A/N: Just an FYI, this kind of unexpectedly turned into the last chapter, I'll talk to you more at the bottom.

The walk through the precinct is interesting. The chorus of confused faces at the sight of me in cuffs is enough to make me look down at my feet as I walk.

Edward leads me to the interrogation room and sits me down in a chair. Without another word, he leaves and returns a few minutes later.

The minutes pass by so slow that I start to wonder how long we've been in here alone, nothing but silence weighing us down.

After Edward's boss comes inside, I miss the isolation. Now, I know we can never go back.

He asks me how I did it. How everything happened. And the entire time I'm telling him my story, my eyes drift past him and to Edward. His face is emotionless and I wish more than anything I could tell what he's thinking.

"Edward, you can leave now," Carlisle says. "Please send a squad car to pick up this Rosalie for questioning."

I stay silent, but my head and my heart scream for him to stay. Even if he doesn't love me anymore, I love him.

Edward doesn't hear my quiet cries. He leaves without protest.

"You've got yourself in a real mess here, Bella," Carlisle says.

"I know. I never wanted any of this to happen, I just..." I gesture to the door, where Edward walked out moments ago. "He showed me who I was supposed to be."

Carlisle stares at me for the longest time, his pen tapping against his hand.

"Sit tight for a few minutes." He rises and leaves me alone in the room.

Now that I'm truly alone, I start to freak out. What have I done?

I rest my head on the table and drum my fingertips on the top.

I'm inside for over an hour before the door opens again. Carlisle and another man, dressed in a suit, steps in.

"This is Mr. Uley. He's a defense attorney. Just happened to be walking around the station looking for a case." Carlisle gives me a pointed look and leaves.

"A little birdy told me you need counsel, Mrs. Volturi." Mr. Uley takes off his jacket and sits down across from me.

"It's Miss Swan."

"Apologies." He pulls out a pen and paper. "Now, start from the beginning please. And don't leave any of the gory details out, those are my favorite part."

I tell Mr. Uley everything I told Carlisle and Edward, every single detail.

"At the very least, you're looking at an obstruction of justice charge, Miss Swan. I think we can manage that, especially if we can prove that this woman was threatening you." He shrugs. "You'll probably have to spend tonight in jail, but I may be able to get you out on bond tomorrow if I can see a judge."

"Okay."

"I'll touch base again tomorrow. Is there anyone I can call for you?"

"My parents." I nod and write down their numbers. "Tell them I'll call once I get settled in." I do get one phone call at some point, but I'm not sure I could face them right now. And despite how much I hate saying this, they're not the person I want to talk to right now.

"One more thing. They're executing a search warrant on your house right now, is there anything in there that I should know about?" He asks.

"No. Thank you." I rise and shake his hand the best I can.

As he opens the door, I see her walking down the hallway, her blonde hair in a mess of a bun on her head. Her hands are cuffed behind her, mascara running down her face. Looks like the perfect image of a beautiful woman remorseful for her crimes. I know better. She's not sorry she did it. She's just sorry she got caught.

I spend the night in a jail cell, thankfully not the same one as her. Although I must be close, because I hear her yelling my name. About how I made a huge mistake and I'd pay for it once we were together. She's at war with herself and with me and everything we'd done. I was strangely at peace, with exception to Edward. He would always be a quiet storm in my heart.

Mr. Uley makes good on his promises and I'm out the next day. Rosalie isn't so lucky. She's spent all of the money James had given her and has nothing left.

I'm foolish enough to think Edward would call or stop by, but he doesn't. So, like a dog with a tail between her legs, I hole myself up in my apartment for weeks. Back to the hermit I was after James died. Back to the tired, unhappy girl I was before.

Mr. Uley calls almost daily to update me on my case. They're able to find Rosalie's prints on the gun, they track the car to her. It's nearly a perfect case.

"They want you to testify against her," Mr. Uley says.

"What?" I can't decide if the thought of facing her in the courtroom scares me or thrills me.

"They don't want any chance of her getting off, Miss Swan, and you are the piece that pulls that together. In exchange, they're willing to drop the felony obstruction of justice down to a misdemeanor if you plead guilty. One year in low security prison."

