Back when he said things that sounded like promises…
***
I was fresh out of school, a girl still unsure of her own shadow.
Edmund looked at me, eyes soft and serious, like I was the only thing that made sense.
“Doris,” he said, holding my hand like it was the only thing steady in his wild world, “I swear, I’ll take care of you. Always. No matter what happens, you’ll never have to worry about a thing.”
I smiled, my heart so full it felt like it might burst.
“Even if the whole world turns its back?” I asked, barely breathing.
He nodded. “Especially then.”
Then another flashbacks...
A summer evening under the stars. We lay on the grass, tangled limbs and whispered dreams.
“I don’t care about money, or power, or the damn legacy,” Edmund said, voice low and fierce. “You’re the only future I want. You and me, we’ll build something real. Something no one can take.”
I laughed, feeling invincible.
“You make me believe in forever.”
He kissed me like he meant it. Like forever was ours already.
But then came my father.
The man with a crown no one dared challenge.