Bella's POV

After another indulgent shower, I stepped out of the bathroom feeling lighter—cleaner, but not quite clear. I'd made quick work of my morning routine, towel-drying my hair until it waved softly at my shoulders. The clothes laid out for me had changed again—this time a pair of deep blue designer jeans and a burgundy blouse in a silky fabric that shimmered faintly in the light.

It reminded me of Marcus's eyes.

Somehow, I had no doubt Alice had chosen this purposefully.

I padded quietly out to the balcony, where she was already sitting under a wide canvas shade, shielding herself from the sun. Even in partial shadow, her skin caught the light in that unnatural way—subtle, but still unmistakably not human. We were far enough from any neighboring buildings that it didn't matter, but I noticed she still kept carefully to the corner, just in case.

"Where's Marcus?" I asked, settling into the chair beside her.

Alice gave me a side glance, her legs tucked under her like a ballet dancer at rest. "With his brothers. There's a lot to go over before we leave today so I promised I'd look after you."

I huffed half-heartedly but nodded, my eyes drifting toward the low table between us, where a small feast had once again materialized—fresh pastries still warm from the oven, a pot of fragrant tea, and a tomato-and-egg casserole that made my stomach growl just looking at it.

"For a castle full of vampires, they really know how to spoil my very human self," I laughed, reaching eagerly for a plate.

Alice arched a brow, though amusement tugged at her lips. "Didn't we always cook for you?"

I smiled at her over the steam rising from my cup of tea. "You did. And it was always amazing." I hesitated, then shrugged, letting the next words go unsaid: I just didn't expect that from the Volturi.

While I ate, Alice slipped easily into chatter, catching me up on things back in Forks. Carlisle was already setting the groundwork for the family's return, this time under a new pretense—Esme wanting to be closer to her children while Emmett and Rosalie were "attending" the University of British Columbia. They'd still mostly stay hidden, of course, but the story would hold well enough.

Jasper, Alice explained, had taken a gap year to stay near her while she finished school. He'd resume his classes once she joined him in the fall—and in the meantime, both of them would be seen around town again. It was strange to imagine such a perfectly constructed lie slipping back into the real world like nothing had happened.

"And Marcus?" I asked around a bite of pastry.

"He'll be posing as Esme's cousin on her mother's side. Marcus DeLuca. Visiting from Europe for the spring and summer."

I blinked. "Creative."

Alice grinned. "You should see the fake ID."

"And… Edward?" I asked softly, the question tasting heavier than anything on my plate.

Without missing a beat, Alice replied, "He's supposedly attending a private prep school in New York. Graduated early, waiting to enter Juilliard."

I frowned. "Wouldn't it make more sense for Esme to be near him instead of Emmett and Rose?"

"He's staying with Esme's fictional aunt and uncle. Marcus's 'parents.'"

I let my head fall back against the chair. "Alice. Seriously. This is a little much."

"We've done more elaborate setups before," she said, unbothered. "And you know I'll see it if something's going to go wrong." She tapped her temple and gave me a smug smile.

I rolled my eyes and took another sip of coffee.

Then her tone changed.

"Carlisle called your dad."

I looked up sharply. "What? How did that go?"

Her expression turned gentle. "He wasn't thrilled."

I snorted. "Understatement of the year I bet."

She gave me a knowing smile. "But he respects Carlisle. He told Charlie you were at the house. Esme offered for you to stay a few days. You'd mentioned Harry's passing and how Charlie would be helping with the funeral arrangements."

"That's… believable," I admitted, surprised.

"He didn't like the idea at first," she added, "but he agreed. Mostly because Edward isn't there."

My stomach tightened. I looked away, the guilt slithering in like a shadow at my feet.

"Bella…" Alice waited until I met her eyes again. "You need to talk to him."

The words sat heavy between us.

"He needs to hear from you before we leave. He won't make the right choice without that."

I looked down at my hands. "I… I should have done that already. I'm so selfish. Of course I'll go see him."

My voice cracked near the end, and tears slipped out before I could stop them. Alice passed me a tissue from the tray and I dabbed at my face, heart twisting.

