Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 57

Chapter 57

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Damon’s voice, raw and weary, cut through the silence. “I spent all night thinking, Aubrey, and I still can’t believe it. I poured my heart out, meticulously planned a future for us, only for you to throw it all away. You really showed me that love can be faked.”

A pause, then another message chimed in. “I just dreamed of you. Woke up, instinctively reached out, and your side of the bed was empty. That feeling, like my heart’s being ripped right out of my chest–it’s unbearable. I’ve spent the last two days agonizing over what I did wrong, what I could’ve done

better.”

“Please, just meet me. I promise I won’t pester you. I just need to know you’re safe, and to hear you say it’s really over, face–to–face.”

The next message came through, laced with desperation. “Where the hell are you, Aubrey? Your phone’s been off for days. Even the police can’t find you.”

“My work here is almost wrapped up, Aubrey. I’ll be back in New Haven City in a few days. The distance between us isn’t just thousands of miles–it’s a lifetime. But you couldn’t even give us the dignity of a proper goodbye; you just vanished.”

“Now that you’re gone, it doesn’t matter who I spend my future with anymore.”

“I don’t hate you, but I won’t give you a third chance to break my heart.”

“My flight’s booked for the day after tomorrow afternoon. I’ve sent you countless texts and called nonstop for days. I’ve reached out to all your family, friends, and coworkers. I can’t find you anywhere. I’ve been driving around like a maniac, just looking for you. Every person I see, I think it’s you, but it

never is.”

“My flight leaves tomorrow afternoon, Aubrey. Can we meet just one last time? A real goodbye?”

“There’s no denying it, I love you. I’ve never felt this way about any girl, my entire life. The only time I ever opened my heart, it was for you. I loved you for four years, hated you for five, and now I’ve been utterly consumed by you for another year. For ten years, my heart has been completely filled with just you. I haven’t been able to see anyone else.”

“I can’t love you anymore. From now on, I hope we both find peace in our separate lives.”

“My flight is this afternoon. Please, Aubrey, just meet me. Five minutes, one minute, even ten seconds. I just want to make sure you’re safe, and hear you

let’s

‘s part on good terms‘ one last time. Then this heart of mine, that has loved you for ten years, can finally die completely.”

say

The final message was softer, laced with a heartbreaking finality. “If you don’t want to show up, then so be it. As a farewell, I sincerely wish that your future partner understands you, loves you, and cherishes you as their precious treasure. May you thrive in your career, achieving every success you strive for. And may you always have loving companions and beautiful moments by your side, ultimately living the life you’ve always yearned for.”

Aubrey’s body shook with sobs, her tears drenching her pillow.

As she listened to all the voice messages, her heart felt pulverized by a thousand–pound hammer. The pain stole her breath, made her want to scream, pushing her to the very edge of breaking.

She dropped her phone, snatched the comforter, and pulled it over her head. Hiding beneath the covers, she bit down hard on her arm, hard enough to draw blood, just to stifle the raw agony in her chest. Sobs tore from her raw throat, and even the comforter trembled with her desperate grief.

She stayed buried under the covers, sobbing for what felt like an eternity.

She was on the verge of suffocating from her endless sobs when her phone finally rang.

She weakly reached for her phone, her vision blurred with tears, but she could faintly make out “Sierra” on the screen.

She answered and brought the phone to her ear, but not a single sound could escape her lips.

Sierra’s voice, a mix of frantic excitement and raw anger, boomed through the phone. “Aubrey, you crazy woman, where on earth are you hiding? Do you have any idea Damon’s been tearing the city apart looking for you? We’ve all been going out of our minds with worry! The day after you left, when he couldn’t reach you, he called the police. He was terrified something had happened to you, driving around relentlessly every day, turning all of Crestview City upside down. Even if you broke up, you can’t just disappear without a trace!”

By the end, Sierra was crying too, choking out, “Just tell me, Aubrey, are you safe?”

A tidal wave of emotion surged up Aubrey’s throat, lodging in her chest. Her tears, like a breached dam, burst forth, streaming uncontrollably. She frantically clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the raw, guttural sobs, and forced out a single, strained word, “Mhm.”

