Chapter 297: Chapter 297 Lies and Confession
(Aeris/Ember POV)
"Is that the truth or you are just trying to hide it?" His voice cracked as he stumbled to his feet, and his body swayed as he moved closer.
My fingers curled tightly into a fist, my heart skittering in my chest. I needed fresh air and I needed to be alone to sort my emotions out. Because I don’t know if I should hate him for what he had done, or if I should hate myself for being a fae and his mate.
"It’s the truth, I’m not Ember, and I don’t know who she is," I said, my voice travelled through the air with tremors of lie and detachment.
"I don’t believe you... Do you forget I can feel your emotions?"
I closed my eyes inhaling sharply, I began to walk closer to the door, only for strong arms to wrap around my waist.
My heart skipped a beat as his scent mixed with alcohol invaded my nostrils, my back pressed firmly against his well-chiseled chest, his form towering above me.
Seconds went by and it was like I was trapped in a lucid dream, a dream where I fought desperately for him to let me go only for me to stay immobilised in reality.
My finger hovered above his arm, my lips curled into a cry. Feeling his warmth reminded me of what we could have had if only I weren’t a fae... and it made me realise how much deprived of comfort I was.
I wanted to curl into his embrace and listen to his heartbeat, I wanted to feel safe in his arms, believing everything I had learnt was a lie... that it was only a dream.
But I knew it was the other way around... I can’t let him get close to me... it would only make him go mad at the end.
"Ember..." His hoarse and whiskey breath brushed through my ear sending shivers down my spine. "I know you are in there."
I fingered his arms, trying to pry his arms off around me, I struggled in his grip as I wanted to get far away from him.
"I love you."
His words made every organ in my body shut down, even my heart forgot to beat.
"I love you so much... that when I lost you on the cliff I went mad." He sniffled.
’Was he crying? No, there is no way that psycho will cry...’
"I know I’ve been overbearing and cold to you back then, I know I hurt you when I dismissed your feelings and decided to mate with Alpha Allison. I know you hated me for letting the pack hunt you down when you were at your lowest... And I hate myself for failing to protect you and being there for you..." He sniffled again. "Watching you fall was one of the scariest moments in my life Ember... I missed you so much, I missed your cuteness, I missed how you eat... even the food no longer tastes the same since you left... Ember, please don’t shut me out."
I lowered my head, as I felt broken inside... I’ve been carrying this pain and injustice for a long time. Now that he was acknowledging his wrong and apologizing, I didn’t know what to feel.
"I’m not saying this because of my hurting, rather it’s because of the pain I had caused you... I realized it too late, and I want to make it up to you."
He pressed his forehead against the back of my neck, his arms tightening slightly around me.
I continued looking at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the room, I wanted to yell at him, curse at him, and beat him. I blinked, tears rolling down my cheeks. There was no point in all of that.
"The reason why I hated Fae and Witches is because of the people they took from me..." My body stiffened hearing his words.
"My father, my brother, his wife... my mate, my child, my people..."
The image of Anastasia ripping their stomach open flashed through the edge of my mind, along with Damon’s wailing. My body trembled and my chest tightened so much that it was painful to breathe.
Both of us were just pawns in the game of the universe, one destined to lose both his mate, and the other granted two chances to live only to die at the end. Somehow we both found each other, learned to love, and he learned to move past his hatred not knowing he would end up in the same circle of pain again.
"Enough Damon!" I yelled, prying his hands off me but he just wouldn’t budge. "I don’t care what happened to you or your family, and I’ll say it one last time... I’m not Ember." It was clearly one of those weaponized sentences that get flung out to hurt, to end conversations.
I felt like a prick while dismissing him like that, he finally opened up to talk about his darkest moment but I shut him up like that... How could I be this cruel? I wiped my hand across my face, wiping off the tears.
I felt the pain in his heart, hurting like it was being pricked by thousands of needles.
"You really don’t care about my past... or the massacre of my family?" His voice was laced with pain and disbelief.
"N-No, I don’t," I whispered, afraid to say it out loud.
’I do care, I believed no one had to go through what they had gone through. But you must forgive me for this, I’m doing it for the sake of us.’
"If you say you are not Ember, there is really no point in it." His hands loosened around my waist, then he took a few steps back.
My shoulder shuddered from the lack of warmth. I curled my arms round myself and walked towards the door. The chill from the cold handle seeped into my skin, as I flung the door open, his voice echoed behind me.
"If you were really Ember, I bet you would want to know that your sisters got buried at the back of the garden... but since you are not... There is no point in letting you know."
I shut the door, my footstep and sob echoing down the hallway.