Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 94

Chapter94

“Damon, please, just let me go.” Aubrey was emotionally and physically exhausted by their relationship. Unable to contain her grief, she cried out, her voice cracking, “There are so many wonderful women out there. Go find someone else; any woman would be a hundred times better than me, Aubrey Hayes

“Aubrey.” Damon’s voice was hoarse and trembling. “Please, don’t say things like that.”

Aubrey said each word distinctly, “I admit I like you, but I don’t need you. I’m not as steadfast as you, not as devoted, and definitely not as intense.”

Damon’s strong frame trembled slightly, his shoulders as if crushed by a mountain. Struggling to breathe, he gasped for air, choking out, “Aubrey, no one can keep getting hurt and still stick around. I’m only human, I get tired too. Don’t do this to me anymore. I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold on, and I’ll let go of your hand.”

Aubrey bit her lip, each word exceptionally cold, “Then let go. Stop holding on.”

Just like their first breakup six years ago, in the cold weather and pouring rain, she had said the same cruel words, tearing him apart. When he refused to break up, he stood in the rain all night until he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.

Now, once again pierced by her hurtful words, his voice trembled with pain, “What if I don’t let go?”

“Then I’ll marry Alex. Are you going to cross all moral lines and steal your best friend’s wife?”

Hearing this, Damon laughed in despair.

The laugh was especially bitter in the rain. Tears streamed down his cheeks, more than the raindrops, and his voice was filled with sorrow, “Aubrey, marrying Alex and living a lifetime of love under my nose with my best friend… Do you have a knife? It would be more direct to just stab me in the heart right now, instead of slowly torturing me like this.”

Hearing his words, Aubrey felt like she was being driven to the brink.

Damon was pushing her.

Damon’s father, uncle, and aunt were all pushing her.

On one side was Damon’s future and marriage, and on the other was a relationship with no future.

She also wanted to stab herself in the heart, so everything would be resolved, and she could finally be at peace.

All her pain coalesced into a simple, “Damon, I’m sorry.”

With those words hanging in the air, she dragged her chilling, trembling body past him.

Damon didn’t stop her.

The clamor of the rain in the night felt like an unbreakable curse. Eleven years of on–again, off–again, from 18 to 29, had finally come to an end with her

epeated apologies.

Damon stood in the downpour, his iron fist clenched and shaking. He closed his eyes, tilted his head to the dark sky, and his chest heaved violently.

No matter how the rain washed over him, it couldn’t wash away the intense ache that gripped him.

He wasn’t the hot–blooded teenager anymore who would foolishly stand in the rain all night, begging her to change her mind.

As much as it hurt, as exhausted as he was, he turned and got into his car, starting it and leaving the neighborhood.

The rain–soaked streets were blurred by the lights. His hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white. The hazy yellow streetlights filtered through he car windows, casting a pall over his grief–stricken face. Without the rain to mask them, the tears in his eyes were starkly visible, silently arriving, Irenching his face.

Meanwhile.

Aubrey Hayes dragged her weakened body back home, went into the bathroom still wearing her clothes, turned on the hot water, and the showerhead prayed steaming water from head to toe.

Suddenly, her legs gave way, and she landed hard on her backside.

Slowly, she drew her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around her shins, buried her face in her knees, and sobbed, her shoulders shaking.

The hot water couldn’t warm her; she kept shivering. A bone–deep chill seemed to spread from the depths of her heart, and a painful sensation spread hroughout her body, as if she were being drawn and quartered.

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< Chapter94

That night, she cried herself unconscious in the bathroom.

The next day, she was listless and took her antidepressants before going to work.

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As soon as she entered the law firm, she saw police officers inside, and everyone looked grave, whispering to each other.

“What’s going on?” Aubrey asked the assistant next to her, her voice barely audible.

The assistant turned and saw Aubrey. “Ms. Hayes, we’ve been robbed. The lock on the front door was completely removed. You should check your office to see if anything’s been stolen.”

