Chapter 48

Future sightings

Bedroom scene

Edward's arms were around her. Pulling her close. "Shh, love," he murmured. "It's alright."

Bella clenched her jaw, pressing her face into his chest. "It's not alright."

His cool hands smoothed down her hair. "You did nothing wrong."

Bella wanted to believe that. She needed to believe that. But deep down, she felt like it was her that was wrong. No Matter what she did, someone got hurt and she bled with them.

No matter how much time had passed, Charlie's words refused to fade. It had been hours, and they still echoed; sharp and unrelenting, twisting her stomach into knots.

Edward had been kind, his loving, patient side shining through, but the fear of losing him still lingered.

He had attempted to get her to eat, and she had tried, she really had. But every bite made her stomach turn, and she couldn't force another down.

Edward sighed, frustration flickering across his face. "Bella, please."

She shook her head. "I just can't. I'm sorry."

His jaw tensed. "Fine." He said stiffly, exhaling slowly before standing. "I need to meet Carlisle at the hospital. There are still things we need to discuss."

"Can't it wait?" she asked.

"No." His expression softened as he brushed a cool hand down her arm.

She nodded, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead before slipping out the door.

Going all the way to the hospital just to discuss her eating habits with Carlisle seemed a bit much, even for Edward. Maybe she was wrong. Their conversation could be about something else, anything else. Or maybe… he just needed space from her. She wouldn't deny him that, especially after last night.

Alice wrapped her in a hug. "Don't worry, Bella. You'll always have me."

She pulled Bella to the couch and patted the seat beside her. Bella smiled indulgently as Alice pulled a bottle of nail polish from her pocket.

"This color will look lovely on you." Alice hummed happily as she painted Bella's nails.

With all the pain and heartache of the day, Bella felt lost. She knew what she wanted… but did any of it make a difference?

She swallowed past the tightness in her throat. "Alice… do you still see me becoming a vampire?"

Alice searched Bella's face. "Bella, I only see what you decide."

"Yeah, I know that." Bella spluttered.

"Then why ask? Don't you know your own mind?" Alice asked.

"Of course I do." Bella said too quickly.

Alice arched a delicate brow but didn't push. Instead, she went back to painting her nails.

Bella tried to focus on the brush strokes, the cool glide of polish against her nails, but her mind wouldn't settle. The tightness in her chest refused to ease.

Then the door opened. Edward returned, a few food bars in hand. Of course, he had gone to get something for her to eat. Why wasn't she surprised?

Before she could say anything, her phone vibrated.

Alice sighed. "Don't even think about it." She narrowed her eyes before reaching into Bella's pocket, pulling out the phone, and flipping it open. Then she held it up for Bella to see.

Bella glanced down and felt her heart stop.

Charlie: Come home.

A second message followed.

Charlie: Please.

That one word; please, nearly destroyed her.

Taking her phone from Alice, she exhaled a shaky breath , gripping it as if it could somehow hold her together. There was no anger in Charlie's words this time. No demands. Just… a plea.

Edward's expression softened as he set the food bars down. He didn't try to argue. He didn't tell her to ignore it.

Alice squeezed her hand. "You should go."

Bella nodded, but she wasn't sure if she moved on her own or if Alice gave her a gentle push.

Now she stood at the threshold of her house, fingers tightening around the doorknob. Her pulse thrummed in her ears. The weight of the moment pressed down on her, making her breath shallow.

Edward pressed a soft kiss to her hair. "Don't worry, love. It will all be alright. Charlie loves you."

She swallowed hard, nodding. Then, with a deep breath, she turned the knob and stepped inside.

Charlie was sitting in his chair, files scattered in front of him, some sports show droning on in the background.

The moment Bella crossed the threshold, he was on his feet, moving toward her. Before she could say anything, his arms wrapped around her, holding her tight.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice raw. "I just feel like I've lost you… like you're already gone. And I didn't know how to handle that."

He exhaled shakily. "I was hurt and angry… but that's no excuse. I love you. And you don't have to fight for me, but I'm going to fight for you. Always."

Bella's breath caught. Tears burned at the edges of her vision.

Bella sat at the edge of her bed, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Edward stood stiffly near the window, as if afraid that if he moved, she might fall apart.

Charlie's love and concern hurt so much more than his anger.

Edward's voice was gentle. "What do you need me to do?"

She shook her head. "Nothing." A strange, hollow sound fell from her lips, half-scoff, half-laugh. "Charlie thinks I need to see a psychiatrist... He even made the appointment." Her voice turned bitter. "Like that would help."

Edward didn't hesitate. "Maybe it would."

Bella huffed, turning her head sharply toward him. "You too? It seems like everyone thinks I've gone mad these days."

Edward tilted his head slightly. "Oh, I've thought that for a while." His voice held the barest trace of teasing. "Who else would willingly spend their time with a monster?" Bella opened her mouth to protest, but he continued, his tone wry. "One that has confessed to wanting to murder them, no less."

She exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "Not funny."

"No, it's not." Edward deadpanned. "I truly think you should go."

Bella's lips pressed into a thin line. "Well, it's not like I get a say in the matter. It's part of this deal I had no say in making."

She pulled her legs up to her chest, trying to make herself smaller, as if she could disappear into the bed.

"Would you have agreed if you were asked?" Edward took a step closer.

Bella hesitated, then muttered, "No. It's not like I can tell them what's actually happening. What I've been through. What I'm going to become."

"Bella…" Edward sighed.

She cut him off. "Besides, I don't need another person telling me I'm wrong. Judging me for my decisions."

