Imogene and Damien have had their happy, let's be honest, steamy, couple moments for thirteen chapters now. Time for them to return to their drama filled and problematic lives. Hold on to your hearts!!!
Damien Shaw The rain is coming down hard, relentless. It’s been like this for two days, just gray skies and the constant drum of water against the cabin roof. We’re supposed to be on a flight back to LA by now, but the storm’s got all flights grounded. It’s just me and Imogene, trapped in our Villa. I can feel her restlessness even when she doesn’t say a word. She’s sitting by the window, staring out at the rain like she’s trying to conjure some sort of magical power to make it stop. I want to tell her to relax, to stop worrying, but I know it wouldn’t help. She’s been on edge since our flights got delayed. I know it’s because of Lily. We haven’t been able to receive any calls from Breonna or get updates about Lily in two days due to bad network connection and the storm’s just making everything worse.I’m about to suggest we make some tea or watch a movie—anything to distract her—when her phone rings. My heart leaps, is the line finally back up?I see Imogene’s shoulders tense
Damien Shaw The rain continues to pound against the windows of our cabin as I continue to good Imogene in my arms. The sound of the rain feels louder now and I feel her breath against my neck, shallow and uneven. I rest my chin on top of her head, inhaling the familiar scent of her hair, and try to find something, anything, to distract her from the spiral of thoughts I know is taking over."Remember the second day of this trip?" I murmur, keeping my voice light. "When we hiked up that trail and found that little cove? You swore you wouldn’t go into the water, but then I saw you diving in before I even had a chance to take my shoes off."She doesn’t answer, but I feel her relax slightly against me. I continue, trying to keep her in the moment. "That night, after dinner, you fell asleep with your head in my lap while we were watching that ridiculous rom-com. I didn’t have the heart to wake you, so I stayed up the whole night watching you sleep, just listening to the waves crash."
Imogene Scott Damien’s eyes are burning into me, and I feel my throat tighten. The words are stuck somewhere between my heart and my mouth. Why the fuck did I take so long to say something? I open my lips, barely a whisper coming out. “It was a mistake… Jace came on to me at the—”Before I can finish, Damien grabs Jace by the collar, rage overtaking his face. “You son of a bitch!” he roars, pulling Jace closer and slamming his fist into his face. The sound of the impact is sickening, a harsh crack that echoes through the kitchen. Jace stumbles back, crashing to the floor, clutching his jaw.“Damien! No!” I shout, but it’s useless.Damien hauls Jace up by the collar again, dragging him into the living room. I follow, heart pounding. Damien throws another punch, and Jace barely has time to react before his head snaps to the side from the force. Blood spills from his lip, and I can hear Dahlia screaming, rushing over to try and pull them apart. “Damien! Stop it!” Dahlia cries, h
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Imogene Scott Damien refuses to speak to me for the rest of the trip. I don’t blame him, I really messed up and it has once again cost us our relationship. I try to keep my thoughts occupied with Lily throughout the remaining twenty four hours that the storm persisted. Even throughout the flight home, we didn’t say anything to each other. The moment we touch down in LA, I feel the gnawing guilt that has been growing in my chest again. Damien and I have barely spoken since the incident with Jace. His hands grip the steering wheel tightly as he drives, but his eyes are fixed on the road ahead. I glance at him, wanting to say something, but the words don’t come out. Instead, I just stare out the window and let my mind by consumed by one thing—Lily.By the time we pull up to Aces penthouse, stomach is in knots. I practically throw the car door open, not waiting for Damien as I rush into the building. The walk across the lobby feels like forever but I finally walk into the elevator. D
Imogene Scott As soon as we buckle Lily into the backseat, I can feel my heart squeezing in my chest. Damien and I slid into the front seat and he starts the engine. But his gaze flickers to me before pulling out of the parking lot. "It's going to be fine," he says, but I can hear the tension underneath. He’s trying to reassure me, but all I can think about is how wrong everything feels. I look back at Lily through the rearview mirror. Her tiny body is slumped slightly and her eyelids flutter as if even staying awake is too much effort.I force myself to breathe, to keep it together, but the sight of her pale face, the way her little hands rest limply in her lap, is too much for me to take in. "She's too warm," I murmur, more to myself than to Damien.My hand is hovering over her forehead again as if I could do something—anything—to make her feel better. Damien reaches over, squeezing my knee gently. His eyes briefly meeting mine. "Kids get fevers. Kids get tired. We’re just
