Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 124

Chapter 124

The dark room was plunged into silence.

After the question was asked, there was no response for a long time.

Only the soft, steady breaths and the two uneasy heartbeats.

Suddenly, Damon reached out from under the covers and took her cold hand, his rough, slender fingers interlacing with hers, pulling her hand to his solid, warm chest, pressing it over his heart.

Through the thin pajamas, Aubrey’s hand could clearly feel the warmth of his chest, the rhythm of his heartbear, and the thickness of his palm

“Good night, Bree.”

He murmured huskily, almost squeezing out a gentle phrase with his breath, and then closed his eyes.

After a while.

Aubrey slowly turned her head, gazing at the vague outline of the man beside her in the dark, a sudden pang of emotion hitting her.

His gesture dropped a boulder in her heart, sending ripples across the surface, making it impossible to calm down.

Aubrey couldn’t pinpoint when it started, but whenever she and Damon slept together, he would insist on interlacing his fingers with hers, holding her hand as he drifted off to sleep.

It was a sign of deep–seated insecurity.

Perhaps, subconsciously, he was still afraid she would suddenly leave.

In that moment, Aubrey’s sensitive heart ached, and tears slowly trickled from the corners of her eyes, disappearing into the strands of hair near her

ears.

Unable to control the wave of sadness, she bit down hard on her lower lip. She didn’t want to cry, didn’t want to shed tears, but her heart felt so heavy, so sad, so helpless.

She didn’t even have the courage to answer Damon’s question.

Being with Damon, she had hoped she could heal and slowly overcome her depression, but it wasn’t that simple.

A wave of painful emotions suddenly crashed over her, threatening to drown her completely.

After what felt like an eternity, she slowly turned and nestled into the crook of Damon’s arm, biting her lower lip and desperately trying to suppress the rembling in her body as she silently wept.

She suffered from insomnia, but Damon didn’t.

Damon was asleep, his breathing deep, light, and even, oblivious to the fact that the woman beside him was soaking the pillow with her tears.

Without her medication, Aubrey was wide awake.

t wasn’t until the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn that exhaustion finally claimed her, and she drifted off to sleep.

The next day, midday.

At the lunch table, Aubrey’s absence was conspicuous.

Aunt Hannah surveyed the scene, her gaze settling on Damon. Her voice carried the distinct authority of an elder: “Damon, as a junior member of the amily, Aubrey’s behavior is quite disrespectful. With so many elders present, she skips breakfast and now lunch. Does she not wish to dine with us?”

Damon set down his fork, his expression calm and composed. His words, however, held a sharp edge: “Perhaps Aubrey and I should come to your room very morning at six to serve you tea and pay our respects.”

Hannah’s face stiffened. “I wouldn’t presume to ask that.”

But surely you would.” Damon smiled faintly, his tone gentle yet each word distinct. “After all, you are the ‘matriarch‘ of the Blackwood family. Aren’t ou the one who sets the standards?”

The term ‘matriarch‘ caused a storm of color to flash across Hannah’s face.

Everyone present could discern the thinly veiled barb in Damon’s words, a clear jab at her inflexibility, overbearing nature, and domineering ways.

Hannah was stunned, too mortified to speak.

22:06

63.6%

< Chapter 124

Claim 15 Coins By Check in

Menu

The other relatives didn’t pay it much mind, but Old Man Blackwood spoke up with a stern face: “Yung people work hard. They finally get a weekend to rest and come back to keep this old man company. Don’t use those old–fashioned ideas from the old days to constrain the younger generation.”

Hannah’s face turned even uglier after being lectured by the old man, but she forced a smile. “You’re right, Dad.”

Damon explained, “Grandpa, Aubrey set her alarm for eight in the morning, but I turned it off. I wanted her to get some extra sleep. Please don’t blame

her.”

“Why would Grandpa blame her?” Old Man Blackwood said with a smile, his tone kind. “Being able to eat and sleep well is a blessing.”

Then, he looked at Hannah again, his tone switching back to serious. “The Blackwoods‘ rules aren’t meant to dictate what time the young women married into this family wake up. Don’t go looking for trouble. Let her sleep until she wakes up naturally.”

Damon smiled in satisfaction.

Hannah swallowed her anger. “Understood, Dad.”

Tracy, who was sitting nearby, pursed her lips tightly, suppressing a laugh. She tried to think of all the sad things that had happened to her recently, but she still couldn’t hold back the urge to laugh.

At that moment, Old Man Blackwood turned his gaze to Zachary: “Zachary!”

Zachary sat up straight, his tone steady and polite. “Grandfather.”

“You could stand to learn a thing or two from your brother about how to care for and look after a woman you’re interested in.”

Zachary chuckled softly. “Grandpa, I don’t need to learn. I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Old Man Blackwood cleared his throat, his expression turning serious. “You will soon enough. Not just a girlfriend, a wife.”

The announcement sent ripples of shock through the room, all eyes snapping to Old Man Blackwood. Zachary’s parents were visibly stunned, their faces a mixture of surprise and hopeful anticipation.

Zachary frowned. “Grandpa, don’t joke about that.”

Around the large table sat several unmarried cousins. Zachary, at 32, wasn’t the oldest, but due to the demanding nature of his profession, he’d made it clear long ago that marriage and children weren’t in his plans, a decision his family respected.

But Old Man Blackwood, at over eighty years old, didn’t seem like he was making a lighthearted joke.

“My old war buddy’s granddaughter. Her parents split up, and he’s raised her since she was a little girl. Now, he’s been diagnosed with cancer and doesn’t have much time left. His only wish is to see his granddaughter settled, married off to a good family. I’ve been turning over the possibilities with you boys, and you seem like the best fit.”

Tracy’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth in astonishment, staring excitedly at her older brother. Oh my god! Her older brother was suddenly getting a wife out of nowhere?

Zachary’s expression was grave, his tone firm. “Grandpa, you can choose anyone, but I’m not the right fit.”

‘Out of all of you, Damon would be the most suitable husband–he’s kind, gentle, considerate, and responsible. But he’s already married, or else you wouldn’t even be in the running.”

Cousins,” Zachary began, gesturing to each in turn, “Cousin, cousin, cousin…”

Before he could finish, the others cut him off with protests: “Hey, hey, Zachary, don’t even think about it. We’re not interested in the wife Grandpa’s picking out for you.”

Damon remained silent, a soft smile playing on his lips, finding the whole situation amusing.

At this point, Hannah chimed in, “Dad, if this girl’s family is so complicated, and her background isn’t great, wouldn’t that make them unsuitable?”

This infuriated Old Man Blackwood. “Is social status that important? As long as they love each other and share the same values, that’s more important than any background.”

Hannah pointed to Damon. “Dad, isn’t Damon a good example of that? They weren’t from the same social circles, insisted on being together, and couldn’t even get a marriage license.”

The conversation suddenly shifted to Damon, and his face darkened instantly, his cold gaze shooting towards Hannah.

Everyone else fell silent as well, while the eldest and second aunts watched the scene with a sense of schadenfreude, their smiles tinged with disdain.

Victoria, unable to bear it any longer, maintained her composed and elegant demeanor, and said with a smile, “As his mother, I approve, yet my eldest

2206

< Chapter 124

sister–in–law is so concerned with social status. One might think Damon was marrying the bride to your household, itawah,”

Hannah smirked, a touch of insincerity in her smile. “I’m just considering what’s best for the family, Victoria”