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Novel Catalog
Chapter 13
Victor stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him with a force that made the walls tremble. Anson stood outside, his shoulders slumped in resignation as he heard the unmistakable sound of the shower turning on. He sighed, his thoughts momentarily drifting to Eden, and how much Victor still ached for her.
Anson had been by Victor’s side through thick and thin, witnessing the transformation of a young man full of ambition into the ruthless business mogul he had become. But through all of Victor’s achievements, the one thing that still haunted him was the loss of Eden. Even after all these years, the shadow of that night still lingered in Victor’s heart.
Victor was not a man who showed vulnerability. His entire persona was built on control and power, but Eden had been the one thing he could never fully possess or let go of. Anson knew this, and it was both his burden and his privilege to watch over his friend.
The sound of water cascading over Victor’s body was muffled through the bathroom door, and Anson, with a reluctant sigh, plopped down on the couch. He didn’t even have the energy to pick up the phone Victor had tossed aside. Anson’s mind raced through the years, recalling the pain and determination Victor had poured into finding Eden, and the lengths he had gone to just to be in the same city again.
But Victor’s obsession with the past made everything else harder, and that included his work. Despite his immense success, it seemed that nothing was ever enough to fill the void Eden had left in his life. Anson had heard countless stories from the men and women who sought Victor’s approval, who vied for his attention, but none of them had ever come close to what Eden had been.
A soft ding interrupted Anson’s thoughts, and he looked down to find a message from his sister. It was an update on a business matter he had been monitoring. The world kept turning, and people kept moving forward, but Victor remained locked in his own torment.
Back in Eden’s apartment, she had just finished settling in for the night when she received a message from her manager, confirming her arrival at the office in the morning. She sent a quick reply and then glanced at her phone again, seeing that Jasper had already texted her for tomorrow’s dinner.
The thought of spending time with Jasper brought her some comfort, as he was the one person who had always been there for her, supporting her in every way. She smiled softly at the message, a small, genuine smile that felt like a fleeting moment of peace amidst the storm of her thoughts.
She placed her phone on the bedside table, the soft glow of the city lights from outside casting a tranquil glow over the room. She pulled the covers over her and closed her eyes, but sleep was elusive. Her mind drifted, and for a moment, she allowed herself to imagine what it would be like if everything had been different—that she had never been torn away from her family, that she had never been forced to endure years of pain.
But she knew those were just fantasies, fleeting dreams that couldn’t undo the reality of her life. Tomorrow was another day, and she would face it head-on. Just as she had always done.
In River City, Victor stood under the hot water of the shower, trying to wash away the remnants of the pain that clung to him like a second skin. The memories of Eden, the fleeting moments they had shared, and the love that had been lost to him… it was all too much.
He closed his eyes, allowing the water to pour over him, his mind consumed by thoughts of her. Would he ever find her again? Would the past ever let him go?
Anson, meanwhile, waited patiently outside, his thoughts fixed on his friend’s suffering. He couldn’t help but hope that one day, Eden would return to Victor. Only then could both of them move forward, free from the torment of the past.
But for now, Anson knew it was only a matter of time before Victor would wake up, either from the haze of alcohol or from the dreamlike state he often found himself in. And when that time came, the cycle would begin again.
Victor would always chase after Eden, no matter how far away she seemed.