That we’re healing.
That whatever broke between us is starting to stitch back together.
EDEN
I ball my fists and squeeze my eyes shut.One… two… three…If I can just breathe through it, if I can stay in my body, maybe I can feel normal again.
Kade’s kisses trail along my skin—too rough, too fast, too much. A shiver runs through me, but not the kind it used to be. Not the good kind.
He moves lower, trying to love me the way he always has, but every inch he touches feels wrong. Too heavy. Too close. Too similar to something I’m trying desperately to forget.
My breath hitches. A strangled sound slips out before I can stop it.
He looks up. “Are you okay?”
I stare at the ceiling and nod once, stiffly. “Uh-huh.”
If I can get through this—if I can replace those awful memories with Kade—maybe the flashbacks will stop. Maybe the scent, the voice, the panic will fade.
“Are you sure?” he asks gently. “Because if this isn’t what you want—”
“It’s fine,” I cut in, too quickly. “Actually, let’s just… just get straight to it.”
He freezes. Confused. This isn’t how we are. I’ve always followed his lead, always let him take his time with me.
“Eden, none of this makes sense.”
I force a smile, tugging him back toward me, and kissing him like I mean it. A tear slips down my cheek anyway.Uninvited.
I’ll feel better after,I tell myself.I’ll feel normal again.
But the second he moves closer, panic detonates inside my chest.
I grip the sheets so tightly my knuckles ache. My breath comes in shallow bursts. My vision blurs.
And then—that scent. Sharp. Zesty. Wrong.
My stomach twists violently, and bile scorches my throat.
Keep still. Good girl. Take it. Don’t look at me like that.
My pulse slams against my ribs.
“Kade,” I whisper, barely audible. A flash of pain—real or remembered—I can’t tell the difference anymore. “Kade… stop.” My voice cracks. “Kade, stop.”
He doesn’t hear the fear, just the words. “What?” he asks, confused. “Eden—?”
The flashbacks crash into me. That horrible thudding sound, that voice spitting venom, the terror choking me.
“KADE!” I scream, the word ripped out of me. He goes still instantly, eyes wide. He finally sees the tears streaming down my face. “Get off,” I whisper, gently shoving at his chest. He hesitates.
“Get off,” I repeat, pushing again, my panic spiralling.
He rolls away, breathing heavily, dragging a hand over his face.
I stumble off the bed, dizzy and shaking from head to toe.
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” he mutters. His voice is hurt, confused, and defensive. “You started this. I wasn’t even—I didn’t expect—”
