Prologue
It's Monday morning, 2:37am, Edward will be back from hunting in 23 minutes and then it's showtime. Three weeks to the day I left our cramped, sad excuse for an apartment in Hanover for Florida to visit Renee and later to Forks to visit Charlie and I said my good-byes to them both without their knowledge. In the last three weeks I have felt deep despair as well as exuberance, I have cried until I fell asleep and laughed maniacally with joy. I know I am ready for what may come.
He will be back in 19 minutes now. We will make love one last time with me as a human then he will prepare my favorite breakfast at the perfect kitchen in our cottage. French toast, eggs and bacon. My last meal. Dead woman walking.
We will meet Alice at 4:00am to do my hair, make-up and wardrobe. I welcome this although it's something I would have cringed at two years ago. I want to look my best when Edward sinks his teeth into my neck, releasing his searing venom into my blood stream and sealing my fate.
At 4:30am I will say good-bye to my reflection in the mirror, I will lay in the makeshift hospital bed Carlisle prepared for me in the study and he will administer the morphine, Edward's hand gripped in mine.
At 5:00am the world will fade away for three excruciating days.
Peace can't come soon enough.