BURIED WOUNDS

Edward's Point of view

"Hey, Edward!"

A voice called out from behind me. A voice I hadn't heard in years, yet it was one I could never forget.

The moment the words reached my ears, my body stiffened. I knew exactly who it was before I even turned around.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it? How are you?"

I closed my eyes briefly, exhaling a slow breath. I didn't want to face him—not here, not now. But avoiding him wasn't an option.

"Why are you here?" I asked without looking back.

"To meet you, of course."

His voice held the same calmness, the same unwavering authority it always did. I finally stood up from the bench, dusting off my suit, and turned around to face him.

Alexander stood before me, unchanged, as if time had left him untouched. His sharp eyes bore into mine, analyzing me as though he could see past the mask I wore.

"You haven't changed a bit," I muttered, shaking my head.

He smirked. "Neither have you, boy."

I rolled my eyes and stepped closer.

"Yeah, it's good to see you again, Alexander," I said, extending my hand. He took it firmly, his grip unwavering.

For anyone else, this might seem like a casual meeting between old friends. But nothing about Alexander was ever casual. He was the same man who had shaped my life in ways I never fully understood—until now.

"So, what's troubling you?" he asked, his tone shifting to something more serious.

I sighed, sitting back down on the bench. He joined me, resting his arms on his knees, waiting for my answer.

"You should stop calling me 'boy.' I'm all grown up now," I muttered.

Alexander chuckled. "Sure you are."

I shot him a glare, but it held no real heat. He always had a way of making me feel like the reckless kid I used to be, no matter how much time had passed.

"So, tell me," he urged again.

I leaned forward, rubbing my hands together. "I'm all messed up, man."

"What do you mean?" His gaze sharpened.

I hesitated for a second before answering. "Lisa... my wife. I think she doesn't like me."

He arched a brow. "And what makes you think that?"

I let out a hollow laugh. "Oh, I don't know—maybe the way she treats me. She said she hates me. She doesn't even try to hide it."

Alexander studied me for a long moment. "You can't force someone to love you, Edward. If they love you, they'll stay. If not… let them go."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "That's rich, coming from a man who's never loved anyone."

Alexander smirked. "Who said I never loved anyone?"

I blinked. "Wait—what? Who?"

"Let it be a secret," he replied, amusement dancing in his eyes.

I frowned, but before I could press further, he changed the subject.

"So, what are you going to do about Lisa?"

I exhaled deeply. "I don't know. What do you think I should do?"

"Tell me everything," he said.

And I did. I told him everything—about how Lisa always seemed distant, how she treated me like an unwanted burden, and how she never missed a chance to remind me that she didn't want this marriage.

After hearing it all, Alexander leaned back, thoughtful.

"All I can say is... time will tell you everything," he finally said.

I frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"You'll understand when the time is right," he replied, standing up.

We talked a little more before he finally glanced at his watch.

"It's time for me to go," he said.

"Yeah... it was nice meeting you again," I replied.

He turned and started walking away but stopped midway. Looking over his shoulder, he gave me a knowing look.

"Hey, Edward."

I met his gaze.

"You need to go back there. There's something you left behind. You need to take care of it," he said.

I gave him a small nod, watching as he disappeared into the crowd.

For a while, I just sat there, lost in thought. Eventually, I decided to return to the party.

The moment I entered, Carl and Hannah rushed toward me.

"Why did he come here?" Hannah asked, eyes filled with concern.

"Did he do anything?" Carl followed up.

"Are you okay?" they both asked at the same time.

"Relax, guys. He just came to talk," I assured them.

"About what, exactly?" Carl pressed.

I sighed. "What do you think? He asked about my return."

Carl tensed. "And? What did you say?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

"Good," Carl muttered.

Before we could continue, Lisa approached me.

"Let's go. We're leaving," she said coldly.

I didn't argue. I simply nodded and followed her.

The car ride home was silent—uncomfortably so.

Once we reached the apartment, I could feel the storm brewing.

"Can't you walk straight? Where were your eyes?" she snapped the moment we entered.

"Someone pushed me," I said, my voice calm.

"So now you're making excuses?" she scoffed.

"Why do you always make things hard for me?" she asked, frustration dripping from her tone.

"I didn't mean to ruin anything," I replied.

"You destroyed an important deal for me tonight! I was making progress, and you ruined it!" she snapped. "I shouldn't have brought you with me!"

I lowered my head. "I'm sorry."

She let out a bitter laugh. "No, you're not the one to blame. Your parents are. They should've taught you some manners."

The moment she mentioned my parents, I felt something inside me snap.

Tears welled up in my eyes before I could stop them. My parents... the people I could never talk about. The people I lost.

"Please, don't talk about them," I whispered.

"Where are they? Call them. Let me talk to them about their son," she continued, oblivious to the pain in my voice.

I clenched my fists. "I can't contact them."

"Why not? Where are they?"

I broke. My knees hit the floor, and I couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

"Sorry," I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper.

Lisa's face twisted in frustration. "Stop crying! You're not the one to blame. Your parents should've raised you better!"

"Please, don't bring them into this," I begged.

She let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't deal with this. I'm leaving."

And with that, she walked out, slamming the door behind her.

I stayed there for a long time, staring at the floor, drowning in silence.

Carl arrived later and instantly knew something had happened.

"Edward... what happened?" he asked gently.

I told him everything.

Carl remained quiet for a long moment before nodding. "I'll be back."

Then he left.

Lisa's Point of view

"What am I even doing?" I muttered to myself as I walked down the street. "Why am I like this?"

My phone buzzed, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Hello?"

"It's Carl," his voice came through.

I frowned. "Why are you calling me?"

"Meet me tomorrow. I'll send you the location."

"Why should I?"

"You wanted to meet Edward's parents, right? Come to this location," he said.

I hesitated for a moment.

"Fine," I finally said and hung up.

I didn't know what Carl was planning, but something told me… this was going to change everything.

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