Damien Shaw The drive home feels suffocating and hands grip the steering wheel tighter to ease the tension in my shoulders. I glance over at Imogene. She’s staring out the window. Her eyes are red from holding back tears. She hasn’t said a word since we left the hospital. She doesn’t need to—her pain is written all over her face.I hate this feeling. This helplessness. I don't give a damn about what happened with Jace anymore. Right now, none of that matters. The only thing that does is Lily. And Imogene. I look in the rearview mirror at our little girl. She’s still too pale, too fragile and her head is resting against the car seat. Seeing her like this... it cuts me deep in ways I can’t even articulate. She’s so small. Too small for this kind of fear.When we finally pull into the penthouse, Imogene unbuckles her seatbelt but doesn’t move for a moment. I reach out, placing my hand on hers. “We’ll get through this,” I say.She doesn’t respond, just nods slightly, then gets out
Imogene Scott I slept through the night for the first time in weeks. No jolting awake. No sweat-slicked skin. No dreams of drowning in shadows. Just silence. Stillness. Peace.My eyes open slowly, blinking into the quiet morning light spilling through the gauzy white curtains. The ocean breeze flows in from the slightly open window. My head doesn’t feel like it’s been split in two.I pull the blanket down and sit up, cradling my growing belly with both hands. The twins will be here in a few weeks. Two heartbeats fluttering beneath my skin. Two tiny souls I haven't even met, but already love with an intensity that’s terrifying and beautiful all at once.My fingers press gently into the bump. “You two are going to be okay,” I whisper. “We’re all going to be okay.”A soft smile pulls at my lips. It’s real this time. Not the kind I force at dinner tables or mirror reflections. No, this one is real.“What are you smiling about?”Damien’s voice startles me. I look up as he steps into
Damien Shaw The sun spills through the curtains as my eyes flutter open. I groan, registering the soreness in my bones. I rub at my face, letting my hand fall onto the bed beside me…It’s empty.My heart kicks up, a sudden thrum against my ribs.Imogene is not here.The sheets are still warm, faintly scented with her shampoo and her pillow’s half-squashed. She couldn’t have gone far. But still… my throat tightens as I sit up fast, pushing the blanket off. My bare feet hit the cool wood floor and I stand, eyes scanning the quiet bedroom.I don’t call out. Not yet. My gut twists like it always does when she disappears from my line of sight. I step into the hallway, and I’m immediately hit with a warm, sweet and smoky smell.Pancakes?I follow the scent into the kitchen, tension loosening slightly with each step. And then I see her.She’s standing by the stove, her back to me, swaying ever so slightly to some melody in her head. She’s barefoot, in nothing but my oversized black T-shir
Imogene Scott“Mummy, how long are you going to be gone?” Lily’s small voice floats toward me.I pause, my hand hovering over the zipper of my suitcase. The last dress is folded neatly inside and I press it down before turning to face her. She’s standing by the edge of the bed.“Mummy will be back in a few days,” I say gently, kneeling in front of her and smoothing her curls with my palm. She looks at me like she’s studying me, trying to see if I’m telling the truth or just saying what I think she wants to hear.“Will Mummy be better by then?” she asks.My breath catches.Better.I nod, brushing my thumb across her cheek.“Yes, baby. Mummy will be fine.”Lily thinks about that for a second, then smiles. “Yes, then Mummy can go. Anty Kia will take good care of me.”A soft knock sounds on the door just as I press a kiss to Lily’s forehead. Sheila steps in. “Is there anything else you want to take to the water park, Lily?” she says.Before Lily can answer, Kia walks in right behind
Imogene Scott When I open my eyes, it’s dark outside.The ceiling fan spins slowly above me. My body feels warm as I place my palm on my forehead and try to register what time it is on the wall clock across the room. But my vision’s a little blurry and I can’t make out the numbers, so I sit up instead, blinking away the sleep.I swing my legs off the bed and the cold wooden floor kisses my bare feet. I tug Damien’s hoodie tighter around me before padding to the door. I didn’t mean to sleep that long. I was just going to close my eyes for a few minutes.The hallway is dim. I make my way down slowly, hand on the banister. My joints still feel a little stiff from laying in one position for too long.When I reach the last step, I spot him.Damien’s seated at the dining table, one elbow propped up, his head resting in his palm. His hair’s tousled like he’s run his hand through it a hundred times tonight.“Hey there,” I say, softly.His head snaps up.“You’re awake?” His voice is low.
