Author's POV. Mercedes suddenly came in front of Elise, shielding her from the bullet. The bullet dived into her chest and she collapsed to the floor, groaning.A loud gasp escaped Elise's lips. She stared down at Mercedes, then lifted her gaze to Nicola, who was still pointing a gun at her.Elise could attempt calling the cops or probably screaming for help, but she had to check on Mercedes. Although Mercedes and she have had their past feuds, she just saved her life."Mercedes," Elise dropped to her knees and placed her hand on Mercedes' hair.She stared at the gunshot wound and there was a lot of blood coming from it. She had to stop the bleeding somehow.Elise lowered her gaze to her dress and gripped the hem of it. She tried tearing it, but couldn't."Fuck!" Elise cussed with desperation and fear in her voice. "Mercedes, hold on,"Rising from the floor, she rushed to the room where Mercedes had kept her. She searched for the scissors that the latter had used and she cut a piece
Author's POVDamien's hand flew to his head and stayed there for a few minutes as he tried to recover from the sudden headache."Damien, are you okay?" Jones asked, noticing his strange behavior. "Is there something wrong with you?""No, I'm fine," Damien sighed, lowering his hand. He blinked rapidly for a few seconds, then sauntered to the car."Are you sure?"Jones asked, hoping that a few hours in jail didn't make him sick. He needed to be healthy to continue his search for Elise."I'm fine. I've just been having this weird headache, but I think the stress is getting to me. Everything hasn't been going too well, so the headaches might just be a sign that I need a break," Damien replied, letting out an exhausted sigh and tightening his eyes as the ache continued its ferocious attack in his head."You need a break, you and Elise have been through so much. Don't worry though, I will plan something for both of you," Jones smiled, patting his shoulder. "I could set up a weekend vacation.
Damien's POV. I sat in the hospital with Elise, shocked by everything she had explained to me. I never imagined that the woman who was obsessed with me would have feelings for her former rival. How ironic."This is so surprising," I exhaled sharply."I know. I was shocked when she told me about her feelings. I also thought that it was one of her schemes but..." Elise trailed off, looking away from me."But what?""But her feelings were real and when she took that bullet for me, I was shocked. I didn't expect it," Elise uttered with a soft smile.Was she impressed by what Mercedes did? Well, I was surprised as well, but I would take a bullet for her any day.I knew it was easier thought of than done, but I would do it."Are you impressed by what she did?"I asked, fixing my gaze on her."I am," She admitted."It's amazing that a stranger or should I say a former enemy would risk her life for me. My family never did that for me and I wished that I was there for Fernanda. I wished that I
Damien's POV. "We can start planning our wedding next week, while you recover from the trauma you have experienced," I said, feeling pity for my fiance.She had been through so much and it's annoying that her problems were always connected to me."We can start planning our wedding tomorrow. I have no trauma to get over. I'm completely fine," Elise said with a smile that masked whatever pain she was feeling.She didn't want me to be worried about her, but I was. Also, I suddenly felt a bit inconsiderate for talking about our wedding date at that point in her life.I was so stupid."I'm sorry," I suddenly apologized.It hurt me deeply in my soul that all I could do was apologize to her. I couldn't share her pain or stop her from getting hurt over and over again."No more apologies," She uttered, turning to me with a beam. "You are not allowed to talk about what happened either. I'm trying to forget the misfortunes that have been repeatedly occurring in my life and I need you to help me
Damien's POV. It seemed like I was going to die. The loud ring in my head was getting unbearable and car honks were getting louder.The pressure in my head was excruciating. "I can't take it anymore," I cried out in pain. The bus was getting closer but I was powerless to move. My thoughts were clouded and even remembering my name was a struggle. It seemed like I might die without getting the chance to marry the love of my life. The sudden pain in my chest was worse than the pounding in my head.I was devastated. "Help..."I gasped, but a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me from the road.The sudden tug sent me crashing to the hot pavement. I groaned as my head hit the ground. "Sir," A woman's voice called out. "Sir, can you hear me?" She asked, shaking me gently. I slowly opened my eyes, tears streaming down my face.The unbearable ringing in my head had stopped and the place was no longer spinning. A cold sensation spread through my body and for a moment, I feared that I was dying.
