Love In The Shadows | Fred Weasley x OC

Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Unspoken Truths

Adhara stood by the window in Draco's flat, staring out at the dimming skyline. The evening had slipped into a quiet stillness, the air heavy with thoughts that seemed too much to bear. She had just left the joke shop, and she was still reeling from the confrontation with Fred. Fred knew. He knew everything. It had been forced from her, unplanned, uncontrolled. She never meant for it to happen this way, but it had.

She had spent years running from this moment, trying to keep Fred safe, trying to protect him from the world she had been born into. A world that had always been dark, dangerous, and filled with people like her father—people who would do anything to maintain their power. She had kept him at arm's length, hidden behind walls of silence, hoping that her decision to leave, to walk away from him, would be enough to shield him from the consequences of knowing the truth. But now, the truth was out, and there was no taking it back.

The door creaked open, and Draco stepped inside. His presence in the room felt like a quiet comfort, but also a reminder of everything Adhara had been trying to avoid. He knew, of course, what had transpired. He had always known. Draco, despite the weight of his own past, understood the intricacies of a life lived in shadows better than anyone. His eyes met hers with quiet understanding as he took a step toward her, his usual smirk replaced with something softer.

"How are you holding up?" His voice was calm, but she could hear the concern in it, an undercurrent of empathy.

Adhara didn't turn away from the window, though she could feel Draco's eyes on her. "How do you think?" she asked bitterly, her tone sharp and defensive. She wasn't angry at Draco, but the frustration was too much to keep bottled up.

Draco didn't flinch. He never did. "I'm guessing not great," he said, leaning against the doorframe.

She let out a short, hollow laugh and turned to face him. "Fred knows. He knows why I left." The words stung as they left her lips, like a confession she had never wanted to make.

"And?" Draco asked, stepping into the room, his eyes probing her face as though trying to read her emotions.

Adhara exhaled deeply, sinking into the couch as if the weight of her actions had finally become too much to bear. "And he's angry. Of course, he's angry. He's been angry for years, but now, now he has the reason. And it doesn't feel better. It doesn't make any of this feel better."

Draco tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. "It wouldn't. But you never planned on telling him, did you?"

She shook her head slowly. "No. I never wanted to tell him. I thought it was better this way, keeping him in the dark. If he knew, if he understood, he'd try to fix things. He'd try to fight my father, and I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let him get involved in that world. He's too good, too kind, too... everything that I'm not. I couldn't put him in that kind of danger."

Draco's eyes softened with understanding, and he stepped closer, sitting down next to her. "You never thought that maybe he'd want to be involved? Maybe he'd want to fight for you, with you?"

Adhara's heart clenched at the thought. "No," she whispered, shaking her head. "He's not a part of this life. He never could be, Draco. I couldn't bring him into this. Not when I know what my father is capable of. I couldn't risk him. I couldn't risk anyone."

"And now you've kept him away from you for all this time," Draco said gently, "because of something he never even had the chance to understand."

Adhara closed her eyes, her fingers curling into the fabric of her skirt as she processed his words. She hadn't wanted to protect him by pushing him away. She hadn't wanted to hurt him. But she had. She had done it because she thought it was the only way to keep him safe, and now the truth was out. The weight of the years spent apart, the silence, all of it had come crashing down on her, and she didn't know how to make sense of it.

"You're right," she said softly, her voice breaking just slightly. "I never wanted him to find out like this. But it happened. It's out, and there's no going back."

Draco's gaze didn't waver. "You can't change what's happened, Adhara. What matters is what you do next. Fred knows. He'll process it in his own way. But you can't keep running from it. You can't keep hiding from him."

She shook her head. "I know. I just don't know what to do now. I don't know how to fix it."

"You can't fix it," Draco said simply. "You can only face it. You can't control the way Fred reacts to it. You can only control how you move forward from here."

Adhara met Draco's gaze, her eyes searching his for answers. She didn't know if she was ready to face Fred again. The fear of rejection, of never being able to undo the damage she had done, gnawed at her. But there was something in Draco's words that made her pause. Maybe he was right. Maybe she couldn't control how Fred reacted, but she could control what happened next.

For the first time in years, Adhara realized that the choice had always been hers. The decision to leave, to protect, to hide—it had always been in her hands. But now, facing the truth, she had to make a new choice. And maybe, just maybe, that choice involved going back. Not to fix things, but to try, to face Fred and give him a chance to decide what he wanted from this moment forward.

She exhaled, a deep, shaky breath, as if something inside her was finally loosening. "I didn't want him to find out like this," she murmured. "But maybe... maybe it's time to stop running."

Draco nodded, his expression unreadable but still full of understanding. "You'll figure it out. You always do."

Adhara sat there, the silence between them stretching as she thought about everything that had led her to this moment. She wasn't sure what would happen next, but one thing was clear—she had to stop hiding from the truth. She had to face it, no matter how painful. And maybe, just maybe, Fred would understand. Maybe he would forgive her. Or maybe he wouldn't. But the one thing she couldn't do was continue living in the shadow of a truth she had kept buried for so long.

With a soft sigh, Adhara looked up at Draco. "Thank you," she said, her voice soft but sincere. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

Draco offered her a small, almost reassuring smile. "You don't have to thank me. You've always had me, Adhara. And you always will."

For the first time that evening, Adhara allowed herself to believe it.