When I officially met Rosalie Hale at a party in the second week of my freshman year at UW, I already knew who she was. She and her family had moved to our city near the end of senior year, and Jasper had two classes with me at Forks High. But I hadn’t spent any particular time with her.
I was well-known in Forks; our whole family was, to an extent. With wealthy parents that owned the biggest bank in our small town, there was always a minor celebrity halo around our heads. Edward and Alice made friends in small increments, like they were cautious of any and all motives. And maybe they were right; Edward had become Bella Swan’s best friend pretty young, and she was about the sweetest person I’d ever met outside my family. But I was different than they were. Louder, larger, both in physical presence and personality. Everybody was my friend. And I loved to be generous with all of those friends, because why not?
I didn’t see it as buying friendships, because I knew I didn't have any serious friends. I knew I was being used by the majority of my peers. The thing was, it never bothered me. Water off a duck’s back, I rolled smoothly with the flow. Where Edward buckled down with his studies, at least before the summer he and Bella discovered how easily they could sneak out of the house and fuck like bunnies, I sailed through my classes. I was going to be a math teacher instead of working at the bank like Edward.
Rosalie, with her mile-long legs and sexpot body, was not on the agenda. Unfortunately for me, all it took was a little bit too much to drink at that party for me fall head over heels. She had certain… abilities in the bedroom that I’d never experienced before. She was funny as shit, and her throaty laugh never failed to elicit a tightening in my pants. I thought I loved her.
Eloping was her idea, because as she pointed out, we could move into married student housing and save money. I didn't need to save money, but she did, and I felt sorry for her when she told me her meal card was always running low around the third week of the month. I spoiled her, I admit. I took her out to eat all the time, and started buying her trinkets. She was always enthusiastically grateful, which I mistook for love.
When I told my parents, over the phone like the coward I was, they exploded. They were so disappointed in me, something I’d honestly never experienced before. I couldn't seem to fully explain why I fell for Rose the way that I did, and they didn't understand. Alice thought it was romantic that we’d fallen in love so quickly, and Edward thought I was an idiot, but supported me as long as I was happy. Rose was more than a little pissed that they didn't immediately accept her into the family, but I promised her they’d come around. It wasn’t until our first trip home that everything started to unravel.
Rose was angry that her brother was dating my sister. She was annoyed that Alice didn’t seem to like her. She claimed Edward was only putting up with her because of me, and that he hated her. My parents were too white collar, too goody-goody and old fashioned in their rules. Nothing made her happy. I was torn between supporting my wife and defending my family, who were nothing but polite to her. The lack of emotional intimacy that was the basis of our relationship and the constant barrage of insults drove me from the house to try to calm myself down.
That was a mistake that almost cost me ten years.
Two months into my sentence, I finally got a visit from my wife. She had been absent from my trial, her name missing from the visitor log. My parents and siblings had visited regularly, all of them urging me to fight this, to request an appeal. But I already knew I’d been metaphorically thrown under the bus for someone else’s crime, and there was no end to the false evidence they could and would produce. I wanted them to move on with their lives, to let me serve out my sentence quietly.
Rose sat across from me at the round lunchroom style table, her hands restlessly fidgeting on the tabletop. Her pupils were dilated, her cheekbones too prominent in her thin face. Her lipstick was a garish orange, her tank top dipping so low she almost showed off her boobs—which looked like they had shrunk in the time since I’d last seen her—to the whole room. She finally blurted out that she was pregnant, with a small smile that looked more like a grimace. I was thrilled and devastated at the same time; a roller coaster was raging in my gut.
“My parents will take you in, care for you and the baby. You don’t have to worry about a thing,” I promised her, assuming that was her worry. I reached over and took her hand in mine, and she flinched before accepting the gesture.
“Of course,” she answered. “I’m just worried about the money, that’s all. For food, and housing, and baby stuff. There’s so much to pay for.”
It should have been another red flag. Boy, was I an idiot.
I started hearing more from Edward. Bella and her mom had moved, and Bella had broken up with him. I never told him that she was the one to testify, I didn’t have it in my heart to break him any further. He told me that Rose had become demanding, insisting that Dad add her to their account and give her a debit card so she could get what she needed without having to ask. Since he already fed her and gave her an allowance and a place to live, he wasn’t about to give her anything else. She threw an epic fit and insisted she would abort the baby if they didn’t give her whatever she wanted.
That was the beginning of the end of my marriage to Rosalie Hale Cullen. Jenks drew up a contract, outlining specifically how much money she would get, the majority of which came after she gave birth. A clear set of guidelines outlined what was expected of her. To remain healthy, not use drugs or alcohol, to remain in my parents’ home until eight weeks after the birth, and to agree to an uncontested divorce that included signing away her rights to our child.
She signed all of the forms without batting an eyelash.
Mom and Edward seemed particularly invested in the baby, and they were the two that brought me sonograms and reports of how Rose was progressing. At every visit, the obstetrician mentioned that Rose was underweight. Every time, she replied that her mother carried small. My baby girl was born at a little over five pounds, and suffered through withdrawals. Dad was so furious that he stormed into the hospital room and laid into Rose for being so selfish and stupid, until security came and removed him.
It didn’t rival the temper tantrum Rose had when she was informed that she wouldn't receive the rest of the money and that she was no longer welcome in the Cullen home, however.
Despite the pictures seeming to prove that she was me made over in tiny feminine form, I still insisted on a paternity test. I would never again allow myself to be run over by Rosalie Hale. The same day that I received proof that Malone was mine, I signed over her well-being to my brother.
