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Eden recoils from the sting of my question.
That word.
The one term that’s incredibly serious and sensitive refers to a violent and traumatic crime.
One that I now know was inflicted on the one woman who once upon a time was my whole world.
And probably still is.
“Fuck,” the words leave my breath, and I watch Eden turn away from me, defeated by our argument.
Tears from nowhere sting my eyes and threaten to explode.
I watch her walk hastily away, and I just stand here, dumb and deliberating on what to do with this info. I aided my own addiction, responsible for my destruction, but Eden … fuck.
What happened to her …. Words cannot even form in my head.
“Fuck,” I repeat once more, but rather than be stupefied, my legs take on a life of their own, and I leg it towards her.
“Siren, stop,” I say, grabbing hold of her. Pulling her hard, and she crashes face forward into my chest. I hold her in my eyes and stare down at her, her face stoic of emotion because she’s used to hiding what happened to her.
“Fuck, siren,” I say, gazing into those beautiful green eyes. I wrap my arms around her, not in a passionate way but to prevent her from running.
“I was so in love with you, lass. More than you can possibly imagine. When you ran, you took half my heart with you. The good half because what I was left with was broken, it was corrupted and weak.”
Her face suddenly softens at my admittance.
“You scare me, babe. If that’s even possible. I’m usually fearless, but you’re a different kind of human. Be the other half of my heart. The good part.”
“I don’t need pity, Callum,” she retorts, and her brows raise with disdain.
“No, you don’t. But fuck it, life is too short. Trust me when I tell you that I will hunt those responsible down, I will skin them, and feed them their own carcass. I won’t stop until every one of them is found because they harmed something that was mine. You were mine, and if we’re being honest here, you have never stopped being mine. So if you want to stop what we had, then say it now. Say it, and I’ll go.”
She looks up at me with glassy eyes, letting me in her soul for the first time after what feels like a lifetime ago. The anticipation for her reply makes every passing second feel like an eternity. My heart throbbing like mad inside my chest, ready to explode. With each passing moment, a carousel of emotions plays out on my face —hope, doubt, fear, and an undercurrent of vulnerability.
“I don’t want to stop being yours, Callum,” Eden finally says, and I release that anxious breath I hold.
“But you can’t tell anyone what you learned tonight.”
My eyes widen in sheer surprise at that last remark that seems to overtake her emotional declaration of me. I stand here, holding her,trying to take in the unexpected request and wanting to shake some sense into her.
“Do you realize what you’re asking of me?”
She presses her lips together.
“I’m not ready to discuss it, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be.”
My gaze remains unwavering.
“Siren—”
“Please, Callum. Please don’t tell them, even if they already suspect it. I’m not ready,” she shakes her head as a wave of panic overcomes her, and her entire body shivers in fear. “I can’t … I can’t—”
I wrap my arms around her tighter and pull her against my chest.
“Hey, now,” I say, trying to find the right words. “Listen, I promise not to say anything. This is your story to tell.”
I pull her from me and lock onto her face.
