birdcage | ongoing

fifty-six| a mystery to uncover

February 2011
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Resting against him, Winona shut her eyes, relaxing her muscles in the comforting embrace of the bath's warm water. She sensed Harry's racing heartbeat and the gentle heat emanating from his position behind her. Occasionally, he planted kisses on her forehead or cheek, his fingertips gently caressing the skin of her thigh.

Following their trip to his uncle's residence, he had been tense, and she couldn't conceive a better method to ease their nerves than sharing a bath together. In the evening, under the full, silver moon, there existed nothing but them and the orchard.

She could finally pose the question that had been bothering her all day.

"Harry?"

Her husband hummed, the vibrations resonating through his chest behind her.

"Can you share more about your relationship with Edward?"

He tensed physically, his hand coming to a halt on her thigh. "Why do you want to know?"

She understood his apprehension about judgment and criticism, but he should have been aware that she, of all people, would never harbour such sentiments against him. "I'm simply curious. That's all. Nothing else. I'd like to know."

"It's all history now."

"I understand," she clasped his left hand emerging from the water and gently kissed his ring finger, "but I'm curious to understand your emotions back then. I won't judge."

Harry encircled his arm around her waist as she leaned back against him. "It's complicated, birdie. I can't quite define if it was love, infatuation, or sheer desperation. It's uncertain."

"You held strong feelings for Edward, didn't you?"

"I did."

"What type of person was he?"

Harry lapsed into silence, considering his response. She didn't hurry him, allowing him the space to articulate his thoughts without feeling compelled to disclose more than he wished to.

"He was certainly something," Harry began. "He was an actor, just as my uncle mentioned. Quite famous. He had a vast circle of friends and romantic partners, even engagements. But he was always searching, never settling down. He was charismatic and sociable, yet occasionally coarse and forthright. Yet, beneath all that, he carried a sense of loneliness and desperation. In a way, I think we connected on that level. Behind the facade of smiles, parties, women, and wealth, I glimpsed the true Edward."

Winona observed her husband's distant expression, noticing a certain quality in his demeanour she hadn't witnessed before when he talked about his past. He seemed nostalgic and somewhat contemplative, as if revisiting those memories stirred both fondness and melancholy within him.

"Yes, I was his escort, but he did so much for me. And I don't just mean the money, but the support and companionship. He tried to help me become a better person. He loved me in a way that I hadn't been loved before. He loved me as I was—a trailer park boy from a broken home."

She gripped his hand firmly. "It's unfortunate you both had to keep your relationship hidden."

He offered a sorrowful chuckle. "It would've caused a scandal. He'd have lost everything. The norms of that time didn't allow for it. But we found contentment in our secret, away from the world's judgment."

"Did your mother know?"

"Eventually. Yes. She wasn't one to care about what society would say. She just wanted me to be happy."