I was well-known in Forks; our whole family was, to an extent. With wealthy parents that owned the biggest bank in our small town, there was always a minor celebrity halo around our heads. Edward and Alice made friends in small increments, like they were cautious of any and all motives. And maybe they were right; Edward had become Bella Swan’s best friend pretty young, and she was about the sweetest person I’d ever met outside my family. But I was different than they were. Louder, larger, both in physical presence and personality. Everybody was my friend. And I loved to be generous with all of those friends, because why not?
I didn’t see it as buying friendships, because I knew I didn't have any serious friends. I knew I was being used by the majority of my peers. The thing was, it never bothered me. Water off a duck’s back, I rolled smoothly with the flow. Where Edward buckled down with his studies, at least before the summer he and Bella discovered how easily they could sneak out of the house and fuck like bunnies, I sailed through my classes. I was going to be a math teacher instead of working at the bank like Edward.
Rosalie, with her mile-long legs and sexpot body, was not on the agenda. Unfortunately for me, all it took was a little bit too much to drink at that party for me fall head over heels. She had certain… abilities in the bedroom that I’d never experienced before. She was funny as shit, and her throaty laugh never failed to elicit a tightening in my pants. I thought I loved her.
Eloping was her idea, because as she pointed out, we could move into married student housing and save money. I didn't need to save money, but she did, and I felt sorry for her when she told me her meal card was always running low around the third week of the month. I spoiled her, I admit. I took her out to eat all the time, and started buying her trinkets. She was always enthusiastically grateful, which I mistook for love.
When I told my parents, over the phone like the coward I was, they exploded. They were so disappointed in me, something I’d honestly never experienced before. I couldn't seem to fully explain why I fell for Rose the way that I did, and they didn't understand. Alice thought it was romantic that we’d fallen in love so quickly, and Edward thought I was an idiot, but supported me as long as I was happy. Rose was more than a little pissed that they didn't immediately accept her into the family, but I promised her they’d come around. It wasn’t until our first trip home that everything started to unravel.
Rose was angry that her brother was dating my sister. She was annoyed that Alice didn’t seem to like her. She claimed Edward was only putting up with her because of me, and that he hated her. My parents were too white collar, too goody-goody and old fashioned in their rules. Nothing made her happy. I was torn between supporting my wife and defending my family, who were nothing but polite to her. The lack of emotional intimacy that was the basis of our relationship and the constant barrage of insults drove me from the house to try to calm myself down.
That was a mistake that almost cost me ten years.
Two months into my sentence, I finally got a visit from my wife. She had been absent from my trial, her name missing from the visitor log. My parents and siblings had visited regularly, all of them urging me to fight this, to request an appeal. But I already knew I’d been metaphorically thrown under the bus for someone else’s crime, and there was no end to the false evidence they could and would produce. I wanted them to move on with their lives, to let me serve out my sentence quietly.
Rose sat across from me at the round lunchroom style table, her hands restlessly fidgeting on the tabletop. Her pupils were dilated, her cheekbones too prominent in her thin face. Her lipstick was a garish orange, her tank top dipping so low she almost showed off her boobs—which looked like they had shrunk in the time since I’d last seen her—to the whole room. She finally blurted out that she was pregnant, with a small smile that looked more like a grimace. I was thrilled and devastated at the same time; a roller coaster was raging in my gut.
“My parents will take you in, care for you and the baby. You don’t have to worry about a thing,” I promised her, assuming that was her worry. I reached over and took her hand in mine, and she flinched before accepting the gesture.
“Of course,” she answered. “I’m just worried about the money, that’s all. For food, and housing, and baby stuff. There’s so much to pay for.”
It should have been another red flag. Boy, was I an idiot.
I started hearing more from Edward. Bella and her mom had moved, and Bella had broken up with him. I never told him that she was the one to testify, I didn’t have it in my heart to break him any further. He told me that Rose had become demanding, insisting that Dad add her to their account and give her a debit card so she could get what she needed without having to ask. Since he already fed her and gave her an allowance and a place to live, he wasn’t about to give her anything else. She threw an epic fit and insisted she would abort the baby if they didn’t give her whatever she wanted.
That was the beginning of the end of my marriage to Rosalie Hale Cullen. Jenks drew up a contract, outlining specifically how much money she would get, the majority of which came after she gave birth. A clear set of guidelines outlined what was expected of her. To remain healthy, not use drugs or alcohol, to remain in my parents’ home until eight weeks after the birth, and to agree to an uncontested divorce that included signing away her rights to our child.
She signed all of the forms without batting an eyelash.
Mom and Edward seemed particularly invested in the baby, and they were the two that brought me sonograms and reports of how Rose was progressing. At every visit, the obstetrician mentioned that Rose was underweight. Every time, she replied that her mother carried small. My baby girl was born at a little over five pounds, and suffered through withdrawals. Dad was so furious that he stormed into the hospital room and laid into Rose for being so selfish and stupid, until security came and removed him.
It didn’t rival the temper tantrum Rose had when she was informed that she wouldn't receive the rest of the money and that she was no longer welcome in the Cullen home, however.
Despite the pictures seeming to prove that she was me made over in tiny feminine form, I still insisted on a paternity test. I would never again allow myself to be run over by Rosalie Hale. The same day that I received proof that Malone was mine, I signed over her well-being to my brother.
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