iv. cruel aftermath

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CHAPTER FOUR:
CRUEL AFTERMATH

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IN ALL OF VERONA'S immortal existence, her one wish was to find her mate. She watched as her coven found their lovers, and she wished from the bottom of her heart that she had what they had. Edward understood what she was going through and it brought them closer. Well, until he fell in love with someone and forgot what it was like to be on the outer. And with that, she was on her own again. Verona had pictured every scenario when it came to finding her mate, but never did she believe he'd be her coven's worst enemy. They were from two different worlds, the colour of their eyes bringing them down paths that didn't cross. One moved towards a coven who valued human existence and the other chose to look upon mortals with distaste. Their relationship, if they ever reached that point, would be nothing short of complicated, and Verona wasn't sure how they'd be able to move past their issues. The one thing she'd waited a century for turned out to be a cruel joke decided upon by fate; how ironic.

"Verona."

Verona's eyes darted away from the window, locking on the back of her brother's head. They'd arrived home several hours ago, the family deciding to move back to where they belonged; Forks, the one place they just couldn't escape from. Bella was dropped home first, and her father's reaction to their arrival had been nothing short of furious. But the tension was soon defused with their departure, and now they were on the way back to their house, where the rest of their family were waiting for them. Verona refused to speak to anyone since the incident that changed everything, and while she knew her brother was monitoring her thoughts to make sure she was okay, she couldn't bring herself to care about what he was hearing as she continued to stare out of the window, immersed in the dark night.

"Verona, come on," Edward sighed, his eyes squinted in a silent plead as he peered at her through the rearview mirror. 

"I don't want to talk about it," she muttered, voice bleak.

"But don't you think-"

Verona's annoyance spiked as Alice wheeled around to look at her, stomach twisting into knots as she remembered her sister's betrayal. Alice - her best friend since birth - had kept someone so crucial from her, and she wasn't sure how to move on from that. 

"Can you just," Verona paused, words catching in her throat as she sighed. "Give me some time, please?"

Alice frowned, leaning back in her seat, "Okay. If that's what you want."

The rest of the drive was silent, and soon, they were speeding down the drive and parking outside their home. Verona was the first one out of the car, the others following behind her as she moved towards the front door, which slammed open before she even reached the porch steps.

"How could you?" Rosalie seethed, arms crossed as she loomed in the doorway.

"Rose," Emmett stepped up behind her, his hands moving to usher her back inside.

"How could you?" Rosalie's eyes remained locked on her sister, ignoring the sigh that Emmett gave.

"What are you talking about?" Verona stepped past her to find the others waiting in the living room, rising to their feet at her arrival.

"You know what," Rosalie scoffed. "Why did it have to be Alec out of everyone, Verona?"

Verona's heart sunk and she spun around to face the furious blonde. Rosalie's eyes were knowing as they narrowed into slits, disagreement staining her words. It was no secret that their family didn't see eye-to-eye with Alec's coven, but they tried to remain civil to ensure they weren't wiped out. But seeing her sister - someone who was meant to love and care for her - hating that she'd found her mate, for some reason, set Verona on edge.

"Verona," Rosalie sighed, taking her silence as annoyance. "Alec's the enemy. You can't trust the enemy, that's common knowledge."

"Rosalie," Carlisle implored, his hands raised in front of him. "Be reasonable about this."

"We don't need to give them any more reasons to come looking for us," Rosalie continued over them, gaze never wavering from her sister's frame.

"Rosalie, enough," Esme chastised, her kindness replaced by a random outburst of anger. Esme hated when her children fought, especially over trivial things. Finding your soulmate was a good thing, and no matter who it was, Verona deserved to be happy.

"First it was Edward with his human lover." Edward's eyes narrowed into slits as Rose gestured towards him, careless in her fury. "Now it's Verona being mated to one of the Volturi's most loyal guards, a witch twin at that."

By that point, Verona had reached her breaking point. She hadn't chosen to be mated to Alec. She hadn't chosen to strengthen her family's ties to that vindictive coven. All she'd dreamed of was finding love, and now her dreams were being shattered into pieces.

"It wasn't my choice, okay?" Verona seethed, her voice trembling. "I didn't ask to be mated to him, it was by pure chance that we even came across each other."

"Sweetheart," Esme sighed, her eyes shining as she reached out and placed a comforting hand on her daughter's arm, only to be brushed away as Verona glared at Rose.

"All I've ever wanted was to find my mate, yet look how that turned out." Verona's hands tangled in her hair, her fingers tugging at the roots in a moment of frustration. "He's a human drinker, tied to the strongest and most dangerous coven in the world. We're never going to work, no matter how hard we try. So you don't have to worry, sister dearest. You and your mate can continue being happy. I'm the one that's being screwed over here, not you."

Rose at least had the decency to look ashamed, her anger fading as she noticed the pain on her sister's face. It wasn't a secret that Verona struggled on her own, and the blonde should've seen that the situation was hard for her to comprehend. But it was too late to take back what she said as Verona turned away from her, eyes lowered to the floor.

"I need some air."