“Aubrey, I’m just glad you’re safe. Damon’s about to board; he has an hour. You need to get to the airport right now. Please, even if it’s the last time, let’s at least make our goodbye a dignified one.”

7.21.32

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Aubrey’s voice was thick with tears, hoarse, weak, and broken with painful sobs. “Sierra,” she choked out, “I can’t see him… If I see him, I’ll fall might lose my mind, I won’t be able to let go… I might even selfishly ruin his future.”

“Aubrey, there’s really no hope for your dad’s case, then?”

“No… Aubrey whimpered in despair.

“Bree, Sierra pleaded, “Instead of shouldering this alone, let’s just tell Damon. Let him make the choice, okay?”

apart.

I

“No.” Aubrey’s voice, though a little steadier now, was firm. “I promised his family I wouldn’t tell him. I can’t put him in this impossible position. Whatever choice he makes, it will ruin his future. And if he chooses to break up anyway, then there’s even less reason to tell him. It would be pointless.”

Sierra’s voice turned grave, every word sincere. “You’re sacrificing your own well–being for his family and his future, playing the villain in front of him. You’re not telling him the truth, not explaining your reasons. Do you honestly think that’s what’s best for him? Do you think he’ll thank you for abandoning him again? The right thing to do is tell him everything and let him make his own choice.”

Aubrey was shattered by sobs, unable to utter a single word.

Sierra’s tone hardened further. “Even if Damon gives up his career for you, that’s his choice. If he regrets it later, that’s a problem for the future, and it has absolutely nothing to do with you. I’m giving you an ultimatum: if you’re not at the airport in an hour, I’ll tell Damon the real reason you broke up before he even steps onto that plane.”

The line went dead.

The pitch–black room was heavy with a suffocating gloom, only broken by the soft, ragged sound of her own sobs.

The vast, bustling airport.

gaze

fixed on

In the waiting room, Damon slumped into a chair, his usually striking features etched with exhaustion. He leaned back lethargically, his the airline ticket clutched in his hand, a heavy silence radiating from him. A cold, gloomy pall hung around him, his spirits profoundly low.

Ryan, seated beside him, let out a soft sigh. His eyes were full of heartache, but he had no idea how to offer comfort.

Just then, Sierra walked over, her voice edged with a mix of relief and urgency. “Damon, I got in touch with Bree. She’s safe, and I’ve withdrawn the missing person report with the police. You don’t need to worry anymore; she’s doing well.”

Damon’s long, slender fingers stiffened imperceptibly, but he remained utterly motionless, his eyelids still lowered. He stayed like that, frozen, for a long, heavy moment before finally forcing a single sound from his throat: “Hm.”

“I told her she has to get here within an hour. If she doesn’t come, then I’ll…” Sierra trailed off, her gaze sweeping over Damon before settling on her husband, Ryan.

In that moment, she suddenly understood her own heart.

If the shoe were on the other foot, she realized she’d never want the man she loved to sacrifice his burgeoning career for their relationship.

Love wasn’t eternal, and letting it consume you, becoming utterly love–drunk, was a fool’s game. A career, though, that built a foundation. It forged self–worth, allowed for significant accomplishments. And to turn a lifelong dream into a career? That was something truly invaluable.

It was too hard a choice for her to make for Aubrey.

Sierra let out a soft sigh, settling down beside Ryan. He took her hand, gently stroking it.

They quietly kept Damon company, waiting for his flight to board.

During that time, Damon didn’t say a word, his gaze fixed on his plane ticket.

Sierra grew increasingly anxious, periodically standing up to scan the terminal, hoping to catch sight of Aubrey.

When the boarding announcement for his flight echoed from the screen, Damon stood, exhaling a long, heavy breath. He turned to Ryan. ‘I’m off, man.

Until next time.”

Ryan patted his arm. “Travel safe, man. If I ever get the chance, I’ll come visit you in New Haven City.”

Damon nodded. “Anytime.”

Sierra’s anxiety ratcheted up. She pulled out her phone and dialed Aubrey’s number. “Aubrey, are you coming or not? Damon’s about to board! Are you really going to live with this regret?”

Aubrey’s voice came through, soft and shaky. “I’ve been here for a while. I’ve been watching him, but I just don’t have the courage to go up to him.”

