Edward's green eyes meet mine, and we just stare at each other for what feels like an eternity. Late nights under the stars come back to me. My first kiss. The first time we had sex. The first time a boy told me he loved me.

He was my first everything. And back then, I thought he'd be my last.

"Bella," he says softly.

"Here's your coffee, sweetie," Ms. Sue says, sliding it across the counter.

I blink and foolishly think he'll just disappear into thin air, but he remains and closes the distance between us. "You're back."

"So are you," I mumble.

"Um . . . do you have a few minutes? Maybe just to have a cup of coffee with me?"

He's grown up, but he still has his boyish dimples and lopsided smile. Seeing him breaks my heart all over again.

"I, uh . . . I need to meet my dad."

There's that spitfire part of me that wants to jab my finger into his chest and ask him why the hell he ghosted me. I want to tell him off for breaking my teenage heart.

But I can't.

"Just a few minutes?" he asks.

Why can't I say no?

"Okay."

I take a seat at a table and wait for him to come over with his cup. What does he even have to say to me? What can he possibly say to make up for breaking me?

He takes a seat and smiles. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Well, that was your plan, I suppose."

He brow furrows. "I made a mistake, and I couldn't bring myself to tell you the truth. I thought it'd be easier on you to just disappear."

I scoff. "I needed closure, and you never gave me that, Edward. What, did you cheat on me? Fall in love with another girl? Did you realize I wasn't good enough? That I was too young?"

"I cheated," he admits, and I blink away the tears forming. "It was a drunk, stupid mistake. I was going to tell you. I was going to come home for spring break and admit it to you and pray you would forgive me, but then . . . she came to me with a positive pregnancy test."

My eyes widen, and then my brow furrows. "Your mom is my Facebook friend. Rose's daughter is her only grandchild."

"She lost the baby, but by that time, I'd already disappeared from your life. I had no right to come back into it."

I blink, and his eyes drop to my left hand. The tan line around my former rings is obvious.

"I was happy to hear you got married, but . . ."

I shake my head. "I can't do this with you."

My heart can't take any more revelations. It's all too much. Yesterday, I ended my six-year marriage, and today, I find out the love of my life—the loss of my life—cheated.

Two loves.

Two heartbreaks.

How do people keep putting themselves through this pain over and over?

Is love really worth it?

I'm ashamed to say I ran from Edward. I ran straight back to the house, forgetting about Dad at the diner until he texts me worried. I tell him I'm at home, and it's not long before he pulls up.

"Jesus Christ, Bella, you scared the hell out of me," he says, storming into the house as I sit on the couch with my knees to my chest.

"Why didn't you tell me Edward was back?" I ask, sniffling.

His brows raise, and he sighs. "You ran into him." It's not a question.

"He cheated on me and got a girl pregnant."

His eyes fall to his shoes, ashamed to look at me.

"You knew."

"Not at the time." He sighs, falling into his armchair. "Carlisle and I went camping one night. We both got a little wasted, and he told me. He stopped talking to Edward for almost a year. The kid fucked up. He started partying when he got to college and got himself into a mess. Carlisle told him to tell you the truth—to not let you linger on some hope he might come back. But . . . he just couldn't. He was a twenty-year-old coward."

"What is it about me that makes men break me? Am I so fragile? Is it a game? Is this my fate? The prophecy of my life? To be used and abused and left behind?"

"You deserve so much better. You have such a loving heart—just like your mom."

"You and Mom were childhood sweethearts. She only ever loved you, and I saw how much you loved her. All I want is that, Dad. I thought Edward was the one—that I was one of the lucky ones like her."

"Your Mom and I had our issues."

"Did you cheat on her?"

He shakes his head. "Never. She was it for me, but we still fought. We didn't have a perfect marriage. Before she died, she asked just one thing of me. To raise you to be able to handle this world and to love fiercely."

"I failed her last wish."

"No, you didn't. A weaker woman would have fallen apart after what Edward did, but you pulled up your bootstraps, moved across the country, and moved on."

"But then I married the wrong man. I let him hurt me."

"And you left. Do you know how many women leave in a body bag? That's not you. You know you deserve better."

I scoff. "I'm never falling in love again."

"I don't want that for you. She wouldn't want that for you. When the time is right, when you're stronger, someone will come along and be the right one. Don't close off your heart like I have."

"She would have wanted you to give your love to someone else."

He nods. "Probably, but nothing else measures up once you've found perfection. And I have you. I love you because you're my daughter and part of her. You are so much like her."

"I don't know if I'm strong enough to stay here and keep running into Edward."

"Yes, you are. I raised you to hold your head high. And that's exactly what you'll do. Wanna watch an action movie?"

I shake my head and smile. "Way to change the subject."

"You can't resist Top Gun."

"Goddamn it. Yes. I want to watch Top Gun and its sequel."

"I'll make popcorn."

After a few hours of movies and dinner, I go up to my room and finally work up the courage to open my laptop. I have ten emails from Jake. They start off apologetic.

"I love you more than anything."

"I promise to get help."

"Please just call me."

"We can work through this, gorgeous."

"You're my world, Bella. Please, please come home."

"It'll never happen again."

But then, as I'm sure his blood alcohol level goes up, the niceties end.

"I'll fucking ruin you."

"You're nothing without me."

"You won't see a dime."

"I will find you, and you'll regret leaving me. If I can't have you, no one will."

I slam the laptop shut and go downstairs to find Dad nearly asleep watching TV.

"I need to know the combination to the gun safe," I say steadily.

He looks up at me, cocking his brow. "You haven't shot a gun since you were sixteen."

"I'm sure it's like riding a bike."

"He contacted you, didn't he?"

I nod. "Emails. Now, what's the combination?"

"Your birthday. Four digits for the year."

I walk over to it, type in my birthday, and the lock opens. I pull out his S&W M&P and a full clip before closing the door.

"Bella, you're upset," he says.

"No, I'm not. I'm keeping this with me, okay? Because he will come here, and I am not going back with him."

"Remember what I taught you? Never point that thing at something you're not willing to kill. Do not put a bullet in the chamber until you have to. Don't threaten someone with it unless you're ready to use it."

I nod. "I remember."

"Keep it in the house, and for the love of God, keep the goddamn safety on."

"I will." I load the clip, pushing in the safety before returning to my room and putting it in my drawer.

As the child of the chief of police, I've been around guns my whole life, but I never thought they were the answer unless you were a cop. Hell, I vote for the people who want stricter gun laws. But I don't know how far Jake will go, and I need to protect myself.

But I hope I never need to use it.

Don't own Twilight.

Thanks to my beta Fran and prereaders, May, Mary, Sarah, and Christina.

There was some questions about the chapter titles. They're all going to be named after Taylor Swift songs or lyrics I find fitting. Thanks for reading and reviewing!