"Is it even a choice?"

"I can't make the decision for you, but I can tell you this is a good deal. They have your confession on tape, it won't look good if it goes to court."

I pause. "Okay. I'll do it."

The old me would have been terrified to see her. To stare at her in the courtroom and tell everyone what we'd done. But now, part of me is exhilarated by the opportunity to face her where she can't hurt me. She can't scare me.

A month later, I stand tall as I walk into the court room. She pays no attention to me as I walk up to the witness stand and take my oath. She barely looks at me as I speak. And that just proves to me what a cold, heartless bitch she is.

I'm only nervous as I leave, when I see one particular spectator toward the back of the courtroom. Edward sits in the very last row in his uniform. I try to catch his attention as I walk past, but he doesn't look at me. That hurts more than anything.

I think maybe I'll hear from him after her trial. Or after the verdict or the sentencing. I'm sure he'll at least send me a letter when I start my time at the women's prison an hour away. I'm disappointed each time.

After three months pass, without a single word from Edward, I accept that he's gone. After 6 months, I find myself focusing on being my best self every day. I do my duties, keep to myself for the most part, and start working in the prison library. He slips into my thoughts every now and then, but I don't allow him to stay too long. Not because I don't want him there, but because he obviously doesn't want to be there.

"Swan!" The guard taps on my cell, breaking me away from my book. "Your lawyer's here."

My lawyer? I didn't know we had a meeting today.

I set down my book and follow the guard to one of the meeting rooms.

Mr. Uley sits at the table, with a smile on his face. Almost a year of knowing the man and I've never seen him smile.

"I have some good news," he says.

"Yeah?"

"They're granting you an early release for good behavior."

"Man, I'm glad I didn't join that prison gang," I joke. "Seriously, that's great news. When do I get out?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"That soon?"

"I've been privately fighting for it for a month now, but I didn't want to tell you until it was a for sure thing. Sometimes it can take months to arrange this type of thing." He nods. "I've already called and made arrangements for you to be picked up."

My parents knew about this? I just talked to them yesterday and they didn't say a word.

I'm giddy the rest of the day and can barely sleep that night. Not that I'd ever slept well here, but my mind and body are racing with the prospect of tomorrow. By the time afternoon rolls around and they come to get me, I can barely walk.

I can't wait to hug my parents and not have to let go. To live in my own place without the weight of everything that happened with James holding me down. It's a new life and I feel brand new. Or at least I will as soon as I get a decent shower in.

They give me my personal items and I'm allowed to change back into my regular clothes. When I step into daylight, a free woman, I can't help but smile.

I scan the parking lot, thinking my parents would run to greet me. They're not there. But someone else is.

Parked by the curb is a red Camaro, with a beautifully broken boy leaning up against it.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," I say.

"I read your email," he says.

"My email?"

"The one you wrote but never sent." He closes his eyes and begins to recite my email. "I need you to know that you would have been the best thing that ever happened to me. Maybe in another life, we'll find each other again and we can give this thing a shot."

My heart skips a beat.

He steps forward. "I'm sorry I didn't visit, I just...I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me after how horribly I acted before."

"I lied to you and you think you acted horribly?"

He looks down at his feet.

"So, you're here to pick me up?" I ask

"Yeah. I thought maybe we could take a shot at it."

"At what?"

He smiles, and for the first time in months, everything feels right in the world. "Another life."

A/N: I had originally planned on this being the 2nd to last chapter, but for some reason the epilogue portion I had always imagined from the beginning just happened to flow really well with this chapter, so I ended up combining them. It felt right, I hope you guys liked it. I chose to leave the end a little open ended because the possibilities for the rest of their life are endless and I wanted you to be able to finish that part of the story how you see it.

I just want to thank you so much for sticking with me through this story, I know updates were not as quick as I liked toward the end, so I greatly appreciate your continued support.

If you're interested in reading my next story, make sure you have me on alert, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter. I'm not sure on a timeframe yet for beginning to post, but I want to make sure I'm more than far enough ahead to be able to post regular updates for you.

Much Love,

Mandy