< Chapter 57

“Where?”

“Behind you.”

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Sierra whirled around, spotting Aubrey standing by a large pillar not far away.

Dropping her phone, Sierra excitedly called out to Damon. “Bree’s here! Over there!”

Damon followed Sierra’s gaze, his eyes landing on Aubrey. Her slender figure was leaning against the large pillar, about twenty meters away. Through the stream of bustling people, their eyes met.

Aubrey’s eyes instantly blurred with tears. She forced a strained, stiff smile, then pulled out her phone and sent him a voice message on a Whatsapp.

“Let’s part on good terms. Safe flight.”

A soft beep sounded.

Damon picked up his phone, saw Aubrey’s message on the Whatsapp, and tapped to open it, bringing it to his ear.

Her familiar voice returned, but the words still held a brutal sting. He smiled bitterly.

His smile was a twisted mess, worse than a sob, and his eyes welled up, rimmed with red. He nodded at her, then sent back a voice message: “I’m done chasing you.”

Aubrey heard his voice message and replied, “Okay.”

Immediately, a red exclamation mark popped up.

He had blocked and deleted her.

When she finally lifted her gaze, Damon had turned and was walking towards the boarding gate, scanning his ticket to pass through.

As his retreating figure gradually vanished from her sight, Aubrey’s vision swam. Her eyes, brimming with tears, streamed down her pale cheeks, and her legs buckled, utterly useless.

He hadn’t left alone; it was as if he’d taken her with him, the very life out of her.

Not until he had disappeared from view did Aubrey’s strength finally give out. Everything went dark, and she pitched backward.

Her world had simply ceased to exist.

Sierra’s panicked cries reached her ears. “Bree… Bree, what’s wrong? Wake up…”

Her consciousness blurred, as if someone had picked her up. Her empty shell lifted into the air, swaying, endlessly swaying…

Damon’s strides were unwavering as he walked from the terminal to the plane, never once looking back.

Tears blurred his vision. Unlike their first breakup, he didn’t break down sobbing, hadn’t resorted to desperate pleas, nor had he done anything to harm

himself.

He suddenly realized that extreme pain left him utterly devoid of emotion.

Only his tear ducts seemed impossible to suppress.

Stepping into the cabin, he met the first flight attendant’s surprised gaze and politely asked, “Excuse me, do you have any

tissues?”

Yes.” The flight attendant, accustomed to passengers shedding tears at goodbyes, immediately pulled a packet of tissues from her pocket and offered

them.

“Thank you,” Damon said, taking the packet. He pulled out a tissue, wiping at his eyes as he walked deeper into the cabin.

Once he was seated, he pulled out his phone and systematically deleted every photo of Aubrey from his gallery.

He put down his phone, turning his head to gaze out the window. His eyes were shadowed, heavy with an unspoken ache.

Crestview City, a beautiful city that held a beautiful girl who had painted the last decade of his life in vivid, unforgettable hues.

Whether happy, beautiful, or agonizingly painful, all of it was now in the past, sealed away in his memory, never to be reopened or replayed.

As the plane soared through the spring skies over Crestview City, it became just another fleeting, ordinary sight.

Everything settled into a quiet calm.

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Aubrey woke up in the hospital and, seeing a tear streaked Sierra, managed a small smile. “I’m okay,” the said. “Just passed out from hunger, that’s all.”

Once out of the hospital, she slipped back into her regular routine, returning to work at the law firm.

But life had grown far worse than before.

At least before, she’d had a fire in her belly, a driving purpose to clear her father’s name. With that conviction, she’d lived with effort, with meaning.

Now, that conviction was gone. And Damon was gone too.

She lived just to scrape by, earning enough to keep food on the table. When hunger gnawed at her, she’d buy whatever she could to fill her stomach, to quiet the hollow ache inside.

Her heart could no longer tell the difference between pain and joy, couldn’t discern worry from hope. It simply beat, silently and mechanically, beneath

her ribs.

Sierra had offered her the house rent–free, but she’d refused.

That house, filled with so many memories, Damon’s ghost lingering in every corner – she couldn’t bring herself to go back.

She lived in a small, cramped apartment now, dimly lit and quiet. Being alone there, in the silence, was enough.

