- 3 hours ago
Hot 🧡🍏 🔥 Come Down and Hit Me
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00:00The worst years of my bipolar, I bought myself, a broke scholarship kid, 15 grand a month, I'd take a
00:06riding crop to that ridiculous body of his, slap that face, the one too pretty for its own good, I
00:12liked BDSM, loved playing with him most of all, finals week, stress through the roof, so I called him over
00:18to my place, the moment he walked in, he took the riding crop from my hand himself, dragged the leather
00:23tip across his own abs.
00:30Later, I wore myself out hitting him and fell asleep, how did I wake up here, did Ethan decide I
00:37went too hard and sell me off while I was unconscious, I look around, lost, everything is cold white, expensive
00:44sleek furniture, floors so grey they gleam, and these strangers, all staring at their phones, nobody looks at me, I
00:51swallow and get ready to slip out, the door opens without a sound, the man holding it bows with an
00:56apologetic smile, and Ethan walks in behind him,
00:59Awake?
01:00He moves to the seat directly across from me, I stare as he lifts his wrist without thinking, a Patek
01:06Philippe sits on that lean, strong forearm, everything about him radiates, something that doesn't belong to him, something effortless and
01:13expensive, this is not the Ethan Mercer I remember, he doesn't look at me, opens his mouth, unhurried,
01:20This contract...
01:21Contract? Right, right, okay, he did sell me, my voice cuts through the room,
01:26What we had was consensual, you wanted out, you could have just said so, selling me off is a whole
01:32other level of low, everyone freezes, the round faced girl next to me taps my arm gently,
01:38Ethan?
01:38Ethan cuts her off, his gaze locks onto me, cold and flat,
01:42Are you having an episode?
01:43He dares talk to me like that?
01:45The old Ethan Mercer, no matter how hard I hit him, would only press his hand to his face, look
01:50up at me with those damp, hazy eyes, and grit out two words,
01:54More money.
01:55Now he has the nerve to call me crazy, I shoot to my feet and swing, the slap cracks across
02:00his face,
02:01You want to get hit? I'll ask one more time, where is this?
02:08Ethan lifts his hand and wipes the corner of his mouth, watches me, that look, it's too complicated,
02:14For a second I'm sure he's about to hit me back, but a few seconds pass, he presses his lips
02:19tight, leans into my ear,
02:21Want to keep going? Get it out of your system? Then we work.
02:25I can't bring myself to swing again, too many people, kills the momentum, I drop back into my seat,
02:31I'm leaving, now, Ethan lowers his head and goes back to the contract,
02:35Suit yourself, then to the room,
02:37The rest of you go, it's past six,
02:39Past six? What is even happening? My head spins, I wander the building for what feels like forever,
02:46And can't even find the elevator, the round faced girl catches up, careful, gentle,
02:51Eden, want to head out together? We're the same direction,
02:53As she talks, she pulls out her phone, the date glows across the screen, 2026.
03:01It's, it's 2026?
03:03She gives me a puzzled look, yeah, 26, why, what year did you think it was?
03:09Like getting hit by a truck, I wasn't so, son of a bitch, I time travel.
03:15The round faced girl's name is Bree Keller, I fish for information carefully,
03:19Each answer sinks my heart a little deeper into ice water,
03:22In the conference room, that was the entire strategic planning division,
03:26Bree breaks the silence,
03:27Eden, I seriously admire you,
03:30And I hit someone, in front of all of them,
03:32For what?
03:33You slapped the CEO in front of the entire team,
03:36I've never been so terrified and so thrilled at the same time,
03:40Cold sweat beads across my forehead,
03:43Honestly, I've wanted to do that for months,
03:46My vision goes dark around the edges,
03:50Ethan Mercer, is the CEO?
03:53When he was with me, the guy was dead broke,
03:55Drowning in his father's gambling debt, raising an underage sister,
03:58Without me, he couldn't have paid tuition,
04:00And now he's the CEO,
04:02And I just slapped the CEO in front of every department head in the company,
04:06Something clicks,
04:07Back in the meeting, you called me Eden,
04:10You know who I am?
