Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Edited by Sjdavis84 and StillDreaming85.
WARNING: This story contains mature themes and is intended for mature readers.
ANTHONY CULLEN.
I had neglected to do this for a long time. Maybe because for the longest time I hadn't felt the need to, or maybe it was because I'm afraid of the pain it will bring.
I never got to say goodbye.
I never attended her funeral.
I have never laid a flower on her grave.
All these years, I have pushed every thought of her out of my mind. I closed off all the memories we had made together, the good, the bad, in a tight vault never wanting to reopen it again.
There was something about this day that made me think of her. I woke up hungover in the arms of a woman whose name I cannot remember. Last night, she reminded me of her, the same eyes, the same hair, the same soft features.
I gripped the steering wheel impossibly tight, wondering if I should do this, or if I should simply drive off.
But a part of me knew that after all these years, I needed to do this. I needed this closure.
Here rests Katherine Louise Cullen
Beloved daughter and wife.
The sight looked as if no one had been here in a long time. Reading those words brought me to my knees.
I pushed aside the dried leaves and dirt that had gathered around the bottom of the stone, and lay down the white tulips down. She loved tulips, I'll always remember that.
I didn't...I couldn't breath. I felt as if there was some pressure, some other force holding me down. By the time I realized what it was, it was too late to stop it, to stop myself.
I let the sobs escape my mouth and let the tears fall from my eyes.
"Why? Why did you do it?" I asked, staring at her grave. "What did you want that I hadn't already given you?"
I had given her everything. I had given her every material thing she had asked and didn't ask for. I had given her every part of me, mind, body and soul, she held it all.
"Why wasn't it enough for you? What did he offer you that I didn't? I loved you, Kate, I love you so fucking much that you ripped me apart. I have nothing left, Kate, nothing. You took that part of me with you. I loved you," I said, letting myself sob freely for the first time since that day. Everything that I had bottled up for years, came pouring out now. I didn't care who was around me, I didn't care who could see me.
"I hope...I wanted everything with you. I can't love anyone else because I loved you so much." I closed my eyes. I saw her before me. The first time I had laid eyes on her, our wedding day, the way she looked at that moment when she said I do. Her dead body lying before me with a bullet hole in her head. She looked right at me. She died with tears in her eyes. That image will stay with me until the day I die, it may even haunt me in my death.
"I hope you're happy where you are now. I hope you have found peace." I leaned over and kissed her cold headstone. Closing my eyes, I felt at peace too. I felt as if a dead weight had been lifted from me.
"Goodbye, Kate."
~DINY~
Pulling up to the estate, the first thing I noticed was Isabella and Sofia sitting outside on the lawn on a picnic blanket. No one else was around, not Garrett, not James, not even my brother or mother, or sister for that matter.
I sat in my car and watched the two interact. She was smiling, not a forced smile like I had seen before. No, this one was real and it reached her eyes. She laughed at something my niece had told her.
I had never seen Isabella this happy. She looked different with that bright smile, she looked….
I stopped my staring and got out of the car. Walking over to them sitting on the blanket. The closer I got to them, the more I looked around, there really wasn't anyone watching them, watching her.
Both of them hadn't noticed my presence yet. I was close enough to hear what my very insightful niece was saying to Isabella.
"I like you," Sofia said.
"I like you too." The little lamb smiled at her.
"I think my Uncle Edward loves you. Do you love my Uncle Edward?"
"Umm...I…"
"And he's not bad to look at," Sofia added.
"Wow," Isabella laughed, staring at my niece in disbelief.
"Hey, you little brat, is that any way to talk?" I said, finally making my presence known. It didn't go unnoticed that Isabella tensed up and the smile on her face vanished when she heard my voice.
"Anthony," Sofia said, running up to me wrapping her arms around me. I held my arms up hoping she'd let go of me soon. She knew I didn't hug her, and yet she still insisted on giving me one every chance she got.
The little brat finally let go of me, but she grabbed onto my shirt and pulled me along to the picnic blanket.
"Sit down," the little brat demanded.
I sat close to Isabella. "Hi," I said, leaning over I placed a small kiss on her cheek.
"Hey," Sofia shouted. "You can't kiss her, she's Uncle Edward's wife."
"Where is everyone?" I asked.
Sofia shrugged, turning away from us to rearrange her toys, dolls, whatever the hell those things were.