She ignored their protests as she rushed out of the room, the sky an ink-coloured canvas above her as she collapsed to the ground by the front porch. The air was ice-cold, but it did nothing to her already frozen body as she stared into the woods, silence swallowing her whole. A moment passed before someone approached her from behind, their footsteps cautious as they stopped beside her, sinking to the ground without a word. Verona didn't need to look at them to know who they were, and while she was beyond furious with her, she didn't ask her to leave. Alice took that as a sign to speak, her words careful and cautious.

"Rose didn't mean what she said," she sighed, eyes trained on the side of her face. "She's just worried about us, about you."

"I know," Verona mumbled, refusing to meet her gaze.

"She feels really bad."

"I'll speak to her later."

Alice sighed, stomach twisting at the blank expression Verona wore on her face. But despite her facade, she could see right through her lies. Her eyes were like a looking-glass for her sadness and confusion, and it broke Alice's heart to see her hurting.

"I know it seems hard now," Alice whispered, wishing she could do something to help her. "But it's going get easier; you just need to give it time."

"I guess you've already seen that happening?" Verona grumbled, head shooting up to glare at her. "Like you saw me meeting him and didn't think to tell me?"

Alice blinked in sheer surprise. But soon, the dots began to join and she sighed in realisation, trying to grab onto her best friend's hand, only to be forced away with a simple but firm shove.

"I didn't see you finding him until we entered that throne room," Alice insisted, voice stern. "You looked at him and the vision just hit me. I promise you, Verona. I would've told you otherwise."

Verona stared at her, searching for the deception. But it wasn't there. She'd always been able to tell when Alice was lying. That was what made them so close, there'd never been secrets between them. And in at that moment, she knew Alice was telling the truth, whether Verona wanted to believe her or not. She let out a sigh, shoulders slumping as she accepted her sister's embrace.

"It just hurts, y'know?" Verona murmured. "I've been waiting for this my whole life and it's nothing like I thought it would be."

"Maybe not," Alice sighed. "But at least you've found him, you know he's out there."

"Yeah," Verona scoffed. "Draining innocent people of their blood."

"That may be his choice of diet, but that's not him," Alice scolded, forcing Verona to meet her eyes. "At least get to know him before you make any important decisions, Vee."

Verona sighed, but said nothing as she sunk deeper into her sister's arms, staring into the darkness around them. They sat that way for hours before they were forced to head inside. Bella wanted to speak with them, to discuss something important. Verona, despite not being in the mood for another family gathering, allowed Alice to lead her back into the living room, the two of them moving to sit on the lounge beside Jasper. He shot them a gentle grin, reaching out to squeeze Verona's shoulder as he sent calming waves of emotion crashing against her anxiety,  releasing the weight that pressed down on her shoulders. 

"You know what I want, and I know how much I'm asking for," Bella began once everyone was there, the room silent apart from her nervous voice. "The only thing I can think of for it to be fair is to just vote."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Edward sighed, leaning against the wall behind her. 

"Shut up," Bella snapped before turning back to the rest of them. Alice was the first she laid eyes on, and she sent her a wide and hopeful smile. "Alice, what do you think?"

"I already consider you my sister," Alice beamed at her, speeding forward and embracing her in a hug. "So yes."

"I vote yes," Jasper added, circling his arms around his mate's waist as sat back down beside him. "It would be nice to not want to kill you all the time."

"Verona?" Bella hummed, eyes moving to her next. Everyone turned to look at her then. Bella was staring at her with hope in her eyes, her heart racing as she waited anxiously for an answer. Edward's eyes held the same hope in them, but for different reasons to his mate. He wanted someone to be on his side, and out of everyone in the room, he relied on Verona the most. Verona watched him for a moment, their eyes locked in a heated stare, before she turned back to his human lover, the girl he'd chosen not to live without, who he'd die for.

"I vote yes too."

"Come on," Edward gasped, hurt and betrayed. "Why, Verona?"

"I won't lose my brother again," Verona snapped, voice shaking. Edward stopped then, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Verona didn't say another word as she looked away, allowing Jasper to loop a comforting arm around her shoulders, soothing her nerves.

"I'm really sorry to the both of you for my actions." Rosalie was up next, her voice breaking the awkward silence. Bella blinked in surprise, but chose to stay quiet as she gestured for her to continue. "I'm really grateful that you were brave enough to go and save my brother." She paused, contemplating her next words. "But this isn't the life I would've chosen for myself. I wish there'd been someone to vote no for me, so no."

Bella's disappointment was obvious, but she nodded in understanding nonetheless. Rosalie's reasons were completely justified, whether she agreed with them or not. Emmett stepped forward then, an eager grin tugging at his lips as he embraced Bella in a bear hug.

"I vote hell yeah," he exclaimed, his loud voice causing Bella to wince.

"I already consider you a part of the family," Esme spoke as she ushered her son away. "So yes."

"Why are you doing this to me?" Edward groaned, his eyes narrowed but defeated. "You know what this means."

"You've chosen not to live without her, which leaves me no choice." Carlisle stepped towards him, his eyes firm. He'd already made his choice, and there was nothing that Edward could say or do that would change his mind. "I won't lose my son."

It was official then. Bella was going to become an official part of their family. Verona, despite being happy for her, couldn't help feeling bitter as she watched them celebrate the news. Bella's dreams were coming true, yet Verona's were crumbling around her in the cruel aftermath of a twisted joke from fate. She hated the jealousy that ran through her veins, but couldn't help it as she stood away from everyone, on the outer once more.

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