Thanks to Fran, Dani, Ariel, and Gemma for cleaning this mess up for me, and you all for reading and reviewing.

"What do you mean?" I ask him, the hairs on the back of my neck standing at attention. His words echo through my ears again. Pure adrenaline.

"Can we be honest here?" Edward asks from behind me as we stand in the undisturbed meadow.

I want to be honest with him. Fuck, I need to be honest with him. He's become the only person I talk to and see on a regular basis, and I'm tired of lying to myself. His company has been helping me heal in more ways than one.

I'm shaking as I cross my arms over my chest because I know I'm taking a leap and hoping someone will be there to catch me. A part of me hopes Edward will be the one to help break my fall, even though the last time I took this jump I landed in the arms of my husband.

I jump anyway.

"Yes," I answer, even though the thought of being honest makes me want to run.

"I know you're not worried about protecting yourself from wild animals, Bella." He smiles softly, letting me know he's not upset by what I've kept from him. "And like I said, if the time comes when you have to pull the trigger, you're going to be battling a lot more than you think."

I look at his eyes and can see the stories behind them. He knows from his own experiences that man is the most dangerous predator, even to himself.

"I'll be at war with myself, huh."

He nods. "Possibly. But the most important thing you'll be battling is time."

I look at him strangely. "Time? And not my hus-." I pause at the slip, and so does he. I ignore the look on his face as he puts the pieces together. "I have to be the one to do it first."

I have to kill my husband before he kills me. It's that simple, and Edward is right. It will come down to a battle of time. Who will be the first to do it? Will time be on my side long enough for me to pull the trigger and end this once and for all?

Edward must have put the pieces to my puzzle together. "Maybe I'm overstepping, or fuck, maybe I'm completely wrong, but you're thinking you're going to have to shoot this gun before someone kills you first."

I open my mouth to comment, but he interrupts and holds up a hand. "You don't have to tell me if I'm right or not. You can tell me at your own time. When you're ready." He makes sure our eyes meet. "But that's how I'm going to train you, Bella. I'm going to train you like your life depends on it."

"Because it will," I all but confirm his suspicions.

"It's not like the movies. You're not going to have the time to get the perfect shot or the most convenient shot. It's going to be messy, no matter how well you're trained."

"Okay. Just tell me what I have to do." I say with a fire in me I haven't felt in years. "I need to be ready."

"For what, Bella?"

"For when he comes."

A lot can change by the time The Husband comes for her. I hope he's prepared.

See you tomorrow!