AN: There was a mistake with the chapter-I accidently published a chapter from "The Tempest". I'm so sorry.
This is the correct one.
The vicissitudes of gracefully aging had been wonderfully explored by "Whispers of Autumn", Bella's most recent book. Revered by her contemporaries, Bella had achieved such a level of excellence in her writing that critics even started to revere her scorned auto-biography. Inwardly she laughed at how quickly her detractors had changed their minds once she'd been acclaimed b. Outwardly she placidly smiled, declining from offering any comment on the specialists' change of heart.
The tour that followed the release of "Whispers of Autumn" was a true test of not only Bella's physical endurance, but also of her emotional maturity. Gita was proving to be quite a trying teenager, especially for a fifty year old mother with a demanding career. The little sweet girl had grown up into an opinioned teenager with a knack for interfering with her mother's relationships.
Where other mothers would be annoyed, Bella simply laughed at her daughter and reassured the girl. Bella understood how possessive her child was and that her little stunts were merely a call for attention. Besides, Bella didn't really care all that much for the men she'd allowed into her life. They were all good, decent and honest men—she'd never allow a man of dubious character anywhere near her daughter—but she never managed to fall for them.
Surprisingly her single status didn't bother her, for she enjoyed the possibilities of being alone and free to explore. She'd gladly dived into the well of sexuality, tasting everything at least once. She wasn't by any means promiscuous—she simply wasn't a woman bound by laws of behavior born out of a patriarchal society. She was femininity incarnate—strong, unashamed, sure of herself.
Despite no longer being as beautiful as she used to be, the fire in her soul burned higher than ever before. Men were no longer attracted by her impeccable exterior— it was her soul that called to them. She was a curious mix of unbridled lust for life and timeless wisdom that could only be achieved by those who overcame their troubled pasts to blossom into the person they truly were underneath the layer of suffering.
Like a late blooming flower, it took Bella years before she'd fully trusted herself enough to let go of her defenses and face the world without resorting to old habits. No, the past wasn't forgotten—it lived through the "Jasper's Center for the Homeless" and the "Alice's Feline Shelter". From time to time, she still visited their graves –she would forever miss her saviors, but there was no point in dwelling in past hurts.
Sometimes, she even visited Edward's grave. On more than one occasion she'd seen his former wife, now old and marred by sadness, sitting on the grass mouthing Edward's epitaph—"Beloved son, loving friend. You will be missed". The absence of any mention of Tanya's grief inspired a sort of camaraderie in Bella—they both had mourned the loss of the same man, but none had been granted the right to immortalize their feelings.
However, unlike Bella Tanya had never moved on. And for that Bella would forever pity the woman who had allowed love to destroy her.
I am mine and no one else's. I'll always come back to me.
The empowering thought had been Bella's mantra since the day she realized that there is no bigger love than the one she directed at herself.