“Bella,” he said, his voice rough with emotion, “I’ve lived a long time, and I’ve seen what forever looks like. Centuries passing like seasons, decades blending into memory, time stretching endlessly ahead without purpose or meaning. But none of it meant anything until I met you. You’ve reminded me what it feels like to hope. To breathe. To belong somewhere. You’ve taken a hundred and sixty years of existence and made them feel like they were all just preparation for loving you. You’re…

The first time I saw you, you were arguing with your hair in the rear view mirror. I thought: there’s someone who fights back. I stared at the letter in my hands, reading Jasper’s careful handwriting through tears I couldn’t stop. Edward had left me feeling broken and unworthy, but these words… these words suggested someone had been watching, seeing strength where I’d only felt failure. You never needed protecting. You needed someone to believe you could protect yourself. For the first time in months, I…

The storm had stolen their power, but not their light. Gathered in a circle of flickering candles, the Cullen family found themselves playing a simple game—one secret, one dare—that would change everything. Years of careful politeness dissolved as truths emerged from the shadows: Edward’s frustrations, Jasper’s hidden fears, Bella’s growing feelings. What began as a way to pass the stormy evening became something deeper—a night when walls crumbled and hearts opened. Between confessions and laughter, between honesty and acceptance, old bonds were tested…

The first firework screamed into the sky, but I didn’t watch the burst of color overhead. I watched Bella—yellow sundress bright as sunlight, face lit with wonder and defiance, finally alive and unafraid. Edward’s possessive shadow lingered, but she didn’t flinch; she chose to meet my gaze instead, something real and electric sparking between us. When I reached her side, the world narrowed to her heartbeat and the fierce hope in her eyes. “It ain’t the sky I’m here for,” I murmured. She…

Bella curled into the porch swing, lemonade sweating in her hand, the hum of cicadas and scent of jasmine wrapping around her like a lullaby. Rosalie leaned on the railing, golden hair caught in the breeze, while Jasper watched from the shadows, still and steady. For the first time in months, Bella wasn’t bracing for the next demand, the next correction. Here, under the soft Southern sun, she wasn’t broken or fragile—she was becoming. She didn’t have to speak for them to understand….

The note smelled like pine and leather: Midnight. Swimsuit. Quiet. —J Forks was hushed at night, mist coiling between the trees. Jasper waited by the Jeep, barefoot, moonlight touching his pale skin. He looked at her like she was the beginning of something. They swam in a hidden lake no map could find, floating in silver water and silence. “I feel everything,” he confessed. “Too much.” Bella drifted closer. “Do you feel what I’m feeling now?” He nodded. “Yeah.” Then she kissed him—weightless, barefoot, brave. And everything changed….