Damien Shaw I help Imogene off the examination table slowly, my hands gripping her waist. She's light and it unsettles me more than I let on. She sits up and swings her legs over the edge, her fingers resting on my forearm to steady herself."I'm okay," she says softly.She’s not. But I nod anyway. We walk out of the room together and back into the office, where Dr. Rogers is typing something into her computer. The click of the keys fills the silence.She looks up and smiles, though there's a trace of something behind her eyes. Concern, maybe. Caution."Everything looks good so far," she says. "But we’re entering the home stretch now. Just a few more weeks. You both need to be careful, especially you, Imogene."Imogene nods politely. “We will.”I thank her and reach for the door handle, ready to leave. I’m already thinking about the drive home, when Dr Rogers calls out to me. “Damien, could I speak to you for a second?”I stop and glance at Imogene.“I’ll wait in the car,” she
Damien Shaw“You worry too much,” she says. “I’m fine.”I don’t believe her. But I let it slide. For now.I bring her hand to my lips and kiss it gently, holding on a little longer. Then I lean back and press on the gas, taking us the rest of the way.We pull into the hospital’s underground lot. I park, unbuckle, and rush around to open her door. She steps out slowly, her hand finding mine. Her fingers are colder than usual.Inside, the halls are clean, overly bright. We walk in silence to Dr. Roger’s office.She’s waiting when we arrive. “Glad to see Damien’s with you today.”I offer a hand. “Nice to see you too, Doctor.”We sit side-by-side, the chairs squeaking slightly beneath us. Imogene sits with perfect posture, her dress flowing around her legs.“So,” Dr. Roger says gently, “how are you feeling about everything?”“I’m fine,” Imogene says with a small smile.Her hand is in mine. I squeeze it.The doctor nods slowly. “Let’s go to the examination room. I want to check on the tw
Damien Shaw Returning to the living room, something feels...off.Imogene’s still sitting at the dining table, arms wrapped tightly around Lily. Her head turns the moment she hears me, and just like that, she lets go.I step closer. “Everything okay?”She lifts her face and gives me a smile. It's warm but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I see it immediately. “Just feeling a little emotional,” she says.I nod slowly. I don’t push, even though every instinct in me is screaming that something’s not right. “Eat up,” I say instead, nodding toward her plate.She nods and picks up her fork. I head to the counter, grab Lily’s pink backpack, and step outside. The spring air hits me as I open the back door of the car and slide Lily’s bag inside. My phone buzzes in my pocket, but I ignore it. By the time I’m back inside, Imogene’s finished eating. She wipes her lips gently, her eyes briefly flickering up to meet mine. I offer my hand.“Let’s go,” I say.She places her hand in mine. Lily ski
The last chapter has been edited. Read before you proceed. Imogene Scott Sunlight spills across the bed like golden syrup, warm and soft against my skin. I shift under the sheets, groaning quietly as I feel the heat against my eyelids. I blink once, then again, and finally push myself up on my elbow. Damien stands by the window, arms folded, wearing that smug little smile he always wears when he thinks he’s caught me being adorable. He’s already dressed in a gray fitted T-shirt and black joggers. His hair is damp from a shower, and he looks annoyingly refreshed. “Rise and shine, sweetie.” I groan and drag the covers over my head. “Ugh… it’s too early in the morning.” “It’s almost eleven,” he says with a chuckle. I fling the duvet back just enough to peek at him. “How did I sleep for that long?” He walks over, sits on the edge of the bed, and leans in with a playful glint in his eye. “Because I cuddled you in my arms all night.” I snort. “No. You’re not my sleeping pill.” “S
Imogene Scott As soon as Damien walks out the door, I let out a slow breath. It’s soft, almost soundless, like I’m trying not to break something fragile that still lives inside me. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m what’s fragile now. He really cares about me. I know that. Every word, every touch, every look tonight, he’s trying. He always has. But the truth is, I’m struggling. I don’t know where I’m at anymore. Everything feels fuzzy, like the world has gone slightly out of focus and I’m squinting to make it make sense again. I sit up slowly, brushing my hair back from my face. It’s still damp from the shower earlier, curling at the ends in soft, stubborn waves. I reach for my slippers and slide my feet in. They make a soft shuffling sound against the hardwood as I walk toward the door. It’s just 8 p.m. The hallway is dim and the air smells faintly of pancakes, probably and something else... cinnamon maybe. Damien must’ve added cinnamon. I smile a little at the thought. He always adds t