Disclaimer: I only own the plot and the original characters. Everything else belongs to Ms. Meyers

Prologue

"I think it'll be best if we just take a break for a while." I told Edward the night before I was to leave for college. Since graduation I had been reevaluating my life and realized that Edward and I wanted completely different things. He wanted to get married right away and I wanted to do some living.

"Well by break do you mean just for a little while or…" He asked.

"I just think it would be better if we broke it off here. Go off into the world with a clean break. We're not the same people we were before Edward."

Edward tried his hardest to get me to change my mind but I knew this was the right thing to do. College was supposed to be the next big chapter in your life, a fresh start. I couldn't exactly have a fresh start if I was still tied down to my high school boyfriend.

So I spent my summer getting ready for school. Even though I was going to school only a couple hours away, I opted for staying on campus to better put the past behind me. And it was for the best. After spending a couple of weeks on campus, I ran into Angela Weber, my old high school classmate.

We spent our entire freshman year hanging out before eventually rooming together our sophomore and junior year. Senior year we moved off campus into student housing before completing our internships. Angela continued her passion of photography while I pursued a career in interior design. Graduation day was a melancholy one as Angela and I weren't going to be living together but I was offered a full time position with House Dressing, LLC; a small up and coming interior design firm I interned with earlier in the year.

The next day, Charlie helped me settle into a townhouse a few blocks away from the firm and close to the police station. "I just want to make sure you're safe Bells and if that means having you live near the police station then so be it. It's not like you're willing to move back home."

"I know Dad. It's just that I like being on my own. I use to be so dependent on others and now that I've finally broken myself out of that, I want to keep it that way. But I promise I'll be back for the holidays." I assured him once again that I was going to be fine living alone in the big city.

It was so hard to believe that a year had passed since I graduated from college. I hadn't climbed up the corporate ladder within the company but I was making some progress. I was being brought in on several different renovation projects and now I was working with a project manager to redesign some place in my home town.

"Isabella, the client wants to meet us today at the work site to go over the changes he would like made. Be at this address at 2 pm." Bryan Miller, the project manager told me.

I nodded and looked it over before looking back at Bryan. He was only a couple years older than me but didn't look it at all. He had short black hair, hazel eyes, caramel colored skin and a slim figure. He always dressed slightly casual, opting for a dress shirt, vest and tie with jeans and plain dress shoes.

When it was about a quarter pass, I packed up my bag, making sure to grab my copy of the client's file, a tape measure and my sketch book. I hadn't had a chance to look over the file yet but from what Bryan told me about the client, they didn't seem to be too picky.

I clocked out for the day and grabbed a field work time card before walking out the back door to my car. After my freshman year, I finally broke down and retired my truck. Charlie chipped in and helped me get a used green 04 Kia Sportage from a police auction.

As I neared the address, I was surprised that the place was located near the logging mill. I knew there weren't any houses in the area so I checked the address again to make sure I was in the right area.

"This is it." I told myself looking around at the building. The framework seemed to all be in tact but I had no idea how the interior looked. The only thing I could I find out about the property was it had been vacant for several years due to the logging company moving further north.

"Hey did you have any trouble finding the place?" Bryan called out to me, deterring me out of my thoughts.

"No. I use to live near here so I'm pretty familiar with the area." I told him.

"Well the client is already inside. I've already met with him but he specifically didn't want to get started until you got here." He flashed a smile.

I let out a heavy sigh. Outside of Charlie and Jake, the only other person who knew I was working for an interior designer firm was Edward. I gulped down some air before following Bryan into the building. The first floor had exposed brick walls and a staircase off to the left side of the building. The entire interior was beige in color except the dark hardwood floors. I pulled out my sketch book and started jotting down some notes and take some measurements while Bryan walked through the downstairs, pointing out some problem areas.

"So is your associate here Mr. Miller?" I heard a deep voice call out. I looked up and I liked to have melted into a puddle. For there on the steps was a face I thought I would never see again. There on the steps, the one who requested for me by name was Emmett McCarty.