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Chapter 31- Regrets, Redemption and Relief

Carlisle's POV-

"It will soon be over." I assured my beautiful wife, pushing a strand of her soft caramel hair behind her ear. "We will call Jasper- Alice and Rosalie- Emmett back, once again living like that perfect family you have always dreamt of having. We will move to somewhere nice, maybe London- you always wanted to go there, and start afresh. I will go to the Hospital; the kids will go to school. You will design our house according to your likes, being the one to enjoy that house to the fullest. It will be perfect, just like it always is!"

She smiled, leaning closer to me as she let her head rest on my shoulder, a thoughtful sigh leaving her lips. "Yes, but this time we will have a new daughter with us. Our family will finally be complete! I have waited for this moment since ages."

"Yes, I know." I nodded my head in agreement. "The fact that Edward had no mate has been a thorn on your side since decades. But you did try, Essie." I consoled her. "First with Rosalie. Then with Maggie of the Irish coven. And finally with the Denali sisters. Whenever Tanya wished to give up on the non-existent relationship between Edward and her, you convinced her not to, telling her how wonderful it was to have a mate, and to be a Cullen, of course."

She let out a giggle, shaking her head briefly. "I am just glad that Tanya trusts me as much. Carmen does not agree with that one-sided devotion thing that I have led Tanya into, but what can you do? Tanya always comes to me for advice, over her sisters or Carmen."

I hummed in agreement, smiling at the look of pride on her face.

"I still sometimes wonder, if you had taken my advice of letting Emmett die, how different would our life be?" she hummed the question out. "I had Rosalie almost convinced. Sure, she did not like Edward all that much, but she was desperate for love and would have given in. It was just a matter of time. And I was doing my job, flaunting our perfect relationship in front of her eyes. Of course, if only Edward would co-operate a bit more…"

"He wanted a pure woman, Essie." I stated, sighing. "We have had this discussion several times over the years."

"That is bullshit, and you know that!" She scowled at me, spitting the words out. "I had the perfect plan. He was messing it up. It used to make me so angry every time I thought of. We were supposed to be all coupled, living the perfect life! If only he would co-operate a bit more."

I wrapped my arms tighter around her, pulling her closer to me. "But then he found Bella. And they had their happy ending!"

She scoffed at that; a small gleam of pride visible in her eyes. "He would have let her go too, had I not assured him that Bella was perfectly pure and would be perfect for him. It took days of just pushing this thought in his head. Who do you think gave him the idea of stalking her around town and creeping into her bedroom while she slept?" She let out a beautiful laugh, the sound of it making me smile. "I was the one to push the buttons, telling him what to do when to do to get the girl in his trap. The poor idiot would have been clueless without me. But of course, the one decision he takes on his own also has to come back to bite him in the ass! Had he not opposed me, our family would be complete today. He came crawling back on his knees too rather late."

"It is not that late." I reinstated. "Sure, they would no longer have that beautiful start that you had guaranteed…"

"He gave her way too much freedom." She spat the words out, shaking her head. "She was a naïve kid, easy to manipulate. Rosalie had been vulnerable and Tanya had been desperate. All three of them being easy targets. Why do you think I chose them for my son?"

"I know, Essie." I smiled. "I know that you only want the best for them."

"And for our family." She smiled back. "Those dirty wolves were never supposed to ruin my fun. How dare they try to take my son's happiness away from him? We will show them, Carlisle. No one messes with us and gets away with it."

"Yes." I agreed with her. "You will get to tear them apart with your bare hands. Just one more night of wait."

"Waited too long already." She pouted, making me kiss her softly on the forehead.

She was just too adorable to resist!

"And once Bella is changed and they have had their fun, I want my children back in my house. All of them."

"Of course." I smiled briefly at that cute little order of hers. "I will get all your children once again under your roof. That is a promise."

"And that is why I love you." she kissed me softly on the lips, a contented sigh accompanied.

"I know." I responded in kind. "I love you, too."

She simply smiled back, her smile the most beautiful thing on the planet, the two of us separating at the sound of Edward telling Bella that Victoria wanted to talk to her in private.

"What does that degenerate want now?" Esme scowled. "Why cause the unnecessary delay?"

"Esme," I softly chided her. "Victoria has been nothing but good to us. She truly wants Bella to become a vampire."

"Yes, but…" Esme began to protest, waving her hands in air. "She is just not trustworthy…"

"We have no reason to doubt her." I raised my eyebrows in finality. "At the moment, I would call her one of our trusted friends. Had you not been so opposed to her ways; I believe she would have made a fine addition to our coven."

"Oh please," Esme scoffed audibly, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "I would not have her near me, especially not to be compared with one of our pure and beautiful daughters. And don't you dare call our family a coven!"

