This is Edward's point of view of the scene in the Forest where he tells Bella he's leaving; the middle of chapter 3 'The End' in New Moon.
I wanted to try and write Edward's point of view of the exact scene, meaning most, if not all, the dialogue used has been taken from New Moon between pages 66 and 73. Which means I do not own it, like I don't own Twilight.
EPOV
It had been two days. Two days of ignoring Bella, of the emptiness and hatred that engulfed me, of knowing the answer to the decision I least wanted to make. The decision that would rip me apart and be the worst thing I would ever do; not only to myself but to Bella. I knew though, that this was for the best. There was no other way.
I waited for Bella in the school parking lot. What must she be thinking of my remoteness? Was she frustrated with me? She must be. Maybe she was just going along with it, presuming I was just depressed about her birthday and that I would snap out of it. How wrong she was.
"Do you mind if I come over today?" I asked as we walked to her truck. I already knew the answer she'd give.
"Of course not"
Bella needed to post a letter but I offered to do it seeing as I would still beat her home. I drove to the mailbox and wondered whether the thought of what I was about to do had crossed her mind. Perhaps she could see it coming and was just trying to make the most of the time we had together. I doubted it. Knowing Bella, if she had thought about it, she would have told me. Told me not to do it, told me I was being ludicrous. The only thing that was ludicrous was for me to think this could have ever worked. It was ridiculous for me to have taken her to my home. A house full of vampires. What kind of brainless idiot would do that to someone they loved? Well now I was paying the price. The price for my selfishness and stupidity. A life without Bella; it was no life at all.
I could hear Bella's truck drawing nearer. Taking a deep breath, not that I needed it, I stepped out of my car. I had parked in Charlie's normal place as I did not intend on being here when he arrived home. Bella seemed to notice this from the frown she wore on her face. I took the few steps needed to meet her at the place where she got out of her truck. I took her bag from her, but unlike other days I placed it back in the Chevy.
"Come for a walk with me?" I asked in monotone, but took her hand all the same. Bella stayed silent so I started walking towards the forest, leading the way.
I stopped and leaned against the nearest tree once I had taken a handful of paces into the woodland. So this was it. I was really going to tell her. No, I couldn't believe that this was going to be the end. I love you Bella. Dammit I love you. The only reason I'm doing this is because you mean the world to me. More than the world, you mean everything.
The only way I could possibly make this work was to close off my emotions so she wouldn't see the immense pain that filled me in these next few minutes.
"Okay, let's talk." She sounded almost confident. Did she really want to hear what I had to say that badly?
"Bella, we're leaving," I used the same nonchalant voice as before.
"Why now? Another year-." I could understand that she might have questions, but why didn't she sound upset? And why would she ask that question? Surely if we were leaving, she would want us to leave now before she could get more involved and less hurt. I didn't understand.
"Bella, its time. How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all? Carlisle can barely pass for thirty, and he's claiming thirty-three now. We'd have to start over soon regardless."
Now she was the one to wear the confused expression. Had I not been clear enough? I told her my family and I was leaving. Leaving Forks. Leaving her. I'd explained it to her in the most honest way I could. Of course excluding the main reason for forcing my family to leave the place I would now consider home. Home, because this was the place where Bella was.
She just stared at me and I gave her the hostile look that hid my true feelings. A swift look of sickness then appeared across her face.
"When you say we-," Bella whispered. Oh shit! I can't believe she thought I meant us, her included. This was worse than I could have imagined, now it would hurt her even more. Oh Bella, please don't make me do this.
"I mean my family and myself," I said the words slowly, hoping that Bella would interrupt me at a point so that I wouldn't have to finish. But she just watched me speak the words and then began to shake her head as she didn't comprehend what I was telling her.
I waited for her to say something, anything. At this time I didn't know whether I would have liked to hear her thoughts or not. On one hand I wish I knew what she was thinking because of her silence, but on the other I knew that I might not be able to cope with what was running through her mind.
"Okay, I'll come with you." No Bella. Stop doing this. I tried to make my excuse seem plausible but it just sounded so fake in my head.
"You can't, Bella. Where we're going… It's not the right place for you."
"Where you are is the right place for me."
"I'm no good for you, Bella." Well this was no lie. If only Bella could see this and realise how absurd she was being for wanting us to be together.
"Don't be ridiculous." She sounded almost desperate, like she didn't truly believe the words. Why did it hurt? This was what I wanted, after all, wasn't it? "You're the very best part of my life." No Bella, I'm not. I'm not.
"My world is not for you," I said letting some of the sorrow escape from me.
"What happened with Jasper- that was nothing, Edward! Nothing!" Her mind was thinking, running through everything that had happened, trying to see what had made me make this decision.
"You're right. It was exactly what was to be expected." That day. I should never have risked it. What was I thinking? It was her birthday for God's sake!
"You promised!" She started. Her voice was strained and I'd hoped she wouldn't have remembered what I had told her. "In Phoenix, you promised that you would stay-"
"As long as that was best for you," I cut her off, finishing off the promise I had made her those months ago. I was following it through. However much she may not like it at this moment, I was doing the right thing. The right thing for Bella.
"No!"She yelled. "This is about my soul, isn't it? Carlisle told me about that, and I don't care, Edward. I don't care! You can have my soul. I don't want it without you- its yours already!"
I breathed in deeply to remind myself why I was doing this. It's all for you Bella. It's all for you. I had to make her see. She had to let me go, even if it meant lying to her. The biggest lie I could ever tell her. The one that would hurt the most. She would see through me the first time. But if I repeated it, kept telling her, maybe she would believe it, believe me. Not that I wanted her to, it would kill me for her to think that I did not love her. But she had to believe it, she had to. It was the best thing for Bella.
I focused on the leafy floor, making my eyes cold and set my jaw hard. I had to lie. I was going to lie. I'm so sorry Bella.
I looked up at pleading face, "Bella, I don't want you to come with me."