One Night

Chapter 174

Audrey

I was suddenly thrust back into the present, gasping as if I had just been underwater,

Edwin was still holding my wrist, his grip tight but not painful. We were still standing in the middle of the training room, the fluorescent lights harsh against my eyes after the darkness of Edwin’s memory.

My heart was racing, and I could feel a thin sheen of sweat on my skin. The room suddenly felt too warm, too small, as if the walls were closing in on us. Edwin’s chest was heaving, and he released my wrist as if it had burned him.

“Well, now you know,” he said softly, unable to meet my eyes. His voice was rough, as if he had been shouting “Now you know why I won’t let you fight. Why I won’t fight”

I stared at him, my mind reeling from what I had just witnessed.

*Edwin, I…. that wasn’t your fault.” I assured him, taking a step forward. “You were young, you

didn’t mean to

“It was my fault, Edwin interrupted, his voice sharp enough to make me flinch. “I lost control. I seriously hurt someone. Audrey. Forlife. That man.. he wound up losing his eye because of me.”

I didn’t know what to say.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration and shame evident in every movement. I could see his fingers trembling slightly. That’s why I hate fighting. I’m terrified of losing control again. My father..” He paused, swallowing hard. I could see the muscles in his jaw working as he struggled to continue. “My father always said I had a dark side. That I lacked self-control.”

I reached out to touch his arm, but Edwin flinched away. The rejection stung, but I tried not to let it show. “Well, your father) was wrong, Edwin. You’re not-

“What if he wasn’t?” Edwin’s voice was hardly more than a whisper, but in the silence of the room, it might as well have been a shout. “What if he was right? What if there’s a monster just beneath the surface, waiting to hurt someone again?”

one of the cardboard boxes in the corner. He kicked one with the toe of his

He shook his head, turning and crossing over to one sneaker, and I heard a faint jangling inside.

“Your medals…”

Edwin scoffed wryly. “I used to take so much pride in them that despite everything. I couldn’t bring myself to fully throw them away. My d**n ego kept me from doing it. I should have burned them.”

“You used to work so hard,” I said. “It’s okay to have pride in your achievements. One bad thing doesn’t negate all of that.”

He shook his head again. “It does to me. After that night, I never fought again. I couldn’t even think about it. So I threw myself into my other hobby instead: sewing. In my mind, I was better off creating things, rather than destroying them. So I began to create, and that’s how I ended up where I am now.”

I was quiet for a moment, processing his words. The pieces were starting to fall into place-his reluctance to teach me offensive moves, his aversion to violence of any kind. His love of sewing.

Creating. Not destroying

But he wasn’t a destroyer. What had happened that night. It was an accident. A horrific one, yes, but an accident nonetheless.

With a huff, he sank down onto a nearby bench, the fight seeming to drain out of him. He hung his head in his hands, his shoulders slumped in defeat. “I’m sorry you had to see that monstrous memory,” he muttered. “I’ve tried to keep it hidden

08:39 Sat, Sep 21

Chapter 174

from everyone, even myself, Especially you.”

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I watched him for a moment, observed as he raked his fingers through his dark, sweat-damp hair over and over again. Even now, through our bond, I could feel a profound guilt radiating out from him. As if black shadows were curling around hist mind, around his soul.

Finally, I strode up to him and crouched, cupping his stubbled face in my hands.

“Edwin, look at me.”

Reluctantly, he raised his head to meet my gaze. His eyes were red-rimmed, and I could see the pain and self-loathing swirling in their gray depths-like a storm rolling above the occin.

“You are not a monster,” I said firmly, pouring every ounce of love and acceptance I could muster into our bond. I knew he could feel it down that invisible thread between us, because I could feel those shadows recoil as if burned.

“Audrey-”

“What happened was an accident,” I interrupted. “A terrible accident, yes, but not something that defines who you are. I love you. Edwin. All of you. And I’m glad you showed me this part of yourself. Thank you.”

Before he could respond, I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. I felt some of the tension leave his body as he returned the embrace, his arms encircling me with a desperate kind of need. I could feel his heart beating rapidly against my chest, and I held him tighter, trying to convey without words that I was here, that I wasn’t going anywhere.

Finally, I felt those shadows surrounding his soul ebb away, replaced by shafts of silver light on the fullest night of the moon. After a long moment, he pulled back. His eyes were clearer now, though still a bit troubled. “I think… I think we should cut training short today,” he said softly. “I don’t think I’m in the right headspace to continue for right now.”

I nodded, understanding completely. “Of course. Besides, I added with a tiny smile, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. We still have a tree to cut down and a house to decorate.”

Edwin managed a small smile of his own. “I did promise we could do that, didn’t we?”

“You did. So let’s stop moping and have breakfast.”

We made our way upstairs, Edwin’s hand never leaving the small of my back. As we entered the kitchen, the delicious smell of breakfast greeted us-eggs, bacon, and freshly brewed coffee.

Hadley was just setting out plates on the intimate little breakfast table by the large window.

“Ah. Perfect timing.” Hadley said with a smile, his cheerful demeanor seeming to relax Edwin even more. “Breakfast is still hot.”

“Thank you, Hadley.” Edwin pulled my chair out for me, and 1 sat, immediately pouring us both a steaming cup of coffee. Hadley’s aging eyes flicked across Edwin’s troubled face as he sat, but the housekeeper said nothing and returned to tidying up the kitchen.

Edwin and I ate in companionable silence for a little while, the hot coffee and crisp-bacon soothing our nerves and tired muscles. I propped my foot up on his leg beneath the table, and he absentmindedly stroked my calf with one hand while he flipped through the newspaper.

Despite what I had just seen, I couldn’t help but imagine the two of us here, just like this, for years to come. Just us. Morning after morning at this table.

I sent that image down the bond in an attempt to cheer him up, and Edwin startled slightly. A small smile touched his lips, his eyes flicking-up to meet mine.

08:39 Sat, Sep 21

Chapter 174

He sent another image down the bond.

One of him throwing everything off the breakfast table and having me right there, thrusts so powerful it broke all the legs

the table and rattled the windows. I blushed deeply.

“Oh, and this came for you, sir,” Hadley said, pulling us out of our lustful reverie. He handed Edwin an envelope.

Edwin frowned as he took it, seeming to recognize the handwriting on the back immediately. With a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his soul, he tore it open and scanned the contents.

I watched his face over the rim of my coffee cup, noting how his brow furrowed and his lips tightened as he read.

“What is it?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. A tendril of worry snaked through me at his expression.

Edwin groaned, tossing the letter onto the table with a flick of his wrist. It slid across the polished wood, coming to rest next to the steaming plates of food.

“It’s an invitation to my family’s holiday party.”

With both of our names

on it.