Epilogue

ONE YEAR LATER

I sit on the back porch of the cabin, rocking silently in one of Carlisle's rocking chairs. Much like the man I heard he was, it's sturdy and reliable, and I'm completely relaxed as I shift back and forth by myself. The lake is peaceful today, the gentle wind pulling the water in its direction until a loud splash disrupts the stillness.

I smile as I watch the water ripple beneath the splash, amused by the shouts of laughter that now break through the silence of the air around us.

It's serene.

Almost dreamlike, in the sense that I'm afraid that I'll pinch myself and wake up and everything I'm melting into right now will fade away.

Inhaling through my nose, the smell of healthy lake water and burgers and hot dogs on the grill invades my nostrils, and I know no dream could ever be as amazing as this.

Never did I think my reality would ever be better than what I used to dream of.

I open my eyes, putting a temporary halt to my rocking as I sit up in the chair, my elbows resting on the solid wooden arms as I gaze at the sight unfolding before me.

Not shocked in the slightest, I see Emmett and Embry are the cause of the splashes that disturbed the pristine lake on this beautiful summer September afternoon. The laughs that followed were from Rose and Embry's girlfriend, Rachel, and it's a sound that echoes in my ears and warms my heart.

These are the sounds that are supposed to fill the air here at the cabin. Splashes and laughter and food sizzling on the grill echo around us, and inside, the sound of cabinets opening and closing filter through the opened windows. Voices talk in animated, friendly conversation from the kitchen, and once again satisfied with the sounds around me, I sit back into the comforts of the rocking chair and rest.

Not rest as in close my eyes and take a nap; I'm way too excited to miss any of this. I've allowed myself this day to reflect.

I think back on my life. I look forward to tomorrow. I bless myself for today.

Today would not be possible if it weren't for the people here now.

Emmett, Embry, Rose, and Rachel in the water. Esme, Alice, and her husband Peter in the kitchen.

As if on cue, I turn back towards the kitchen window and smile back at Alice, no words strong enough to convey the depth of my love and appreciation for my best friend.

I close my eyes again, overwhelmed at the feelings consuming my body.

Somehow, these people, some of them strangers, came together to give me my life back. And even though I'll always feel I'm falling short of showing them the gratitude they deserve, today I feel content with everything in my life.

Especially today.

I open my eyes at the thought, my gaze landing on the small table next to my rocking chair on the porch. A folded newspaper, gray and crinkled from travel, sits beneath a small pot of planted flowers on the table, and I eye it skeptically before reaching for it.

Turning it over in my hands, I take a deep breath and find the article Alice had brought all the way from Rhode Island.

Jasper Whitlock, 34, of Providence County, Rhode Island, has been convicted of a single count of first-degree assault, after facing conviction of two more counts of first-degree assault and one count of residential burglary in the first degree in Washington State earlier this year. Allegations of domestic abuse against ex-wife Isabella Swan are still being investigated. Whitlock now faces consecutive life sentences from both convictions, though his lawyers have already stated their intention of filing an appeal. Whitlock, who has been transferred to Rhode Island custody to serve his first life sentence, declined comment at this time.

Turning the newspaper over in my hands, I place it back underneath the pot where it was, exhaling as I digest news of Jasper's conviction again. It had been at Rose's insistence that we all be together to hear of his sentencing, and being here at the cabin was the most obvious choice.

It was inevitable for me to go back to Rhode Island. It was a brief trip, and I was never left alone for barely a second, but it was necessary. To testify against Jasper. To finalize the divorce. To bring some of my favorite things back home with me to the cabin.

To be reunited with Alice and Rose.

To say goodbye to Rhode Island once and for all.

And this time, when I left, I wasn't full of fear and doubt, but with hope - and a travel companion, as well.

I closed that door with finality, a certainty in knowing my life is really just beginning.

And looking towards the water, listening to the happiness around me, I not only know it, I feel it.

And when I spot Edward heading to the grill, a beer in his hand and a laugh coming from his lips as he watches Emmett dive into the water again, I see it, too.

My life. My rich, warm, happy, and amazing life.

He must feel my eyes on him, because I watch him search for me, watch him visibly relax when he sees me smiling back at him.

It's amazing how a person can find pieces of one's self scattered among the ruins. Or, even better, how another person can help put the pieces back together. Edward is that person for me, the one who found different parts of me and made me believe we could rebuild it into something stronger.

Better.

"Hungry?" He calls over his shoulder, the smoke from the burgers hissing and filling the air around his head. Nodding, I leave Carlisle's rocking chair and head over towards Edward, my white sundress billowing in the afternoon breeze. I glance at the picnic table full of mouth-watering side dishes and salads and homemade punches as he finishes up the main courses. "What do you feel like having today?"

"Everything," I breathe, slinking my arms around his waist and resting my cheek against his back. "I want all of it."

"You can have it all," Edward chuckles, reaching for the platter for the first round of completed burgers and dogs.

Am I selfish now? Greedy for all of life's beauty?

Probably. But I don't care.

I've learned to appreciate each day as it comes because there was a time in my life not too long ago when I didn't think I would survive another day. And, if I didn't survive it, it was because I was worthless and deserving of the worst things.

But these past two years here at the cabin have taught me more about myself, and what I'm worth, than I ever thought was possible. Leaving Rhode Island that day, with tears blinding my eyes and sobs wracking my body, I never thought I would survive.

But I've done so much more than that.

Now I thrive.

With the help of Edward, I've picked up the broken pieces of myself and filled in the parts within me that were disjointed and bruised from years of harsh words and rough hands.

And I've learned that being missing has allowed me to do something I never thought I'd be brave enough to do: find myself.

In my case, being missing was like being found again. I discovered myself, my strength, my courage - and then I found love.

I've learned on this journey that the love of oneself comes before the love of any man or woman. I didn't love myself when I had been married to Jasper, and I had let him destroy me because of it. But with Edward, I found that my self-worth was what was missing.

When I found that again, I reclaimed my life and forged ahead.

Now, two years after I left Rhode Island and showed up on the doorstep of a stranger's cabin, I'm surrounded by my family and friends who helped me along this new and terrifying path. I feel the love all around me; the love from my parents here today in a rare showing of the sun.

And as for Edward, I feel his love behind the kiss he gives me now, full of promises and vows to keep me safe.

He pulls away, landing one last kiss on my cheek before taking another round of food off the grill.

And I look around me, and know I'll never miss anything in this world ever again.

I am found.

Thank you, every single one of you, for sticking through to the end. I have loved all 104 days of this journey together, and while I'm always sad to mark another story complete, I know it's the right time.

This started because I rewatched Gone Girl after not seeing it in forever. Then as I wrote and plotted, it morphed into a Sleeping With The Enemy type of thing. But then it transformed again into J.Lo's movie, Enough, and then it blossomed into a story I loved writing.

Thanks to Fran, Dani, Ariel,Gemma, and Mary for all their help with making sure I was as close to accurate I could be with certain things.

Thanks to you all for your tremendous support. I wasn't expecting readers to love it as much as I did - and you all blew me away with your reviews and thoughts andPMs and messages through Facebook.

I've loved talking to you all everyday for the past 105ish days. I hope you follow my author page to see what I'm up to - I'm always up to something. Right now I'm posting Unspoken, so make sure you join me there!

To all of the Bella's out there who were able to find their escape, you're amazing.

I can't say I'll see you tomorrow, but outtakes strike at the most random times, so I'll just say see you soon. :)

- Jillian