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But Edward didn’t even seem to hear me, his fiery kiss only growing more relentless as he pressed in closer,
refusing to letescape.
My mind went completely blank, my breath stolen away until my face burned hot and red.
My fingers, meant to push him away, lost all strength from the lack of air-before | knew it, | was gripping his
shoulders, clinging to him instead.
Only after he'd had his fill did Edward finally pull back, taking in my panicked expression. He reached out and
gently brushed his fingers against my cheek. “I'm sorry. | shouldn’t have done that.”
| was speechless. ‘Is he really doing the whole “hurt you then hand you a candy” routine? That's so old-school.
“Next time... I'll ask for your permission first,” he said, smirking devilishly when he saw how breathless and
flustered | was.
“There better not be a next time,” | said, a mix of anger and fear in my voice. “I told you, we can’t take this any
further.”
“Do you hate me?” Edward asked, his gaze suddenly going dark and hollow, like all the stars had vanished from
his eyes.
| froze, my mouth hanging open, but no words cout.
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| used to really hate him. He was like a wild animal-dangerous and unpredictable-always puttingon edge,
makingwant to run the other way.
But now... with all these mixed feelings swirling around inside me, | couldn't even put into words how | felt.
“You don’t hate me, but you don’t likeeither, right?” Edward said, sitting back down with a sense of
loneliness, looking off to the side. “You like Ryan. No matter what | do or how much I help you, the only one you
care about is him.”
“Edward, don’t compare yourself to him,” | said. My feelings for Ryan had already been buried by cold logic. This
isn’t something that can be fixed just by liking someone-it’s like there's a whole galaxy between us, impossible
to cross. If he hadn't gone out of his way to notice me, | probably wouldn't even exist in his world.
Just like right now-if Edward didn’t keep creating chances for us to meet, | wouldn't even catch a glimpse of
him.
How do you even define liking someone, or love, or the brutal truth about social status?
There aren't any words for it. If two people are meant to be together, they'll find each other-no need for any
extra words.
But if there's no chance, love is nothing but a tragedy,
Edward looked genuinely hurt and just went quiet.
11:55 Thu, Sep 11
Chapter 612
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| realized my voice had gotten a little too loud. He'd broughthere to protect me, and yet | was throwing
these words at him, making things worse. That was really unfair to him.
“Why do you always have to compare yourself to him? Does it really mean anything?” | asked, my voice softer
now.
Edward's eyes brightened just a bit when he realized | was willing to talk, but then he gave a wry, self-mocking
smile. “Maybe | just want to know, you know? Ryan and | are a generation apart, but when we were kids, we
actually played together a lot. I'm nine years older than him, so when he was just starting to figure things out, |
was still a kid too. We competed over all kinds of stuff, but the first the called‘Uncle Ryan’ at school, it
was like everything just stopped for me.”
Listening to him, | finally got why Edward, even as the older one, still had that urge to measure himself against
his nephew.
“Sure, it's normal to compete as kids because we're immature, but if you're still doing it as an adult... does that
mean you're still not grown up?” | couldn't help but poke fun at him.
Edward looked stunned for a second. “Haven't you ever heard? Boys never really grow up.”
| gave a dry little laugh. “Oh, I've heard that one. And | also know the other saying-‘the only ta man truly
behaves is when he’s just a photo on the wall.”
Edward just stared at me, completely lost for words.
“Maybe there's something twisted in me, or maybe it’s just fate playing games with us-making both Ryan and
fate, then I should cut you out of my life—and Ryan’s-for good.”
A cold shiver shot down my back. ‘Is he saying... | have to die for this?‘ | thought, panic rising inside me.
“Ed... Edward, please don’t joke about that,” | stammered, my voice trembling, fear gripping me.
Edward looked down atlike | was beneath him, his gaze sharp and unyielding. “All my life, I've hated how
fate tries to control me. I've always wanted to fight back, but never found a way. And now, with you here, you've
becthe woman both Ryan and | are forced to compete for...”
“I'm not! | didn’t-“I blurted out, jumping to my feet and stumbling backward, panic flooding through me.
Edward rose too, followingstep by step, not lettingget away. “I don’t even know why I like you. | never
wanted things to turn into this mess between us.”
“Go ahead and hatefrom now on,” | blurted out, then turned and ran out before he could say another word.
But before | could get away, Edward's hand shot out, yankingback and pinningagainst a pillar.
He stared atas if he were defying fate itself, his gaze icy and unyielding. Then, in the next moment, his
touch turned achingly gentle-he cupped my chin, his hand trembling, and pressed a trembling kiss to my lips.
“Victoria, | can’t escape fate... and | just can’t make myself let you go.”
11:56 Thu, Sep 11
Chapter 613
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