Hearing this, Aubrey rushed into her office.

She glanced around. The safe on the floor was gone.

Aubrey hurried out, just as Vincent was escorting the police from inside. She rushed to him, “My office was robbed.”

Vincent frowned, quickly moving over. “What’s missing?”

The police followed, entering the office to investigate.

“The safe.”

“Were there valuables inside?”

“It contained evidence for the chemical plant pollution case.”

Vincent’s expression turned grave. He sighed deeply, placing his hands on his hips, looking utterly helpless.

Aubrey’s face mirrored his concern. She pressed a hand to her forehead, a sharp pain throbbing in her temples.

She couldn’t shake the thought: Did the Elite Group find out she’d gathered evidence and send someone to steal it?

But how did they know?

Just then, Garrett’s voice cut through the air, laced with suspicion. “Little Blackwood, did you really gather evidence of the Elite Group’s chemical plant’s pollution? Ha! If you collected such crucial evidence, you weren’t able to safeguard it well; you’re still inexperienced.”

His doubt sparked speculation among the others.

Aubrey frowned, staring at him. She hadn’t expected such underhandedness. Saying those things in front of Vincent was clearly aimed at undermining the partner’s trust in her.

The police gathered evidence, took the security footage, and left.

Aubrey’s mood was somber. Relationship troubles coupled with such a significant issue at work left her physically and emotionally drained.

By noon, Alex arrived as planned.

They met at a quiet coffee shop.

Aubrey ordered an iced Americano, while Alex had a latte with extra sugar. They sat across from each other.

After a night of heavy rain, the sky outside the glass window remained gloomy, with a light drizzle falling.

Alex gazed at her delicate and pretty face, his eyes filled with warmth, a faint smile playing on his lips.

This was the first time Aubrey had initiated a coffee date with him.

“Did you like the flowers today?” Alex asked softly.

With everything that had happened that morning, Aubrey hadn’t had time to look at any flowers, but she politely replied, “Yes, I did.”

Alex adjusted his watch, straightened his posture, and cleared his throat. “What made you want to grab coffee today? Is there something you wanted to

talk about?”

Aubrey’s heart was heavy. She looked up at him directly, getting straight to the point. “Alex, are you pursuing me?”

“Of course. Have I not made that obvious enough?” Alex grinned, his eyes crinkling. “Would you be my girlfriend?”

“Let’s skip the dating phase and go straight to a flash marriage. Are you in?” Aubrey asked point–blank.

Alex was stunned. “Huh?”

Aubrey frowned. “You’re not up for it?”

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“No, no..” Alex stammered, still reeling from the shock. The sudden proposal had caught him completely off guard, leaving him both excited and bewildered. “Of course, I’m up for it. It’s just so sudden. Are you sure this isn’t a joke?”

Aubrey’s expression remained calm. T’m not joking. I’m serious.”

Alex couldn’t help but chuckle, then he pursed his lips, picked up his latte, and took a sip, trying to calm his racing heart. “Can you really forget Damon and be with me?”

Aubrey lowered her eyes, hesitated for a few seconds, and then looked back at him, speaking with conviction. “I don’t know if I’ll ever fall in love with you over the course of a long life, but I can promise you that I will never betray our marriage.”

Alex leaned forward, resting his hands on the table, clasping and rubbing them together, visibly nervous. “Have you thought this through”

“Yes.”

“When should we get the marriage license?”

“The sooner, the better.” As she said those words, Aubrey’s fingers turned cold, and she began to tremble almost imperceptibly.

A faint smile played on Alex’s lips. “Tomorrow morning at eight, at the County Clerk’s Office.”

He truly hadn’t expected that sending someone to tail Damon, getting photos of them holding hands, going home, and living together, then handing those photos to Damon’s father, would be so effective, so quickly.

“Okay.” Aubrey rubbed her trembling hands, a strange, stabbing pain in her heart, wave after wave, a rhythmic ache.

< Chapter95.