The Red String Between Us Part II: Frayed Threads

第19章 Morning Truth's

      Sunlight crept through the curtains, too bright for how heavy my head and heart felt after the gala. The house was quiet except for the faint clink of dishes from the kitchen, a sign that my parents were already awake.

I pulled on a robe and padded out to join them, still trying to shake the weight of last night. My dad was at the table with his coffee and the morning paper, while my mom worked at the stove, humming faintly. The comfort of it almost made me forget what they had seen—but not quite.

"Morning, sweetheart," my mom said with a warm smile, but her eyes lingered on me a little too knowingly.

I sat down across from my dad. He lowered the paper, studying me with that same piercing look he always used when he wanted the truth. "Eden," he said, slow and measured. "Your mother and I noticed something last night. Between you and that young man—Kenji, is it?"

My throat tightened. I glanced away, but my mom slid into the seat beside me, taking my hand.

"Baby, talk to us," she said gently. "We could feel the tension. And then there was Harum, too... It just seemed... complicated."

That word—complicated—broke the thin dam I'd built. I sighed.

"It is complicated," I admitted. "Kenji and I... we care about each other. More than I probably should. But we work together, and with everything in the media—it feels impossible to have anything real without it blowing up in my face. And then Harum... he's been nothing but kind, and part of me thinks keeping it simple with him would be easier."

Silence hung in the kitchen, heavy and tender.

My dad reached across the table, covering my free hand with his. "Eden, life doesn't wait for everything to be neat and easy. If it did, your mother and I wouldn't have lasted as long as we have."

My mom's eyes softened, but I saw something flicker in them—sadness, regret. She squeezed my hand tighter. "We only had you and Jack. And we love you both with everything in us. But sometimes... I wish we'd given you more. More brothers, more sisters. Someone to lean on when we're gone."

Her voice wavered. "You and Jack will always have each other, im sure you can talk to him about this kind of stuff even if you cant talk to me or your dad, but I don't want you to feel alone in this world when we can't be here anymore. Please reach out to your brother."

The words hit me hard, sharper than I expected.

She reached up, brushing a strand of hair from my face like she used to when I was a little girl. "Eden, don't let fear keep you from love. If you feel something real for Kenji, or anyone, don't bury it. Don't walk away from true love because it's messy. You deserve more than work. You deserve a family of your own, someone to share your life with."

My chest ached, For a moment, I felt like the little girl who used to climb into their bed when the world seemed too big. Except now the weight wasn't nightmares—it was choices that could change my whole life.

She pulled me into her arms, holding me close while my dad's hand rested steady on my shoulder. For all the confusion and chaos swirling around me, this one thing was certain: my parents' love. And with that came the quiet, inescapable truth that maybe—just maybe—they were right.