Edward was quiet for a moment before speaking . "You have never made the best choices." His voice was soft but firm. "I personally think looking into why… isn't the worst idea."

Bella groaned, pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes. "Great. So now I'm just some broken thing that needs to be fixed? Thanks, Edward."

He sighed again like this conversation was draining even for him. "That's not what I meant."

"Yeah, well, that's what it sounds like." Her voice was sharp, but underneath it, panic churned. If Edward thought she needed help, what did that mean? That he'd finally realized she wasn't worth all this effort? Was he done with her? Just wrapping things up before moving on?

She shook her head, voice rising. "Everyone suddenly has an opinion on what's best for me. Charlie, Jacob, Leah, even Angela. Now you too? I already agreed to go. What more do you want from me?"

Edward studied her carefully, his expression guarded. "I want you to be well."

"I 'm fine!" The words came out more defensive than she intended, and she saw the flicker of disagreement in his eyes before he masked it.

"Bella…"

She cut him off. "I just… I want to be alone." The words tumbled out before she could stop them. Her throat felt tight, her skin prickling with irritation, frustration, exhaustion. She didn't mean for him to leave, not really. She just needed a minute for herself… to breathe, to think, to feel something without someone watching her.

Edward hesitated. His expression didn't change, but something in his posture stiffened.

"I'll see you in the morning," his voice was frustratingly calm, which only made her anger simmer hotter beneath the surface.

He turned toward the window, pausing just long enough for her to say something. to take it back, to stop him, but she didn't.

She just let him go.

And the second he was gone, regret slammed into her like a physical force. Her chest tightened. "Edward?" Her voice came out too quiet. She sat there, counting the seconds, fingers digging into the blankets. "Edward, I'm sorry." Another pause. She swallowed hard. "Edward, please…" her voice broke. "Come back."

The silence was deafening. The walls pressed in on her, his absence settling in like a weight on her ribs. She sat there frozen, unable to move, to think, to breathe. Until suddenly, the weight became too much, and she crumbled to the floor, curling in on herself as the darkness swallowed her whole.

Bella stood in the Biers' living room again. Everything was the same, the dim lighting, the suffocating air, the devastated expression on Mrs. Biers' face as Charlie told her what had happened to Riley.

She knew this nightmare. She knew what would happen next. She was prepared to see her own face reflected in Mrs. Biers' grief, to watch herself crumble under the weight of loss. But that's not what happened.

The room spun. Colors bled together, stretching and warping until the space was no longer familiar. When the world settled, she wasn't in the Biers' house anymore. She was home.

Mrs. Biers was gone. In her place stood Charlie, clutching a picture frame to his chest, his knuckles white. His expression was devastated, more than that. Broken. And there was something else, something worse, lurking beneath his grief.

He fell to his knees. "I knew it," he choked out. His voice was raw, hoarse, like every word cut him open. "I lost you." He tilted the frame, staring down at it as though the image inside could rewrite reality. "I never had a chance. His tears fell freely, striking the glass, clear at first. Then darker. Thick. Red… Blood.

Bella staggered back, a sharp inhale caught in her throat. Before she could move, before she could reach him, Charlie collapsed. Dead.

The front door swung open with a bang. Jacob stood in the doorway, his face drained of all color, his expression a slow-forming storm of horror and disappointment. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, as if trying to steady himself, but his eyes, his eyes burned straight through her. His voice was barely a whisper, but it carried all the weight of the world.

"Bella… look what you've done."

Bella jolted awake, a scream lodged in her throat. A cold hand smoothed across her forehead.

"Shh, love. It was only a dream," Edward murmured.

Her body trembled beneath the blankets, breath shallow, heart hammering against her ribs. The weight of the dream pressed down on her, thick and suffocating, lingering like an omen.

"You came back," she gasped, barely above a whisper.

"Yes," he whispered cautiously.

A wordless sound of relief sprong from her lips. Edward shifted closer, wrapping her in his arms. His voice was gentle but laced with concern. "You're safe. I'm here."

Safe. The word twisted in her gut. She swallowed hard, pressing her face against his chest. "Stay…"

He hesitated only for a moment, then pressed a kiss to her hair. "Always."

Bella didn't close her eyes for a long time. She just lay there, inhaling the scent of him, trying to push away the fears she refused to acknowledge.

It felt like Bella had just closed her eyes when Alice came bounding through her window. "Time for school," she sang.

Bella groaned. "Alice, I'm not going to school. Charlie took me out."

"Oh I know." Alice said cheerfully. "I was talking to Edward."

"I'm not going." he said flatly.

Alice folded her arms. "Oh yes, you are." She paused, then added sweetly, "If I have to keep up appearances, so do you."

He looked like he was about to argue, but Alice narrowed her eyes, and whatever he was about to say died on his lips.

He turned back to Bella, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head. "Get some more sleep, love. I'll see you after school." A secretive smirk crossed his lips.

Bella was too tired to think about it. She mumbled a sleepy "Okay," then rolled over and drifted back to sleep.

Bella shuffled down the stairs around eleven, still in her pajamas, her hair a tangled mess. She rubbed her eyes, suppressing a yawn as she stepped into the kitchen.

Charlie was sitting at the table, papers spread out in front of him, a coffee cup in one hand, a red pen in the other. He barely glanced up before saying, "You're late."

Bella blinked. "For what?"

Charlie arched an eyebrow. "School."

She frowned, glancing around. "I thought you took me out of school?"

"I did," Charlie said, taking a sip of coffee. "Which means I'm your new teacher." He gestured toward the counter. "Sit down, eat, and get started on your studying."