A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who added this story in their alerts and/or added it to their favorite list. It truly means a lot to me.

Chapter 26-

Marcus's POV-

Not every love story gets a second chance…

And only fools believe otherwise.

It had been six whole months since my beautiful Bella had walked out on me and us, mid- party, never to be seen again. At first, I had rushed through the corridors, attempting to find her. She had promised to support me till the end of the night, but after Chelsea had informed me that she had seen Bella walking out of the castle doors with Charlie Swan by her side, I had given up. It was clear that she wanted nothing to do with me or my world. She had left me alone, choosing to walk away from what I could offer her, back to her earlier life.

Aro had insisted that we find her- how wrong had I once believed my brother to be- he had even ordered Demetri to track her and bring her back to me, but all I had achieved from this prolonged mission, was a letter from Bella asking me to leave her alone. She had moved on in life, as was mentioned in her letter. She, with Charlie Swan, was now residing somewhere in the States, getting her life back on track as she found a new job and made new friends. She couldn't truly go back to her earlier life, the one she had had before she met me, but she was trying to create a life she could be satisfied with. And, I guess, I ought to be happy for her.

No matter how much her decision to forget me pained.

The more shocking news though, was that Charlie Swan had ended things with his mate and wife, Tanya. The poor girl had received Divorce papers in the mail, nothing pre or post that. All she knew was that Charlie had chosen his daughter over her, refusing to ever see her face again. While I knew that such a harsh decision was rarely observed in mates- they couldn't stay away from one another for long- it was clear that Tanya and Charlie were a thing of the past. The Denali coven had hence returned to their house in Alaska, news of Tanya Denali searching for a new lover floating through our world like wildfire.

If only it was that very easy to forget your mate!

To each their own, I guess.

As for me, I was…well…adjusting as well as I possibly could.

I wasn't moving past Bella and the few beautiful memories that we had once shared; I don't believe anything of that sort could ever be true. But like I had promised her, I was letting her go. I was respecting her decision to walk away from me, knowing in my heart that till she was happy, the goal of my life was being achieved. The future was surely a mystery, and Demetri had been informed to keep tabs on her, but as of now, I was once again a lonely man with no future to look forward to.

Heck, I hardly even had a boast worthy present to mention.

All I did the entire day was stare at a while wall and stupidly believe myself to be productive. Aro had tried to engage me in the daily workings of the castle, offering me back my forgotten duties as one of the leaders of our kind, but a broken, shell of a man is helpful to none, and after I had ruled unfairly in one of the few cases that demanded our attention these days, letting a wronged vampire free, I had voluntarily resigned from my duties.

I, in all my senses, had chosen to part with my position as the leader of the Volturi. I wasn't fit to be a leader. I was broken and damaged, my personal life taking precedence over my responsibility to be just and fair to the others of my kind. And as such, it only felt fair to let someone else rule, someone who could do justice to this precious position that I had once felt pride in owning.

I wasn't leaving the Volturi as of yet; where would I even go? And Aro was still attempting to convince me to change my decision, even though he was quite content with seeing Jane beside him on the throne. She had always been worthy and precious in his eyes, heartless and soulless when it came to maintaining the pride of the Volturi. Just like he deemed it necessary.

I was too soft and considerate in his eyes, thinking from my heart rather than my brain…the weak link between the three of us.

And that was okay, now that I had other plans as to how to lead my life in the correct direction. Didyme had once wanted the two of us to become nomadic in nature, and now that I was finally free of my responsibilities, it was time to fulfil her last wish- that last demand of hers that I could never fulfil…

I had taken the decision that once the haze of me quitting would fade a bit, I would put forward my wish to leave the Volturi and my brothers behind. It would surely be hard, convincing Aro the toughest. But it was time.

I was currently useless, a waste of space in this grand mansion we called our lair. And so, it was time to part ways. The past few centuries had given me nothing but misery, and while I was used to the misery now, I was tired of pretending to be alright.

I wasn't alright.

I probably never would be.

But I no longer had the energy to pretend.

It was simply better to separate myself from the new beginnings that were being celebrated these days in the castle.

"Marcus."

I looked up, frowning, no one in sight, looking all around me in question.

My room door was still latched, and I couldn't hear anyone roaming in the corridor connecting my bedroom to the rest of the castle.

"Marcus."

The unfamiliar voice repeated, eerily uttering my name, nothing preceding or succeeding it.

"Yes?" I hesitantly spoke up, my eyes alert as I prepared for whatever danger this could be.

Was this some mysterious power that Aro had no clue of?

Or were my ears playing a trick on me?

"Marcus, it is me, Bella."

I frowned in disbelief, attempting to decipher where the voice could be coming from. For, I knew for a surety, this was a trap.

My Bella was safely somewhere in the States, more importantly still a human.

And last I checked, humans weren't able to send voice notes from one destination to another without a given medium, simply through the power of their mind.

"Marcus, please trust me." The unfamiliar voice repeated. "This is my power. I am a vampire now!"

I refused to comment.

Why let the enemy know that I was becoming a victim to their charms?

"I know my voice sounds weird. Rather computerized."

Uh-huh!

"But it is really me! Please trust me. Charlie is my sire. I woke up as a vampire six months ago, recently having gained enough control over my gift. I can, well, transmit messages from me to any other person in the world via the power of my brain. Distance is irrelevant. It drove me crazy in the beginning, unknowingly sending messages to my father, Stefan or Vladimir. But fortunately, I now have enough control over myself to know when I am sending a message and when I am simply talking in my mind."

Could it really be her?

Or was this just a well-planned trap?

Better not to respond…

"Marcus, I know you don't believe me, and you can't even hear the frustration in my voice due to this stupid computerized voice that masquerades my real one. But you need to be cautious. Aro is…not who you think. He is a snake. He has…um…he has kept me a captive. Not only me. Charlie, Stefan, Vladimir…we are all here…in this locked room. In fact, I…Marcus…he had kept Didyme a captive for quite a while before he killed her. The Romanian coven had nothing to do with her disappearance. Aro did not wish to lose you…and hence…I am sorry. She loved you a lot. Till her last second. I have read her letter. Anyhow, just be careful…"

"Bella?" I called out, impatiently looking all around me. "Is this really you?"

No.

It could not be her.

She was safe and happy.

She had to be!

"Yes."

I shut my eyes, wincing.

I had believed that bastard when he lied about Bella voluntarily walking away from me and wanting nothing to do with me?

How could I?

"Where are you?" I demanded an answer. "I am coming to get you."

"No. Please don't." she insisted, my feet halting at their place. "We have a plan. Just…trust me. For now, I need you to be our eyes and ears in the castle. Be around Aro. He already trusts you- so that's good. I am going to destroy Aro. I am going to steal away everything that he holds precious from him. I am going to ruin him. And for that, I need your help."

"I am with you."

I did not even need to think for a spare second, the answer coming to me like warm day comes after a cold night.

"I will contact you again soon."

"I will be waiting."

I shut my eyes tight, a new hope risen, as despite our current circumstances, there was still hope in my mind that now that Bella was a vampire, her mating pull would awake the second she met eyes with mine.