Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 56

Chapter 56

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“Three, two, one… ignition.”

On the phone screen, a colossal, golden red blaze suddenly surged from the base of the towering rocket, like a volcano finally erupting after years of

pent–up energy.

It hurtled skyward, streaking into the cosmos to fulfill its mission.

The moment the announcement of “successful stage separation” blared from the screen, the reporters and on–site spectators in the news footage erupted in cheers and shouts of pure elation.

Aubrey let out a long, shaky breath, unable to contain the surge of emotion as tears welled in her eyes,

This was Damon’s monumental dream, his ambition to master the vastness of the cosmos.

But this wasn’t a dream that could be realized with a mere launch or two. The universe was far too immense; they still hadn’t fully mastered even the moon, and countless other planets were out there, waiting to be explored.

Aubrey locked her phone, pulled off her headphones, and tucked them into her bag before looking up at the subway sign.

Five more stops.

She slumped against the cold seat, her expression desolate. Her heavy gaze rested on the dark glass, which seemed to mirror her own haggard features, blurry and distorted as if reflected in rippling water.

An aching void settled deep in her chest as she made her way to the prison.

She completed the visitor registration and entered the heavily guarded prison. Through two thick panes of glass, she saw her father, Theodore Hayes.

For the past five years, she had frequently visited him in prison.

Her father was visibly and gradually wasting away, growing older, and becoming more weathered.

By now, his close–cropped hair was almost entirely white, with not a single dark strand remaining.

In his fifties, dressed in a loose blue and white striped prison uniform, his gaunt frame was hunched, his eyes deeply sunken, and his cheeks almost

hollow.

When he saw Aubrey, a long–absent smile bloomed on his face. After sitting down, he immediately picked up the phone.

“Aubrey, you-”

His voice, however, died in his throat. He watched Aubrey sitting motionless across from him, without picking up her receiver. Her eyes were brimming with tears, staring at him with a deep, resentful gaze.

He realized something was wrong, and his smile slowly faded. He raised the phone in his hand and tapped it, motioning for her to pick up.

Aubrey took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and held it to her ear.

Her father’s voice was hoarse and gentle.

“Aubrey, what’s wrong? You seem unhappy. Has something happened at home?”

“Nothing’s wrong at home.” Aubrey felt each word like a razor slicing her throat, a torment to utter. A choked sob followed. After years of fighting for justice, digging through old files, and piecing together fragments of the truth, Aubrey knew. The puzzle was complete, and the picture it painted was devastating.

“Dad, why did you lie to me? Why?”

“What did I lie about?” Theodore asked, confused.

Aubrey couldn’t hold back her tears. They gushed from her eyes, soaking her face as she cried out, heartbroken. “You clearly killed someone, why did you lie to me? Do you know how hard I’ve worked for the past five years trying to clear your name, believing you were innocent?”

Theodore was frantic, completely at a loss, his eyes red–rimmed.

“I didn’t lie to you.”

Aubrey sniffled, scrubbing at the unstoppable tears, her heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds as she sobbed and raged at him. “My belief, the one I’ve clung to for five years, has completely shattered! You gave me hope, only to crush it with the truth. What am I supposed to do now, Dad? What am I supposed to do with my life?”

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Chapter 56

Theodore Hayes’s own tears streamed down his face as he watched his daughter collapse into sobs.

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“My daughter! Your father truly didn’t lie to you, I swear! If you’re too exhausted, please, don’t investigate anymore. The truth is, your dad came to terms with his situation a long, long time ago. I’m doing okay in here, really. The food’s not bad, I always get enough to eat, and on holidays, we even get catra meals. We have two physicals a year, and our routine is pretty regular. Our work hours are set at eight, and for the rest of the day, we get yard time, can go out and get some sun. We even have the news to watch. Just before you came, I watched our country launch another rocker. Our country is achieving great things, and you need to keep thriving, too. Don’t worry about your dad anymore. Dad’s truly doing well here. I’ve been working hard lately, and my behavior has been good. I’ve earned several commendations, which could reduce my sentence by several months…”

Hearing his words, Aubrey burst into tears. She put down the phone, leaning over the table and pressing her fist hard against her mouth, trying to muffle her sobs so they wouldn’t disturb the other families visiting inmates. Her shoulders shook violently, convulsing with each suppressed sob.

Through the thick glass, Aubrey cried on her side, and Theodore cried on his

The shame was a crushing weight. He couldn’t bear to look at the daughter whose life he’d made so miserable, the daughter who had fought relentlessly o clear his name, only to have her hopes dashed by his confession.

