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Bella's POV

What. The. Hell.

Edward? What the hell is Edward Cullen doing here?

?

He said...he said I'd never see him again, that he'd never come back.

Seven years. Seven bloody years, and NOW he decides to come back into my life.

"Edward? What the hell are you doing here?"

He gives me his crooked smile. The same crooked smile hat used to make me weak at the knees. Now it makes me want to punch him. "Why, rescuing you, my love."

Rescuing me? From what? And what gives his the right to call me 'his love'?

"What are you rescuing me from?" My voice sounded unusually cold, void of all emotion.

"From loneliness. I have been lost without you, and I know you are lost without me. You are my world, Bella. Be with me, please. Leave your Russian-looking friend here, run away and marry me. I love you. When I left you, it broke my heart. I need you to be whole. Please, Bella. I know I hurt you, but I can make it all better. Just being near me helps, doesn't it? Well, I promise you that I will never leave you again. Come to Alaska with me. I will change you, and we can be together. I know I was against changing you, but it is what you want, and I will not deny you anything. I need you, Bella. I love you."

What.

The.

Fuck.

How dare he. All the anger and hurt I felt seven years ago raised its ugly head and something in me snapped.

"How dare you." I snarled. Woah, my voice even scared me! "How fucking dare you. You leave me in the forest, broken and alone. You took away everything. I loved you. I wanted to be with you, no matter what. Hell, I was willing to die for you. And how did you repay me? By telling me I wasn't enough for you. By telling me that you never really loved me, that I was a game and that you would forget me quickly. Did you know what I did? I went catatonic. I didn't eat. I didn't sleep. I didn't do anything. I sat in my room, crying non-stop for three weeks. Every little thing reminded me of you. Every little thing brought me to my knees. I even jumped off a cliff to hear your voice.

"But you know what, Edward? I moved on. I got over it and moved on. I went to college, got a job. Moved away from home, had boyfriends. And I never once thought about you. Looking back, our relationship wasn't healthy. I was obsessed with you. I dropped all my friends, lied to my parents, got involved in dangerous situation, and nearly died multiple times, all in the name of 'love'. But you know what? That's not what love is all about. It's about equality and trust. I could never trust you, not really. You made decisions on my behalf. You never consulted me, acknowledged me. You assumed that because you were older, cleverer, and stronger that I was not capable of thinking for myself. You belittled me and my opinions, or patronised me. I was nothing more than a science experiment, an ornament, a pet. Yes, you were exceptionally stronger than me, but you assumed that you had to be my protector, that I was to be wrapped up in bubble wrap, never to experience things that you did not approve of. I never had time on my own. You did not respect my privacy. Not once did you ask before you manhandled me or climb in through my window at night. I was never your equal. Whether it was a result of your upbringing or just your personality, you never saw me as your equal. You were the man, the provider, the protector. I was the weak little girl, no purpose, no aim in life.

"When I was seventeen, I was young and naive. I thought that the only thing I would ever want would be you. When you left me, I thought I would never get over it, that I would always be broken. But I am not broken. I have survived without you. I am happy. How dare you assume that I would want a life of being smothered by you? And how dare you insult my husband? He is more a man than you will ever be!" I finished my rant panting. I had imagined seeing Edward again many times, admittedly many years ago, but I'd never imagined it would be like this.

I sighed. "Look, Edward. I don't want to fight with you. I was very angry with you. Still am a little bit. But I have had many years to think about those few months with you, and I don't regret them. Am I glad they're over? Yes. But all that drama and heart ache has made me the person I am today. So I thank you for that. But that is the extent of my feelings for you. I mean c'mon! I'm 24 and you are still 17. You will always be 17. It was never going to work. A human and a vampire? Naa.

"You hurt me. A lot. But who cares? I'm not hurting any more. You say you love me? Well, I'm sorry. I really am, but I don't love you. Move on, Edward. I have."

I turned away from him, sat down next to Dimitri's bed and took his hand.

"Hu-husband? You're married?"

"Yes. Two years. I met him in my second year of college."

"And...you're happy?" His voice sounded strange, as if he were being strangled.

"Very."

I turned to look at him. He has lost that cocky smile of his, and looked as if someone had run over his puppy. He's still a child. I think to myself. Yes, in some ways he's an old man, but he is still stuck in a seventeen-year-olds body. He looked exactly the same. Of course he did; he never aged.

"Bella. I am deeply sorry. For everything. If you are truly happy, I will leave. I will never see you again, but I must tell you. I will never forgive myself if I turn away without telling you. I love you. I have always loved you, and I always will. I will never forgive myself for leaving you, but I...I understand that you...are not...do not...feel the same way. I have never seen you as less than my equal. In fact, I see you as my better. You are strong, independent and so, so clever. If it is what you want, I will walk out of this room and you shall never see me again. If that is what you decide, I will respect your wishes. But Bella, I will always be in the wings, if you ever decide that you want me again."

"Edward, I don't you to think that one day I will come back to you. I know how mean that sounds, but I don't want you to live pinning after me. I want you to move on. Be happy."

"Bella, I understand. But I will never love anyone...never mind. I wish you all the happiness in the world. I really do. You deserve it." He walked over to me and placed a kiss on my check. His lips were just as I remembered them; smooth, cold, hard. "Thank you. For everything." He whispered. And then he was gone. I didn't even hear the door close.

Well, that was weird.

I moved my chair closer to Dimitri's head. I folded my arms on the bed and put my chin on them. I watched his sleeping for a few hours. I was just about to doze off when I heard the door open again. I looked up to see who it was.

No way.

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