But ever since Damon left, insomnia had set in.

Where she once slept soundly through the night, she now spent countless hours wide awake. Her mind and heart felt hollow, devoid of thought, yet sleep remained stubbornly elusive.

She went to the hospital and was prescribed sleeping pills. The doctor told her to take one pill at a time.

Initially, one pill did nothing.

She escalated to two, then three, but sleep still wouldn’t come.

Unable to cope, utterly exhausted and craving deep rest, she swallowed the entire half–bottle of sleeping pills.

She woke up later in a hospital bed, her stomach pumped, feeling terribly weak.

Her mother and Sierra’s eyes were swollen from crying. Her brother and sister–in–law had arrived too, gathering around her with a torrent of reproaches, concern, and gentle persuasion, demanding to know why she had tried to end her life.

She offered a faint smile. “I wasn’t trying to kill myself,” she said. “I just wanted to sleep.”

“What kind of sane person takes half a bottle of sleeping pills just to sleep?” Layla choked, tears in her voice. “You can’t stay in that awful place anymore. Come back home.”

And from that day on, she moved back home.

For some reason, her mother, brother, and sister–in–law had been tiptoeing around her, constantly attentive to her moods, and she could feel them weighing every single word they spoke.

She felt perfectly normal, apart from her insomnia, and certainly wasn’t suicidal.

They were being overly cautious.

That was until one day, her brother, feeling peckish, took out the two containers of food she’d stored in the freezer, microwaved them, and ate them. She flew into a rage and trashed the entire house.

Those were the last two containers of food Damon had made for her. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to eat them, keeping them as a precious

memento.

Afraid the food would spoil, she’d kept them in the freezer.

Fearing they might someday be thrown out or eaten, she’d specifically labeled the lids: “Aubrey’s only. Hands off! Do not eat. Do not throw away.”

But they were eaten anyway.

In her twenty–eight years of life, it was the first time she’d ever completely lost control at home, smashing the place to pieces.

It scared her mother and brother senseless, so they had her admitted directly to a mental hospital, where she was diagnosed with severe depression and bipolar disorder.

n–day

The irony was sickening. The ones truly at fault had twisted everything, slapping her with a mental illness diagnosis. The doctor ordered a seven- hospitalization and forced her to take a mountain of medication.

< Chapter 57

She was so exhausted. And taking the pills was fine, at least they stopped the insomnia.

She complied with the doctor’s plan, committed to the treatment, and was discharged on schedule a week later.

Everyone believed she was sick, and Sierra spent more and more time with her. But Sierra was truly busy.

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Her caseload at the law firm was overwhelming, and she was too swamped to laugh or just be herself with Shen Hai.

Cases kept rolling in, and she had a high success rate.

Her colleagues noticed she’d changed. She didn’t seem to smile as much, and her demeanor with clients had grown much colder.

She offered a tight, dismissive smile. “I’m a lawyer, not a waitress. My job is to win their cases. What kind of emotional support are they expecting? Did they pay for that?”

She was often too busy to remember her medication, so she simply stopped taking them altogether.

Before long, her insomnia crept back.

Sleepless all night, she climbed to the third–floor rooftop at one in the morning. She sat on the half–meter wall, letting the cool night air wash over her, desperate for a moment to breathe. Below, the alley was choked with electric scooters, and a surge of irritation rippled through her.

Why did everyone park their electric scooters so haphazardly?

The third floor was too low, and there were too many electric scooters below. She figured if she jumped from here, all she’d get was pain, nothing else.

Suddenly, Brendan lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her from behind and yanking her back.

Her mother was crying.

Her sister–in–law was screaming, “If you’re going to die, do it somewhere else! Don’t you dare die in my house, I’m pregnant!”

Her brother stepped in, pleading, ‘Honey, she’s already barely hanging on. Just leave her be.‘

She watched their agitation with a chilling calm, simply stating, “I just can’t sleep. I’m sitting here catching the evening breeze. What’s it to any of you?”

Gloomy and agitated, she retreated to her room.

Another night bled into morning, sleepless. Perhaps it was the chronic insomnia, but one morning, her heart suddenly hammered against her ribs. She felt like death was moments away, gasping for air, her body trembling and weak, a cold sweat breaking out across her skin.

