The Red String Between Us: Part III Eternal Thread

Swaying

The following morning, Eden sat in the back of a sleek town car, staring out the tinted glass as the Hokkaido landscape blurred past. Her meetings today were stacked one after another, yet her mind was nowhere near the boardroom. Instead, it lingered on Kenji's face last night-controlled, unreadable, but his jaw tight with unspoken questions.

She missed the days when being around him had felt effortless, when his touch alone could dissolve every worry. Now, she wasn't sure if she was making him her partner... or keeping him at a polite distance.

At lunch, she texted him:
Thinking of you.

The reply came minutes later:
Busy in meetings. Call you tonight.

It was formal. Too formal. And it stung.

By evening, Eden was back at her hotel, files spread across her desk, when her phone buzzed again. This time it wasn't Kenji. It was the head of his security detail.

"Ms. Davis," the man said, his tone brisk, "our patrols picked up movement again near the outer fence line. Same location as yesterday. North side. Human-sized figure. Left before we could intercept. I suggest limiting your movements after dark until we've identified them."

Eden swallowed hard. "So it wasn't just an animal?"

"No, ma'am." A pause, then more carefully: "They seemed familiar with the grounds."

Her skin prickled. She closed her laptop, suddenly aware of how alone she was in the quiet room.

Later that night, Kenji called as promised. His voice was steady but tired. "Eden, we need to talk."

"About the job?" she asked, bracing.

"Where I come from, trust means everything to me, I know you well enough to know you wouldn't intentionally hurt me, but keeping things from me at this stage where we are. I need that."

Her throat tightened. "I didn't mean to shut you out. I thought I was protecting you from more stress."

"And instead, you've created distance." His words were firm, but not cruel. "Eden, I love you. But I can't fight shadows outside our gates and shadows between us."

The silence stretched. Eden pressed her hand to her chest, fighting the ache. For the first time, she wondered if love alone could carry them through what was coming.