Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 93

Chapter93

The ride arrived, and Aubrey got into the back seat, immediately bursting into tears again.

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She leaned against the window, gazing at the city streets. Her vision was blurred by tears, and her cheeks felt icy. She raised her hand, wiping her wet checks over and over.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, the driver noticed his passenger seemed unwell. He checked the navigation, noting the destination was a remote spot along the Docks.

“Hey, kid, nothing’s the end of the world but the end of the world itself. Try to relax, whatever it is can’t be that bad. Go home, get some sleep, you’ll be

fine.”

Annoyed, Aubrey closed her eyes and didn’t respond.

“Or, hey, I could take you to this old–school place, get some real New Haven City eats. Always makes me feel better, whatever’s eating at you just kinda melts away.”

Aubrey’s voice was raspy.“Look, I just need a quiet place to sort some stuff out. I’m not trying to off myself.”

“Don’t let the sun fool you. Those clouds rolling in are gonna burst, you know? And with this north wind kicking up, it’s gonna be a real downpour. You should really just head home.”

“Drive or drop me off right now.”

“Driving, driving,” the driver said quickly, glancing again in the mirror.

The car pulled up alongside the Docks.

Aubrey got out and walked to a patch of grass near the water. She sat down, drawing her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her shins, and burying her face against her legs.

The driver watched her for a long moment. Seeing she was just sitting there quietly, not moving, he accepted a new ride request and drove off.

A north wind picked up, and the incoming clouds blocked out the sun. Without the sun’s warmth, Aubrey was surrounded by a gloomy heaviness, like a wounded kitten, hiding in a corner to lick its wounds.

After a long period of contemplation, she finally made up her mind, took out her phone, and sent a message to Damon.

Please don’t come anymore. Last night was a mistake, a momentary lapse of control between adults, nothing more.

After a while, Damon replied:

What do you mean? Barely half a day after we slept together, you’re already denying everything?

Aubrey wiped away her tears and continued typing:

I’m going to marry Alex and have children. Our time ends here.

There was no further reply on the messaging app, but then a phone call came in.

Aubrey looked at Damon’s number, her throat burning with a fiery pain, and she couldn’t bring herself to answer.

She was afraid she would cry uncontrollably, afraid she would lose control, afraid she wouldn’t be able to harden her heart.

She hung up, and he called again.

She hung up again, and he called again.

This went on and on, he called several times, and finally sent a message on the messaging app:

Aubrey Hayes, answer the phone.

Aubrey looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, her chest aching in waves, and typed:/

There’s nothing to say.

Where are you? Now, immediately, I need to see you.

I won’t see you.

Wasn’t everything fine last night?

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Last night was just me using you to vent my desires, nothing more.

You’re such a jerk.

I’m sorry.

Get lost.

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Looking at the last word Damon sent, Aubrey couldn’t help but crack a smile, but it was stiff and bitter, tears blurring her vision, soaking her entire face.

Damon rarely swore; he was usually so composed and wouldn’t easily lose his temper and utter such words.

Her heart felt like it had been ripped in two, the pain penetrating her bones, her body as if it had fallen into an ice cave, cold and trembling.

She fell backward, lying on the lawn, the pain so intense she felt like she wanted to die.

She picked up her phone again and sent a message to Alex:

Alex, let’s meet tomorrow,

Alex replied instantly:

When? I’ll come to you.

Aubrey:

Tomorrow at 2 PM, at the coffee shop across from the law firm where I work.

Alex:

Okay, tomorrow at 2 PM, I’ll be there.

Aubrey put down her phone, closed her eyes, and breathed with her mouth slightly open, feeling like her chest was filled with knives, her whole body about to shatter.

If Damon’s father didn’t approve, it meant the entire Blackwood family was against them. She couldn’t allow Damon to sacrifice his future, his standing, and his relationship with his father for her. She couldn’t become the ultimate villain in his family’s eyes, the woman who destroyed his life. To truly end a love that cuts you to the core, maybe you have to wait until the day you die. That might be the only way.

Aubrey spent the entire day at the Docks, licking her wounds.

When the pain became too much to bear, she thought about jumping into the river. She’d be free, and Damon would be too.

But she endured.

As evening fell, a torrential downpour began. She called a rideshare home.

The car stopped at the entrance to her complex. Without an umbrella, she got out and walked into the rain.

The downpour at night plunged the world into a heavy darkness. Dim yellow streetlights vaguely illuminated the complex’s paths as Aubrey walked through the puddles.

Icy rain plastered her hair, face, and body. She was soaked, shivering from the cold, and her vision blurred, making it hard to see.

As she reached her building,

the door of a nearby sedan suddenly swung open, and Damon stepped out.

Aubrey stopped, standing two meters away. She watched him in the rain, his black shirt and pants drenched. The thin fabric clung to his athletic build. His features were sharp and handsome, not at all disheveled by the rain, but rather edged with a wildness.

Thank God for the rain, so she could cry without restraint.

Damon braved the rain and emerged from the shadows, walking toward her.

As he drew closer, the streetlight above illuminated his face, revealing a hint of sorrow. His voice, unusually gentle, cut through the downpour.“Aubrey,

I said that in a moment of anger. By the time I realized it, I couldn’t take the ‘get out‘ back. Please, don’t be mad.”

Aubrey remained silent, her gaze fixed on him. Her heart was aching to the point of suffocation, but she maintained a facade of calm.

“I don’t have an umbrella either. Let’s not stand here in the rain. We can talk about this at home,” Damon said, reaching out to take her hand.

Aubrey evaded his touch, stepping back.“I made it clear. I choose Alex.”

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“What the hell happened?” Damon’s voice was low and heavy, his eyes red–rimmed in the rain, “Tell me what’s going on, let me fix it. You don’t have to do anything. Just be good, be quiet, and stay with me.”

Let him fix his father?

If he insisted on being with her, his marriage would be over, his future would be compromised, and he would even ruin his relationship with his father.

Wouldn’t she become the ultimate sinner?

Aubrey bit her lip, trying to suppress the sobs that threatened to erupt. She lowered her head and exhaled shakily.

Her fists clenched so tight they trembled, her whole body ached, unable to bear the torment any longer. She steeled herself and snapped at Damon, “Please, just face reality. You can devote your whole life to me, but I can’t do the same for you. I admit it, my love for you isn’t even a fraction of what you feel for me.”

“I also admit,” she continued, “that I’m ordinary. I don’t possess your unwavering resolve. I’m getting older, and I want to get married, I want to have children, I want a complete family.”

“Okay, then let’s get married.” Damon forced a weak smile, his face already indistinguishable from tears and rain. His voice cracked, hoarse, “Marry me. I’ll give you a complete family.”

“Are you kidding me?” Aubrey managed a bitter laugh.

Damon took a deep breath, his fists shaking, his lips trembling. His bloodshot eyes were full of tears, streaming down with the rain. “I’m serious. Your dad being in jail, it’s not your fault, it’s not my fault. Why should we suffer for it? If you don’t pass the security clearance, there are plenty of non–classified positions in my unit. I can transfer.”

Always him giving in. Every single time, it was him making the sacrifice.

And with each concession, she felt like she was being torn apart.

A non–classified position? What’s the difference between that and being a glorified janitor at the Aerospace Research Center? That’s even worse than quitting!