Caius POV

"I don't want you to be afraid," I said quietly, my voice softer than I thought it could be. "Bella… I can't lose you. It would kill me if something happened to you. I don't even know if I could survive without you."

The confession felt like tearing a piece of my own soul open, exposing the rawest parts of me. Before I could second-guess myself, I leaned closer, and my lips met hers.

It wasn't a calculated move; it was instinctive. The kiss was soft and hesitant at first, as if testing the fragile bond between us. But it deepened just slightly, enough to convey what words could not- my desperation, my need for her to stay, and my promise that I would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

When I pulled back, I searched her face, watching as her emotions flickered across her features. "Are you okay?" I asked, my voice trembling with the weight of my fear. "Please, Bella… don't lie to me. I can't bear to lose you."

She bit her lip, a telltale sign of her hesitation. I braced myself, knowing that whatever came next wouldn't be easy to hear.

"I'm scared," She eventually admitted. "Sometimes, it feels like I'm drowning and no one can hear me. It's in those moments, the voices are the loudest. They tell me I'm not good enough for anyone… that everyone always leaves me. So what's the point in trying?"

Her words hit me like a blow, and I could only listen. She continued her tale, her voice trembling under the weight of her memories.

"I've been abandoned for so long that I don't know how to have someone by my side. When I was a child, I had to help my mother with the bills, make sure there was food on the table. It was clear that if I didn't, we probably wouldn't have had a roof overhead. My mom wasn't too concerned about any of that because why would she? The way she saw it was that she didn't have to be an adult, and with her free-nature spirit- those things were almost like an afterthought… I grew up doing that, just taking care of her. I had no friends back in Phoenix…" Bella explained.

She looked away, tears piling up in her eye, "During all that… It was like I had to make myself small, to take up as little space as possible… I convinced myself that I was a burden, otherwise." She swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she clutched the blanket. "So I made it easy for everyone. I took on everything myself, because otherwise, no one else would."

Bella took a deep breath before she continued on. Her voice softened, barely above a whisper, weighed down by the anguish and sorrow that she felt. "When I moved to Forks, things changed. Suddenly, I was the popular girl and made friends easily… That's when I met him."

She didn't need to say his name. It was obvious that his name still caused hers some pain. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to not do anything so reckless, and kept myself quiet and let her speak.

"I thought it was romantic, the way he cared about me," She said, her voice still barely above a whisper, "He was the only guy that ever paid attention to me. The only person that ever gave me the attention and the time of day. He was the first person I was able to call mine, and I was obsessed with it… I've never had that attention in my life, and it made me feel like I was truly special . Truly deserving. "

She let out a hollow laugh at that and I knew I wouldn't like what happened next, even though I knew some of it, of what was said in the trial. It was really hard to see her like this; I just wish she knew how special she really was.

"I felt like I truly belonged, but you know what they say: all good things must come to an end. Shortly after the disaster of my birthday, that's when it truly ended. He left me, rotting in that forest- taking everything with him. My will, my reason to live, and my family…. My entire support system gone just like that… Someone from the Quileute tribe found me in the forest several hours later."

Her words grew quieter and a haunted look came over her face, as though she was relieving the past, "I wasn't myself after that. I wasn't even living. I was just… existing. My dad was terrified for my well being. He thought sending me back to my mom in Florida would help…"

She clutched the blanket tightly, her knuckles turning white, "After that, it was almost sort of like a wake up call for me, because I was like that for months. I was doing everything I could to not be sent to my mom. I started hanging out with Jacob, who was a sort of crutch for me. He helped ground me. I often hung out over there at La Push, and helped fix up a couple of motor bikes… I was doing reckless stuff, not caring what happened to me because it was the only way I was able to hear his voice… The only way I could feel something in my numb existence…" Bella laughed bitterly, sounding hollow. "How pathetic was that?"

"You're not pathetic. You were hurting in more ways than one," I told her, interjecting her story.

"You know perhaps Demetri was onto something… Perhaps I do have some suicidal tendencies because otherwise, why else would I disregard my life as if it wasn't worth anything," She mused to herself. "I couldn't blame myself because my life isn't that important."

"Bella," I warned her. "You are very much important."

She didn't bother saying anything to what I just said, and continued on, "Eventually, Jacob distanced himself to me, once it happened…. After that the contact broke away, and I was stuck picking up the pieces of myself once again. I wouldn't have been surprised if the reason why I lost contact with him was because I was a girl who fell in love with a vampire, their natural enemy. Or maybe, it's just me. Maybe I'm too broken, too damaged to keep anyone around."

"Bella," I said firmly, though my voice wavered. "You are not broken. You are not a burden. And you are not alone. Not anymore."

Her tears flowed freely down her face, and I brushed them away with my fingertips.

"I don't care how long it takes," I continued, my voice steady with resolve. "We'll get through this together. I'm here. For all of it. For you. Always. I love you, Bella."

Her lips quivered, and I pulled her into my arms without hesitation, wrapping her in a firm embrace. I wanted to shield her from everything, even if only for a moment. She leaned into me, her body trembling as silent tears soaked into my shirt. I held her tightly, unwilling to let go. She needed me now, and I would do whatever it took to protect her- to show her that she was deserving of love, care, and a life unburdened by the shadows of her past.

"You're not alone anymore, Bella," I murmured into her hair. "As long as I'm here, you'll never have to face this pain again. I'll never hurt you, and I'll never let anyone else do it either. You deserve the world- and so much more."

And that's a wrap! I honestly couldn't believe I wrote the last chapter on the last day of 2024. I know I started tearing up while I wrote this chapter because while, it's not the end as there is a sequel, but the emotions and the turmoil in this chapter and everything that happened.

And now time for the last of my notes:

Never Expected This was a story I had adopted from its original owner several years ago, back in 2016. However, I lacked the maturity, and barely knew how to write a proper story with a plot and an actual ending. As a result, it suffered immensely for it. I couldn't give it the proper story it deserved, and the sequel as a poor attempt at one, at that.

It wasn't until I was in college- much older, much wiser- that I decided to redo the storyline and give it a proper blessing. So Never Expected This 2.0 was born. While it took me two years to get to this point, I think I truly gave it justice. I fell in love with writing the relationship between Bella and Caius, being able to address Bella's behavior in canon, and so much more.

While Never Expected This is finished, fear not, the sequel- For Eternity, is on its way. This story will take on much more of the healing part of it all, and how to start over when it all seems lost, but also gives us much more of a highlight with the Volturi. One I truly am excited to touch because it was only featured a little bit in this story and I just want to give our girl, Bella happiness and some platonic relationships.

And finally, I want to give thanks my lovely readers who favorited, followed and commented on this story. Your support meant everything to me. To my lovely Portuguese translator- Miriam, thank you for translating this story and giving more readers a chance to read this story. I hope you consider translating its sequel, as well when it's up.

I'll see you in February/March of 2025 with its sequel, as I want to take a break and focus on another story in the meantime.