"He'll join the Guard, won't he?" I asked.

"If you talk to him… it's more likely," she said carefully.

"And the diet?" My voice trembled. "Will he stay on your diet?"

She hesitated. "Probably."

"Probably, Alice?" I snapped, my fear bubbling over. "That's not an answer! You know how that would destroy him. If he kills someone—if he drinks—"

"Bella," she cut in firmly, reaching for my hand. "Don't do this. Don't carry this like it's your fault. It's not. None of this is. Not Edward joining the Guard. Not what happened in the throne room. Not his gift, or yours, or even what he chooses next."

I searched her eyes, wanting to believe her. Needing to.

"Just talk to him," she said softly. "He'll listen to you. He always has."

I wasn't convinced by that statement, but after a moment, I nodded. I stood, brushing the remaining tears from my cheeks and straightening my blouse. I didn't feel ready, not really—but I owed him this. I owed both of us the truth before we crossed whatever line lay ahead.

This conversation wasn't going to be easy.

But it was necessary.

"Okay," I said. "Let's go."

Edward wasn't locked away in some dark, damp cell, as I'd feared. Instead, he was in a quiet room on the third floor of a tower at the far end of the castle—about as far as one could be from Marcus's quarters without leaving the building altogether.

When we entered, he was sitting by the window, his eyes fixed on the golden cityscape below. The late sunlight painted everything in warm hues, casting long shadows across the floor. He didn't look at us. Didn't move.

For a second, I wondered why he hadn't tried to escape through that very window. But the thought barely formed before the answer came: because he would've been caught in seconds. He knew that. And more than that… he had no desire to run.

He was still. Too still.

More than anything else, it was that unnatural stillness that rattled me. I was so used to Edward moving—gracefully, thoughtfully, constantly alive in a way that belied his cold skin. His face had always reflected emotions he felt. But now... he could've been a statue.

"Edward," I breathed, my voice cracking under the weight of it all. I stepped forward, kneeling in front of him, trying to meet his gaze.

He didn't react.

He just stared past me, out the window, into the sun he could never touch.

"Oh, Edward." The tears came fast. A sob broke loose before I could stop it. That seemed to shake something in him—his eyes flicked down, finally seeing me.

He lifted a hand as if to brush away a tear, but stopped halfway, dropping it back onto his knee.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered, tears slipping freely now. "So, so sorry."

He turned his face away sharply, and for a terrifying moment, I thought he hated me. Shame burned through me, and I started scrubbing at my cheeks, desperate to stop crying.

But then he spoke—soft, hollow.

"How can you still be so selfless, Bella?"

His voice was so low I almost thought I imagined it.

"How are you not screaming at me? How are you not telling me you hate me—for what I did to you? For everything I... Oh, Bella, how can you still be so caring when all I've done is lie, and hurt you, and betray everything I claimed to be?"

I froze.

It wasn't me he hated.

He couldn't even look at himself.

"When I condemned your soul to damnation anyway?" His voice broke like something inside him shattered.

But instead of heartbreak, what I felt next was fury.

Hot, defiant fury.

I stood, wiping my cheeks roughly, and glared at him.

"Damn it, Edward—shut up. Don't you dare say that. Don't you dare tell me that you—or any of the others—don't have a soul."

His head turned toward me, startled.

"You have one of the most compassionate souls I've ever known," I said, my voice sharp with conviction. "You may not be human, but I've known plenty of humans who are bigger monsters than you could ever be. It's not what you are, Edward. It's what you do that defines you."

I took a breath, steadying my voice.

"Do you really think Carlisle's damned? Esme? Alice?" I pressed on. "Do you think those hearts, those lives, that love... means nothing because of what you are? No. I won't believe that. And you shouldn't either."

He stared at me, unreadable.

"You've fought so hard to be good," I continued. "To stay good. You told me once that you fought against your nature every day. That means something. You mean something."

"I didn't..." he tried to say.

I didn't let him finish.