04:11Bree stares at me like I've lost my mind,
04:13You're his EA?
04:14She's looking at me like I'm a special kind of stupid,
04:18Executive assistant,
04:19Ethan Mercer's executive assistant,
04:22That's why I admire you,
04:24You slapped your direct boss,
04:26At least there's one piece of good news,
04:28Seven years later,
04:29I still live in the most expensive part of Manhattan,
04:31Upper East Side,
04:32Penthouse,
04:33The moment I walk in,
04:34Mrs. Delaney takes my coat,
04:35And hands me a glass of water,
04:37Different housekeeper from seven years ago,
04:39But that's normal enough after all this time,
04:41I sink into the couch,
04:42The living room's changed a bit from what I remember,
04:45But the overall vibe is still mine,
04:46If this apartment's still here,
04:48The family hasn't gone bankrupt,
04:49I pissed off Ethan today,
04:51Worst case,
04:52I quit tomorrow,
04:53I drift off on the couch,
04:54In my dream,
04:55Ethan's body is still warm around me,
04:57He's rubbing ointment into my hand,
04:58The one that went red from hitting him,
05:00Something knots in my chest,
05:02Aftercare wasn't part of our deal,
05:03But at some point,
05:04He started doing it anyway,
05:06Every time,
05:06Checking my palms for swelling,
05:08For redness from striking too hard,
05:10I think he was afraid I'd let him go,
05:12Without my money,
05:13He and his sister would have been on the street,
05:14Debt collectors circling,
05:16My eyes drop to the riding crop marks across his chest,
05:19I frown,
05:19I hit too hard this time,
05:21The moment my fingers touch his skin,
05:22Ethan's lashes flutter,
05:24He turns toward me,
05:25And his lips land on mine,
05:27Soft as a feather,
05:28Light,
05:28Barely there,
05:29It tickles,
05:30His eyes open,
05:31Cold and steady,
05:34Eden,
05:34We had a deal,
05:36You get my body for this,
05:38You don't get all of me,
05:40Right,
05:41The kid had his boundaries,
05:42I can't remember which time it was,
05:44I was drunk,
05:45Shoved him against the wall,
05:46And kissed him,
05:48Ethan's eyes rim red,
05:50Fury locks every muscle in his body tight,
05:53He grabs my chin,
05:54Fingers white knuckled,
05:55Eden,
05:56I will never be with you,
05:59Get that through your head,
06:00Who wants to be with him,
06:01I pull my hand back,
06:02Sheepish,
06:03Then stop,
06:04Wait,
06:04He leaned in first,
06:05A cold draft sweeps through,
06:07Scattering the warmth from my palm,
06:09The dream dissolves with it,
06:10I open my eyes,
06:11Half awake,
06:12And wander barefoot into the bedroom,
06:14Directly across from the bed,
06:15Hangs a framed photo,
06:17Half my height,
06:17I freeze,
06:18Cold sweat breaks out everywhere,
06:20Sleep vanishes,
06:21A man and a woman in the frame,
06:23Him in a suit,
06:24Effortlessly handsome,
06:25Her in a wedding gown that pools on the floor,
06:28Smiling like the sun,
06:29It's my wedding photo,
06:30Mine and Ethan Mercer's,
06:32At the same moment,
06:33Movement at the front door,
06:34Mrs. Delaney's voice drifts in,
06:37Fragments at first,
06:38Then clear,
06:39Warm in a way she never sounds with me,
06:41Mr. Mercer, you're back,
06:43Mrs. Mercer's home already,
06:45She's in the bedroom,
06:47Can I fix you something to eat?
06:49No.
06:49Ethan's voice,
06:50Heavy with fatigue,
06:51I'll go check on her,
06:52I turn my head,
06:53Slowly,
06:53Stiffly,
06:54One degree at a time,
06:56His eyes meet mine,
06:59Neither of us speaks,
07:00Ethan's cheek still seems to carry,
07:02A red mark,
07:03I tuck my hand behind me,
07:05Something uncomfortable twists in my chest,
07:08Come here,
07:09Do I need to say it again?
