Oh, my god, you have no idea how sorry I am about the lack of updates for the past two weeks. Thankfully, the Jewish holiday season is over, so things will slowly get back to normal for me, giving me more time to write. Again, I promise to make it up to you - I have another chapter ready to go, so if this one does good, you can have another new one by Sunday at the earliest.

Disclaimer: still not mine.

Chapter 19 – Awakening (Rosalie's POV)

I climbed into my carriage, lost in thought. So many questions I had to answer, so many things I had to decide. No more running – the time for that was over. It was time for me to choose: Royce or Emmett? Such a hard decision to make. There were positives and negatives to both.

First, there was Royce. He was handsome, he was rich, yet something wasn't right. Then it came to me. For all of his perfectness, had Royce ever said he cared for me? Sure, he had used his concern for our relationship as a reason for me to leave Emmett, but did he really mean it? Were there really feelings involved or was I nothing more than a figurehead, an accessory on Royce's arm? Somehow, I didn't think there were.

Then, there was Emmett. Goofy, sweet, handsome Emmett. The one who actually cared for me. The one who made me feel happy. The one I wanted, no, needed to be with. But how?

I looked out the window and was surprised to see my house. I saw the Kings' carriage and I panicked. No! I thought. I need more time to decide!

Or do you? My conscience asked me.

Of course I do!I snapped. This isn't some little, insignificant decision. Whichever guy I choose ultimately shapes my future! I want to choose what's right for me!

You already know what's right for you. You just need just need to open your eyes and see the truth for yourself.

A flash of red against the green hedges beside the carriage caught my eye. I looked closer and found a single red rose growing among the hedges. A red rose… just like the necklace Emmett gave me… Emmett….

I knew you could figure it out, my conscience gloated.

Thank you,I told her.

You're welcome.

Confidently, I walked up to the front door and went inside. I found my parents and the Kings' in the sitting room. Royce was the first to notice my presence. "Rosalie!" he called, coming forward to embrace me. I took a step back. "Is something wrong, dearest?" he asked me.

"I have something I need to say," I said.

"What is it, Rosalie?" my father asked.

I took a deep breath. It's now or never, I told myself. "I'm withdrawing my consent. I no longer want to marry Royce."

Silence fell. Everyone in the room stared at me with shocked eyes, except for Royce. He tried to put on a shocked face, but all I could see in his eyes was anger. For a brief minute, I panicked. Could he see through my pretenses? Did he know why I was withdrawing my consent? Were my feelings for Emmett that obvious? Was the anger I could so plainly see for me or for Emmett?

Finally, my father asked, "Why don't you want to marry Royce?"

"It's just not what I want," I said.

"If it's not what you want, then why did you agree in the beginning?" my mother asked.

"At the time, I thought it was what I wanted," I answered. "But things have changed. I've changed. I'm not the same Rosalie I was then. Maybe that Rosalie thought that marrying Royce was right for her, but this Rosalie knows that marrying Royce isn't right for her and won't make her happy."

"Well, Rosalie, if you're sure this is what you want…" my father said.

"I'm sure," I said confidently.

"I guess we'll have to annul the marriage, then," my father said, turning to Mr. King.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Mr. King said. "No official wedding contract was drawn up that needs to be annulled. The only thing that really needs to be taken care of is canceling all the plans. Since most of the plans were made under my name, we'll take care of that. There's really nothing for you to have to worry about."

"What about the announcement that was run in the newspaper?" my mother asked.

"We'll simply write to the paper and tell them there was a mistake and they'll make a note of it in the next issue," my father said.

"Is that everything, dear?" Mrs. King asked.

"I believe so," Mr. King said. "Well, since we have no further business here, we had best be on our way."

"I'm sorry if this is causing an inconvenience for you, sir," I said, meaning every word.

"Well, it is a bit inconvenient, but I wouldn't want to see you forced into a marriage you don't want to be in, Miss Hale," Mr. King said. "I'm sure that both you and Royce will find someone who loves you and you are happy with."

"I hope so too, sir. Thank you for understanding." I smiled at Mr. King.

Mr. King nodded. With that, he and his wife swept from the room. Royce followed. As he passed me, his hissed at me under his breath, "You will regret this decision, Rosalie. Mark my words. I will make you sorry you chose him instead of me." With that, he left. I stood, shaking slightly, in the doorway to the sitting room for a long while after the Kings' left.

I would be careful from now on if I were you, my conscience warned me. There's no telling what Royce might try and do to you.

So you think he was serious with his threat?

Yes, I think he was. You saw how angry he was when you said you didn't want to marry him. I think the possibility of him harming you is very much real.

Harm me how? Physically?

Maybe. Or maybe he'll harm someone you love to hurt you emotionally.

But the only person who he knows about that I have such strong feelings for is…. Emmett. I gasped, realization slowly sinking in. I staggered over to the couch and collapsed onto it, breathing shallowly.

You need to go to Emmett. You need to warn him right away.

I looked out the window. It was night, pitch-black without any stars or the moon. I can't. Not now. It's too late at night.

You're right. First thing tomorrow morning, though, you need to go see Emmett. You need to warn him before it's too late.

I know.

I thought about my last encounter with Emmett. How was I going to convince him to believe me after what had happened? Would what I thought even matter to him anymore? Or would he be so mad at me that he wouldn't listen and then something would happen to him? I couldn't let that happen. There had to be a way to convince Emmett that I did care and to believe me.

There's something I need to do before I warn Emmett.

What could possibly be more important than warning Emmett?

Apologizing to him. He'll never believe me unless I show him that I'm truly sorry for what I've done.

Who are you and what have you done with Rosalie Hale?

Ha-ha.

No, honestly, I like the new Rosalie. You finally understand yourself. It's a good thing. You've gained some sort of new insight into who you really are and I think it's definitely benefiting you. I'm proud.

Thank you. I couldn't have changed so radically without you. You've really opened my eyes and let me see what I needed to see.

You're welcome.

I looked back out the window at the dark night. Even though everything important in my life seemed to be hanging in the balance, I felt…calm. Gazing at the stars, I felt the conviction that everything would turn out just right wash over me. Come tomorrow, everything would be the way it should be. Everything will be alright, I told myself. Everything will be alright.

Anyone up for a little bet? I wanna know what you think: will Emmett listen, or is Rosalie in for another heartbreak? Let me know! Write a review and tell me what you think, people! I wanna hear your opinions!

xoxoxoxoxo, TwilightTeen212