Vengeance

Epilogue I: Edward Cullen

Epilogue I – Edward Cullen

Twenty years later, somewhere in northern Canada.

The hole was closing around me again, threatening to spit me back out into a world I didn’t deserve to be a part of. I twisted and opened my eyes, needing a reminder that the chasm was not closing in on me, and shook away the moisture that had accumulated on my jacket.  I had been living here for the past nineteen and a half years—ever since I had given up looking for her.

A weakened stalactite lost hold of the rocky ceiling and crashed onto my shoulder, shattering on impact. I sneered, wishing it had pierced my skin, thus ending my miserable existence, but, alas, I was unharmed. With an angry shudder, I brushed the debris away and rose from the ground. Despite having been in the same position for the past month, there was no tension in my appendages. I felt physically perfect.

Perfect.

I hadn’t used that word in almost twenty years—since she’d left me. I trudged across the cave and pulled a large rock away from the stony wall, revealing a divot I had cut out long ago. Inside the space, I pulled out a small plastic bag and cupped it in my hands. After several minutes of reassurance and preparation, I opened the sack and removed the letter.

Edward,

How could you? No other phrase seems adequate to convey the absolute betrayal I have suffered at your hands. If you’re scratching your head, trying to decipher the meaning behind this, let me ease your confusion. I know what you, Esme, and Carlisle have done. I know about how I’m already considered “dead” and that my casket has already been laid to rest. Once again, I ask, how could you?

I trusted you implicitly, Edward, and in return I received nothing but speculation and lies from you. What did I do to you to deserve such treatment? I loved you from the first moment I saw you, and I thought you felt the same. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time I was wrong.

I want to make my words perfectly clear: I do not want you, Edward. I want you to stay away from me. Don’t try to find me, because you will not succeed. Emily will have a happy life away from you…and away from me. I have left instruction that, should she ever wish to meet you, Rose and Emmett will bring her to you. But, I wouldn’t count on that. In time, I hope and pray that she forgets us.

Once again, make no effort to find me. As far as I’m concerned, our love and marriage is void. You are not my husband and I am not your wife. I am not Isabella Cullen, but I am not Isabella Swan either. I am no one, and that seems pretty okay with me.

Sincerely,

Bella

I briefly recalled how I had felt standing in the middle of the massive mansion reading the letter, the bitter loneliness seeping into my soul. Regardless of her request, I had made every attempt to follow her scent through the woods. I had never been a skilled tracker, but I pushed my limits and used my instincts. My intuition had taken me to the airport and I’d found more of Bella’s delicately scented trail. Unfortunately, it was near stale and I eventually gave in to her wishes when it seemed as if I was going in circles. So, I had contacted Carlisle and Esme one last time, before disappearing north.

The cave was located in the northernmost part of Canada, isolated from any form of humanity. Whenever the burn in my throat grew unbearable—usually after five or six weeks—I’d pull myself out of my dank hiding spot and hunt. While it wasn’t the prettiest dwelling, it served its purpose.

I leaned forward and sniffed the paper, hoping to catch a bit of Bella’s scent hiding in the creases. However, I pulled away disappointed and wrapped it back up in the plastic. After placing the letter in the hiding spot, I traipsed towards the mouth of the cave. The frigid hit my face and I was startled by the rush of scents that hit me.

Without much effort, I pinpointed a herd of elk grazing nearby, and headed in their direction. After a few minutes, I was fully sated and was in the process of burning the carcasses when the winds changed abruptly. A new scent wafted to my nose and immediately put me on high alert. The scent was strikingly familiar and different at the same time. Impossible…why would she be here?  While my curiosity had me questioning if my loneliness had made me delusional enough to smell her, the natural animal in me propelled my body back to the cave.

I peered out of the opening of the cave, my eyes raking over the vicinity and I attempted to hear the thoughts of the stranger. However, as the seconds passed, nothing happened.  I tasted the air and was relieved when I realized the scent had vanished.  

This doesn’t make sense…I could smell them…where are they…could it have been a human that came too close…yes, that must be it.

I couldn’t hide the disappointment I felt, seeing as I hadn’t had a conversation with anyone in almost twenty years. It would have been nice to be able to hear news of the world. For the past few months, I had been contemplating going back to Esme and Carlisle, but the shame always held me in the darkness—the shame that I had broken up the family permanently.

Rosalie and Emmett had disappeared with Bella, and for all I knew, there was no word from them. The same went for Alice and Jasper, who had disappeared shortly before my alliance with the wolves. My siblings and I were close once, completely devoted to our way of life, and I had ruined it. I was the scourge of the family.

If only I’d done things differently…If only I’d listened and trusted Bella.

Even though it hurt, I thought about Bella and wondered where she was. Did she ever think about me? Had she been in contact with Esme and Carlisle over these past twenty years? I shook my head, knowing that she detested Carlisle about as much as she loathed me and would never speak with him. Esme, on the other hand, had been her ally for the longest time but had sided with her husband when she discovered Emily was alive.

Emily…my little one.

As I sprawled out on the cave floor, I thought back to the time I spent with my little daughter. She had the calculating intelligence of a vampire and the beauty and elegance of her human mother. I smiled when I thought of Carlisle’s surprised expression as he lifted the tiny infant from Bella’s womb. They looked at one another in wonderment, and when she smiled at him, he could do her no harm.

My thoughts darkened as I thought back to Jacob and his first encounter with my daughter. It didn’t take long for the imprinting to take hold, and he couldn’t stop looking at her. Even though I found this turn of events rather disturbing, being able to read his mind made things easier. His thoughts were not romantically inclined as I had first thought—he just wanted her safe and happy. That didn’t mean that I appreciated his 24-7 presence in my home while I had tried desperately to find Bella.

I groaned as my thoughts shifted to my wife once again. She was lost to me, hidden in a world that was both large and small. I knew I could find her if I tried—but I had made a promise. 

I was too caught up in my own thoughts to hear the footsteps, too distracted enough by my emotions to really comprehend what was happening. However, as I opened my eyes to remind myself where I was, to show myself what award my arrogance had won me, two hands gripped my neck and threw me out of my cavern. 

My body flew through the air and came to rest at the base of a tree trunk. I was on my feet immediately, scouring the tree line for my assailant, but I saw nothing…no one. However, as I turned around, ready to investigate the surrounding woods, a strong hand gripped my throat and forced me back down. At the same time, a sharp claw scratched the side of my face, leaving me with a venom-oozing wound.

As my injury began the achingly slow healing process, I snarled, “Who’s out there? Come out!”

A gust of wind hit me and I was knocked on my back once again, a new injury on the back of my arm. I inspected the gash and howled in frustration. This game was aggravating, and I was through with it. As I rose off the ground, I inhaled deeply and immediately caught my attacker’s scent. Unfortunately, it was a second too late.

The same hands gripped my neck and flipped me over, slamming my head into the earth. I growled and grasped my assailant’s wrists, pulling them down onto the ground beside me. However, when I came face to face with her, I gaped. It couldn’t be. There was no way. This couldn’t be true.

As she leaned forward and gripped both sides of my face, I felt a white hot pain and the world fell to darkness.