07:10Every nerve in my body fires at once,
07:13Voice like ice water,
07:14I flinch back,
07:16I hit him without permission,
07:17That was on me,
07:18In front of all those people,
07:19That kind of humiliation,
07:21It's like being stripped naked in public,
07:23I shuffle up to his chest,
07:24I'm sorry,
07:25Plant my feet,
07:26Ethan extends his hand toward me in silence,
07:30Don't move,
07:32But he catches my wrist in a sudden grip,
07:34He turns my hand over,
07:35Examining my palm with care,
07:37Good,
07:38No swelling,
07:40His voice sounds blunt as a blade,
07:43Relieved,
07:43Don't hate me?
07:44Hate you?
07:45I could strangle you,
07:46I glance at my palm,
07:48Still cradled in his fingers,
07:49He's rubbing it gently,
07:50Then why?
07:51I don't know how to finish the sentence,
07:53Feeling guilty?
07:55Then kiss me,
07:56That'll make us even,
07:58I blink,
07:58The Ethan from seven years ago,
08:00Would never have said that,
08:01What?
08:01He used to look at me,
08:03The way you look at trash,
08:04Cold,
08:05Always cold,
08:06Only in those first few seconds,
08:08After the riding crop landed,
08:09That's when something shifted in his eyes,
08:11Something wet,
08:12Something dazed,
08:13And underneath it,
08:15An emotion I could never know,
08:16Name,
08:16There were moments,
08:17I almost believed he liked it,
08:20When I hit him,
08:20The doorbell rings,
08:21Mrs. Delaney answers it,
08:23The therapist,
08:24Ethan hired for me,
08:25Has arrived,
08:26And as it happens,
08:27It's the same one who treated me before,
08:29Dr. Julian Vaughn,
08:31Dr. Julian Vaughn,
08:33Used to be a senior psychiatrist,
08:35At NYU Langone,
08:37Ethan found me,
08:38During your first year of marriage,
08:39Before that,
08:40Your family went through,
08:41A crisis,
08:43Your father's fund collapsed,
08:44The SEC got involved,
08:47Our sessions were suspended for a long time,
08:50I almost laugh,
08:51My father's fund collapsed,
08:54That can't be right,
08:56If that were true,
08:57How am I still living here?
08:58Dr. Vaughn studies me for a few seconds,
09:00A trace of pity crosses his face,
09:03I push down the acid burning in my chest,
09:05After your father's case,
09:07This apartment Woody Mistilized,
09:08Auctioned out in the bankruptcy proceedings,
09:11Ethan bought it back,
09:12So seven years later,
09:14This apartment doesn't belong to me anymore,
09:16It belongs to Ethan Mercer,
09:18I'm still here,
09:19Because he allows it,
09:20And listen to Dr. Vaughn continue,
09:22When I resumed your treatment,
09:24You were already married,
09:26You've been improving steadily,
09:28This sudden amnesia,
09:29I'll need to rework the entire plan,
09:32Dr. Vaughn,
09:33My voice cracks,
09:34Can you tell me how my father is doing?
09:36Hesitates for a few seconds,
09:37And opens his mouth to answer,
09:39Ethan pushes through the door,
09:40Your father, time's up,
09:42That's enough for today,
09:43I watch Dr. Vaughn leave,
09:45Helpless,
09:45No discussion,
09:46Then comes the wave,
09:47I can't hold back,
09:48I jerk my head up,
09:49My heart slams once,
09:51I lunge forward to stop him,
09:52But Ethan pins me to the chair with one hand,
09:55Raw choking frustration,
09:56And let go,
09:58What gives you the right to stop me,
09:59What gives you the right to keep me from asking,
10:02Because I'm the one paying for your treatment,
10:04Ethan pauses,
10:04Without me,
10:05Your father's debt would have buried you,
10:08You begged,
10:09Me to marry you,
10:11To protect you,
10:12I start shaking,
10:13Have you forgotten what you look like back then,
10:16Burns through my whole body,
10:18Peeling back everything ugly,
10:20I've tried to hide,
10:21And my hand flies up almost on its own,
10:23Ethan catches my head,
10:24Can't stop hitting people can you,
10:25What right do you have to hit me now,
10:28A faint edge of mockery in his voice,
10:30Rage floods my chest like a dam breaking,
10:33The sting is sharp,
10:34The urge to keep going,
10:35Ethan yanks my arm behind my back,
10:37And locks it there,
10:38Eden,
10:39I can't hear a word,
10:40You need to learn to calm yourself down,
10:42Bite his hand,
10:43Full force,
10:44Copper floods my tongue,
10:45His grip is steel,
10:47His hand spasms,
10:48He doesn't pull away,
10:49His jaw tightens,
10:50And he grips my wrist harder,
10:52I pant through clenched teeth,
10:53For the first time in my life,
10:56I beg,
10:57Is my father dead?
