In the evening.
Edward Cullen returned to the apartment, still reeking of the blood from his surgery. As soon as he opened the door, the desolate room told him no one was home. His face half-hidden in the shadows of the entrance, an eerie and dangerous aura clung to him.
He took out his phone and dialed the familiar number, only to be met with the cold, female voice on the other end telling him again and again that the subscriber had turned off their phone.
Edward chuckled, his fingers gliding over his smartwatch. The watch immediately switched to a different interface, and he stared at a red dot on the screen, his smile deepening.
"Such a disobedient little wildcat..."
He casually pulled open a drawer at the bottom of the shoe cabinet and took out a palm-sized metal box, pocketing it before closing the apartment door behind him.
His black car sped through the silent night, closing in on the red dot on his watch.
The night was cool, the stars scattered across the sky.
Edward hid in the darkness of a deep alley, his cold gaze fixed on a man and a woman at the end of the alley.
The woman was none other than Bella Swan.
The man handed her something, his fingers inadvertently brushing against hers.
Edward lowered his eyes, a storm brewing beneath them.
Bella took the item, said her goodbyes to the man, and walked alone towards the alley.
The night breeze was cool, raising goosebumps on her skin. Looking around at the unfamiliar darkness, she couldnt help but feel a sense of panic. However, clutching the passport in her hand, her determination grew.
As she passed a crossroads in the alley, she saw a shadow on the ground under the moonlight!
Before she could react, a sharp pain stabbed her neck, and her consciousness vanished.
Edward caught her collapsing body with one hand, flicking the syringe in his other hand.
Looking at Bella in his arms, his eyes were inscrutable, and he placed a cold kiss on her lips.
"What kind of punishment do you think you deserve, huh?"
When Bella awoke, she found herself lying on a hospital bed, weak and powerless. Looking around, three walls of the room were lined with display cabinets filled with items that seemed oddly familiar.
Upon closer inspection, these were all the things she had lost from her home over the years!
Including her favorite teddy bear from childhood, her favorite books, her first award...
And apart from these display cabinets, the only thing in the room was the hospital bed she lay on.
What kind of place was this?
The door lock turned, and Bella watched in horror as Edward Cullen walked in. He was dressed in a white lab coat, his hands covered in sterile gloves.
On the cart he was pushing were various surgical tools, glinting with a silver chill.
She wanted to flee but couldnt muster any strength.
"What... what do you want to do?!"
Edward smiled as he pushed the cart, selecting a sharp scalpel, which he then placed against Bellas ankle.
The icy touch from her ankle made her tremble uncontrollably.
"Bella, didnt I say that if you run again, Ill cut your Achilles tendon?"
Her heart pounded as tears welled up in her eyes. "No... please dont..."
"You can trust me, my skills are quite good, it wont hurt much."
Edward leaned over, whispering in her ear, his cool breath inching closer, his voice gentle to the extreme.
"Bella, in this life, you can only stay by my side, understand?"