AUSTIN’S POVWith a heavy sigh, I reply, my voice filled with resignation, "I'm dying, Jacob and I just can't bear the weight of it anymore."I never thought I would tell Jacob this but he left me no choice. I did what I had to do even though I didn’t like it. I have kept this from him for as long as I can remember mainly because I never wanted to pull out a reaction from him or even let him give me that sympathy I never want. Jacob's eyes widen in disbelief as he asks, "What?! Are you serious?""I….umm... " I pause, feeling a rush of emotions, and take a deep breath before trying to stumble over my words. "Yes."I don’t know if this is a good idea or not but I feel somewhat good about this. Telling Jacob about my illness is the right thing to do especially since he is going behind my back making out with my own wife. I know what I am doing right now is a petty act but I don’t care. I need Jacob's sympathy and love if I want Bella to be back with me. He has to forget about her and I

~ BELLA’S POVI slowly opened my eyes, still feeling a bit groggy. As my vision cleared, I gradually adjusted to the bright light in the room. I feel my temples with my hand; my head is pounding with an unexplainable headache, and my eyes feel heavy with bags. As I slowly turn my gaze, I see the man sitting next to me, and to my surprise, it's Austin!I notice the stern expression on his face, causing me to jolt upright Immediately. My heart beating out of my rib cage, I frantically scan the room anxiously looking for Jacob but he is nowhere to be found.I turn to Austin and worriedly inquire, "Where is Jacob?""Why are you asking?" he asks sternly.His tone becomes more worried, and I quickly respond, "Where is he? I'm getting really worried. Can you please tell me?"His eyes meet my worried expression, and he dismissively says, "I don't think you'd want to know where he is, but just so you know, he is not here."My heart sinks as I try to make sense of his words. Did something happe

"For five years?" I gasped, my mind reeling from the realization. Austin has been wanting me to be here for that long?My brain is buzzing with a whirlwind of thoughts, and I find it challenging to focus on just one. It's like a jumble of ideas and emotions all vying for attention at once. I couldn’t understand a thing that was going on. This is really hard to wrap my head around. The fact that Austin wanted me here for over a year doesn't make any sense to me. I thought he only found out about me a month before we signed the contract. But now it seems like I was totally wrong. It feels like everything, from the contract signing to Uncle Martin's involvement, was all part of a big setup. I mean, that's the only reasonable explanation right now because Uncle Martin knows everything but never said a word to me….. Why would he do that to me? I'm his niece, after all. Although he never actually considered me as one because if he did he would have always been there for me and Layla. As

With tears streaming down his face and his voice choked with emotion, Charles looked down at me and said, "Jacob is gone."My heart dropped, and tears started to well up in my eyes. Did he just say….. no he didn’t? I don’t think I heard him right. I definitely heard him wrong. That’s not what he said, I just know it. I heard him wrong, I definitely did. I look at Charles and my face is filled with disbelief. I must be mistaken, right? There is no way Jacob could be gone. It just doesn't make sense. Jacob can not be gone, he is fine. I can sense that he is fine. My mind starts to race, trying to find any other explanation but it’s so hard when I have two men mourning in front of me. Jacob is actually gone?No.I don’t think so. There is a good explanation for this. It is possible that I am just overanalyzing everything. Maybe I didn't fully grasp what Charles meant. Perhaps he and Austin are feeling down because Jacob is no longer around, which could also be because he went on a j

We pulled up at the church and I walked out of the car with Austin. He has a sunglass on and is refusing to remove it no matter what. I guess he put them on to make things easier for him. I understand that he doesn’t want people to see him crying, especially in a crowded place like this. Austin and I walked together, our footsteps echoing in the quiet church. He seemed lost in his thoughts, avoiding eye contact with anyone. As we matched to our seat all eyes were on us but Austin acknowledged no one as he found his seat. I sat down beside him, a comforting presence by his side. In the next minute, the pastor's voice filled the air, speaking words of tribute and remembrance for Jacob. Each word struck my heart, a bittersweet reminder of the void left by his absence. It still feels surreal, like a cruel twist of fate that Jacob is no longer here with us.While the pastor's words filled the entire room, I couldn't tear my gaze away from the somber sight of the closed casket positioned a