Terrified, she cried out for her mother to save her.

At the hospital, after a thorough examination, they confirmed her heart was perfectly healthy, and all her organs were functioning normally.

Instead, she was diagnosed with severe somatic symptoms of depression.

It was then that she was forced to confront her illness, taking her medication on time and daring not to stop again.

Two months later, a lawyer named Henderson called unexpectedly, requesting to meet her and her family at their home, stating there were some important documents she needed to sign.

She scheduled the meeting for Saturday.

It was midday.

Lawyer Henderson arrived precisely on time. Layla was surprised. “You?”

“Yes, it is,” Lawyer Henderson replied politely. “Ms. Johnson, we meet again.”

Layla swallowed hard, her gaze flickering nervously to Aubrey.

Aubrey was stunned. “You’ve met?”

Layla invited Lawyer Henderson to sit, poured him tea, then sat stiffly, afraid to speak.

On the couch, Brendan and Chloe sat together, staring curiously at Lawyer Henderson.

Aubrey felt something was off about her mother.

Lawyer Henderson pulled some documents from his bag as he spoke. I’m Victor Henderson, Mr. Damon’s attorney. Two months ago, I had Ms. Johnson sign some documents. Today, I’m here to finalize things.”

Hearing Damon’s name, a ripple spread through Aubrey’s calm heart, as if her numb heart suddenly beat, then ached.

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“What documents did my mother sign? And what’s this about?” Aubrey asked, bewildered.

Lawyer Henderson produced two documents and handed them to Aubrey. “These are the car, the house, and a bank card Mr. Blackwood left for you,” he explained. He knew you wouldn’t accept them, so two months ago, he had your mother sign to receive them on your behalf. If you still refuse to sign today, all of these assets will be transferred solely to your mother.”

Aubrey stared, dumbfounded. She quickly opened the documents and began to read. What she saw left her utterly stunned,

The sight of her mother’s signature, already present, ignited a fresh wave of fury within her.

The signing date was three days before Damon was scheduled to leave. By then, they had already broken up.

Aubrey’s hands trembled with rage. She looked at Layla, disbelief warring with anger in her eyes. Her voice was low, each word a direct accusation: “Why would you sign these papers? Why would you take so much money from him? A house in Maple Hill Estate worth over six million dollars, a car worth hundreds of thousands, and a million dollars in a bank account! How could you possibly feel okay taking all that from him?”

Brendan and Chloe’s eyes widened, shining with undisguised greed. They craned their necks, their gazes riveted on the documents, barely concealing their eagerness to see what exactly Damon had left.

Layla scoffed, straightening her shoulders. “Who in their right mind turns down money? If someone offers me a fortune, why wouldn’t I take it? Besides,” she added, “Damon himself said he wanted to marry you, wanted to make sure you were set for life. He was giving it willingly; I didn’t force

his hand.”

Layla’s confident front faltered, her voice dropping as she stammered, “Well, if you don’t want them, then… then just don’t sign. If you don’t sign, those assets naturally won’t be yours.”

Aubrey let out a short, hollow laugh, her eyes instantly brimming with tears. She pressed her lips into a bitter line, silence hanging heavy between them for a long moment before she finally whispered, “So, all your kindness to me, all your love… it was all conditional on the money Damon promised you?” Layla panicked, her tone sharp. “Okay, I love money, sure, but you’re my daughter, the one I worked so hard to raise. I love you too, there’s no doubt about that. Damon’s such a good man–he’s successful, and he treated you so well. I just can’t understand why you broke up with him!”

“Mom, do you even know his background?” Aubrey asked, tears welling in her eyes, a bitter smile twisting her lips.

“What do I care about his background?” Layla scoffed. “I used to think Caleb was decent, but next to Damon, Caleb is nothing. I envisioned you marrying Damon, set for life, and I’d finally get some peace and comfort myself. I just can’t believe how ungrateful you are, sigh…”

A sudden thought struck Aubrey. She clutched the documents tighter, asking in a hushed voice, “Mom, there’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you What did Damon say to you back then that made you completely change your mind? You not only stopped pushing me to marry Caleb, but you also started treating me so incredibly well. Why?”