10:58I'm not sad,
10:59I forgot what sad feels like a long time ago,
11:02His eye twitches at the sting,
11:03Ethan looks down at me,
11:05His silence is the answer,
11:08Your father couldn't handle the debt,
11:09He took his own life,
11:11I crumpled to the floor,
11:12Without Ethan,
11:13I would have been the second one,
11:14He's right,
11:15What right do I have to hit him now,
11:17In my peripheral vision,
11:18I can barely hold my voice together,
11:21Ethan,
11:21I want a divorce,
11:23What did you just say?
11:25My voice goes quiet with them,
11:27A divorce,
11:29What's the reason this time?
11:30The hand at his side,
11:32Curls into a slow fist,
11:34Whether you married me for revenge,
11:35Or out of pity,
11:36It sure as hell wasn't love,
11:38I've done you wrong,
11:40I know that,
11:41But it's been years,
11:43Let it go,
11:44Let me go,
11:45Let yourself go,
11:46Memories surface,
11:48The truth is,
11:49I liked Ethan,
11:50But we started so ugly,
11:51That I never dared hope,
11:53He could feel anything for me,
11:54I told myself,
11:55Once he graduates,
11:56Once he doesn't need the money anymore,
11:58I'll let go,
11:59Disappear from his life for good,
12:01Nobody could have predicted,
12:02That seven years later,
12:04Everything would look like this,
12:06He says nothing for a long time,
12:08Then he walks out,
12:09And slams the door,
12:11That night,
12:12Ethan doesn't come home,
12:13The enormous apartment,
12:14Holds only me and Mrs. Delaney,
12:15Mrs. Delaney,
12:17Shouldn't you be off by now?
12:19I should be,
12:21But when Mr. Mercer's not home,
12:23I stay,
12:24Why?
12:25It's in my employment contract,
12:27If he's away,
12:28I stay with you,
12:29He just Venvo'd me overtime pay,
12:31And told me to keep an eye on you,
12:33Mrs. Delaney started after we got married,
12:35Thanks to her,
12:35I find a spreadsheet on Ethan's office computer,
12:37Every debt he's repaid on my behalf,
12:39Every dollar,
12:40Logged and tracked,
12:41If I want a divorce,
12:42I need to pay him back first,
12:44Only then are we even,
12:45The next day,
12:46I go to work like normal,
12:48The moment I step into the conference room,
12:49Every pair of eyes lands on me,
12:51Complicated expressions all around,
12:54Here's what you asked for,
12:55He takes the folder from me,
12:56Without expression,
12:57Drops it on the table,
12:58With a flat smack,
13:00He tugs at the collar of his turtleneck,
13:01Revealing those sharp,
13:02Cold eyes,
13:03I stand at his side,
13:05Obedient,
13:05The meeting runs until noon,
13:07Department heads file out one by one,
13:09Mr. Mercer,
13:09What would you like for lunch?
