Chapter 9
I figured Edward was finally having a genuine reaction.
Once he got the anger out of his system, we could officially call it a day.
After all, his fury was simply born out of the bruised ego of a man who realized he had been played.
Edward's gaze slashed across my face like physical blades.
His voice dripped with hatred. "Is that all I am to you? A complete fool to be played with? Did staring at my face while calling out a dead man's name give you some sick, twisted thrill?"
He laughed a broken, mocking laugh, but his hands shook more violently with every passing second.
I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but his eyes were misting over.
It had to be a delusion. There was absolutely no logical reason for him to shed tears over me.
He never loved me, much like I had never harbored an ounce of love for him.
I slid my phone back into my coat pocket, waiting patiently for him to finish his tantrum.
Instead, Edward suddenly reached out and seized my wrist in an iron grip.
Using his free hand, he forcibly yanked the phone back out of my pocket.
"Why are you hiding it? It is simply a photograph. Are you that terrified I might catch another glimpse?" he said, trying to unlock my phone again.
As he violently yanked the device out, a small pill bottle snagged on the fabric and tumbled out onto the pavement.
The cap hadn't been secured properly.
When the bottle hit the ground, a sea of small white pills scattered across the concrete.
Edward glanced down at the mess, his eyes locking onto the label. It was an entire bottle of heavy prescription sleeping pills.
I had been quietly hoarding them for a very long time.
Over the years, countless doctors had warned me to mentally prepare myself.
These pills were my preparation.
If the day ever came when Anton passed away, I planned to swallow them all and follow him into the dark.
Edward stared at the bottle, his vicious sarcasm dying instantly in his throat.
Perhaps he couldn't read the label clearly, or maybe he simply refused to believe what he was seeing.
He crouched down, raising a hand that looked agonizingly stiff and slow.
He was reaching out to pick up the bottle and the scattered pills.
My breathing hitched in pure panic. I frantically fought him to reclaim the medication.
During the struggle, the few pills he managed to gather spilled back onto the concrete.
Terrified, I desperately clawed at the pavement, mixing the medication with dirt as I shoved a handful of pills securely into my tightly clenched fist.
With my other hand, I scrambled to grab the rest.
I had spent months hoarding those.
If I lost them today, I would never be able to build that stash again.
Edward's eyes went completely crimson as he grabbed my wrist with terrifying strength.
He forced my clenched fist open, violently peeling my trembling fingers back one by one.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fight him off, and the pills tumbled directly into his palm.
A wave of severe dizziness washed over me, and my vision tunneled. My body went completely limp, slumping toward the pavement.
Mustering every ounce of remaining strength, I gripped his sleeve desperately. "Give them back. Please, give them back to me," I pleaded.
Edward stared at me, his eyes practically bursting with rage. He opened his mouth, but for a long beat, no sound came out.
When he finally did, his voice rasped. "Lily, what exactly are you planning to do? Are you trying to kill yourself over a dead man? Have you completely lost your mind?"