Twilight: blood & brimstone

Edward was seconds away from snapping.

I could see it in the way his muscles tensed beneath Jasper's grip, in the way his eyes burned as they locked onto mine.

And most of all—

I could feel it in Bella's hesitation.

Because she wasn't reaching for him.

She was staring at me.

Alice must have seen something in the future because her voice cut through the tension, sharp and urgent. "Edward. Not here."

Edward's fists shook. His jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might crack.

But he didn't move.

Not yet.

Jasper's fingers pressed harder into Edward's shoulders, his power wrapping around him like invisible chains, trying to smother the rage threatening to rip free.

Edward fought against it, his breath coming in sharp, controlled bursts—trying, failing, to contain the storm inside him.

And then—

Bella spoke.

"Edward."

His entire body stiffened.

Her voice was soft. Uncertain.

Not the way she used to say his name.

I watched as that realization hit him like a bullet.

Slow. Painful.

Devastating.

He turned to her, his expression flickering—hurt, desperate, pleading.

"You hesitated."

Bella's breath caught. "What?"

His eyes darkened. "When I asked you… if it was true. You hesitated."

Silence.

She didn't deny it.

Couldn't.

Because it was true.

Because some small, fragile part of her—the part she had spent weeks ignoring—had already started slipping away from him.

And toward me.

Her fingers curled around the edge of the table, her knuckles white. "Edward, I—I didn't mean—"

His voice was quieter now. Worse.

"Do you love him?"

The cafeteria went silent.

The air felt thick, heavy with something dangerous.

Bella's lips parted, her pulse hammering in her throat.

She didn't answer.

And that?

That was answer enough.

A sound ripped from Edward's throat, low and broken, his entire body trembling.

I grinned.

Because this?

This was delicious.

But before I could push him over the edge—

He vanished.

One second he was standing there, the next he was gone, a blur of movement so fast even I barely caught it.

Bella gasped, spinning around, but he was already out of the cafeteria, the door swinging violently behind him.

Jasper hesitated, torn between running after him and staying with the others.

Alice inhaled sharply, her hands shaking. "This isn't good."

Bella just stared at the doors, her breath uneven, her entire world shattering in real-time.

I waited.

Waited for her to turn to me.

To choose.

And when she finally did—

I knew.

Edward wasn't the only one losing control.

Forks Forest – The Storm

I followed her.

Of course I did.

She didn't ask me to, but she didn't have to.

She ran blindly through the trees, her breath uneven, her steps unsteady.

And when she finally stopped, when she finally collapsed against a tree, hands in her hair, her breath ragged and desperate—

I was already there.

She didn't jump when I spoke.

Didn't tell me to leave.

She just sighed, her whole body sagging like she was too tired to keep pretending.

"I don't know what's happening anymore."

I smirked, stepping closer. "Yes, you do."

Her eyes flickered to mine, something conflicted in them.

"I shouldn't have hesitated."

I raised a brow. "Why not?"

She swallowed. "Because I love him."

I hummed. "And yet."

Her breath stuttered.

I stepped closer, slow, deliberate, my voice soft.

"You're here, with me."

She closed her eyes. "I shouldn't be."

I grinned. "But you are."

Silence.

Then—

"I don't know what's wrong with me."

I leaned in, my breath warm against her skin. "There's nothing wrong with you, Isabella."

She shivered.

And for the first time—

She didn't correct me when I called her that.

Her fingers curled against the bark, her breath uneven, her mind racing.

I could feel the shift inside her.

The last, fragile threads of certainty snapping.

The final pieces of him breaking inside her.

I exhaled slowly.

"Let me take you home."

She hesitated.

Then—

She nodded.