Dear readers,

I am not an English user and this is a long fanfiction story. While I initially posted this story on a fanfiction platform in my country, I did not receive the feedback I had hoped for. As a result, I have decided to share my work on fanfiction, an international fanfiction website, in the hopes of reaching a wider audience and receiving more feedback.

As a non-native English speaker, I have used an AI translation tool to translate my original work into English. However, I want to acknowledge that there may be some nuances or idioms that were not properly translated, and I apologize in advance for any errors or awkward phrasings in the English version. Also, I apologize in advance for any cultural differences that may arise in my depiction of American society. I only spent one summer at an American university as a foreign exchange student and do not have a deep understanding of American social life.

I hope you will enjoy reading my story despite any linguistic imperfections, and I appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism you may have. Thank you for taking the time to read my work.

I woke up in his arms, the moonlight brightening the room at 2 a.m. The scent of blood-red rose petals mingled with the sweet aroma of spilled wine, creating an alluring fragrance in the cold air.

I reached out to hook my arm around Carlisle's neck and snuggled deeper into his embrace. He tightened his grip around me, holding me in place, and pressed his body against mine. Lowering his head, he brushed his lips against my forehead and asked, "What's wrong?"

Feeling drowsy, I yawned and lazily traced circles on his chest with my index finger. "I'm still sleepy," I replied.

"We have to get up right now," Carlisle said, holding onto my restless wrist. "They came back from the hunt, much earlier than I expected. I can hear them even from here."

My breath caught in my throat. I scrambled out of the tangle of sheets and frantically searched for my clothes in the dim light. Carlisle had already sorted out his clothes and handed me my dress, which we had kicked under the bed.

"They're back," he said, opening two blinds with his fingers and turning to face me.

I buried my head in my palms. This couldn't be happening now, not a month before the wedding. Carlisle and I had been careless. I wasn't ready. How would Edward and Esme react? Would they see me as a scumbag who had deceived their feelings or a slut who had seduced their husband? How would the rest of the family see Carlisle? Would they still consider him the head of the family, even though he had been temporarily blinded by beauty and made the same mistake any man would make? My head ached, and black and shiny flowers flashed before my eyes. Clutching the sheet, I staggered to my feet, and Carlisle quickly supported me. I pulled him to sit with me on the bed, grabbing onto his clothes corner.

"Calm down, Bella," he said, grasping my shoulders and gently shaking me. "We anticipated this possibility. Trust me, leave everything to me."

"But this is the wrong time and place," I replied, crumpling up and covering my ears, trying to block out the sounds of family members opening doors, walking, going upstairs, and laughing. "We were supposed to be honest with everyone at the planned time, not like this... In a few minutes, all the beautiful endings we once imagined will be gone."

"Bella," Carlisle said softly, pulling me into his arms and patting my back as he kissed my messy hair. "Everything will be alright, I promise. All the beautiful endings we imagined are still within our grasp. We've just taken a quicker, closer path to reach them."

I watched my lover stand up from beside me and make his way to the door. He was perfectly symmetrical, handsome, and his casual blue shirt contrasted nicely with his pale, cool skin. His golden hair flowed softly behind him, and his golden pupils sparkled.

I was lost in the turbulent waves of love and lust, like a fish in the sea, sinking and floating aimlessly. A beam of light shone on the surface of the water, and I followed it, finding the lighthouse of my lifelong love.

My lover and I were in perfect sync, holding hands tightly as we cuddled together, reminiscing every moment we had shared in this bedroom just a few hours ago with both greed and fondness.

"Carlisle, are you in your room? Did your surgery finish early?" Esme's voice echoed through the door. "We saw your car, and Bella's too. Is she here to see Edward this late?"

Our hands tightly clasped, we both turned the doorknob with force.

Together, we opened the door.

—I used to believe that my love had died the rainy night when Edward left me. I later found out from others that Charlie, lying on the police car, nearly burst into tears when he saw Sam Uley carrying me out of the woods unharmed. Thankfully, I had not sustained any injuries, except for catching a cold. To be safe, Charlie took me to the hospital in Forks, but that cold and impersonal building held no other memories for me besides the fact that there would be no more charming doctors with cold fingers taking my temperature or encounters with his handsome 17-year-old son in the corners filled with the scent of disinfectant.

For the next three months, I lived a meaningless existence confined to my small bedroom. Charlie was extremely concerned for me, but he was at a loss because I didn't want some fake warmth of a family, but rather the love and explanation owed to me by my boyfriend. It wasn't until the fourth month, when I realized that my body and mind were so stagnant that they were about to grow fungi and mushrooms, that I decided to start going for walks. Although I wasn't necessarily following his advice or taking his orders, Charlie visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Bella, honey," he called out to me as I returned from hanging out with Jacob, covered in mud. "Remember, you have other friends at school, not just Jacob."

