I awoke to the glaring white lights of a white walled room, a stark difference to the gloom and shadows I'd fallen unconscious in. Icy fingers brushed my cheek and Edward's face came into view.

"I need…" My voice was wobbly but I forced my words out. "I need to call Mom. And Charlie."

"Renee's already here," Edward said, soothingly. "She's downstairs with Alice. We've spoken to Charlie too. Don't worry about them."

"What did you say happened?"

"You fell down two flights of stairs and through a window." I had to admit, it could have happened. But when I thought back to that night, James had seemed almost genuine. Throughout all of it. Despite the nonsense about Edward, it was as though he really didn't want to hurt me.

James…

"What happened to him?" I asked. "James, I mean."

I could remember him slamming Edward's head into the window, and then him escaping from the studio. But whether anyone found him after was a mystery to me. A part of me, irrationally, hoped that they hadn't.

Edward sighed. "I had to check on you so I couldn't go after him. When Alice saw that he'd changed his course, she went after him with Emmett and Jasper. But they lost him. We don't know where he is now."

With difficulty, I refrained myself from allowing my relief to show. I wasn't quite sure why I hoped James was still alive. Whatever it was, though, I didn't want Edward to know.

My best guess was that I was glad for the choice, the opportunity that James had given me. If, in the unlikely case that Edward did hurt me, and I did turn against him, James would be there to help me. James would get rid of him. I supposed that security was what I was grateful for.

"You could have died there, Bella," Edward murmured, his eyes cast down at his lap, his expression solemn.

I shook the thought of Edward hurting me from my mind. It was impossible. This Edward sat before me, concerned and worried for my welfare, obviously angry with himself for allowing me to get hurt… he would never- could never- do anything harmful.

"But I didn't."

"You easily could have," Edward argued. "You remember what Laurent said? James is lethal, his senses are unparalleled. He has a mind more brilliant than that of an average vampire. It's a wonder you made it out with a broken leg being the worst of your injuries."

A frustration bubbled in my stomach and I bit my cheeks so it didn't show on my face. No, I was quite certain that James wouldn't have killed me. In fact, the only reason he hurt me at all was to keep up pretence with the Cullens. Then the realisation hit me that Edward really had, admittedly inadvertently, led to my injuries just by rushing to the ballet studio, ignoring my wishes for him not to avenge me.

Even so, I reminded myself, how could I truly be sure of James' intentions? Especially after everything he had said about Edward. Edward who protected me, who made me feel appreciated, a respectful gentleman. Edward who I loved.

"Regardless, I'm not dead. I'm alive and well. Almost well, anyway."

"I'm surprised he didn't bite you," Edward went on. "I'd expect him to try get a taste of your blood before he ran."

"Edward! There's no need to scrutinise what happened there."

"But he's a tracker, Bella, remember? He'll be able to find you. He will stop at nothing to get you."

That was true. James and Victoria could, together, easily track me down. Even kill me, if this entire thing had been a lie. But for some reason, I doubted it.

"He wouldn't dare, would he? There's so many in your coven. There's Emmett, and Jasper, and Alice. Surely they could take him down without much difficulty?"

"We don't know, Bella," Edward said, shaking his head and brushing his fingers over the palm of my hand. The iciness sent shivers through my body, my heart fluttering. "We just don't know."

And so my heart was torn in two. My emotions were scattered everywhere, as two sides battled within me. My love for Edward and my complete trust in him. Then the conflicting feelings about the ballet studio.

I looked at Edward and pulled him towards me. Our faces inched closer and closer until our lips met in a gentle kiss. When he pulled back, his eyes were a beautiful shade of amber that hypnotised me. Eyes filled with secrets of an unspoken past.

I couldn't help but wonder what James knew about Edward.

The months wore on and I heard nothing from James. Alice had no visions of any of the nomads, and life was returning to something resembling normality. My leg was finally out of its cast, and I was back in school. Things were finally going well.

I should have known it wouldn't last.

