couldn‘t survive without him? What if he really loved her, and wanted her to be happy?
And… what if she loved Paris? Not like Romeo. Nothing like that, of course. But enough that she wanted him to be happy, too?
Jacob‘s slow, deep breathing was the only sound in the room — like a lullaby hummed to a child, like the whisper of a rocking chair, like the ticking of an old clock when you had nowhere you needed to go…. It was the sound of comfort.
If Romeo was really gone, never coming back, would it have mattered whether or not Juliet had taken Paris up on his offer? Maybe she should have tried to settle into the leftover scraps of life that were left behind. Maybe that would have been as close to happiness as she could get.
16. THE VERVE PIPE, ?NEVER LET YOU DOWN?
Chapter 16 ?I know you don‘t feel exactly the way I do, Bells. I swear I don‘t mind. I‘m just so glad you‘re okay that I could sing — and that‘s something no one wants to hear.? He laughed his throaty laugh in my ear.
17. MUSE, ?SING FOR ABSOLUTION?
Edward‘s perspective
Chapter 18 ?I saw him going to the Volturi… and asking to die.?
18. FATBOY SLIM, ?YA MAMMA?
Chapter 20 She drove in quick spurts and sudden stops, and the people in the crowd shook their fists at us and said angry words that I was glad I couldn‘t understand. She turned onto a little path that couldn‘t have been meant for cars; shocked people had to squeeze into doorways as we scraped by. We found another street at the end. The buildings were taller here; they leaned together overhead so that no sunlight touched the pavement — the thrashing red flags on either side nearly met. The crowd was thicker here than anywhere else. Alice stopped the car.
I had the door open before we were at a standstill.
She pointed to where the street widened into a patch of bright openness. ?There — we‘re at the southern end of the square. Run straight across, to the right of the clock tower. I‘ll find a way around—?
Her breath caught suddenly, and when she spoke again, her voice was a hiss. ?They‘re
I froze in place, but she pushed me out of the car. ?Forget about them. You have two minutes. Go, Bella, go!? she shouted, climbing out of the car as she spoke.
I didn‘t pause to watch Alice melt into the shadows. I didn‘t stop to close my door behind me. I shoved a heavy woman out of my way and ran flat out, head down, paying little attention to anything but the uneven stones beneath my feet.
19. FOO FIGHTERS, ?DOA?
Chapter 20 I wished I could ask him exactly what was going to happen now. I wanted desperately to know how we were going to die — as if that would somehow make it better, knowing in advance.
20. MARJORIE FAIR, ?STARE?
Chapter 22 I couldn‘t keep my eyes off of Edward‘s face for long. I stared at him, wishing more than anything that the future would never happen. That this moment would last forever, or, if it couldn‘t, that I would stop existing when it did.
Edward stared right back at me, his dark eyes soft, and it was easy to pretend that he felt the same way. So that‘s what I did. I pretended, to make the moment sweeter.
21. COLDPLAY, ?THE SCIENTIST?
Edward‘s perspective
Chapter 23 ?You weren‘t going to let go,? he whispered. ?I could see that. I didn‘t want to do it — it felt like it would kill me to do it — but I knew that if I couldn‘t convince you that I didn‘t love you anymore, it would just take you that much longer to get on with your life. I hoped that, if you thought I‘d moved on, so would you.?
?A clean break,? I whispered through unmoving lips.
?Exactly. But I never imagined it would be so easy to do! I thought it would be next to impossible — that you would be so sure of the truth that I would have to lie through my teeth for hours to even plant the seed of doubt in your head. I lied, and I‘m so sorry — sorry because I hurt you, sorry because it was a worthless effort. Sorry that I couldn‘t protect you from what I am. I lied to save you, and it didn‘t work. I‘m sorry.?
22. SUGARCULT, ?MEMORY?
Chapter 23 ?Don‘t promise me anything,? I whispered. If I let myself hope, and it came to nothing… that would kill me. Where all those merciless vampires had not been able to finish me off, hope would do the job.
23. ARMOR FOR SLEEP, ?THE TRUTH ABOUT HEAVEN?
Edward‘s perspective
Chapter 23 ?Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars — points of light and reason…. And then you shot across my sky like a meteor.
Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn‘t see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything.?
24. BLUE OCTOBER, ?SOUND OF PULLING HEAVEN DOWN?
Edward‘s and Bella‘s perspectives
Chapter 24 ?Your epiphany?? he asked, his voice uneven and strained.
?You love me,? I marveled. The sense of conviction and rightness washed through me again.
Though his eyes were still anxious, the crooked smile I loved best flashed across his face.
?Truly, I do.?
My heart inflated like it was going to crack right through my ribs. It filled my chest and blocked my throat so that I could not speak.