13:11Ethan ignores me,
13:12It used to be the other way around,
13:14He'd bring me food,
13:15After every session,
13:16I'd even make him feed me,
13:17Claiming my hand hurt too much,
13:18Mind you now,
13:19I call Mrs. Delaney,
13:20And ask what Ethan likes to eat,
13:22She rattles them off without thinking,
13:24Truffle mac and cheese,
13:26Lobster bisque,
13:27Grilled salmon,
13:29Those are all my favorites,
13:30Yes,
13:31You eat first,
13:32He eats what you leave,
13:34I don't know what I'm feeling,
13:36When I open DoorDash,
13:37And order everything she listed,
13:38At checkout,
13:39Apple Pay pulls from Ethan's Amex Black,
13:41Six,
13:42Figure balance,
13:43My phone is the newest iPhone Pro Max,
13:45My bag is an unreleased Celine,
13:48This is the lifestyle I had before my family went under,
13:50I set the food on Ethan's desk,
13:52Gently,
13:53He doesn't bother looking up,
13:55Not hungry,
13:56It's all fresh,
13:58Not leftovers,
14:00Even less interesting now,
14:01Seriously?
14:02I stare at him,
14:03What is his problem?
14:04Ethan does not believe in separating work from personal grudges,
14:07He's got anger stored up,
14:09And he's freezing me out at the office,
14:10At this rate,
14:11I'll be fired,
14:12I find an empty corner,
14:13And call for advice,
14:16Mrs. Delaney,
14:16Ethan won't even eat,
14:17How do I fix this?
14:18He's ignoring you?
14:20Honey,
14:20That's nothing,
14:21Ignore him for a few days,
14:22He'll come crawling back,
14:24Always does,
14:25What kind of marriage is this?
14:26But I'm the one who messed up,
14:28Shouldn't I be the one doing the groveling?
14:30Well,
14:30If you don't want to wait it out,
14:32I do have one trick,
14:33One trick?
14:34Tell me,
14:35Tell me now,
14:36Smack him again dear,
14:37That always resets,
14:39I'm speechless,
14:40One Christmas Eve,
14:41Mr. Mercer cooked an entire dinner himself,
14:43You didn't touch a bite,
14:45You swept it all off the table,
14:46He was devastated,
14:48When I came to clean up,
14:49He was sitting on the floor,
14:51Crying,
14:52Silently,
14:53Next time I came in,
14:54You two were back,
14:55To,
14:56Normal,
14:58Just like that?
14:59The whip dear,
15:00The whip fixes everything in this house,
15:02When the fight was at its worst,
15:04You went at him with the riding cup,
15:06I felt sorry for him,
15:07But then he grabbed your hand,
15:08And kissed your palm,
15:10The hand you hit him with,
15:12I'm crouched in the corridor,
15:13I glance left,
15:14Glance right,
15:15Look ahead,
15:16Look behind,
15:17When my head turns 45 degrees back,
15:20I see two long,
15:21Straight legs,
15:22I tilt my head up,
15:24Ethan's eyes meet mine,
15:27On the phone,
15:28Mrs. Delaney is still going full throttle,
15:30The harder you hit him,
15:32The harder he kissed you,
15:33Lord,
15:34I had to leave the room,
15:35I'm too old for that kind of show,
15:36You've lost your memory,
15:38But I haven't,
15:39You got angry again,
15:40Hit him with the other hand,
15:42He grabbed both your wrists,
15:43And pinned you on the bed,
15:44I silently hang up,
15:46A suffocating pause,
15:47Ethan cold and clipped,
15:49Go to internal Aladis,
15:50Get the planning report from the director,
15:53Okay,
15:54And tell the director of strategic planning to see me,
15:57This proposal has issues,
15:59Okay,
16:02Next time you bite me,
16:03Use the left hand,
16:06Okay,
16:07Wait,
16:08What?
