DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are all property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement intended.

Prologue: Charlie's Point of View

Dear Mr. E. A. Masen,

I sincerely hope this letter finds you well. I'm writing to you in regards to the packages I keep receiving from you. Although the intention behind said packages I'm sure mean well for our daughter, we refuse to pass them on to her until she specifically asks for them, if she ever does. Renée and I feel the need to remind you that Isabella is not the kind of young woman whose feelings are bought. She loves and cares genuinely, and we love her all the more for it.

As of now, it's purely up to you whether or not you take this advice but we do suggest you stop spending your money on things that will not be appreciated until the times comes to reveal to her who you are. Please take us seriously when we ask for you to keep prolonging your visit here. She's not yet graduated high school and is on the fast track towards getting a full ride to Chicago State University.

If you're agreeable, we'd like to extend an invitation for you to come to her graduation party next summer for an introduction. Until then, Re and I will cease contact.

Best regards,

Charles and Renée Swan

Renée was putting dishes away in the kitchen, muttering on and on about how I couldn't keep our only daughter safe from the fucked up life we lead. I understood her perspective as a mama bear protecting her young, but the situation was far out of hand.

When Bella was born, we were in severe financial trouble and could barely afford to pay rent for the shitty house we had been living in then. The cupboards were constantly empty and we found ourselves relying on our families more than we should have. It wasn't until we met Edward Masen, Senior that everything changed. He and his wife had been in Seattle for one of their children's competitions, and we bumped into each other while exiting the building. Ed Senior was a scary man—one nobody wanted to cross, just by a first impression—while Elizabeth was very kind and a gentle looking woman.

Their children were relatively young: Edward Anthony was only thirteen and stood over six feet tall, with unruly copper colored hair and vibrant emerald green eyes; Catherine was eight at the time and she stood at a little over four feet tall with her father's dark brown hair and same green eyes and Edward and Elizabeth; Jasmine was the youngest of the three children at only two years old, she had auburn colored hair and Ed's dark eyes that contrasted against her fair skin.

As a way of apologizing for the "accident", Elizabeth had asked us to join their family for a late lunch before they had to head out to SeaTac for their flight to Chicago later that evening. Renée had offered to drive them to the airport after we dropped Bella off with my sister, and they had accepted her invitation. Thankfully, we had a minivan and it proved to be a good choice for the day. At the end of the day, Renée and Elizabeth had exchanged phone numbers while Ed and I made plans for them to call the next they'd be in the area. What I wasn't expecting was for him to slip a wad of cash into my coat pocket…

After that day, I felt indebted to Ed Masen for helping us when we were drowning. We still remained close, to the point where Renée felt the need to make Elizabeth Bella's godmother. I couldn't complain, for I couldn't have chosen anyone better for my own child. However, our lives took an unexpected turn when Edward turned eighteen. He was to take over Ed's company and wouldn't be able to without having chosen a bride. Our Bells wasn't even six years old when he chose her and, unfortunately, we couldn't say no.

Since then, Edward became a silent yet permanent fixture in her life. He wouldn't come for special occasions like birthdays and holidays personally but he'd spoil her with gifts. It was never easy to say no to people such as the Masen's… More so as we still felt indebted to them.

All I could do was hope he would be considerate enough as to wait until Bella was mature enough to understand the situation.