Damien's POV."Blood..."I gasped.Tears filled my eyes as I grew more nauseous. I tried to hold it back, but I couldn't. More blood sputtered into the sink. Another spurt of blood escaped my mouth and I groaned in pain. I gripped my hair tightly as the agony intensified."Fuck," I groaned."Fuck!" I repeated, trying to endure the excruciating pain.I thought the painkillers would get me through the night. How could the headache return even worse?"I can't do this anymore," I muttered, breaking down in tears.Crying wasn't something a man in his thirties should do, but the pain was beyond anything I had ever experienced in my entire life. It was relentless and tortuous."I can't keep going like this," I whispered, my head throbbing.I vomited another handful of blood and felt something dripping down my nostrils. I lifted my head and gazed at my reflection in the mirror.There was blood dripping down my nostrils. I wiped it away hastily, but it continued to trickle. My eyes soaked wi
Damien's POV. The air in the doctor's office felt dense. The weight of my diagnosis made it hard for me to breathe. The silence that followed after the doctor's words was suffocatingly loud and palpable. However, it got broken by the heavy sigh that escaped my lips and the muffled sobs coming from Elise. "A brain tumor," Elise muttered with a broken voice. Elise's grip on my hand tightened. Her nails were digging into my cold flesh and her lips were trembling as I turned my gaze to her. "Yes, a malignant brain tumor," the doctor confirmed. "This must be hard to accept, but...""It's okay doctor," I interrupted him and brought out my business card.I dropped the card on his table and said with a shaky voice, "Send me the rest of the details. We'll take our leave,"Rising to my feet, I pulled Elise along with me. We exited his office and stayed silent until we got out of the hospital."Damien," She halted her steps and pulled her hand away. "Damien, let's get a second opinion. You
Elise's POV. His words made my heart bleed. I knew he wanted me to be happy, but I couldn't imagine myself with any other man apart from him. We were once separated, but no other man made my heart flutter like he did. I had always loved Damien, he was my first everything. He was my crush. The man that I thought, I would never have. "Elise, promise me that you'll move on with your life," He muttered. I wasn't going to move on with my life. I was going to think of him until the day I died. I wasn't going to have any children, because, I always wanted my kids to be his. My life would never remain the same without Damien. There would always be a void that can never be occupied by anyone other than him. "Elise…"He called my name softly. "I promise," I fibbed. "I'll do my best to move on and live my life to the fullest," "That's great. I'm happy to hear that," He sighed, kissing the nape of my neck. "I hope I make it to that beautiful place called heaven. I'll ensure that you're pr
CHAPTER 127 - The end. Elise's POV. Two weeks passed, and the day of the trial came. Although it came sooner than expected, I was ready to go along with whatever Damien planned. As I walked into the courtroom with my disowned parents, I recalled what they had told me. Father told me to trust him after he discovered the cop was arrested. He insisted that the video was real, making me hate him more. I hated him more than I hated the devil because he was worse. How could he act so passionately about avenging my sister when he was the perpetrator? How could he look like my mother in my eyes and pretend to be a supportive husband? I doubted that my mother knew anything about his crime. She must have believed his accusation against Damien, because why would he rape his daughter? Except she wasn't. I suddenly paused as the new narrative settled into my mind. My father had always been poor and insufferable, what if my mom got tired of him or wanted to help the family and cheated in the
CHAPTER 127 - The end. Elise's POV. Two weeks passed, and the day of the trial came. Although it came sooner than expected, I was ready to go along with whatever Damien planned. As I walked into the courtroom with my disowned parents, I recalled what they had told me. Father told me to trust him after he discovered the cop was arrested. He insisted that the video was real, making me hate him more. I hated him more than I hated the devil because he was worse. How could he act so passionately about avenging my sister when he was the perpetrator? How could he look like my mother in my eyes and pretend to be a supportive husband? I doubted that my mother knew anything about his crime. She must have believed his accusation against Damien, because why would he rape his daughter? Except she wasn't. I suddenly paused as the new narrative settled into my mind. My father had always been poor and insufferable, what if my mom got tired of him or wanted to help the family and cheated in the
Author's POV. Elise's eyes widened and she grasped his hand in shock. She didn't expect him to attempt to hurt her, but she was ready to defend herself. She had already gone through some training and gotten stronger than before. She wasn't going to allow anyone to trample on her again. "You bastard!" She suddenly kicked his groin with her knee and stepped on his foot. He screamed and she used the opportunity to push him to the floor. The moment he fell, she ran away from the room. She called the attention of other officers and he was arrested. He denied the allegations she leveled against him, but he couldn't deny his crimes again when the CCTV footage was played. Elise watched how they took him to a cell and she was so happy about it. "Since he's in jail, I don't think there's any need to get the video. I just have to give the judge this recording and show them the marks of his abuse," Elise uttered, walking to a corner and taking pictures of the officer's fingerprints. "Did
