Begin Again novel Chapter 165

Brenda came out of hiding the minute she heard the front door slam shut.

She looked as terrified as Eden felt, and for a minute or two, they both just sat on the couch in total silence and stared at the blank TV screen.

"Are you okay?" The nanny asked when the silence became a little too unbearable.

In a surprisingly steady voice, belying the flood of tears brimming in her heart, Eden assured her she was okay; she'd been through worse where Liam was concerned.

It was total horseshit, of course.

Tonight's confrontation was by far their most brutal, heartbreaking, soul-crushing battle yet, and she was amazed she was still standing after all the bloodshed.

"You should get some sleep," she added as she gently pulled Brenda to her feet and pushed her towards her bedroom. "It's late."

"What about you?" The nanny asked as she paused in the hallway, the worry and fear etched on her face almost palpable.

It was the first time Eden had seen her so rattled, and she felt awful she had to witness all that ugliness.

"Brenda," she began as she crossed the room and took her hands and squeezed them. "I'm so sorry you had to see that. Liam would never have done anything to us—to you. He'd never hurt us. He's just angry with me, that's all."

Brenda smiled. Her dark eyes remained wary, though. "I know that. But Eden, I've never heard—"

Her voice trailed off, seemingly unable to articulate the horror she'd seen because it was all so raw and painful and heartbreaking.

Eden nodded. She understood. She, too, had never heard anyone weep the way Liam had when he saw Aiden for the first time. It was the sound of grief and love and despair, all merging into a tsunami of emotions two years in the making. It had chilled her to the depths of her soul and shattered her heart to pieces.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Brenda tugged at her arm, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Eden nodded as she blinked back her tears and swallowed the huge rock stuck in her throat, promising to suffocate her if she didn't do something about it soon.

"Don't worry," she added. "I'll head to bed in a bit as well."

"Alright," Brenda waved over her shoulder one last time and shuffled down the hall.

Eden didn't go to bed, though. Instead, she tidied up her living room and cleared away Aiden's toys. She attacked her kitchen next, afraid that if she so much as stopped, she'd unravel and fall to pieces.

And she couldn't do that.