Edmund Pevensie -2-

The corridor was almost empty, with only the echo of their voices bouncing off the cold walls. Edmund couldn't contain the rage that burned inside him; his eyes shone with a mixture of fury and pain that he didn't know how else to express.

"What the hell do you think you were doing, walking with him like that?" he spat, his voice sharp, each word piercing like a dagger. "Do you think I'm stupid? That I don't see what happens when you're not looking?"

She tried to take a step back, but he held her arm tightly, not letting go, making it clear that he wasn't going to let her get away from that conversation.

"I can't stand it when you look at me with that indifference, as if I don't matter," he accused her, his words coming in rapid succession, his throat tight. "You drive me crazy, you know? I can't be the only one pulling this string."

His words had the rawness of someone who feels hurt but doesn't know how to apologize, who gets angry to mask his fear. The tension was so thick it felt like the air could break at any moment.

"You know what? I'm fed up with this," he roared. "I don't want to compete with ghosts or feel like every time I see you laughing with someone else, something inside me is being ripped away."

For a second, her eyes clouded over and she lowered her voice, as if confessing a defeat that no one should see.

—I love you. But this shit is killing me.

Silence fell over the hallway

"Do you really think I'm a fool?" Edmund said sharply, not waiting for an answer. "Do you expect me to turn a blind eye to what I saw the other day? To how you walked away without saying a word?"

She remained silent.

"Are you going to stay silent?" her tone became harsher.

Without further ado, he grabbed her arm tightly, not caring about hurting her, pulling her roughly towards him, his gaze fixed and defiant.

Don't play dumb. I want you to listen to me, I want answers. I'm fed up with your silence.