It felt like centuries had passed before I started feeling a little better. All through my panicked state, Dr. Cullen talked to me. He told me it was normal to feel like this after what happened, and I had to dig deep inside myself to embrace that feeling of relief. That person was gone, and Edward was safe.

He also told me everything about the past ...

Shortly after Edward had been born, he met Esme Platt at a fundraiser. She was the new curator at Renee's art museum. That information itself blew my mind.

Esme was in trouble with the mob after having escaped an abusive relationship. Carlisle vouched for her to the Volturi, and by doing so, he became their lapdog.

My brain started imploding at the news. I had never imagined how deep Carlisle had to go to keep the one he loved out of trouble. But I could relate. I had just killed someone to save Edward. I dreaded the moment I had to face him, along with the consequences. I knew he had an aversion toward guns.

The things Carlisle had to do for Volturi quickly got out of hand.

When his brother was working on a case that could potentially crumble the dirty money and drugs behind Volturi's political façade, he had Carlisle take him out of the picture. Carlisle explained how he had tried to scare his brother, at first with words to drop the case, then with actions – cutting his brakes, pulling the fire alarm in his attorney's office, following Liz at night in a dark car without license plates. Nothing worked, so Volturi gave him an ultimatum.

It turned out Carlisle hadn't been the one to set his brother's house on fire. Some hired gun had done it to send a message to Carlisle about how easy it was to follow orders. But Volturi didn't punish him for not having the guts to kill his brother because Carlisle had lost more than family in the fire. He had lost his woman.

Since that terrible night, Volturi had him on a leash, and Carlisle played his games because he had nothing else to lose. Except for Edward.

Carlisle explained how finding himself shooting at Edward had been a wake-up call for him.

It was around this part when I started feeling more like myself, and I had questions.

"What is Renee's part in this?"

He gave me a sad look. "Your mother's family and the Volturi family are the oldest in the city. Back in the day, everyone respected them. Their word was law." He took a sip from the whiskey glass he had poured himself earlier. "Then came our family. It was quite the scandal when Ed married Renee's best friend. The families expected him to unite the Cullen and Higginbotham families."

I shuddered, which made him chuckle. "Okay, but this still doesn't explain it. Was Renee jealous when her best friend ended up with the one she should have married?"

"I knew you were a smart cookie." He smiled broadly. "It took Edward a while to come up with this when I told him the story."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, and now she wants me dead."

"She hasn't always. When Renee realized how much power you had after she gave you the art gallery, she vowed to get it back any way possible."

"She can have it. As long as she leaves Edward and me alone."

"I'm afraid that ship has sailed. She will stop at nothing to have you both out of the picture." He shook his head.

"How do you know all this?"

I couldn't believe the things he was telling me. I had thought him to be the bad guy until some hours ago, but his confession made sense.

"Renee considers Aro a mentor, a father figure. Her true love is Jackson Whitmore. You might not know this, but James is her son, too…for all intents and purposes. When she and Jackson gained power, Aro told them to go their separate ways, but keep their business underground. So, your mother married Charlie, and Jackson started climbing the political ladder. The aim is Washington."

I gasped because that proved how greedy Volturi was. His puppets would play their roles to the dot, and he would become the ruler of this country. That day should never come because if it did, he could bring the country and the whole world to ruin.

And Carlisle's explanation made sense. I could understand why Renee had married the chief of police at that time.

"What about her new husband?" I asked curiously.

"After divorcing your father, she had to lay low. She settled for someone she actually liked and moved far away. She kept her affairs with Jackson through phone or email."

As I sipped from my glass of water, I became aware of a rhythmical sound coming from below. The tapping came at uneven intervals, and I wondered what it meant.

Carlisle continued telling me about Renee and Aro's desire to kill Edward and me for our money, but I stopped paying attention to his words.

The sound was Morse, but I wasn't very good at deciphering it. Emmett had taught me the code at the beginning of my night strolls to save the city from the bad guys. He told me back then that I never knew when it would come in handy.

"Are you all right?" Carlisle asked, frowning.

"Uh, can I use the bathroom?"

He walked me to the one downstairs, and after I was sure he had left, I sat on the closed lid of the toilet. I listened carefully, remembering Emmett's lessons.

S-A-V-E Y-O-U-R-S-E-L-F

L-I-A-R

F-I-N-D D-A-R-K M-A-S-K

And it went on a loop.

"Oh, God!" My hands went to my throat.

There was someone locked in the basement. Edward's friend, who I had completely forgotten about.

I reached for my earpiece to try to get in contact with him or Rose, but it was gone. Fuck.

Had I been that out of it not to notice when Carlisle took it off me?

I searched for something useful in that bathroom to answer Edward's friend. I ended up tapping the pipe with my knuckles.

Hopefully, my reply was correct. I tried sending the message: I G-O-T Y-O-U

His tapping stopped, then he repeated the first line over and over.

I flushed the toilet and washed my hands, so it wouldn't look suspicious before I joined Carlisle back in the sitting room.

He was at the window, his glass in hand.

I edged closer to the fireplace, so I could have a weapon in case he was indeed the bad guy. After the sob story he had shared with me, I believed him to be the victim.

