Chapter 1.

Italy.

"Edward, look at me!" I froze, it was no use; my screams were drowned out by the crowd, the chime from the clock tower was deafening, there was no hope.

I stared with futile eyes at my only love as he took another step towards his suicide. Legs, I needed to move my legs. My attempt was lost as my knees flung into the rough brick of a fountain centre of the plaza, dividing myself from my immortal. I gasped, pain instantly shot through my right shin, tears threatened to escape my eyes as I glanced once again at Edward, he was already in the light.

"No!" I screeched, as the sun illuminated his face.

I would not let the pain in my leg hold me back; the physical ache could not dominate my throbbing heart. I launched myself over the boundary only to tumble face first into knee-deep water, my leg had betrayed me, of course – pathetic human. Underwater I could feel the vibrations from the last chime. I heaved my saturated body off the bed of the pool, panicking as I glared toward the clock tower. Through bloodshot eyes he was gone.

"No, no, no. Please!" I howled, furiously rubbing my grazed hands across my clouded vision, praying it was just an illusion.

I was wrong I was too late.

Time, time had hindered, ironically time was what I had needed only seconds ago, I had plead for time to pause, for me to reach Edward, but in reality the minutes I had were only seconds and now they had turned into hours. I blinked at the empty space where my angel once stood, my body shaking uncontrollably, frozen in the water. Hindered.

I was vaguely aware of Alices cold hands on my face; my ears were ringing.

"Bella, Bella, we have to get out of here. Now! Bella!"

Nothing I was hollow. I felt my weight being pulled from the water.

"Bella," Alice begged. "I need you to try and walk, it will draw too much attention if I carry you. Bella?"

I lifted my head and drowned in her golden eyes, in my head they were his.

"I'm s...sorry," I stuttered. "I couldn't save you, I c...couldn't..."

"Bella, its me Alice, ok? We We need to leave, if the Volturi find us here they will kill us as well."

I winced at the last part. I had killed him, Edward was never coming back, and it was my fault.

"Come on Bella, let me just get you out of here. We can, we can get a hotel for tonight and..." Alice was suffering, I was pretty sure if that vampires could cry she wouldnt even be able to form words right now, "...and stay for the night, until youre stable."

I was thankful the festival was still going, the ringing in my ears had faded and I was now aware of my surroundings. No one was looking at us, no one even knew what had just happened, no one cared that half of my existence has been taken from me, broken, crushed and burned.

Broken, crushed and burned.