Fairy-Tale Ending?

During their first three years together as a couple, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson hit dozens of red carpets side-by-side, always with the same Just Friends Wink Wink demeanor. Sure, there was no hand-holding or even a public acknowledgement of their romance, but the young stars’ “electrifying” chemistry, as Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke once described it, was always on full display. In private, however, the two indulged in the kind of gooey PDA they carefully kept out of the spotlight. So it was on one summer night this past July, when the pair took in a concert by British musician and Pattinson pal Bobby Long at L.A.’s Hotel Cafe. “Rob had his arm around Kristen most of the night,” an observer said at the time. “They looked very cute. Everything seemed great between them.”

As the universe now knows, the fairy-tale romance of Young Hollywood’s reigning golden couple was about to hit a heartbreaking roadblock. On July 24 it was revealed-complete with photographic proof-that Stewart, 22, had hooked up with Rupert Sanders, the 41-year-old, married-with-kids British director of Stewart’s hit Snow White & the Huntsman. The scandal stunned Pattinson, 26-who had been blissfully unaware of any problems in his relationship-and drove a stake through the heart of Twihard romantics, many of whom lashed out angrily against Stewart. “Kristen you had everything,” tweeted one fan, “girls dream to have your life, your bf, and you … you’ve just ruined these years!”

While #TeamRob fans vented, the actor himself fled his home in L.A.’s Los Feliz neighborhood, which the couple had shared since September 2011. “Heartbroken and angry” at first, according to a close source, he emerged a few weeks later to promote his indie drama Cosmopolis. Gamely poking fun at his own expense while simultaneously avoiding direct questions about the scandal, he joked that he was living “in this big trash can” to Jimmy Kimmel. But when Daily Show host Jon Stewart remarked that breakups can feel like the end of the world, Pattinson replied, “It is,” prompting a chorus of “awwwws” from the audience.

A devastated Stewart, meanwhile, hunkered down with friends and family, consumed with guilt and regret over her “huge mistake,” a confidante said after the split. “Kristen’s sad and upset and desperately wishes she could turn back the clock.” The ferociously private actress-so guarded that she once made news simply for stating “my boyfriend is British”-also issued an astonishingly raw apology, saying that she had “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.” Behind the scenes, her private confession to Pattinson was even more wrenching. “Telling Robert was the worst thing she’s ever had to do,” said a Stewart source.

“This has been such a blow to Rob,” said a Pattinson source. “Talk about having his heart ripped out.”

Twihards, too, were left reeling. Tweeted one fan: “Now when I watch the last movie, all I’m going to be thinking of is how Bella cheated on Edward.”In fact, both stars had invested deeply in the romance, which began when Pattinson auditioned for the coveted role of Edward in 2008’s Twilight. “Rob and Kristen sat down at the table and did the biology [class] scene,” director Hardwicke told Elle in June. “I felt the sparks. I could see the attraction. Kristen was very vocal-she knew she had the strongest connection with Rob.”

From that potent early connection to their off-duty togetherness, the pair seemed unusually committed for such young stars. “Good relationship advice from me tends to be being honest and knowing yourself,” Stewart told Glamour in 2011. “Don’t be mean … don’t settle.” Although a source refutes reports that Pattinson was planning to pop the question-“Rob was never going to propose in the near future”-he was in it for the long haul. With shared passions for alt-rock musicians and literature, the twosome loved their low-key, boho lifestyle. Yet their personalities also diverged, with Pattinson more “outgoing and sweet” and Stewart guarding her spirited streak. The actress herself expressed a certain restless yearning to Elle in June. “You can learn so much from bad things,” she said. “I can’t wait for something crazy … to happen to me.” And in an interview with ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY conducted just days before the scandal broke, Stewart scoffed at the notion of being “fake.” “I don’t like people like that,” she told ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY. “People who are a complete nonperson but somehow through the lens seem like they are on and interesting and engaged. … I don’t want anyone leaving and saying, ‘God, that girl is so fake.'” She added: “People tell me to make it easier on myself and to play a character when I go out on carpets and stuff. But you know what? I’d rather be me.”

For now, both stars-who will likely be thrown together during the promotional tour for Breaking Dawn, Part 2-are still trying to figure out where they go from here. Can they find the kind of happy ending that awaited their star-crossed alter egos? “I’m not sure they’re going to be able to work through this,” said the Stewart source in the aftermath of the scandal, “but Rob is all that matters to Kristen right now. She loves him so much. She’d do anything to be able to get through this and be together.”

TWI-TEARS

Perhaps no Twihard took the news of Rob and Kristen’s troubles harder than Emma Clark, a British fan whose “Nutty Madam” YouTube video lamenting the scandal has scored nearly 3 million hits. “I feel bad for them all,” says Clark. “I have idolized them and looked up to them for so many years, and it must be so hard going through something like this in public.”

THEIR TWILIGHT ROMANCE

TWILIGHT: THE FIRST KISS

The smooch takes place after Edward sneaks into Bella’s bedroom and tells her he wants to “try one thing.”

NEW MOON: GROWING OLD TOGETHER

Edward gives Bella a birthday kiss, calming her fears about aging faster than him.

ECLIPSE: PURE LOVE

“You’ll always be my Bella,” says Edward, as the two plan their future together as vampires.

BREAKING DAWN, PART 1: THE WEDDING

The star-crossed lovers finally make it official.