Layla sighed softly, lowering her head and rubbing her hands together. “What else could it be? Damon asked why I played favorites with my son. I told him sons are supposed to be there for you in your old age. Daughters marry out, and then you’re just another in–law. If I didn’t keep my son and his wife happy, who would look after me? He just signed an agreement for me, right then and there.”

“What agreement?”

Layla’s disappointment was palpable, her voice heavy with resignation: “If he married you, he’d take your dad and me to New Haven City to retire, give us twenty thousand dollars a month, and even provide a housekeeper. But if we didn’t want to go to New Haven City, we could stay here in Crestview with our son. In that case, he’d give your dad and me the six–million–dollar house at Maple Hill Manor. The condition was that we had to truly love you, treat you better than our own son.”

Aubrey felt a large hand grip deep within her chest, squeezing the air from her lungs until she gasped, too raw with pain to utter a single word. She slumped back against the chair, closing her eyes as tears welled, then spilled from the corners, tracing hot paths down her temples. A wave of profound desolation washed over her, as unnatural and unwelcome as a sudden freeze in sumn

summer.

What Damon offered her wasn’t merely love; it was a lifetime free of financial worries, and a multitude of unseen sacrifices she was only now beginning to comprehend.

Lawyer Henderson pulled a letter from his brief. “Ms. Hayes, Mr. Blackwood entrusted this to me two months ago. His instructions were that if you refused to sign, I was to give you this letter. If you did sign, however, it was to be immediately destroyed.”

Aubrey froze, her damp eyes snapping open to gaze at the envelope in Lawyer Henderson’s hand. Her heart pounded, a sudden surge of adrenaline coursing through her as she slowly took the envelope. The other three in the room were equally tense, their gazes glued to the letter in her trembling hand.

< Chapter 57

Her hands trembling, she tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter.

Damon’s letter. His handwriting was as elegant and gentle as the man himself.

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Memy

My Wife Bree.

Four long years and four months. Getting to know you, falling in love with you–I’ve been happy, and I’ve been lucky. A piece of paper never defined us; in my heart, I always considered you my wife. I wanted to give you the best life had to offer, all the deep love I was capable of, to hold your hand and grow old with you, to lie beside you, our bones turning to dust together.

If you didn’t want that, it must mean I fell short. I don’t blame you, and I don’t hate you.

Now that we’re apart, you’re my ex–wife. And while 1, Damon, may not be perfect or wealthy, I would never, ever leave my ex–wife with nothing.

I own a house in Crestview City’s Maple Hill Manor, a domestic car, and some savings. I’m transferring them to you now, using your mother’s name as a proxy–this is my voluntary gift.

You wouldn’t want everything I give you to end up with your brother, would you? So, don’t hesitate. Sign and accept the gift.

I believe, knowing you, Aubrey, you won’t disappoint me.

As I write this letter, just three days before I depart Crestview City, my love for you, in this very moment, has been utterly released.

In the future, I will marry, have children, and build a good life for myself, but you will not be a part of it. Even your memory will be sealed away.

I hope you feel the same, with no regrets about the choice you’ve made, that we can wish each other well and leave each other in peace.

Life stretches long, and I won’t claim we’ll never cross paths again. If we do, let’s share a brief smile, and then go our separate ways as strangers.–Damon.

Aubrey lowered her head, her fingers trembling as she gingerly folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope.

A fat tear splashed onto the tan envelope. She frantically tried to wipe it away, but the more she rubbed, the larger the wet mark bled across the

paper.

No sooner had she wiped them than two more tears spilled, blurring her vision. She frantically swiped at the irritating tears in her eyes with her sleeve, then tenderly wiped the envelope.

Lawyer Henderson offered her a tissue.

“Thanks.” She took the tissue, but instead of wiping her eyes and cheeks, she continued to gently wipe the envelope.

Lawyer Henderson: “Miss Hayes, would you like to sign these documents?”

Aubrey nodded. “Yes, I’ll sign them.”

Brendan bit his lower lip, a frown creasing his brow. He nudged his mother with his foot, his voice a low whisper. “Mom, quick, think of something! Our big catch is about to get away!”