The Red String Between Us: Part III Eternal Thread

第41章 Grace

     Eden woke with her head pounding and her stomach unsettled. The Chicago sunlight cut sharply through the hotel curtains, too bright, too intrusive for how fragile she felt. She groaned, rolling over, a bitter taste still lingering on her tongue from the drinks the night before.

Her phone lay on the nightstand, its screen lit with missed calls and messages—two from Kenji. A wave of guilt rolled through her. She could still hear the edge in her own voice from last night, the abrupt way she'd hung up on him.

Before she could decide whether to call him, her phone buzzed again. His name lit the screen. Eden swallowed and answered. "Hello?"

"Good morning," Kenji's voice was calm, but there was weight beneath it. "Or maybe not so good?"

She winced. "I deserve that."

There was a pause. "I wanted to give you time," he said softly, "but I can't ignore the way you sounded last night. What's really going on?"

Her throat tightened. She sat up in bed, pulling the sheets around her. "It was the media," she admitted, her voice low. "When Mia and I went out, they were waiting. Cameras, questions... and one of them shouted about Mallory, asking if... you were dating her. I brushed it off, but—it got to me. I don't even know why I snapped at you. I just... I let it spill over."

Kenji didn't speak for a long moment, but when he did, his tone was steady, unshaken. "Eden, listen to me. I am not dating anyone else. Not Mallory. Not anyone. Only you. Do you understand that?"

Her chest loosened, but tears stung her eyes anyway. "I know. I do. I just—"

"No," he cut in gently but firmly, his voice commanding without being harsh. "You have to give me grace. I know you've been through things. I know trust isn't easy for you. But you can't punish me for what I can't control. I can't control what reporters ask, or what rumors they stir up, or even who they mention. What I can control is how I love you. How I show up for you. How I communicate with you."

Her lips trembled. "Kenji..."

He continued, patient but unwavering. "If you need reassurance, you tell me. If you need boundaries, you tell me. Whatever it takes to make you feel safe and secure with me, I will do it. But I need you to trust me enough to let me. Please... let me heal you."

Silence stretched between them, heavy with the truth he'd laid bare.

Then his voice softened, almost breaking. "Eden, I don't just love you. I'm in love with you. Deeply. And I wouldn't do anything in this world to jeopardize that. You are it for me."

She pressed the phone tighter to her ear, whispering, "I believe you. And I'm sorry for last night. I'll do better."

Kenji exhaled, a low sound of relief. "That's all I ask. Grace for each other."

"Now drink some water before you pass out on me." He said. 

Despite her headache, Eden laughed softly, a sound that eased the heaviness between them. For the first time since she'd landed in Chicago, she felt steady again.