Chapter 118: Rosalie's past sadness
"I've told you about the night I was turned," Rosalie said, turning to look me in the eyes. "But I haven't told you what I was doing before that happened."
I shook my head.
"I was visiting an old school friend of mine," she said, letting out a long sigh. "We were practically inseparable growing up. We both came from rich families with parents who had our lives planned out for us. I fell headfirst into their trap. An imaginary image of Prince Charming in my head placed by my parents. But she didn't. Right after graduation, she ran off with a boy her parents didn't approve of—a laborer who barely made enough to support the two of them. I thought she was crazy to do such a thing, especially when I was introduced to Royce. At the time he was everything I imagined: handsome, kind, rich." Rosalie paused, her eyes reflecting a mixture of nostalgia and regret. The forest around us was silent, as if waiting for her story to unfold. I could see the memories playing out in her mind, as vivid as if they had happened yesterday.
She continued after a few more moments, her voice tinged with a bittersweet tone. "She had chosen love over luxury, and I couldn't understand it. I had both. The dreamy fiance and enough money of my own I would never need for anything. But when I saw her again…I was struck by how happy she seemed. They lived in a modest little house with a white picket fence with a new born baby boy not even a week old. It was a life completely opposite of my own, yet was everything I apparently ever wanted.
Rosalie looked at me, her eyes searching mine. "It was during that visit that I saw Royce for who he truly was. The charming facade began to crumble around him. All the flaws and downsides my unconsciousness had covered started to surface in my mind. I saw how he treated people he deemed beneath him, how his kindness was often just a mask for arrogance and control, and the looks he would give other women. My friend's life, though simple, was full of the kind of love, respect, and happiness Royce could never offer."
I nodded, understanding the depth of her words. "It's amazing how seeing someone else's happiness can shine a light on our own discontent," I said, reaching for her hand.
"Exactly," Rosalie replied, squeezing my hand gently. "It was the first time I questioned my own life, the path laid out for me by my parents. I spent the rest of that visit trying to reconcile my feelings," Rosalie continued, a soft breeze rustling through the leaves, causing a few strands of her hair to fall in front of her eyes. "The more time I spent with my friend, the more I felt the chains of my own life. I wanted to be happy like her instead of content, to laugh without worrying about appearances or expectations."
Rosalie turned her gaze to the ground, tracing imaginary patterns with the tip of her shoe. "I left my friend's home, and decided to go for a walk to clear my mind, to figure out if leaving everything I knew was the right choice…but that's when I ran into Royce and his friends."
Her gaze returned to mine, earnest and raw. "When we found Emmett, something in his eyes reminded me of myself in that moment when I was changed and made me wonder what my life would have been like if I never ran into Royce and his friends."
I raised a brow slowly, thinking about what should be said to help her.
After a few seconds, I decided and spoke.
"Are you…happy?" I ventured.
Rosalie looked at me confused, so I continued.
"Are you happy with your life…now?" I asked again.
Her eyes went distant for a split second, as if going through everything that had happened to her since she had been changed, before looking me in the eyes.
"Yes…I am." She finally said, her eyes darting down to our clasped hands before back to my eyes.
"Then your past is just that…your past. It no longer shackles you to anything. Royce and his friends are long gone. Your friend is still living her life, and so are your parents. Just like you. You found your happiness here with us…so stop looking for a happiness in the past." I said, watching her as I spoke and squeezed her hand gently, "Our lives are too long to think back into the past and wonder what would have happened if we did this or did that. Instead, it's important to look forward instead of backwards."
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This is a short chapter.
Its the first one I wrote after losing that close friend and was still trying to get back into the groove of writing again, that's why it's so short.