"Do you know?" I asked, the little lamb.
"Inside, I think," she said, avoiding my gaze.
"Where's Garrett or James?"
"Um... James is somewhere inside and I don't know where Garrett is, he left."
"Uncle Anthony, go away, me and Marie were having fun," my niece said.
"You're a brat," I said.
"But you love me," she sang.
I left the two of them there and went in search of my brother or anyone for that matter. What the hell were they thinking leaving Sofia with Isabella alone?
I could hear voices in the kitchen. My sister's was the loudest.
"Aro had access to everything. He knew where to look," Rosalie said.
"Where's the money now?" Emmett asked.
"Sitting there. It's been frozen. No one can touch it until the lift has been taken off, and the only one that can take the lift off the account is the courts, and they won't do that until we can prove the setup."
"Where's Aro now?" Emmett asked.
"He hasn't been seen or heard from since the wedding," my brother said.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked.
"What are you doing here?" My sister asked.
"What has Aro done?"
"Nothing for you to worry about," she said.
"Don't try my fucking patience, sister. What has Aro done?" I had never liked my godfather not even as a small child.
"Rosalie thinks Aro may have helped Charles with dad's case," my brother said.
"Motherfucking asshole. I shouldn't have crippled him, I should have fucking killed him," I yelled. "This is what we were talking about. We said he was up to something," I said to my brother.
"We can't put the blame on him just yet," our sister said.
"The fuck we can't. He had every reason to put dad away. He wants that piss ass son of his in the family."
"But what was the point?" My sister asked. "Even if he helped put dad away, why? It didn't accomplish anything. He can't make Caius apart of the family, there is still the two of you. Edward took over for dad."
"Unless he got rid of us. But then there is you and Emmett," I said.
"How the fuck did I not see this?" My brother mumbled, drumming his fingers against the bench top.
"See what?" Emmett asked.
"It was Aro's idea to bring Marcello's daughter here for me to marry. When Aro found out that wasn't the plan anymore, he was strange about it. He insisted, demanded that I marry Heidi. Of course...Fuck how did I not see this," Edward rambled on, running his hands through his hair.
"Heidi was going to whack you on your wedding night," I said.
"Yes, she was," he said.
"Where is that fucker?" Emmett asked.
"We can't find him, or Caius or Tanya," Edward said. "I've have people watching his place and office, Caius's as well."
"What do we do now?" Rosalie asked.
"Can you make a case from that?" Emmett asked her.
"I can take this to court, but in order to do that, I need access to his office computers. The documents that I have were all on file, but there are bits and pieces missing. He has to have them somewhere," Rose said.
"I can get you into his office," Emmett said, rubbing his hands together.
"No," Edward said. "Call Jacob, let him go in. Let it look like a raid. We are not going anywhere he might be, not until we know what his next move is and who's working with him."
"We have to get back," Rosalie said, standing up, putting all the papers back into the files. "Emmett, go and get Sofia."
"Sofia is outside with Isabella," I said, eyeing my brother. "How the fuck could you leave her outside without someone watching her?" I questioned.
"That's not your business," my brother said.
"What if she runs? What did you idiots think a five year old could stop her?" I stressed. It wasn't like my brother to be this careless with detail. In fact, I was surprised to see Rosalie here. She had made her feelings very clear after the wedding. She said she didn't want any part of this. She said she couldn't bare to look at Edward or me after she found out the truth, that we had been lying to her the whole time.
"It's not your business, Anthony," my brother yelled.
"Oh, my apologies brother, I've forgotten, she's your wife now. By the way, have you been to see dad?"
"Get the fuck out of here, now."
"Sure, maybe I'll just take Isabella with me on the way out." I smirked.
Edward jumped over the bench top. He lunged at me, tackling me down to the ground.
"You put your fucking hands on her and I will end you," he said through gritted teeth.
"See Marie," Sofia said. She was in Isabella's arms as she walked into the kitchen, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw us on the floor.
"Boys are so stupid," Sofia stressed.
"Yes, they are, that's why you are never going to have a boyfriend," Emmett said, taking Sofia from Isabella.
"I'll...Um...I'll just go upstairs," the little lamb said, running out of the room.
"Let's go," our sister said, stepping over us. "Let these two idiots kill each other."