One Night

Chapter 122

Audrey

I paced the small utility closet, my heart pounding a mile a minute in my chest.

With each passing moment, 1 kicked myself for coming here. It was **d, risky, and would only end in more heartbreak for me I was sure of it.

But I had to come, even if I knew it was a bad idea.

I needed to talk to Edwin, to hear him out. He had seemed so… adamant about talking to me.

And if I was being honest with myself, I wanted to see him up close again, smell his cologne, feel his arms around me. I hardly wanted to admit it, even to myself, but I missed him dearly. The way he had held me earlier in his office just made that pang even more profound.

The sound of footsteps outside made me freeze. I held my breath, listening intently. The door handle turned with a soft click, and Edwin slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind him.

The small space suddenly felt even smaller now that his broad form towered over me.

“Audrey

“Edwin,” I breathed, and without thinking, I surged forward into his arms.

He caught me, his strong arms wrapping around me, holding me tight against his chest. I could feel the warmth of his body through his shirt, the steady beat of his heart. His breath tickled my hair, and the familiar scent of his cologne enveloped me. For a moment, all the tension and anger of the past weeks melted away.

This felt right-more right than anything I had felt in my life. Being held by him like this, it was as if…

As if fate wanted me here.

But reality came crashing back all too soon, I shouldn’t have gone to him like that. I was still angry with him over Fiona, and I was making a fool of myself.

I quickly pulled away. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled, taking a step back and bumping into the cool metal of a nearby shelf. “I don’t know why I did that.”

Edwin released me after a moment of hesitation. The loss of contact left me feeling oddly cold, and I suppressed a shiver. “It’s alright,” he said softly, his eyes searching mine. “I’m glad you came. I wasn’t sure you would.”

I nodded, struggling to collect my thoughts. The closeness of the space, the warmth of his body, it was all making it hard to think straight. “You said you wanted to explain everything-

“Yes,” Edwin said, running a hand through his hair. “First, I want you to know that Linda won’t be bothering you anymore.

I’ve handled it.”

My eyes widened slightly. I knew that Linda had left the building earlier, but I hadn’t heard much more about it. “What happened?” I whispered.

“She’s been fired and banned from the building, along with Leo. They won’t be coming back.” He paused, a small smile playing on his lips. “And you’ll be keeping your internship. In fact… you’re going to Paris Fashion Week.”

I felt my knees go weak, and I had to grab onto a nearby shelf to steady myself. “What? How? I don’t understand. My designs-

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Chapter 122

Edwin reached out to steady, me, his hand warm on my arm. I didn’t pull away this time. “Even though your designs were destroyed, I personally went and looked at the pieces with the other designers. We could see the care and skill that was put into them. And since Linda was disqualified, you’re the only candidate. But even if she weren’t, you would have won.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It felt like a dream, too good to be true. I had to resist the urge to pinch myself.

“Really?” I breathed. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

Edwin shook his head, his expression serious, “I wouldn’t lie to you, Audrey. Not about this. Your designs were beautiful.” He sighed, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his lips again. “I wish I could have seen you wear those pieces before they got destroyed.”

Then, before I could say anything, Edwin said, “What’s more, the designers and I want you to produce one piece for the show,”

This time, I couldn’t contain myself. I threw my arms around his neck, thanking him profusely. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I repeated, my voice mu***ed against his chest.

Edwin held me close, and I could feel his reluctance to let go, his arms tightening around me as though he were afraid that I’d try to run again.

When I finally pulled back, however, a thought occurred to me. “Will you be coming to Paris?”

“I will,” he said, although I could sense that there was more to it

“What about Fiona?” The name felt bitter on my tongue, and I saw Edwin’s expression darken just at the mention of her. He didn’t seem very much like a man in love with his betrothed

“Right… There’s something I need to tell you about Fiona.”

Over the next few minutes, Edwin explained everything. The unwilling engagement, Fiona’s threats, his repeated attempts to end things to no avail.

With each word, I felt more and more relieved, but also frustrated. I was relieved that he hadn’t willingly betrayed me, but frustrated that he hadn’t told me sooner. He should have told me he had plenty of chances to, but he hadn’t.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Edwin said as if reading my mind. He leaned against the wall, looking more tired and vulnerable than I had ever seen him. “I thought I would be able to end things with Fiona before it came to this. But I never wanted to get engaged to her. I was forced into it.”

I took a deep breath, still processing everything he had said. It was all so much, and once again, I felt the urge to pinch myself.

“I understand why you did what you did,” I finally said, choosing my words carefully. “But I hope you know I can’t fully forgive you for not telling me when you had the chance.”

Edwin’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking beneath his skin. “I know, I never meant to hurt you, Audrey.”

I could see the sincerity in his eyes, the regret etched into every line of his face. And while couldn’t fully forgive him yet, I felt the anger that had been simmering inside me start to dissipate.

“So what now?” I asked, dreading the answer.

Edwin’s expression turned grim. “I think you already know, Audrey.”

wallowed hard, suddenly feeling like I might cry. “We have to say goodbye,” I whispered.

Edwin nodded stiffly, as though that small motion physically pained him. “Fiona will ruin you if she finds out we’ve been seeing each other. We’re already on rocky ground with me helping you today.”

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Chapter 122

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He paused, taking a step forward, and took my hands in his. His wide fingers were surprisingly cool. Or maybe my own skin was just burning up.

“I can’t bear it if something happens to you, Audrey,” he said quietly. “I… I care too much.”

My heart sank at his words, a cold feeling settling in my

my stomach “So we just… pretend nothing happened between us? Act like strangers?” I asked.

“For now, yes,” Edwin said, his voice strained. He reached out as I to touch my face, but then let his hand fall back to his side. “You’ll finish your internship with little, if any, interaction with me. When we go to Paris Fashion Week, we’ll need to be distant there too. In fact, no one even knows I’ll be going.”

I raised an eyebrow at that, and he said. “I’m just going to watch the show from the audience, my face covered so no one recognizes me. But I’ll be there to see your piece on the runway

I felt tears p**ng at the corners of my eyes. This wasn’t fair. After everything we had been through, to have to stay apart… was angry with him, but…

“It’s not right.” I whispered, my voice breaking

Without a word, Edwin wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close again.

I breathed in his scent. memorizing the feeling of being in his arms, just in case I never felt it again. This time, when we parted, he cupped my face in his hands, his thumbs gently wiping away my tears. He leaned in, tenderly pressing his lips to mine. The kiss was so gentle it was like a moth’s wings brushing my lips, and yet I felt like the room was tilting around me.

When we finally broke apart, Edwin’s eyes were dull, tired. Drained-as if he had poured what was left of himself into that kiss, and now there was nothing left but the empty puppet that Fiona wanted so badly.

“I’m sorry we can’t be together,” he said quietly, his voice rough “But I want you to know that I’ve cherished every moment with you, Audrey. Every single one.”

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. I wanted to tell him how much he meant to me, how much I wished things could be different, but the words wouldn’t come.

Edwin pressed one last lingering kiss to my forehead before turning to leave. As I watched him go, tears streaming down my face, I was hit with a sudden realization that shook me to my core.

The ache in my chest, the longing I felt as he walked away, it all made sense now.

I really had fallen in love with Edwin Brooks.

I

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