Author's POV. "Go to hell, Damien," Roman spat. "Yes, captain," Damien mocked and left the detention room. Roman turned his gaze to the direction Demirn left and felt very upset. He didn't achieve his aim, which was berating and mocking Damien. "Why does it seem like he was expecting me?" Roman asked himself and frowned. "He was saying the right words and his tone was so dark. I hope he isn't monitoring me in some way or digging up some dirt on me," Roman became a bit suspicious, but then he kicked out the thought. He doubted that Damien would know much about his past and since he had enough money, it would be easy for him to escape punishment. "I can't let that bastard upset me," Roman cleared his throat and unbuttoned his shirt. "He's the one in jail not me, he should be worried not the other around," His words were more like a comfort for him, but deep down he couldn't help being nervous. "Fuck," He cussed, slamming his hand on the table. "I'm going to kill that bastard in
Author's POV. Elise left the police station and made her way to Mercedes' house. Although she could have gone to meet Adaline and Jones, she felt a need to speak with someone less familiar.Mercedes had been a bit trustworthy in the past, and Elise wanted someone who wouldn't judge her decisions because of the relationship they shared. Standing in front of the gates, Elise rang the bell and waited. After a few moments, the gates automatically opened to her.As Elise walked up the path to the mansion and almost reached it, the mansion's door swung open.Mercedes' brimming smile was revealed as she stepped out of the mansion to behold the one she once loved.Mercedes had found a way to kill those feelings she had. Although it took her some time to do that, she eventually succeeded."Elise," Mercedes called, walking briskly towards her.Elise stood and waited for the latter to get to her. As Mercedes reached her front, she cupped her face."What brings you here?" Mercedes asked, curiou
Author's POV.Elise's tears ran down her face like a flood. The pain she felt in her heart was immense. She never imagined that the man she loved would do that to her sister.Damien raped Emerald, who was a minor. Then acted like a savior towards Elise, taking advantage of her naivety."How could he have done that to a little girl? What sort of person is he?" Elise asked herself, slowly dropping to her knees. She trusted him so much and even challenged her parents because of him. She couldn't believe that he betrayed her trust in such a horrible way. "Fuck!!!" Elise cussed, gripping her hair in anger. She hated the fact that she wasn't there to protect her little sister. She felt disgusted about crushing on Damien, loving him and even getting pregnant twice for him. It pained her to the core that she didn't know the sort of monster he was."We told you, right?" Elise heard her mother's voice and her heart shattered."We didn't have any evidence then to prove that he raped her. Alth
Author's POV."What!" Elise exclaimed and sprang up from where she sat. She walked up to where Damien stood and stepped in front of him.The cop had to take a step back because Elise looked so fierce. "What rape are you talking about?" Elise questioned in a tone mixed with confusion and annoyance. "I don't understand you,"She suddenly shifted her gaze from the cop to the people beside him, and her eyes widened a bit. "Mother, father," She gasped at the sight of them, then regretted calling them by those names.She promised not to do that after they mocked her over her downfall during the disappearance of Natalie. "What are both of you doing here with a cop?" Elise asked, doubtful about what the cop said."This bastard was the one who raped your sister to death," Her father confirmed, shocking her."Emerald was raped," Her hands flew to her mouth in surprise.Her parents never stated any details about her sister's death. She always wondered how her younger sister lost her life."Ye
Author's POV.Damien walked to the door and barged into the restroom. He met Elise throwing up into the toilet and he grew more concerned.He moved closer to her and patted her back a little."Easy, take it easy," He whispered, rubbing her back.Elise sighed and raised her head. She walked to the sink and turned on the water. She rinsed her mouth, then washed her face."Are you okay?" Damien asked softly. "Did you eat something you were allergic to?"Elise shook her head and lifted her head. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and squinted a bit.She wondered why she had been feeling nauseous, then realized that she had been experiencing other symptoms as well. She had been feeling sleepy, having mood swings, and experiencing nausea.Those were all pregnancy symptoms and to top it all, she hadn't seen her menstrual period either."My menstrual period," Elise gasped and faced Damien."What's wrong with it?" Damien inquired, his face creased in confusion. "Have you seen it?"Dami
Author's POV.It had been two days since Elise and Damien had their fun. While Elise had resumed her modeling jobs, Damien had been working and planning toward the destruction of Roman.Damien wasn't going to wait for Roman to strike again. He was going to strike first and hard. He had been executing a few schemes and meeting an old enemy of Roman was one of them."Good day sir," Damien smiled as he walked into the old-fashioned office.The office had archaic designs. It lacked the beauty of the modern world, but it had this special and unique feeling of the old period attached to it.Damien loved the statue that he beheld and he liked the painting on the wall. The painting drew his attention more than the man he had come to see.The painting was that of a woman. One side of the woman had fair skin and a touch of rosiness on her cheeks, while the other side had scars, bruises, and tears running down her darkened eyes.The painting was so realistic."Do you want it?" The old man behind