"I can't even imagine what it's like—having your gift. Hearing so much darkness all the time. But you must've heard some good too. You must have felt it."

Still no answer.

I sighed, the heat of my anger cooling into something softer.

"I don't blame you, Edward. For coming into my life, I mean. I think... I was always meant to find you. To find your world."

I moved toward him slowly, kneeling again and taking his cold hands in mine. He didn't pull away.

"When I met your family, something inside me just... clicked," I whispered. "I'd never felt like I truly belonged anywhere. But with you—with them—I did. Those months... I've never been happier."

I looked down, voice trembling.

"And maybe that's why I believed you so easily when you said you didn't love me. It felt too good to be true."

"Bella—"

"It still hurts. But yesterday... I understood. I wasn't meant to be human forever. This world is mine now. You didn't drag me into it—I was meant to be here."

He gave me a quiet, bittersweet smile. Still silent.

I met his eyes again, squeezing his hands gently.

"I forgive you, Edward," I said, and I meant every word. "For leaving. For lying. For everything. You were trying to protect me. And now... I understand that."

"I never deserved you," he murmured.

I laughed softly. "Funny. I always thought it was the other way around."

"Except that it's true for me," he said, his voice dipping again.

I searched for words, then asked the one thing I hadn't yet.

"Will you do something for me?"

"Anything."

"Stop thinking you're not good enough. Please. Use your gift to find good, not to run from it. You said Carlisle showed you a different way—follow it. Please."

"It wasn't easy for him. There's still so much he—"

"Who said it had to be easy?" I interrupted, smiling sadly. "You have forever, Edward. That's a long time to make things right."

He gave a soft laugh, the first real one in days.

"What?" I asked.

"You never used to scold me like this."

"Well," I smirked, "you kind of had it coming."

"I suppose I did. For what it's worth... I'm sorry, Bella. Truly. I don't deserve your forgiveness. I don't even deserve this conversation."

"We agreed—no more self-pity, remember?"

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Then I must apologize for my brief lapse in memory."

I smiled. "I'll add it to the list of things you're forgiven for."

His face turned serious. "I love you, Bella."

The words hit me like a wave, familiar and heartbreaking.

"Somehow," he said, "I will always love you."

"Edward..." I whispered, eyes pleading with him not to go further.

But he held up a hand.

"No, let me finish. I need to say this."

I nodded, swallowing thickly.

"I see now... I was wrong to think you were my mate. I wasn't there when it happened for Carlisle and Esme. Or Emmett and Rosalie. I told myself it was different because you were still human... but I was lying to myself."

"You were my first love, Bella. You always will be. But I think now... that it wasn't meant to last forever."

A soft sob escaped me, and before I realized it, he was kneeling in front of me, gently brushing away my tears.

"You were mine too," I whispered.

We stayed like that for a long time. In silence. In understanding.

Eventually, he stood, his hand lingering at my cheek one last time.

"Alice says you have to go."

I turned toward the door, already feeling the pull of time again.

"What will you do now?" I asked, my voice barely steady.

"I'll do what I must," he said. "To atone. I'll be fine, Bella. And I'll never be far."

I exhaled shakily. "Take care, Edward."

"See you soon, Bella."

"See you."

The words were simple. But sometimes, simple said everything.

Outside, Alice was waiting for me, her expression soft as she fell into step beside me. We walked in silence through the winding halls of the castle, making our way back toward the other side—toward Marcus. Toward Forks.

Toward home.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt peace settle deep in my bones.

Not because things were perfect.

But because I was no longer carrying the weight of what could have been.

Now, I was ready to carry what was.

Notes:

Thank you so much for walking through this story with me.
This chapter was personal—about letting go, about facing the people who shaped us, and about knowing when to carry love forward... and when to let it rest.

💬 I'd love to hear your thoughts on these Goodbyes in the comments. This is our last chapter in Volterra, see you all on Sunday with the arrival to Forks. How do you think Charlie will react to Bella's return with a new love in tow?

As always, your love, reviews, and follows make me want to keep posting.
✨

Let's burn slow, but bright. 🔥