Chapter 17

Ivy looked up, her face ashen. Still, she nodded, "Yes. That's the least I can do."

They both sat in silence for some time. Ivy looked up, her gaze cautious, "What did you want to ask? I'll try my best to help."

Edward sipped his drink before leaning back comfortably. "Miss Castellan, there's no point in beating around the bush. I'll get straight to the point. What happened during August's childhood?"

Ivy didn't look surprised, already half anticipating that question. Still, she was hoping that it was something else, anything but this. Her expression turned grave. "You saw the marks?"

Edward nodded, "Mhm."

Ivy shifted uncomfortably in her chair, biting her lip. "You know it's not my place to tell you, right?"

Edward lightly replied, "Would you prefer I ask August directly about this?"

Ivy shook her head. "No...."

"I guess you'll have to sacrifice some of your time for your brother, then."

Ivy gulped nervously. He's August's boyfriend...and she saw him with her brother at the mall too. Telling him should be okay, right?

"The marks..." Ivy shuddered before continuing, "He c-cut himself. Self harm."

"Why?" Edward was listening carefully now, his previous leisure gone. "Is it related to what happened in his childhood?"

Ivy slowly nodded. Edward was silent, prompting her to continue.

"August...He was an unplanned child. At that time, both our parents were so busy with work that they rarely had time for him. Our family butler, Sybil, took care of him."

Ivy straightened up, a distant look in her eyes. "I was born when August was 5. Our parents came together for some time, settling in the family home. We were such a happy family for a while..." She smiled, reminiscing about the good times. "But then, after 3 years, our parents divorced. Apparently, my father had a mistress."

"He tried to explain things to my mother multiple times, but she didn't listen. It was revealed that he'd been in an on and off relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Felicia Gray."

"-That actress?"

Ivy nodded, "Yes. Mother took me with her, leaving August with him. He stopped seeing his ex-girlfriend in guilt and drowned himself in work, not caring about August at all."

"It was alright for a while with Sybil...but then he died. He was a good man who really cared about our family...but he was already old, so his death was kind of expected. That bastard-" Ivy's eyes seethed with hatred as she continued, "-didn't even care enough to at least select a caretaker for him. Even his secretary didn't know about Felicia since it was so under the wraps and partly because she acted so well, she got in with the fake identity of a 30 something divorced woman."

"...She abused August?" Edward guessed.

"Yes," Ivy's words became quicker due to resentment, "-Horribly. To the point that when we found him, his whole body was black and blue with many nail marks, his figure as thin as a stick."

Edward felt something wasn't right. "Didn't the servants notice?"

"She lied to all of them and confined August to his room, never allowing him to go out. Felicia was in charge of his meals, clothing, everything and made it look like August was just shy and stayed in his room all day long, playing by himself."

"...How did you find him?"

"I was 5 at that time, and got curious about the 'brother' mom always told me about. I nagged her until she finally gave in, taking me for a visit. He...He was so weak. Couldn't even stand up by himself, you know?" Ivy's eyes were glazed, tears about to fall as she recalled the moments she's given anything to forget, "It took a lot of time for him to recover physically."

"-But mentally, it was never over. He had severe PTSD and anxiety. Apologizing at the smallest of things, constantly worried and self depreciating. He was so used to taking blame for everything and didn't even cry when it hurt. Whenever he felt threatened or uncomfortable, he'd cut himself."

Ivy took a gulp of water before weakly continuing, "That's when we realized the problem was a lot deeper. Felicia, that bitch, used to beat him and cut him whenever he cried or did anything wrong. Gradually, his brain developed that pain, those cuts into a coping mechanism. Devoid of any warmth, he began to find solace in the injuries because they were all he had, right?"

A tear rolled out of her eyes. Her voice cracked, but she somehow continued, "He used to feel safe when he was injured and bleeding, you know? B-Because it- That means she won't come for some time-" Ivy broke off, her later words lost in her sobs. She was unable to hold it in any longer and cried like a child, still desperately trying to stop.

Edward's eyes were empty, not showing any emotion. His face didn't give away his inner grief at all as he silently slid a napkin towards her.

"Thank-Thanks."

Edward didn't reply and silently left, leaving the sniffling girl alone.

Light music played in the background as two people gazed lovingly at each other. It was Christmas eve, the sweet aroma of cake and sweets filling the whole apartment. Both of them were wrapped in a Christmas blanket, laying on the couch. The TV was running some typical Christmas show, but nobody paid it any mind. The only two people here were too busy looking in the eyes of their most important person, too lost in their own little world.

There was a buzz as Edward's phone rang. He made no effort to pick it up, his indifference causing August to assume it was an unimportant call.

It rang again, continuing until Edward finally muted it, frowning.

"Who's it?" August asked. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and stretched, his limbs sore. At the third ring, he remarked, "It seems pretty important."

Edward smiled before shaking his head, "Nope. Not important at all."

Although his attitude seemed easy going, it contrasted with the torn look in his eyes, uncomfortable uncertainty evident in them. August noticed, but decided not to question it. Both of them had their own secrets.

Loving someone doesn't mean knowing everything about the other. It's respecting their secrets, trusting the other enough to know they'll never wrong or betray you. Questioning everything...It just portrays lack of trust, and that isn't love.