Regret Came Too Late

The voice on the other end stayed calm, offering Ed quiet reassurance.

"I ran tests on her before. Her brain trauma was severe, and the death of that person caused deep emotional damage. Subconsciously, she's been rejecting anything connected to him. For at least the next six months, her memory will be a mess."

Ed finally started to calm down and leaned against the tree beside him. He was tall, and the street lamp threw his shadow long across the pavement. It stretched until it nearly covered the road.

He had the kind of build that turned heads without even trying. Sure enough, a woman stumbled by, clearly drunk, and her eyes lit up the second she spotted him. She slurred the words, "Hey, handsome. Do you want to come home with me? I'll pay you real good."

The woman, Melissa Horton, was dressed head to toe in luxury, including expensive heels and designer perfume. Every inch of her screamed money. She stared at Ed, utterly entranced, then reached up to touch his face without hesitation.

The next second, a white-hot bolt of pain shot through her wrist. There was a sickening snap, and she screamed.

Ed's expression had shifted in an instant. What was blank before had turned terrifying.

"What are you offering to have your fun with me?" he asked, his voice low and his eyes dead. "Your life?"

The pain snapped her right out of her fantasy. She staggered back several feet while clutching her wrist, gasping. If she could've run straight through the wall and back to her place, she would've.

The next morning, Grace stepped into the elevator after washing up. When it stopped on a lower floor, two women stepped in-one with a bandaged wrist. The other woman glanced at it immediately. "What happened to your hand?"

The injured woman, Melissa, groaned, looking rough from a hangover. "Ugh, don't even ask. I went drinking with friends last night. On my way back, I ran into this total psycho outside the building."

She winced, rubbing her temple.

not ugly, right? So, I flirted a little and asked if

thing I knew, he grabbed my wrist and snapped it. Just like

voice dropped into something lower-half

you offering to have your fun with me? Your life?'

your wrist? What the hell is wrong with him? Is he insane? Who

woman sighed, exhausted and still a little

But honestly, even drunk, I remember that face. God, he was hot-like ridiculously hot. Probably

have such a messed-up temper, I swear I'd pay him to be my boyfriend for

Melissa was talking about Ed. But Ed would never do something like that. He was shy, almost insecure. He was just

man who snapped a woman's

opened, but the women's voices kept echoing behind her, loud

added, rubbing her temples. "There's something about that guy's face

friend waved it

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Let's be real-your last exes? Including the one

saying is, yeah, he broke my

showed up today and asked me out, I'd still say yes. Hell, I'd date him with