His trembling hand gripped the receiver tightly. Through choked sobs, he pleaded, “Aubrey! If you can’t find anything, then stop looking. Don’t worry about your father anymore. Just live your own life, earn a good living, and be good to yourself. Please, don’t worry about me…”

Aubrey looked up, her pale face drenched in tears and snot. She watched her father through the glass, his own face streaked with tears as he spoke to her, but she couldn’t hear a single word.

She quickly snatched up the receiver, just in time to catch his final words: “Don’t worry about your father anymore. Go home.”

Then, Theodore lowered the receiver, his gaunt, hunched frame turning to walk to the corner. He slowly knelt beside the prison guard.

Only five minutes remained of their visiting time.

Aubrey stood up, watching her father still huddled in the corner, discreetly crying. A prison guard handed him two tissues.

He politely took them, carefully wiping his tears.

One by one, the other inmates concluded their visits, then came to crouch beside Theodore Hayes.

Among the young inmates, he appeared strikingly old and frail, his gaunt frame and weathered face a testament to a life of hardship.

A younger inmate next to him gently patted his shoulder, as if to offer comfort.

Seeing this, Aubrey’s heart felt as if a gaping hole had been ripped into it, then filled with a searing, bitter ache that left her breathless with sorrow.

She couldn’t bear to watch another second. Grabbing her bag, she headed out.

Jnable to find any tissues, she scrubbed at her face with her sleeve as she walked, but the more she wiped, the more tears gushed, and the more rustrating it became.

She walked out of the prison and stood before its massive iron gate.

The warm sun blazed overhead, the day bright and glorious, but she felt the entire world had turned to shades of dull gray. The wind might have eemed soft, but it chilled her to the bone. Her legs suddenly felt heavy and weak, each step a struggle.

Her body swayed involuntarily, her heart seizing with a sudden, dying pain that scrambled its rhythm, leaving her gasping for breath, her chest aching. she stumbled back, clutching the rough prison wall as her legs, already weak, gave out completely, slowly sliding her down.

She sank against the wall, collapsing onto the ground, the strength utterly drained from her. She couldn’t get back up, feeling like a lost child, utterly bandoned and adrift. She had no idea how to take another step forward, or what her future held.

She slowly drew her knees up, her hands trembling as they wrapped around her calves. Burying her tear–streaked face in her knees, her shoulders shook with uncontrolled sobs.

She stayed on the ground, long after the tears had stopped, unable to shake off the suffocating weight of her grief.

It was a prison guard on duty who eventually noticed her. He asked if she was alright, then called her a rideshare.

The guard urged her to get checked out at a hospital, but she ignored him, heading straight back to her temporary lodging.

She retreated to her cramped, rented room in the suburbs, a space barely 100 square feet.

Once inside, she drew every curtain, plunging the room into darkness, then switched off her phone and collapsed onto the bed, desperate for sleep.

Only in the oblivion of sleep could she find a brief, precious reprieve from the searing pain.

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She felt no thirst, no hunger. Days blurred into nights, nights into days, as she drifted in and out of a dazed, heavy sleep, her body clock utterly

shattered.

When consciousness pierced through the haze, she lay motionless in bed, her heart and mind hollowed out, as if nothing in the entire world held any

meaning anymore.

Meanwhile, the rocket launch mission had successfully concluded. All systems reported nominal operational data.

As aerospace professionals, the entire team was overjoyed, eager to share their triumph with their families.

As soon as Damon had a free moment, he called Aubrey.

Her phone was off.

He assumed her phone had simply died. He waited a while, then tried her number again. After several more unanswered calls, a cold, insistent unease began to coil in Damon’s stomach.

The Aerospace Research Center has chartered a plane for tomorrow.

Damon couldn’t wait until tomorrow; he booked the soonest flight, desperate to see her.

By the time he returned to Cloudbreak Heights, it was already evening.

Damon pushed open the door to his apartment, dropping his suitcase in the entryway. He didn’t even bother closing the front door or changing his shoes, instead striding straight towards Aubrey’s room.

“Bree…” he called out, his voice tight with urgency.

There was no response.

He pushed open Aubrey’s bedroom door. What met his eyes was a large bed, stripped bare to just the mattress and pillowcases. The bedding was gone. The books on her desk were missing, and her skincare products had vanished from the vanity.

His hands trembled slightly. He took a deep, shaky breath, walked to the closet, and pulled it open with a forceful yank.

The empty closet held nothing but a dozen or so white hangers. Aubrey had taken every single item of her clothing.

Damon couldn’t process the sudden blow. His hands flew to his face, pressing against his reddened eyes as he tilted his head back, exhaling heavily.

A blade had plunged into his heart, and he felt it bleeding out, fighting with every ounce of his strength to suppress the sudden, agonizing pain.

After a beat, he lowered his hands and closed the closet door.

He strode, pulling out his phone and dialing Sierra’s number.

