Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 136

Edmond snapped his head up, his bloodshot eyes locking onto him like a predator.

"What did you say?"

A chill ran down Ferris's spine, but he forced himself to continue. "Nora is married to Hudson Lancaster now. Whether she was forced or took someone else's place, it's the reality. Going after her will only end badly for both of you. And Hudson Lancaster isn't someone you..."

"Shut up!"

Edmond sprang up and drove his fist straight into Ferris's face.

Ferris stumbled backward. His lip split, blood dripping down his chin.

Holding his jaw, he stared at Edmond in pure disbelief.

"You're telling me to let it go? I was with her for two years. Two years of our lives, and you want me to just let it go?"

"Edmond..."

Edmond's voice spiked, taking on a hysterical edge. "She loved me for years! How could that just disappear? She must have been forced! The Reed family forced her into this! As long as I talk to her and explain everything, she'll come back to me!"

Clutching his face, Ferris looked at the frantic, almost deranged man in front of him and suddenly didn't recognize him at all.

The Edmond he knew had always been calm and composed.

No matter how severe the crisis, he had always maintained his cool, handling it with practiced ease.

But right now, he was like a trapped, feral beast, devoid of all reason and judgment.

"Edmond, you need to calm down..."

"I can't calm down!"

Edmond spun around and slammed his fist into the wall.

The solid wood paneling gave a dull thud. The skin on his knuckles instantly split, and dark crimson blood oozed between his fingers, dripping onto the dark carpet and blooming into an ugly stain.

His entire body was shaking—his shoulders, his arms, even the air he dragged into his lungs.

"How could she marry someone else?"

His voice was shattered, torn from the depths of his throat like a wounded animal's whimper. "How could she..."

Ferris stood frozen, watching Edmond hunch over, pressing his forehead against the wall as his shoulders heaved with low, suppressed sobs.

"Edmond."

Ferris took a deep breath, turned on his heel, and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.

Edmond was left entirely alone.

He crouched by the coffee table, his head bowed, his shoulders trembling faintly.

Outside, the neon lights blinked against the window glass, stretching his shadow out into a long, pale silhouette on the floor.

Slowly, he pulled the ring from his pocket.

The platinum gleamed with a cold light under the lamps. The two words engraved on the inner band were cut deep into the metal.

Edmond & Nora.

Edmond stared at those words for an eternity, until his eyes burned so badly he could barely keep them open.

He slowly closed his fist around the ring. The metal dug into his palm, causing a sharp sting.

But he refused to let go.

It was all he had left of her...