For some reason, seeing Jasper lose control was even more terrifying than being alone in the ballet studio with James. Seeing Jasper's eyes turn from warm honey to pitch black seemed so eerie, so unnatural. Then when he tried to lunge at me, I'd felt more fear than when I was cornered against the wall by a nomadic vampire.

I didn't blame Jasper- of course not. But seeing a normally composed person turn wild had thoroughly shaken me. With James… James I had expected to kill me. I expected violence from him. Not the Cullens. Especially not from Edward. My beloved vampire had shoved me backwards and I went flying into a stack of plates. The perfect way to spill more blood.

When I returned home that night, I lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. The conflicting thoughts about James were getting worse. They occupied my mind more and more, no matter how much I insisted to myself that Edward would never do anything to harm me. I was now glad, more than I'd ever been before, that Edward was unable to hear my thoughts.

Overnight, I'd been increasingly concerned that Edward- or any of the Cullens, for that matter- would pick up on my behaviour. I'd been acting off, slightly more withdrawn, less smiley. But when I pulled into the parking lot, the usual silver Volvo wasn't there. In fact, none of the Cullens were in at all that day. Or the next. Or the next.

It did hurt. Maybe they just wanted some time alone, away from prying eyes. Especially Edward. But the thought that he couldn't face me, couldn't talk to me, even when it was ultimately me who had been harmed the most…

When I got home though, there was the familiar sight of Edward stood by the trail into the forest. His expression had grown darker, more miserable, and it pained me to see. I immediately got out of the truck and ran over to him.

"Come take a walk with me," he said, before I had even opened my mouth to talk.

His emotionless voice shocked me, but I followed him along the trail nevertheless. This was my first contact with him in days, and I was going to take full advantage of it.

"We have to move," he said, stopping and turning to face me.

I stared at him, a million ideas running through my head. "Okay. I'll have to think of something to say to Charlie…"

But Edward didn't respond. He looked blankly at me, until it suddenly dawned.

"When you say we, do you mean-"

"My family and myself."

"Not me?"

"No."

I didn't have the strength in me to argue. There was nothing I could say to stop my precious Edward more leaving Forks… and me. I could see it in the black eyes, the stony face void of anything remotely loving. And James' words rang loud and clear.

"I'm sorry to do this. I'm sorry I let it go on for so long. But," he paused, taking a breath. His eyes wandered from my face. "Your mind is a sieve. These memories will soon be long forgotten."

"And your memories?" I swallowed, forcing myself to stare him directly in the eyes. "What of them?"

"I have other distractions."

My knees buckled and landed hard on the forest floor. I stared straight down, focusing on the soil that covered my jeans. My eyes stung with tears, and I wiped them away with my jacket sleeve.

"Of course, I'll always love you in a way."

He'd already hurt me so much. He'd plunged the knife deep into my heart. Did he really have to twist it? What did he hope to achieve by killing me from the inside out?

"But I can't allow this to go on any longer."

Around me, my world crumbled. I furiously rubbed any remainder of tears and stared up at him.

"Goodbye, Edward," I forced myself to say, my voice cracking.

"Don't do anything stupid," he said. "Or reckless. Promise me. For Charlie's sake."

I would have laughed if I wasn't crying so much. How could he ask me that? To make a promise to him while he shattered my world?

"And in return, I promise it will be as though I never existed."

That was the moment I knew James had been right.

I watched as Edward turned to leave. He disappeared into the forest without ever looking back.

I'm not sure how long I kneeled there sobbing. My legs grew numb but I didn't care. I'd prefer the numbness over the pain. The light withdrew and the forest darkened. But I didn't have the energy to move.

Then a cool hand touched my back. I jumped, half expecting it to be one of the Cullens. But the voice that spoke to me was not a familiar one.

"Bella?"

I turned and saw a red-headed vampire, knelt beside me.

"Victoria?" I sniffed. "Why are you here?"

"Don't worry, Bella, I'm here to help you."