16:10Ethan stands with his hands in his pockets,
16:12Perfectly straight,
16:13Perfectly untouchable,
16:15That same glacial composure,
16:17Whatever he's thinking,
16:18He won't say,
16:19Ethan seems determined to ignore me,
16:21Looks exactly like seven years ago,
16:23Cold to the bone,
16:24Eden,
16:25I'll give you a ride on my motorcycle,
16:28Brie has something come up,
16:29Can't leave with me tonight,
16:31Genuine,
16:32Hard to say no to,
16:33Downstairs,
16:34Ryan's already straddling the bike,
16:36In full riding gear,
16:37I reach for it,
16:38And a low horn sounds behind me,
16:40A black Bentley glides past like water,
16:43Roads are bad tonight,
16:44I'll take you home,
16:46Mr. Mercer,
16:47How'd you know I've always wanted to ride in a Bentley,
16:49Call yourself another one,
16:50Expense it,
16:51Ethan cuts him off,
16:52Voice cool as marble,
16:54You,
16:55Get in,
16:56The door shuts with a clean thud,
16:57Heat seals out the noise,
17:00I wasn't messing around,
17:02Ryan was just being nice,
17:04Don't flatter yourself,
17:05You want a divorce,
17:06Right?
17:07Might as well audition replacements,
17:09I'm not petty enough to care,
17:11Ethan's tone barely registers emotion,
17:13Me?
17:13Petty?
17:14Please,
17:15His voice is level,
17:16But something sharp presses just beneath the surface,
17:18I don't know how to answer,
17:19I close my mouth,
17:20Silence all the way home,
17:21The car stops,
17:23Ethan's voice out of nowhere,
17:27One affair wasn't enough,
17:29Now you're starting a collection?
17:31I have an affair,
17:32The kind of affair that means cheating,
17:34Eden,
17:34What did I do wrong?
17:35What do I have to do to make you stop?
17:38Since we got married,
17:39I've let you hit me,
17:40I've given you everything you wanted,
17:43Why do you keep trying to leave?
17:44And on top of that,
17:45He seems to remember the amnesia,
17:47Takes a deep breath,
17:48His voice drains of energy,
17:50You've been seeing someone behind my back,
17:51You even brought him here,
17:53For six months,
17:54That's impossible,
17:55A bitter scoff,
17:57Your words, not mine,
17:59He's your first love,
18:02Better looking than me,
18:03Younger than me,
18:05I go still,
18:06After my father's fund collapsed,
18:08I married Ethan almost immediately,
18:10Before that,
18:10I was with him the whole time,
18:12I almost laughed,
18:13Since when do I have a first love?
18:15Ethan holds up his phone,
18:16Face tight on the screen,
18:18A selfie,
18:19Me and some boy I've never seen,
18:20Tangled up on a couch,
18:21Arms around each other,
18:23Way too close,
18:26You've tried to divorce me over him,
18:27More times than I can count,
18:29That expression on his face,
18:31Like a husband who just caught his wife cheating,
18:34So what if he's younger,
18:35Eden have your fun,
18:36But let's be real,
18:37Can you take a hit like I can,
18:38I hold it in for a few seconds,
18:40Then I burst out laughing,
18:41Bear,
18:42That's my nephew,
18:43He's in high school,
18:44What is wrong with you?
18:45Your nephew?
18:45Ethan's dark pupils flash,
18:47Like a meteor streaking through them,
18:49He zooms in on the photo,
18:51Comparing two similar faces,
18:52You lied to me,
18:54You didn't cheat,
18:55Something heavy,
18:56Settles in my chest,
18:57The laughter fades from my face,
18:58Without a sound,
18:59Yeah,
19:00Why did the future version of me,
19:01Lie to him?
