Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55

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Following the address Charles had given het, Aubrey arrived at a sprawling residence in the historic district an old house, steeped in years. Red–tiled and white walled, it wasn’t overtly luxurious at first glance, but possessed the weighty gravitas of time itself.

She rang the doorbell, and a woman in her sixties opened the imposing gates. As if expecting her, the elderly woman offered a polite greeting: “Good afternoon, Miss Hayes. Please, come in.”

“Hello,” Aubrey said, giving a polite nod before following the woman inside.

The yard, filled with lush greenery and flowers, also boasted a variety of vegetables, giving it a distinct rustic charm.

Inside, the Chinese–style living room was adorned with elegant ink–wash calligraphy on the walls. A prominent piece declared: “Great virtue sustains all.”

Aubrey settled onto a dark rosewood sofa, waiting in silence. The elderly woman brought her tea and pastries, then discreetly withdrew.

The slanting rays of the evening sun streamed through the window lattice, falling upon a lush green monstera deliciosa plant nestled in the corner.

That hour stretched on, every second feeling like a year.

Footsteps echoed from beyond the door.

She snapped back to reality, immediately standing up, her heart pounding as she watched Charles walk in with his characteristic calm demeanor.

“Charles,” Aubrey greeted, giving a polite nod.

Charles made a calming gesture with his hand, indicating she should sit. “My apologies for keeping you waiting so long.”

Aubrey remained standing, her tone humble. “It’s no trouble at all.”

Charles settled into the seat opposite her. Aubrey, understanding the unspoken etiquette, followed suit and sat down.

Charles let out a soft sigh. “Aubrey, I won’t beat around the bush with you. Your father’s case, it can’t be overturned.”

The words were a barbed whip, lashing out and slicing through Aubrey’s heart, the pain so sharp it numbed her. She felt her blood freeze in her veins, turning icy cold, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably.

Charles continued, “The new evidence you submitted is enough to prove the three witnesses lied back then. It seems like it could overturn the case, but in reality, it’s useless.”

Aubrey clenched her fists tightly, unable to accept such a dismissal. “Why?”

“We sent people to find those three witnesses, and confirmed they lied back then.”

Aubrey was bewildered. “Then why can’t the case be overturned?”

“The witnesses have resubmitted new evidence, enough to explain why they lied back then, and also to prove your father committed assault.”

Aubrey gave a bitter laugh and shook her head. “That’s impossible. If they had a video, why did they only provide testimony five years ago and not produce it sooner?”

Charles pulled out his phone, opened a video, and handed it to Aubrey. “You’ll understand why they lied all those years ago once you’ve seen this,” he

said.

Aubrey struggled to contain the frantic flutter in her chest, taking the phone with trembling fingers.

She took a deep breath and tapped to open it.

“Just watch it yourself,” Charles said, a subtle hint of embarrassment on his face. “I’m going to change.” He then excused himself and quickly exited.

In the brightly lit video, three men and Madison were clearly visible, completely naked and caught up in a wild, explicit display on the bed.

It made Aubrey’s skin crawl.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed from the video.

“Ugh!” a painful cry from Blake echoed from outside the room, immediately followed. The four on the bed froze, stunned speechless.

Then, two more consecutive bangs…

It was the distinct thud of a shovel striking a head. The four on the bed scrambled into their clothes, yanking open the door.

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Madison shrieked in terror, “Ah… Murder!”

Marcus stumbled back, collapsing to the floor in terror. He scrambled backward into the room, his voice a trembling whisper. “Theodore Hayes… He’s a murderer. He killed someone…”

The other two men dragged Madison into the room, slamming the door shut and frantically locking it.

“Call 911! Quick, call 911!” The remaining two men fumbled for their phones, shaking so hard their voices cracked as they tried to report the crime.

The footage cut to the security camera at the front door. Just as they were calling 911, Theodore Hayes burst out of the house in a frantic rush, so overcome with terror that he tripped and fell right at the doorway.

While there was no surveillance in the living room to capture Theodore Hayes’s direct assault, the recording from inside the room was undeniably real. The genuine reactions of the four witnesses, the sounds of the attack, and the precise timestamp of Theodore’s escape all corroborated the story.

It was an airtight case; every piece fit together flawlessly.

Aubrey felt her entire body go numb, an icy dread surging from her heart. Her fingers trembled violently, as if a thousand needles were piercing every inch of her, a bone–deep agony that stole her breath.

Her hands were shaking too violently. She fumbled her phone onto the coffee table, then closed her tear–filled eyes, bending over to bury her face in her trembling palms.

It felt like the world had imploded. The belief she’d clung to for five years shattered in an instant.

The sky hadn’t truly fallen, but the only light in her world had been snuffed out.

