#Chapter 174: The Monster Beneath

Audrey I was suddenly thrust back into the present, gasping as if I had just been underwater. Edwin was still holding my wrist, his grip tight but not painful. We were still standing in the middle of the training room, the fluorescent lights harsh against my eyes after the darkness of Edwin’s memory. My heart was racing, and I could feel a thin sheen of sweat on my skin. The room suddenly felt too warm, too small, as if the walls were closing in on us. Edwin’s chest was heaving, and he released my wrist as if it had burned him. “Well, now you know,” he said softly, unable to meet my eyes. His voice was rough, as if he had been shouting. “Now you know why I won’t let you fight. Why I won’t fight.” I stared at him, my mind reeling from what I had just witnessed. “Edwin, I... that wasn’t your fault,” I assured him, taking a step forward. “You were young, you didn’t mean to—” “It was my fault,” Edwin interrupted, his voice sharp enough to make me