatly, picking the coffee pot back up to pour that last cup.  “You really should be going now, Edward.”

I let my brow furrow at just how resolved she was about it.

Like nothing mattered to her anymore.

I ground my teeth a little before repeating myself a little more assertively this time.  “Come with me, Bella.”  I wasn't above throwing her over my shoulder and taking her against her will...I'd done it before.

“I can’t do that,” she told me, attempting to be adamant, but I could tell she was also hesitant.

“Can’t?  Or won’t?” I asked.  Bitterly, I’ll admit…but she didn’t answer, still.

She was thinking.

Debating.  She still did that way too much.

She was also staring at something of no consequence, unwilling to look at me.

“Why not?”

She couldn’t seem to reply.  I’d had a feeling she wouldn’t, but I’d hoped she would have tried at least.

She owed me that, after everything she’d done to me.

“I L….”

Her body spun, anticipating my words and her actions silenced me.  It was as though I’d frightened her…and her eyes.  Those big brown orbs I’d tried, whole heartedly, not to dream about during our separation… they darted to mine.

Perhaps to see if there was any truth there.

Perhaps to warn me there was none left in her.

She swallowed and her lips parted slightly as though she was going to say something but then…nothing.

“Bella.”

“Edward, I think you should go.”

I searched her eyes for it.

For that glimmer of hope, as I pushed on.

“I’m not leaving.  Not again.  Not without…”

She became stubborn, then.  “You can’t just –“

“What’s going on, guys?”

New guy.

He eyed me, noticed the gun that my hand was on and instantaneously grew serious.

“Jake,” she said, smiling. “It’s nothing…this is…a friend.”

I snorted and then Jake gave me a wary look. “Everything…okay?” he asked as his hand non-chalantly went to his hip, while he moved next to her.  Their guests began trying to peek into the kitchen to see what the ruckus was all about.

Wouldn’t want to cause a disturbance in the force, now, would we?

He was good.

He was very good but he wasn’t going to deter me.  I found his attempt at intimidation only slightly entertaining.

“Something funny, guy?” he asked me and I eyed him but didn’t answer.

Hell, it was all I could do to resist taking him out just based on the principal of his smug as shit attitude.

“Who are you, anyway?” he pushed.

I looked to Bella… then back to Jake.

“I’m her husband, asshole.”