Can Twihards Forgive Stewart?

I’ve admitted recently that I not only read all of the Twilight books, but that I devoured them. My mom had bought the book based on a recommendation, started reading it, and gave it to me without finishing it, saying it was “too young for her.” This was before the Twilight craze had hit the mainstream, so I’d never heard of it. I started reading it only because I was between books and it was there. I was so glad I gave it a chance, because I fell in love with Bella and Edward.

Their love affair is the stuff women dream of. There’s a little bit of the forbidden (since he’s, you know, a vampire who might accidentally give into his wildly intense craving for Bella’s blood) and loads of passion and yearning. The books perfectly capture the yearning of being freshly in love and wanting to spend every moment with this wonderful person who just came into your life. It may have helped that I had just met my husband at the time, so I could very much relate to Bella’s feelings.

I am not alone. An entire nation of women, from tweens to married soccer moms, took to reading the series and were affected by Edward and Bella’s relationship. Women and girls all over the world rejoiced when it was announced that the Twilight series would be made into a movie – and then the unthinkable happened. Life imitated art, and the actors playing Edward and Bella, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, respectively, fell in love. The world gobbled their relationship up, thrilled to see Edward and Bella’s relationship come to life off screen.

Twilight fans – aka Twihards – embraced Pattinson and Stewart completely, and they were elevated to a status of celebrity few people can dream of attaining. Twihards have been fiercely loyal to the couple, forgiving their small indiscretions, such as their refusal to confirm their dating status publically for more than a year, and Stewart’s often-grumpy appearance, as she has never been a fan of the paparazzi.

Things were just starting to settle into a wonderful groove, with the final Twilight movie well on its way and Pattinson and Stewart finally starting to acknowledge their relationship in public, letting the Twihards in a bit. And then the Twilight dream was shattered.

Just days ago, the news broke that Stewart cheated on Pattinson. Twihards everywhere were shell-shocked. Even though in the series, Bella does give in eventually and explore some feelings for Jacob, it is only after Edward has left her and she is suffering greatly. In real life, Pattinson has never left Stewart’s side, and only days before the scandal broke, he told BlackBook that he hasn’t proposed to Stewart yet. Pattinson said, "At least, not yet, but it is true that Kristen has always done something to me that others haven't."

Due to undeniable photographic evidence (and hopefully an incredibly heavy conscience), Stewart admitted her fault the same day the news broke. She had cheated on Pattinson with her 41-year-old married director for Snow White and the Huntsman.

Stewart released a statement that read, “I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I've caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected. This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry."

Of course she did the right thing by admitting fault quickly, taking responsibility for her actions, and apologizing to those affected by those actions, but it that going to be enough for Pattinson? I can only imagine that heartbreak he must be feeling to learn the love of his life strayed – and then to be tormented with photographic evidence of it!

Pattinson has opted to remain quiet publically regarding the situation, and we are left waiting to see what he will decide. However, there are millions of other people invested in this relationship as well. Is Stewart’s apology going to be enough for the Twihards?

I can only speak for myself, but I would say “no.” Cheating breaks the trust in a relationship, and without trust, there is nothing to build a relationship on. I guess what this scandal reminded me was that Bella and Edward are fictional characters, and Stewart and Pattinson are not an innocent young girl and an ancient vampire. (Yeah, it took a Hollywood scandal to remind me of that, I guess.) I wish the pair the best of luck in working through this however they need to do so, but moving forward I will be sure to separate Stewart and Pattinson more from the characters they play.

Perhaps Rupert’s statement about his film with Stewart , also synopsizes the affair best; he said, “Our story is a 'once upon a time,' but it's not a ‘happy ever after.’”