"Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets rough I don't know why."—Lana

EPOV

Previously…

"Do me a favor, bellissima?" she was now wary. Either at how cold my expression had become or at the gun that was being pulled out. But maybe it was just my next words. "Kill him for me?"

Jamie was ready to fight for her, of course. "Come on, brother. You don't have to do that. Let me take care of him." He nodded to Embry who was now pale as ghost.

"No one asks your opinion, J."

He glared at me.

"She was clueless about—"

"I want her to do it." I said firmly. Looking at her in the eye. Those browns gave nothing away. Again, hard to describe. One thing I knew I saw was a determination.

The silence was maddening.

But then, my girl held out her hand and said. "Okay."

She was unusually calm I didn't know what to expect. I admitted I was quite surprised she really killed him and wasn't hysterical about it. The next thing I knew we were already on our way home like nothing happened.

As soon as we arrived, we ascended the stairs and went straight to the bedroom. Everything seemed too normal to me. I was amazed by how well she took this.

"Do you trust me now?" she asked all of a sudden, finally filling the silence.

I stared hard and read her expression.

She didn't once look away.

"I do." I replied after a moment passed.

Her smile was cold and her eyes were distant. "You look unsure."

I did. She sensed my doubt right away.

"I have so much going on right now." I sighed.

She didn't say anything after that.

Something was off and I couldn't put a finger on it. This shit fucking stressed me out. We went back to Tampa because it was time to get everything under control. I evaluated it all. Swore to myself I wouldn't let the fucking traitor wander around the city unpunished. Fuck. Yet this shit led to nowhere. The fucker was totally invisible.

Bella was still bitter about that day though she didn't show it up much. I kinda felt sorry for her. I was such an asshole.

When I thought this couldn't get any worse, the cops decided now was the best time to raid my house. Fucking Uley. Talking about the fucking nerve. Saying they had all the fucking evidences about my involvement in some illegal dealings. How? That was still a mystery. The damages were already done even before we realized they existed. I didn't know whether we were just sloppy or someone had outsmarted us. But the world knows I was calculated as fuck. I had never missed a single thing. Until now. When it was all too late.

I was fucking arrested. It was a week after we all flied back to Tampa. I fucking let them handcuff me because I didn't want to take any risks. Uley didn't expect that we were doing it their way, but I didn't say I wasn't planning for his funeral, though. Everyone was questioned, but later released. I was the one only who was pressed charges. For now. I really fucking hoped they didn't have enough evidence to drag Jamie along. Because if they did, it was sure as hell would be the end of us.

Carlisle got me the best attorney, saying it would take a lot of time and effort to win this case. Like I didn't fucking know that already. Carlisle also said my father sobered up a bit and he helped them here and there about the business. Well, took you long enough, Pa.

Everyone in the family was cautious now.

Because one wrong step and it was over.

Two days since I was arrested, Jamie came bringing some bad news.

"Bella. She's gone."

"She's still missing." Jamie announced as he lit my cig. We paid enough to get the privacy we needed every time he visited. It was getting hard to calm my temper these days. And this was the last thing I wanted to hear.

Bella. She was nowhere to be found since this shit hit us.

I was silent because I didn't want to yell at him. He had no idea how much I wanted to kill someone right now.

"She's like…vanish. Just like that." He started again. "They probably have her." Those eyes looked tired and I couldn't help but wonder when the last time he was sleeping.

"We need to find her, J." I said. My jaw hardened. "Whatever it costs."

He nodded. "We will."

"No, they don't have her." Jamie said, straight to the point. Almost as if he could sense I didn't have any patience left. I really did not. With my trial coming up and all these crazy things that happened at once, how could I? Every week he gave me updates about her, but really, there isn't much. "And she isn't listed on witness protection program."

"You sure?"

He nodded. Hands deep in the pockets. "I have my insider."

"So."

"Pa said we should focus on your trial first."

Oh, now he wanted to boss me around?

I grabbed the collar of his shirt harshly. It took him by surprise because he definitely didn't see it coming.

"Find. Her." I clenched my teeth. "I don't want to hear your lame excuses anymore."

It had been months, but still nothing. Every night I was left here wondering where the fuck my girl might be.

"She's dead." I was staring straight ahead, taking a deep drag of my cig. Waiting for him to elaborate. "Bella Swan is dead, Edward." He added. Too calm for my liking.

I turned to him with cold eyes and stony face. Jamie looked like he had anticipated my reaction. Like he knew I was going to lose my shit at the news.

He handed me an envelope and I tore it open immediately. Inside there were some pictures of a girl that seemed foreign to me. She had a long hair and pale skin and slim body. That was all. The face didn't ring a bell. I didn't fucking know who she was.

"She died three years ago. Overdosed. Ran away from home six months before." He explained. "I traced all of the information about her, but it led me to a different Bella Swan." He pointed at the picture. "This is the real Bella Swan."

I closed my eyes briefly.

"Fuck."

"Your girl stole her identity."

Jamie was as stunned as me at the new fact he just found.

I wanted to throw things right now. This couldn't be true. Fuck. I felt like I was the most stupid person in the world. It all happened under my fucking nose for fucks sake. I, Edward Masen, was fooled by some old cliché trick. My ancestors would roll in their graves.

Everything she had done was a fucking fake show. And I fell for it. Hell, we all fell for it. She had been lying the entire time. Damn it, what was her fucking motive?

Everything clicked right away, then.

Jamie nodded his head when I came to realization.

"I promise you, brother. We will find her."