"Sure thing," I said as I slipped off my muddy rain boots from the corner and started rifling through the drawers for the laundry detergent specifically designed to remove mud stains. "Someone told me to explore as much as possible, so I did. Then he suggested I try filling the void in my heart with another guy, and I tried that too. Now, he wants his daughter, who's not exactly a social butterfly, to throw a party and go all out." I tore open the detergent packaging and tossed the plastic film into the trash can. "What was the name of the party again? Can you help me come up with one?"

Just then, he held the corded phone up to me and pressed play. Jessica's bubbly voice filled the room, "Hey, Bella! You feeling okay? You've been missing class... we called your house and Charlie said you're fine... oh, also, I wanted to tell you that while you were out, the teacher told us about a field trip for George Washington's birthday celebration at school. It's a rare opportunity for a free trip to Seattle on a Fox charter bus..." Her voice was brimming with excitement, each sentence ending on an upward inflection. "The plan is to go for three days, but the school's schedule only takes one day, so we'll have two full days to explore Seattle!"

There seemed to be some significance behind it all - Seattle, George Washington's birthday celebration, a study trip, and two free days for independent travel. Charlie didn't even wait for her voicemail to finish playing before he selected the second caller and pressed play:

"How have you been, Bella? You didn't come to school, and we've all been worried sick. Mike even planned to rush to your house to see if you were still alive... Um, about Edward, I understand how you feel, but love isn't everything in life, right? You missed out on some explosive news during your absence: we're planning a group trip to Seattle, and the school is covering all expenses - this is unprecedented for Fox High School. It's a rare opportunity, and most of the students in our class have signed up. Benjamin, Mike, Jessica, and I are all going... I'm not sure if someone has already told you about this, so are you going to join us? If you're interested, remember to sign up before the 18th..."

Angela was really thrilled. I could tell that. The headlines for several future issues of the school newspaper were ready to burst from her tongue. I turned around and placed the laundry detergent and dirty rain boots on the sink before opening the cabinet door to choose a brush. "I thought you were going to tell them that I've been with Jacob these past few days."

Charlie furrowed his brow, his expression reminiscent of that of a French bulldog. He set down the landline phone and offered to hold a large, clean shoe brush with his free hands. "So, are you planning on participating? The school has sent out the parent permission slip and participation guidelines. If you're interested in going, signing up and payment won't be an issue."

Would I participate? Did I even want to participate? I turned on the faucet and positioned the rain boots underneath, observing as the muddy clumps washed away and dissolved into a revolting sludge that was swallowed by the drain. I vigorously scrubbed them twice, eliminating more dirt and revealing a pungent, damp earthy fragrance mixed with the refreshing scent of rain and spices. I struggled to keep from gagging, holding my breath while washing and scrubbing the boots until they were spotless.

"Bella?"

"Where can I find the guidelines?" I didn't even glance up, continuing to clean the soap and mud residue from under my fingernails. "And as for the parent permission slip, if you don't mind, could you sign it?"

I decided to join the study tour during the Washington's Birthday holiday not because I had any particular interest in this politically charged holiday or because, as Charlie hoped, I could overcome my heartbreak with the help and company of my friends. What really convinced me were the words of my two lovely female friends, particularly Jessica's enthusiastic monologue:

"The tour is three days long, but I heard that the school's itinerary can be completed in just one day. That means we'll have two full days to explore Washington!"

I was completely bored of Forks. With my father as the chief of police, there was little chance of me experiencing any illegal or criminal activity, except for the rare vampire encounter. I missed Edward so much that it physically hurt, and the only way I had any hope of seeing his face was to put myself in danger. The image of him would appear out of thin air, begging me not to do it. I knew it wasn't real, that my brain and eyes were playing tricks on me, but I preferred to believe it was true. At least then I could pretend that he hadn't completely cast me out of his heart and that we still had a thousand threads of connection. I could pretend that he had always been by my side, never leaving me.

Jacob and Edward had an infuriating agreement on the matter. Because I had hit a rock or stump while learning to ride a motorcycle, Edward forbade me from riding it alone again. So I began to explore other ways of satisfying my adventurous spirit. One day, I carelessly mentioned my interest in cliff diving to Edward. He then sought out Sam's group, first attempting peaceful negotiations before it escalated into a brawl. The next day, with a head full of bandages and bruises all over his body, he happily informed me that I would never see anyone near the cliff again. He had convinced his father, Billy, and my dad, Charlie, that cliff diving set a dangerous example and increased the risk of drowning and falling accidents. They surrounded the area with barbed wire and even electrified it, guarding it as if they were afraid someone might sneak in from the sea instead of preventing people from jumping off the cliff.

