Preface

Edward Cullen glanced over at his mother's body, lying limp on the overused hospital bed. The entire room was filled with the smell of decay, pressing down on them like a weight.

Looking around at the other patients, he considered himself lucky. Men and women of all ages coughed around him, bleeding from their mouths, noses, and ears. The young woman beside him, most likely in her early thirties, had turned an icy blue color. As an infant cried somewhere in the distance, a man vomited, and the vicious cycle started all over again. Cough. Bleed. Vomit. Until you were cold and blue.

But to his surprise, he saw her standing in the doorway with a look of pure horror. For one moment, his heart swelled, before his chest ached and he released a vicious, throaty cough.

The young woman ran to his side, clutching his hand.

"Isabella," he said her name through the pain. His skin tingled where it touched hers. "You should not be here. You–"

"Edward," she emphasized his name with a scowl, "You of all people should know better than to call me by my proper name."

The seventeen year old sighed, taking in his lover's face. She was always so beautiful, so stubborn, but she was too hopeful. He knew he wouldn't make it out of this plague; would never be with her as he'd hoped. He took in a deep breath, ignoring the ache. "Please, my love. Go."

Edward brought a weak hand to her face, trying hard to mesmerize every curve and angle. Bella's eyes watered and she clutched his sweaty palm. "No." Her words were firm beneath the trembling lip. "You're not going to die," Bella sobbed. "You can't give up now."

She was right, of course. She always was. If Edward wasn't willing to give her up after everything they'd been through, he sure as hell wasn't going to in death.

"Bella." He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I love you, Isabella Swan, for all eternity. You are the only one to ever touch my heart." He swallowed and licked his dry lips, working against his slowing thoughts. "But I would never forgive myself if you were to die because of this illness."

She looked taken aback by his words, as if he were mad to say such a thing. "I don't care! Edward, I-I love you! I don't have a life without you. I don't want–"

He did his best to console her shaking form. Without a moment's hesitation, Bella climbed up on his bed and placed a desperate kiss on his lips. Too soon they parted and too soon a doctor began to pull her out of his arms.

Edward watched as his love reached for him against the man's hold. "Look after my heart," he murmured through a weak smile. "I've left it with you."

He heard Bella scream his name just before his eyes closed.