AN: I don't know if you guys noticed, but there was no update yesterday. I apologize for that. Due to poor weather conditions, the Internet decided to stop working, so ... You get the picture. Fret not, you get two updates today.
Before their wedding could take place a shadow descended upon Esme's life. It came in the form of a bill for the funeral of a man whose name she'd never heard before. However, his last name caught her attention. She'd heard it many times before always associated with a derogatory comment about its carrier's lack of honor. The Masen whore. Her father's mistress …
Edward Masen … her brother? Her breath shortened, for her lungs constricted painfully. Her heart hammered within her chest, for she was conflicted as to what she should be feeling. On one hand, she felt a twisted sense of satisfaction on her mother's behalf, for the fruit of the whore's womb had perished. On the other hand she mourned the brother she'd never known, the connection they'd never formed, the love they never shared.
Lost, she turned to Carlisle for support and understanding. Listening to her barely coherent speech, Carlisle silently fumed in rage. Esme's mother had committed the ultimate sin: dragging her daughter into the mess her marriage had become, instead of protecting her. Calmly soothing her, he brought her to reason, making her realize that she owed no loyalty to her mother.
Relieved, Esme felt unburdened, finally free to deal with only her own feelings. Despite being unable to put a name on her mental state, of one thing she was sure: she felt no trace of bitterness towards her brother. Therefore, she would pay for his funeral, lament his death and forever dream with experiences from which they had been deprived by their parents' poor decision making.