During the study tour, I finally had two whole days to fulfill my adventurous dreams. I could steal a car and speed down the streets at 200 miles per hour; I could break into a jewelry store at night, grab a necklace or two, and run away from the police; I could climb a hundred-story building and jump off the top; I could disrupt prostitutes as they serviced clients, causing the blushing clients to chase after me.

With such wild fantasies, my excited classmates and I set off on a sunny Thursday. We drove eastward on Highway 101, passing through the Olympic Mountains on the west side. After a two-and-a-half-hour drive, we took a forty-minute ferry from Seattle's western port into the city.

The first day of the study tour was a bit dull. We had to tour the malodorous and ancient sites that marked America's founding, and my classmates were hardly enthusiastic. Initially, there were about thirty of us, but by the end of the day, only ten remained. The teacher was apologetic and explained the situation to the volunteer guide, who simply shrugged and let us go. The only requirement was that we be back at the hotel by midnight.

Angela took my arm affectionately and asked, "Where do you want to go, Bella?" Jessica began to count on her fingers, "We have so many choices! Shopping malls, nail salons, hairdressers, movie theaters... Oh my god, I've never been so undecided!"

After deliberating for half an hour on where to go first, we somehow ended up talking about chocolate. The three of us, who had been out of our childhood for some time and were constantly on a strict diet to maintain our figures, salivated and fantasized about chocolate for a while.

...And then we dashed off to the biggest Godiva chocolate and candy store in Seattle.

We spent the whole afternoon indulging ourselves. With round bellies, Jessica, Angela, and I left the chocolate store feeling satisfied. Jessica complained that she didn't have enough fun, and I accidentally ate too many chocolate liqueurs, leaving me feeling a bit dizzy. In a foggy state, I heard Angela suggest that we find a nightclub to party at.

I'm only 18, and I've got all the time in the world to enjoy my youth. Back at my old school, having a boyfriend was the norm, and girls who were single for too long were considered unattractive or lacking in social skills. But the dating customs in Forks were different. Before I moved here, I had always focused on my studies and didn't really care about what others thought of me. I never felt any strong attraction to any boy before Edward, even though there were many who were interested in me. Edward Cullen was my first love, and he was also the only one who could break my heart so completely. If he could make me feel so miserable and worthless, why not let him see how it feels to have his precious love destroyed before his very eyes?

We hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the most upscale music bar in the city center.

"Have you ever done this before?" Angela suddenly asked, sitting in the front seat.

"What do you mean by 'this'?" I asked, pretending to know exactly what she was talking about. "If you mean picking up cute guys at a bar, then this is my first time."

I felt my face turn red and heat up, but luckily it was dark outside and the taxi wasn't well-lit, so I quickly looked away and pretended to be captivated by the lively night scene outside the window.

"Angela was complaining to me about how disappointing Eric was, but I heard he was quite satisfied with her performance," Jessica leaned in with a gossipy expression and asked me, "So, what about you? How's Edward? Now that you guys have broken up, you can tell us. We'll keep it a secret for you."

"I don't know," I said dryly, staring at a short-legged spider struggling outside the car window.

Jessica seemed surprised by my response. "You don't know? How is that possible? Did you guys never do anything? After the breakup, did you date Jacob or any other boy?"

"Bella, my dear," Angela turned around from the passenger seat, "You can't put all your eggs in one basket. Life must go on, and we don't need to suppress ourselves too much because of our exes."

"I haven't," I tried to argue, "I haven't suppressed myself, and I didn't put all my eggs in Edward's basket. I just..."

Jessica interrupted me, "Are you still a virgin?"

"Yes, I am," I replied.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed.

I guessed that in their minds, being a virgin at fifteen or sixteen years old was still considered virtuous, but being an 18-year-old virgin was a terrible sign of being single for life. Jessica kept berating me for my outdated and antiquated beliefs the whole way.

"Dear, it's the 21st century, the days when women were bound by their virginity have been gone for hundreds of years. So why don't you just give up having a boyfriend altogether? After all, thousands of years ago, unmarried women could only date the men who would be their future husbands!"

As she spoke, she pushed open the thick gold-bordered door of the bar.

I stumbled into a strange and bizarre new world.