He slumped onto the living room sofa. On the other end, Sierra answered, her voice bright. “Hey, Damon, congratulations-”

Damon cut her off, his voice raw. “Sierra, do you know where Aubrey is?”

“Isn’t she home?”

“She’s gone,” Damon said, his attempt at calm failing miserably.

“Gone? Gone where?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, the words spilling out. “Her phone’s off, everything’s gone. I can’t find her.”

“I don’t know where she went either. She hasn’t come to me. Don’t panic, I’ll go look for her right now. I’ll let you know as soon as I find her.” Sierra said, her voice laced with urgency, before abruptly hanging up.

Damon clutched his phone, his broad shoulders feeling as if they were being crushed under the weight of a mountain. His elbows pressed into his thighs, and he hunched over, head bowed, his eyes closed as he stared blankly at the floor, sinking into a deep reverie.

After a long moment, he regained some semblance of composure and dialed Ethan Sterling’s number.

He would press him again, if Ethan offered any glimmer of cooperation.

Ethan chuckled, his voice laced with a mocking edge. “Damon, you don’t need to look. She was never going to stay with you forever. I saw this ending coming a mile away. Even if you find her, it won’t do any good. You’ll just relive the pain and humiliation of being dumped five years ago.”

At a time like this, Ethan was still intent on mocking him.

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Damon abruptly ended the call and flung his phone aside. He straightened up, then slumped back, his gaze suddenly sweeping across the car keys on the dining table. A piece of paper seemed to be tucked beneath them.

He shot to his feet and rushed over.

He picked up the car keys and glanced at them, then put them down and picked up the letter.

The first sentence on the paper made his hand tremble uncontrollably, causing the letter to shake slightly with it.

Damon, this is goodbye for good.

Do you remember what you said back then? That for these four months, whether physically or emotionally, I could do whatever I wanted.

I’m sorry to tell you, but I was just playing with you the whole time.

For that, I am truly sorry.

Please forget everything I’ve said over the past few months, every promise I made to you. I don’t love you, and forever is too long. I don’t have the confidence to go the distance with you.

I’m going to chase the future I want. Don’t look for me. Let’s just end things cleanly.

I only deceived you emotionally and physically, but I won’t cheat you out of money. The rabies vaccine cost you covered for me, the medical treatment for my injuries, Vincent’s lawyer fees, and the rent and utilities for the apartment–I’ve transferred every cent back to your Zelle.

I hope you won’t hate me, not for money.

Let’s make a clean break, put each other behind us, and move on with our separate lives, never to cross paths again.

And finally!

May the rest of your life be filled with kindness, your path always smooth. May your journey be free of obstacles, your challenges met with strength and light. May your career soar like the morning sun, with a boundless future ahead. And may your marriage be as steadfast as the full moon, beautiful and eternally happy.

The Liar: Aubrey.

Damon’s legs gave out, his steps faltering, and he stumbled, collapsing heavily into the nearest chair.

He braced himself, one elbow digging into the desk, the other into the chair back, using the leverage just to hold himself upright.

A suffocating pain seized his chest, making it impossible to truly breathe. His eyes, red–rimmed and glistening, squeezed shut, and he lowered his head, lips parting slightly as he gasped for air.

Each ragged inhale felt like razor blades tearing at his windpipe. He was trapped in a torturous dilemma: to not breathe was to die, but every breath was

agony.

His grip on the letter was so fierce, veins bulged on the back of his hand, crumpling the paper into a mangled mess. He trembled, a barely perceptible tremor running through him.

The dimming sunset spilled onto the balcony, painting it a melancholic orange, as the room inside grew dark and hazy.

The silence was so absolute, broken only by his ragged breathing and the hollow, mechanical thud of a heart he felt had died.

He remained seated at the dining table, the crumpled, torn letter still clutched in his hand.

From dusk till dawn, and then from dawn to morning, he remained motionless, as if his soul had been ripped from him, his heart hollowed out.

Until the pale, fish–belly white of dawn crept across the horizon, casting the living room in a hazy, muted gray.

Overnight, his usually sharp jawline was tight and cold, covered in a rough stubble that spoke of a night spent in agony. His eyes were dead, a chilling emptiness within them.

He crumpled the letter into a tight ball and tossed it into the trash. Then, he stepped out, pulling the front door shut with a definitive click, and dragged

his suitcase into the bedroom.

Aubrey was trapped in a perpetual haze, as if she’d slept for what felt like an eternity. In the sunless rental, she’d allowed her spirit to rot away,

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Only when the hunger becaine unbearable would she drag herself out of bed. She’d take out the trash, then buy a few essentials–some bread, dry food, and water–enough so she wouldn’t have to leave for days, before collapsing back onto her bed, mindlessly existing.