Light, prolonged

春分 [17] / [33]

"Does it bother you?"

Cynthia asked.

"Not really, I just,"

he tried to find the real source of his disagreeableness.

"I'd never imagined picturing Ed and she together, that's all."

Cynthia took a sip of wine, and said.

"You know how Ed is."

He saw the look in her eyes.

"I got a phone call from Anna, after that day we all had that party together, the 4 of us."

"What did Anna say?"

"She was considering whether or not to have him charged with rape."

"Are you serious?"

Alexander was stunned.

What he had heard was they just had a consensual encounter, that was all.

"What exactly happened between them?"

"Ed brought her to the hotel, since he didn't know where she lived. Anna remembered that they got into the hotel room, and she saw the sign over the room. Once Anna got drunk, she couldn’t resist, even if she wanted to. She just wanted to sleep, according to her. When she sank down on the bed, he followed and laid down beside her, and began to touch her. She could feel him. She tried to yell at him, ‘Don't’, but she couldn't do anything. Ed must have thought that she also wanted him, so didn't stop. That's how Ed had sex with Anna. And most of people in the office think something 'romantic' happened between them, which is not true at all. Anna was very stressed out."

"Then why didn't she turn him in? She can still do it, even now."

"I told Anna that. But she is afraid of what people might think."

"What's she afraid of? Forcing somebody who cannot consent to sex is illegal."

"She never guessed Ed would do something like that to her. She made a big mistake. No matter how long they worked together, Ed still is a man who could never be relied upon to be more,"

she frowned.

"Anna remembered that she wanted Ed to bring her home, and she knew that they walked to the hotel by themselves. I mean, Ed didn’t force her to go into that hotel. She trusted him too much. That was it. She's thinking the case happened because she herself was silly enough to make it happen."

"That's not right."

He felt regret. He should have prevented him from taking Anna outside. But it was also true that Anna asked Ed to bring her home. Nevertheless, he couldn't help feeling sorry for Anna.