"Your fault has always been the way you believed everyone, Isabella. A man in a uniform for you meant he was going to help," he said slowly, his voice holding an edge I didn't like. "I'm surprised Edward accepted my story and trusted me to bring me to the auction with him. You have softened my boy."

"You're delusional," I spat. "Edward is always three steps ahead of every pariah in this city."

"Not today. He might have found his doom."

"So you concocted a lie to make us pity you and have us at your mercy."

"Pretty much, yes. Though, the whole story is true. After Esme's death, I loathed Edward and blamed him for her perishing in the fire. I had never cared for him. I only helped Elizabeth give my brother what he couldn't." Carlisle shrugged.

"As for you," he continued, finally facing me. "No one would have bothered you if you didn't decide to stick your nose where you shouldn't. Maybe Renee would have sent you somewhere safe while the war raged here."

"That's not me. It would have never happened," I insisted.

"Of course," he sneered. "Even now, you can't simply admit defeat. No one can save that boy in the basement."

I tried to mask how shocked I was that he had figured out my secret conversation with Edward's friend.

"Edward believes his friend is safe. I showed him footage of his friend in the guest bedroom, lazing around on the bed. Of course, the accommodation had changed since the video was filmed."

"You," I shouted, unable to form words at how vile and soulless he was.

Carlisle drew my gun from his pocket, and my muscles froze in shock, refusing to cooperate and grab the fire poker. "I will be remembered and recognized as the one to make Aro's wish come true. Any last words, Miss Swan?"

"Rot in hell." A resounding boom followed the soft yet unyielding voice coming from the doorway.

Carlisle didn't have time to blink as he crumpled to the floor.

My eyes moved from Edward's figure in the shadows to my hands splattered in blood. Actually, I was covered in Carlisle's blood from head to toe.

"It's okay; I'm here, and you're safe." Edward hurried to me, and I was grateful for his arms around me. "Bella." The despair in his voice overlapped my surprise at him calling me that for the first time. "Fuck. Fuck."

I felt myself being lifted and carried somewhere. My left knee was burning, and I couldn't understand why it hurt so badly.

"Fuck. Don't look." Edward ran out of the room, but I felt dizzy and time lost its meaning.

I became aware of him back at my side and a tight pressure above my left knee.

"Your friend," I slurred, barely understanding myself. "Basement."

His green eyes found mine, then he spat a string of curses and left the room.

I chanced a look at my knee, trying to understand why the burning feeling, and I wished I hadn't. The battle between fainting and barfing at the sight of my shattered kneecap was won by fainting.

I came around to Edward's soft voice and the sound of metal scraping against metal. The smell of iodine was strong in the air.

I glanced in the direction of his voice and found him bent over my knee. He had tweezers in one hand and a cloth in the air. Someone I didn't know was on his other side, but I guessed it was his friend.

He was the one to notice I was awake.

"Maybe you should up the morphine, man," he said in a guarded voice.

"She has enough in her to keep her asleep until I'm done."

"Think again."

Edward glanced at my face. "Does it hurt?"

If he hadn't asked, I might not have become aware of the pain radiating from my knee. I had never felt anything like that.

"Don't move," he said seriously. "Five more milligrams, Seth."

The pain numbed, and I couldn't feel anything he was doing there, but somehow it still hurt. Actually, I couldn't feel anything below my navel.

"What did you do to me?"

"I'm saving your knee, Kitty. It's not as bad as I initially thought. Almost done."

"I can't feel my legs," I said between gritted teeth.

"Yeah, the only anesthetic in the house was for an epidural. I'm sorry. Besides, it's good. I couldn't give you full anesthesia after you fainted."

I allowed the morphine to help me relax. I drifted into a state of unconsciousness where I replayed the conversation with Carlisle in my head. His last words were so valid they cut deep. I was such a believer, but not because I was stupid, because I had hoped the men in uniform actually fought for justice.

"All good. You have to rest now." I felt Edward's lips on my temple. "Seth will stay here with you. I have some errands to do."

I reached for him blindly, trying to blink my eyes awake. My palm collided with his armored bicep. "Don't go."

"I won't be long, I promise."

"Be careful." I had no idea what had happened to Renee or Volturi. The idea of them hurting Edward sent my anxiety through the roof.

"Always am, Kitty."

I heard him instructing his friend what to do post-surgery before his loud thumping feet and a door slamming meant he had left.

I focused on the boy sitting in the chair by the bed.

When had they moved me to a bed?

He seemed so young. He cracked a smile when he noticed I was looking at him.

"Of course, he'd fall for the other crackhead in the city," he joked.

"Hey, hey. I saved your life."

"Thank you. I wasn't sure whoever he had brought here would understand Morse, but I tried."

I cringed, remembering Carlisle's last moments. "Where is he?"

"Edward offered the dogs a good meal."

I gagged, picturing the savage scene in my head. "And the others?"

"You mean Volturi and Renee? He dealt with them. That's all he told me."

"Then what the hell is he doing now?" I wondered as more questions exploded in my mind.

How had he dealt with them?

I hated how Edward had to go back on his promise never to kill anyone. He had shot his…father…to save me.

"Guess we'll find out. How about you try to sleep?"

"Can I have some water first?"

After taking a few sips from the glass Seth offered, I closed my eyes, escaping this nightmare for the time being …