19:03A week later,
19:03I meet Dr. Vaughn in secret,
19:05There are things I need to know,
19:06Starting with my father's death,
19:07Dr. Vaughn lets out a quiet sigh,
19:09Eden,
19:10I don't think you need to fixate on your father's death,
19:12Your memory stopped seven years ago,
19:14Everything before that you should still have,
19:16Of course I do,
19:17Seven years ago was the moment I hated my father most,
19:20That was when I learned the truth,
19:22About how my mother died,
19:23My mother loved my father,
19:24From the days when he had nothing,
19:26To the days when he was worth hundreds of millions,
19:28She loved him the same,
19:30Even knowing he had hereditary bipolar,
19:32She married him,
19:33Had his child,
19:34A child who would almost certainly inherit it,
19:36She whispered in my ear that she was very sick,
19:38A very, very serious illness,
19:41She said,
19:41No cure,
19:42She told me I had to take care of myself,
19:44For years I believed her,
19:45Until I met Ethan,
19:47After one of our sessions I was still buzzing,
19:49Why do you react like that every time I hit you,
19:51Don't tell me you're falling for me,
19:52Would you marry me if I asked,
19:54I will never forget what he said,
19:5520 year old Ethan,
19:56Eyes full of cold contempt,
19:58Marry you,
19:59So I can watch you destroy me,
20:01The way your father destroyed your mother,
20:02My mother's face floated up,
20:04That hollow, ruined smile,
20:06Her hand on my cheek,
20:07Gentle,
20:08Her voice breaking,
20:09Eden honey,
20:10Mommy can't save your father,
20:11And she can't save herself,
20:14I hate my father,
20:15Hate him for knowing he was sick,
20:17And refusing to get help,
20:18Hate him for knowing he'd hurt my mother,
20:20And never letting her leave,
20:22Until he finally destroyed her,
20:24Hate him for bringing me into the world,
20:26Another broken thing,
20:27Just like him,
20:28I pushed the chaos down,
20:30Dr. Vaughn,
20:31After my mother died,
20:32My father sent me to boarding school,
20:34We were never close,
20:35I suspect that's precisely,
20:37Why he sent you away,
20:39He was afraid of hurting you too,
20:41What father doesn't love his daughter,
20:43He was still my father,
20:44I have a right to know how he really died,
20:47My father's fund was massive,
20:49Ashford capital didn't go down quietly,
20:51So why did he,
20:53Every article I found,
20:54Is about the financial scandal,
20:55Not a single one mentions how Richard Ashford actually died,
20:58Just one vague obituary,
21:00The color drains from Dr. Vaughn's face,
21:02Ethan lied to me,
21:04My father's death wasn't just a suicide,
21:08Dr. Vaughn picks up the stack,
21:09And shakes his head,
21:10Eden,
21:11You really are something,
21:12Almost laughing,
21:14What?
21:14Ethan called me last night,
21:16He was happy,
21:17Said you were doing better,
21:19Said you still seemed to like him,
21:20Even without your memories,
21:21I pressed my lips together,
21:22If he knew what you've been up to,
21:24He'd be heartbroken,
21:25Say nothing,
21:26Since making up with Ethan,
21:27I've been acting like everything's fine,
21:29Eden,
21:29Why do you think Ethan lied to you,
21:31Dr. Vaughn looks me dead in the eye,
21:32Something shifts in him,
21:33Like he's made a decision,
21:35I drop my gaze,
21:36He sighs,
21:36He speaks slowly,
21:38You don't think he was trying to hurt you,
21:40Do you,
21:41He was protecting you,
21:43You'll recover your memories eventually,
21:45I don't want to keep lying to you,
21:47You and your father both have mental illness,
21:50Under extreme emotional stress,
21:52People like you are capable of crossing lines,
21:56You killed your father,
21:58A red fog floods my vision out of nowhere,
22:00Dr. Vaughn stares at me,
22:02Face blank,
22:02And repeats,
22:03You killed your father,
22:05Your father destroyed your mother,
22:06And you killed him,
22:09People like you and your father,
22:11Maybe the world was never built for you,
22:14I grip the edge of the table,
22:15Something buried deep in my skull,
22:16Is clawing its way out,
22:18Lines and fragments writhe and twist,
22:20Fighting to surface,
22:23What the hell did you say to her,
22:24Have you lost your goddamn mind,
22:26Doing my job,
22:28Mr. Mercer,
22:29Why do you think NYU Langone let me go,