I winced at my goof up, apologetically nodding my head in agreement. "I have always left these decisions to you, Essie. If you think her undeserving of our family, I will not oppose your decision."

She nodded her head, her eyes telling me how pleased she was by my words. "The sooner we get rid of her, the better."

"I understand." I let out a sigh, knowing that who joined our family was always Esme's call. Edward was the only one whose decision had been solely mine, owing to circumstances, of course. A few years ago, a nomad who went by the name of Alistair had shown interest in joining our lifestyle, asking if he could stay with us for a while, but he had been too free for Esme's tastes. She had been worried that he would corrupt our innocent children, asking me to let the man know our final decision. It had been a hard one; my heart had not been convinced to let the man down, but as I said this was always Esme's call. I did not wish to upset her by opposing her made decisions.

Still, I regret the fact that it ruined my friendship with Alistair…

"What is she doing?" Esme's worried gasp caught my attention. "Stop her, Carlisle!" She growled the words out at me, panicking as she breathed too fast.

I looked up, a frown on my face as I curiously searched my surroundings, my eyes wide as I realized of what exactly Esme had been talking about.

"NO." I shouted, running in the direction of my son, his body up in flames as his eyes desperately searched for a way out. "I will save you, my son." I promised him, all my trusted friends running closer to my burning son at the sound of my scream, stopping a few steps away, the fear in each ones' eyes too visible to go unnoticed.

We could not go any closer, or we would end up in his place.

It was a lose-lose situation for all involved.

"I am coming." I took my first step ahead, unafraid to face whatever happened to me- my son's life much more important, Esme's firm grip on my arm horrifyingly pulling me back.

"Esme?" I raised an eyebrow in question. What was she doing?

We needed to save Edward.

And we could not afford the time wasted!

He was further turning to ash with each second that passed by.

"We have other sons." She calmly spoke. "And I was talking to Tanya a few days ago. They have recently come across a newborn. She said he would make a fine addition to our family. You know that they don't like to take the responsibility of one."

"Esme." I glared at her. She could not be suggesting that?

No.

It was just not possible.

Esme loved our son, even more than me.

Much more than me.

"What?" she glared back at me. "What do you expect me to do, Carlisle? I am not jumping into that burning fire to save him. I will die! My life is much more important than his. And neither are you! If you die, how will I survive? Who will fulfil all my wishes? No one would take me seriously."

"The hen with the golden egg; is that not what I am to you?" I whispered, my eyes opening for probably the first time in an entire century.

"Carlisle, that is simply the price you pay for love." she shrugged, looking ahead as my son became nothing more than a memory.

"No. It is not." I opposed her, the first in a while.

"We can always change another." She scoffed in boredom, running a hand through her hair.

"My son cannot be replaced."

I had given up. I had lost my son today.

He was no longer a part of this world.

And it was all this woman's fault.

She had forced him into this.

She had manipulated him into getting her way.

He was dead because of her.

She had caused this.

"I want that woman dead. She destroyed my family."

I ignored her.

Who cared what she wanted?

She had taken my son away from me!

"No!"

I looked up, my eyes dead as my mind contemplated the fact that my first companion was no longer in this world, noticing that Bella- the innocent in this mess human Bella- had jumped into the frigid water that lay behind her, her fear as obvious as the day.

She was surrounded by vampires. Obviously, she would be scared.

"Carlisle!" Esme spat at me. "I want that woman dead."

"I will do no such thing." I shook my head in denial. "We will not torture her."

"Are you…" she gasped. "Are you going against me? Did you just refuse me something?"

"I did. I should have done this decades ago."

My son would probably have been alive today, had I been as brave earlier.

I should never have agreed to everything that Esme said.

No.

I had been played the fool several times by one conniving and self-centered woman.

"I…can't…believe…this…."

Why was Esme yawning?

How?

I frowned, looking around me, noticing the fact that everyone all of a sudden looked exhausted and ready to go to bed, quite not realizing that we were vampires and could not sleep.

Oh.

Of course.

I smiled to myself, resisting the heavy urge to join the rest in their quest for a bed.

Karma had finally come for me, and I could not have been any happier.

My father would always say, our actions decide our end. My actions in these past few days had been of the worst kind, and hence this fitting end!

I had unknowingly ruined far too many lives to not deserve this.

Esme was clueless. She had not connected the dots yet. But I had. And there was no way that I was being left alone to live.

I did not deserve to.

I did not want to.

Especially not in a world that did not have my eldest son in it.

I shut my eyes.

I did not wish to see my end.

I could smell them now.

My son had brought them straight to me.

I could not stop the smile that spread all over my face.

I am coming, Edward.

It is all over.

I said my final prayer, begging for forgiveness for my actions, not even wincing when heavy paws landed right on my neck.

It was over.

Finally.