Charles walked over, watching her shoulders slump as if an invisible mountain crushed them. Her body trembled faintly. She was so fragile, yet she had faced everything with such steady composure, her resilience tearing at his heart.

Charles set his phone aside and sat down across from her, his voice heavy. “Blake has been in this line of work for over twenty years. His wife used to work with him, then got pregnant and married. But even after they were married, she secretly kept at it. Those three witnesses? They were their regular

clients.”

“And as for the claim five years ago in court–that the four of them were just playing cards–that was simply a lie to avoid penalties for prostitution and participating in illegal group sex.”

Forty seconds. That was the time between the sickening thud of three shovel blows to the head and the moment your father burst out of the house. And yet, the four people inside the room? The video footage clearly showed them never once leaving. They only stepped out, impeccably dressed and composed, when the police finally arrived on the scene.

“Aubrey, I hope your father is innocent. But he can’t be innocent just because of Damon. Do you understand?”

Aubrey took a deep breath, lowering her hands. Her red–rimmed eyes were glistening, but she feigned composure as she looked at Charles. “I understand. Thank you, Charles. I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll head back now.”

“We’ll be prosecuting those individuals later for group indecency and prostitution.”

‘Okay.”

As Aubrey was about to stand, Charles raised a hand, pressing it down. “Aubrey, there are a few more things your uncle wants to tell you.”

Aubrey, who had just lifted off her seat, sat back down. “Please, go ahead.”

You are a very good girl.” Charles’s expression was gentle, and his tone softened but remained serious. “I’ve heard about your persistence all these years, and I truly admire it. But life has a way of complicating things. I hope you can continue to uphold the agreement you made back then. Don’t tell Damon about your father’s case.”

At the mention of Damon, Aubrey couldn’t hold it together anymore. Her eyes brimmed with tears, shimmering and trembling within them. She swallowed hard, trying with all her might to force the tears back down, but her throat burned, rendering her speechless.

Charles couldn’t bear to look at her heartbroken eyes. He lowered his gaze and sighed softly. “If Damon gets involved, he’ll surely come to me. And I do have the means to clear your father’s name. But neither Damon nor I can break the law for your sake and destroy a lifetime of integrity.”

Aubrey nodded vigorously, biting her lower lip hard to hold back a sob.

“If Damon doesn’t get involved in your father’s case, but instead ruins his career to be with you, then you would be the one to destroy his aerospace career. Even if you were together, that relationship wouldn’t last, do you understand?”

Aubrey parted her lips, but found she had no strength to voice what she wanted to say. A faint, choked whisper escaped her: “I understand.”

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Damon gazed deeply into her shimmering, teary eyes. His hands slowly cupped her face, his voice steady as he softly asked, “Bree, what’s wrong?” Looking into Damon’s tender, doting eyes, Aubrey couldn’t hold back any longer. Tears welled, blurring her vision, and silently streamed from beneath her lashes. Crystal–clear drops traced glistening paths down her soft, pale cheeks.

Damon’s thumb gently wiped away her tears, his voice laced with tenderness. “Why are you crying?” he murmured. “Are you worried about me? Afraid I’m getting worn out?”

Aubrey squeezed her eyes shut, biting down hard on her lower lip. She pressed her head low, desperate to hide how completely undone she felt.

It hurt too much. Too much.

She desperately wished Damon was cold, selfish, callous, or even a complete jerk.

Then, letting him go wouldn’t feel so agonizing.

Damon pulled her into his embrace, his hand gently stroking her back. “Don’t cry,” he murmured. “I’m truly not tired. When it comes to loving you, everything I give is given willingly. You don’t need to feel guilty or blame yourself. Seeing you happy makes me happy. Seeing you fulfilled fills me with genuine joy. Aren’t I just pleasing myself by doing so?”

Aubrey reached out, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and burying her wet face into his warm, solid chest. Her tears soaked his shirt, but she clung to him even tighter.

“Thank you, Damon,” Aubrey choked out, her voice barely a whisper. “No one–not even my own parents–has ever loved me like this, not in my entire

life.”

Damon lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. His voice, a low, husky rumble, was impossibly tender. “Then let me love you like this from now until you’re old and gray, okay?”

Aubrey nodded, then shook her head.

Damon let out a soft sigh. “Alright, stop with the nodding and shaking. Go get ready for bed. I need to label these food containers with their ingredients while they’re still warm, then put them in the freezer so you can easily choose what you want.”

Damon gently guided her out of the kitchen. She took a few steps towards her room, then paused, turning back to look at the kitchen.

Her eyes were red–rimmed and moist, filled with a profound sorrow…

Five years ago, when she left him, at least she still had her faith–a fierce determination to clear her father’s name, and that resolve had kept her going.

Now, she had lost even the last shred of hope.

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