Chapter 178: Guilt of Past ll
Years ago, when I was still in college, Aeri’s life had fallen apart. She’d quit her job—the one where she worked alongside Alan, the guy who’d broken her heart. He’d been cheating on her for months, stringing her along with his trust-fund charm while she dreamed of a future he never intended to share. When she found out, it shattered her.
Sara, her best friend was the only legit support she had from outside that time. She had been her rock through it all, helping her pack up her desk, letting her crash on her couch, listening to her cry late into the night even helped Aeri financially and also the one who took the courage and slapped Alan in the middle of road for what he did to her.
I wasn’t there for the worst of it, but I’d seen the aftermath, the way Aeri’s spark had dimmed, her laughter quieter, her eyes carrying a weight they hadn’t before.
One evening, she was on the couch, curled up in a loose sweater, her hair messy, her face blank as she stared at the wall. I’d poured a glass of water, setting it on a tray, hoping it might help, and called her name softly.
"Aeri..." I called her name.
She looked up, her eyes meeting mine, soft and hollow. "Ezra..." she whispered, her voice barely there, like it took all her strength to say my name.
Then, after a long pause, her face crumpled, and she cried out, "EZRA!"—a raw, desperate sob that hit me like a punch.
I dropped the tray, the glass clattering to the floor, water splashing across the hardwood, and rushed to her. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close, her body shaking against mine.
"Mom..." I said and patted her back, my fingers gentle in her hair, stroking softly as she sobbed into my chest, her tears soaking my shirt. "It’s okay... it’ll be okay..." I murmured, my voice steady even as my heart broke for her. I held her tight, wishing I could take her pain away, hating Alan for what he’d done, hating the world for letting her hurt like this.