Found Obsession

Chapter 111: Best Friend Vs. The Man in Love

Beg him to stay, she thought desperately, the words clawing at the back of her throat. But she couldn't. She knew—she understood—that every reason Jonathan had given was rooted in his last attempt to hold onto the justice they had all fought for, even as it slipped through their fingers.

This wasn't just about her. It was about him, about what little remained of his belief in justice. He was pushing her boat lightly out of the storm, ensuring she could keep sailing even if he was no longer there for her.

If he was going to die because of those lists, he preferred it to be in a war—far from her but still protecting her. His sacrifice wasn't for glory or redemption. It was for her. For their cause. For the faint hope that justice might still prevail.

Either way, he was leaving her. Just like Mark, just like Sasha. And deep down, Rose knew that Edward had made his peace with the same choice long ago.

"I want to beg you to stay," Rose whispered, her voice trembling. "Even throw myself at you, finding some way—any way—to stop you." Her words came out in a rush, filled with desperation she struggled to suppress.

"But you won't," Jonathan interrupted gently, his voice soft but steady.

Rose nodded, her shoulders sagging. "I won't," she admitted quietly, her eyes downcast.

Jonathan exhaled, his lips curling into a faint, broken smile. "I wouldn't have stayed either," he confessed. "Even though I would've loved for you to throw yourself at me." He tried to chuckle, but his voice cracked under the weight of his emotions.

He hesitated, his expression growing heavier. "I need to know... do you forgive me? For what Sasha and I—"

Rose shook her head before he could finish, cutting him off. "I forgive you, if that's what you want to hear," she said firmly, her voice steady despite the ache in her chest. "But I never held grudges, Jonathan."

Jonathan's eyes glistened, and as a tear rolled down his cheek, Rose instinctively reached up to wipe it away. The tenderness in her touch made his lips tremble.

"Wish you had," Jonathan said, his voice barely audible. "It would make this easier. It'd make me hate myself less."

Rose felt her own heart shatter at his words. She looked down, her hands trembling slightly as she tried to hold herself together.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up again, her voice soft but resolute. "Jonathan... I need my best friend right now. More than the man who loves me." She paused, searching his tear-streaked face. "Can you do that? Can you be that for me? I need to tell you something."

Rose slowly retreated her hands, withdrawing into herself. She couldn't beg him to stay. She wouldn't let herself be selfish—not when she had slept with Elijah. How wrong, how morally wrong would it feel to ask Jonathan to stay after everything?

"When I..." Her voice cracked, faltering as the weight of her thoughts bore down on her.

She couldn't tell him about her father. That truth would only plant more bitterness, more hatred in Jonathan's heart. And she couldn't do that to him. She couldn't tarnish that part of him, nor feed negative emotions.

Instead, Rose hugged her knees tightly, folding into herself as if trying to disappear. Her lips trembled, the words fighting to break free.

"When I was small... until I ran away..." she began, her voice shaking with suppressed emotion. She couldn't look at him, couldn't meet the compassion she knew would be in his eyes. Her nails dug into her arms as she stared at the floor. "A person who was supposed to watch over me would—"