22:31My methods are too aggressive,
22:33The mainstream doesn't approve,
22:35I feel like I've been asleep for a very long time,
22:38Seven years in a single dream,
22:40I didn't travel through time at all,
22:41I got sick,
22:42Lost seven years of memory by accident,
22:45Dr. Vaughn's brutal words,
22:47Ripped a crack in my brain,
22:48And through that crack,
22:49Memories pour back,
22:51Some of them,
22:51First,
22:52I didn't kill my father,
22:53After the fund collapsed,
22:55It was one wave after another,
22:56SEC investigations,
22:58Investor lawsuits,
22:59Debt collectors,
23:00The last time I saw him,
23:02Was in the old brownstone,
23:03In Brooklyn Heights,
23:04My mother's room,
23:05The three of us lived there once,
23:06My father's voice was wrong,
23:09After my mother died,
23:11He'd never looked this worn,
23:12I didn't give you a sound mind,
23:13Or a whole family,
23:15And now I can't even give you money,
23:17He wasn't a father I was close to,
23:20But I won't drag you down,
23:21I didn't blame you,
23:23All those years of privilege were enough,
23:25I had a job,
23:26Two hands,
23:26Two feet,
23:27We could share the burden,
23:30Later,
23:30I replayed that moment,
23:32Over and over,
23:33It was that coldness,
23:34From the person closest to him,
23:36That sent him over the edge,
23:37Triggered another episode,
23:39Took the last of his reason,
23:40Late that night,
23:41He went back to Ashford Capital's corner office,
23:44Every financial record the company had,
23:45Was stored there,
23:46He destroyed what he could,
23:47Shredder,
23:48Hard drives wiped clean,
23:49Then,
23:49In that same office,
23:50He overdosed,
23:51Swallowed an entire bottle of prescription pills,
23:54And set a fire,
23:55The fire department put out the blaze,
23:57Most of the documents were already ash,
23:59Some things could never be traced again,
24:01The corporate legal team,
24:02And the insurance company,
24:03Controlled the narrative,
24:04The official statement read,
24:05Richard Ashford passed away from cardiac arrest,
24:08During the course of the investigation,
24:10Cause of death,
24:10Sealed,
24:11The media kept it spotlight on the financial scandal,
24:14Nobody cared how a fallen fund manager actually died,
24:17I didn't kill my father,
24:18But I was the thing that pushed him faster toward the edge,
24:21I ended the three year arrangement with Ethan,
24:23His debts were long paid off,
24:25Aside from a small ache of not wanting to let go,
24:28It cost me nothing,
24:29I had nothing left,
24:30Even with most of the financial records destroyed,
24:32The remaining liabilities and personal guarantees were enough to suffocate me,
24:36Without Ethan,
24:37My emotions had no outlet,
24:39I realized I couldn't keep going,
24:41I was so tired,
24:43I wanted to die,
24:45The rooftop of the Ashford Capitol building,
24:47Ethan on his knees,
24:48Begging me,
24:49Controlled and falling apart at the same time,
24:51He never gave me a kind look,
24:53Not once,
24:54Every glance said he despised me,
24:57But the moment he saw me about to jump,
24:58Something in him snapped,
25:00That shock,
25:01The sheer strangeness of his desperation,
25:03Is what stopped me from stepping off the edge,
25:05I stared as he took my hand in his,
25:07Gentle and terrified,
25:09Eden,
25:10I'm here,
25:11You wanna hit me?
25:12You can hit me,
25:12I won't charge you,
25:13Not now,
25:14Not ever,
25:14Just come down please,
25:15Come down and hit me,
25:16Just,
25:17I have nothing left to give you,
25:18I don't need,
25:19Marry me,
25:20I'll take care of you,
25:21I'll pay off the debt,
25:22Please,
25:22If you die,
25:23I won't survive either,
25:25From somewhere far away,
25:27Dr. Vaughn's voice calls me back,
25:30Eden,
25:30My mind resurfaces,
25:32Dr. Vaughn watches my eyes,
25:34A small smile on his face,
25:35Some of it came back,
25:38Ethan hovers beside me,
25:39Tense,
25:40How are you feeling?
25:41I look up at him,
25:42I'm fine,
25:43It's over,
25:44When you first married Ethan,
25:45You were in a very bad place,
25:47But he didn't give up,
25:48He found me,
25:49Over the years you've made real progress,
25:51As for why the amnesia happened,
25:52That's not my story to tell,
25:54Ask your husband.
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