Forbidden Cravings
Chapter 178: Guilt of Past ll

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.

She cried for a long time, her hands clutching my shirt, her breaths ragged and uneven. "He... he didn’t even care," she choked out between sobs, her voice muffled against me. "I thought... I thought he loved me, Ezra. How could I be so stupid?"

"You’re not stupid," I said, my voice firm, my hand still stroking her hair. "You never were..."

That day, as I held her, I made a promise to myself. Aeri had been shattered by Alan, her trust broken, her heart too scarred to try love again.

Till present, she hadn’t dated anyone since, hadn’t let anyone close, and I knew why—she was scared, guarded, afraid of another betrayal. But I resolved, right there on her couch, that I’d make her mine one day, no matter what it took. Not as the college kid she still saw, but as a man who could love her the way she deserved, wholly and without hesitation.

Now, in the present, we walked in silence, my hands shoved into my pockets. Aeri’s steps were slow, her head bowed, her breath puffing in the cold. The memories of those years—her with Alan, her heartbreak, my silent longing—hung between us, heavy but unspoken until she broke the quiet with a soft sigh.

"Sighhhhh... you should’ve told me, Ezra..." she said, her voice low, her eyes lifting to the moon, its pale light catching the shimmer of tears in her gaze. "Now it feels even more cruel. What I was doing at that time... and that too in front of you..." She blinked softly, her lips trembling, her hands clutching my shirt tighter around her shoulders.

I stopped walking, turning to face her, my heart aching at the guilt in her voice. "Aeri, don’t," I said, my voice gentle but firm, stepping closer. "You didn’t know. How could you? I was just... some college kid, hiding how I felt because I didn’t want to mess things up. You were living your life. None of that was cruel—it was just... how things were."

She shook her head, her eyes still on the moon, a tear slipping down her cheek. "But I hurt you," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I was so wrapped up in Alan, in that stupid fantasy, and you were right there, hearing it all, feeling...

We’d been talking about those painful years, her guilt over not knowing how I felt, my resolve to wait for her, and the air between us was heavy, thick with unspoken emotions. A sudden gust of wind whipped through, tossing Aeri’s hair and making her shiver, and something in me snapped.

*Thump*—my heart pounded, and without thinking, I stepped forward, pulling her into my arms in the middle of the empty street.

I hugged her tight, my arms wrapping around her back, her face pressed into my shoulder as the warmth of my body enveloped her. Her eyes widened in surprise, a soft gasp escaping her lips, but she melted into me, her trembling easing as the cold night faded around us.

"It’s okay..." I said, my voice low and steady, my chin resting on her head, her cat ears tickling my jaw. "I said it that day on the couch, remember? It’s okay. It’ll be okay."

"Ezra..." Aeri whispered, her voice soft and shaky, my name barely audible against my shoulder.

Her hands stayed limp at her sides for a moment, like she was too overwhelmed to move, but I could feel her heart racing, her breath warm against my t-shirt.

"Because I’ll make it all okay for you..." I said, my voice firm, a vow I’d carried since that day on her couch.

I patted her head gently, my fingers rubbing her hair, soft and familiar, as I clutched her tighter, wanting her to feel safe, to know I meant every word. The moonlight bathed us in a pale glow, the silent street soothing, like it was holding its breath for us.

Aeri’s eyes filled with tears, her breath hitching as memories flooded her—the years we’d spent together, the late-night study sessions, the dinners where she’d cheer me up after a bad day, the quiet moments when I’d been there for her, even when she didn’t know how much I loved her.

She raised her hands slowly, her fingers trembling as they found my shoulders, gripping them like she needed an anchor.

"I’m sorry for whatever I did... and hurt you, Ezra..." she said, her voice breaking, tears spilling down her cheeks as she cried into my shoulder. "I didn’t know... I’m so sorry..."

"Shhhh... shhh..." I murmured, my own eyes stinging with tears I tried to blink away. "I’m okay. Don’t worry." My voice was soft but thick with emotion, my hands still stroking her hair, holding her close.