Imogene Scott After Damien leaves, I drop a text for Emmett that I won’t be returning to the gallery for the rest of the day. I’m not sure how I’ll be able to get a new nanny for Lily on short notice. Getting someone like Breonna took me days. Shit! I didn’t know Damien could ever pull such a stunt on me. I hear the doorbell ring. I go and answer it and I can see from the door monitor screen that on one is there. Either way, I open the door and step out. The hallway is empty and there’s a basket of roses at my doorstep with a note in it. Curiosity overrides everything as I bend down to grab the note. It reads: I was wondering if you wanna grab dinner tomorrow night. From your admirer, Keith. His business card is also attached to it. I immediately shrug and drop the note back into the basket. Then I step back inside, leaving the basket of roses outside. I already know it’s the elevator guy, my landlord, which makes it even more weird. Who sends flowers to someone they barely know
Imogene Scott The following night is a Friday night and I’m in my room, getting dressed for something that’s more like a date. I haven’t gone on one since Damien and I got divorced so Elinor is seated at the edge of my bed, judging me with those penetrating eyes of hers. I’m meeting Keith Jordan tonight. More for Elinor’s sake than mine because she kept on insisting after she figured out who Keith is. I’m impressed, although I don’t intend to rely on any man to pay my bills. I had texted Keith earlier this evening and told him to wait in his car in the parking lot for me. I don’t want people from the building to see us together since that’s where the gossip starts. Most of all, this is just a one time thing. Either it goes well or not, I’ll tell Elinor it didn’t and he never wants to see me again and that chapter becomes officially closed. “So, how do I look?” I say, as I turn to face Elinor. I’m standing in front of a mirror in a sleeveless black corset mini dress that stop
Imogene Scott I take a long breath before I flick the lock on the door. Before I can step out, Damien steps in, causing me to stumble backwards. His eyes darken as he flicks the lock on the door. Next thing I know, his familiar clean, woody scent fills my senses. I stiffen, my eyes locking with Damien’s as he steps closer to me. His gaze is intense, jaw clenched. Every inch of him oozes intensity. “Did you come here with your landlord?” “How...never mind.” Of course he knows Keith is my landlord. He probably knows everything about Keith Jordan since Elinor told me KJ Tech and IMU are rival companies. “Whether I’m here with him or not is none of your business. We’re divorced. I can go on a date with whoever I want.” “So that’s what this is?” The tiniest flicker passes through his eyes. “A date?” “Yes.” A platonic one, and I don't intend to meet Keith again. But Damien doesn’t need to know that. I lift my chin, challenging him to step back. “He’s not your type.” “I’m trying ne
Imogene Scott I give Elinor a blow by blow of how the date went. And how I might’ve just gotten the greatest opportunity of my life. She’s happy for me and does a show of hands in an I-told-you-so way, just to let me know that I couldn’t have done it without her.The following day, I take Lily along with me to the gallery. I haven’t found a nanny for her yet and Elinor has to work. Keith sends a little contract for the art convention project and I have Emmett read through it and sign them. The rest of the day passes in a blur and I’m exhausted from juggling through looking after Lily and attending to clients. When I get home, I put Lily to sleep and take a long shower. Then go to bed without having dinner.I’m too tired to eat.Around 9pm, I get a text from Breonna. I frown as I bring the phone closer to my face for reading. [Breonna: Hi, Imogene. It’s me, Breonna. I’m so sorry about whatever you think happened. It’s on me. I really enjoyed the little time I spent with Lily and
Imogene ScottMy fists clenched beside me as I take a deep breath. I wait for the team members to exit the conference room and as soon as they’re all gone, I start talking.“Why the fuck did you not tell me Damien is involved in this project?” I say as evenly as I can, although my face is growing hot with anger. “Because I know you.” Keith replies, relaxing in his seat.His expression is neutral and it angers me more that I don't know what the fuck he’s thinking about. Or why he’s barely giving me a reaction. “You don’t know me, Keith.” I say under my breath. “Because we went on one fucking date doesn’t mean you know shit about me.”He sighs heavily as he rises to his feet. He takes a step closer to me and places a hand on my shoulder. I want to shake his hand off like it’s a snake, but I hold back. Who the fuck does he think he is to be making decisions on my behalf?“I’m so sorry. I just thought you would turn down the offer if you knew Damien was involved.”“Hell yes, I would.
Imogene Scott My heart clenches as I try to understand why on earth my father would reach out to me after so many years. For the past three years that I was gone from LA, he never tried to find me. Even way before that, he stopped contacting me when Damien and I got married. So it’s been approximately eight years. Why now?“Hello?” a voice comes from the other end of the line, hoarse and low.I force myself to hold back the pain that claws at my insides. The pain of hearing my own father’s voice after so many good years. “Hi.” I say slowly.“It’s me, Imogene.”“Dad?” I manage to say.Damien’s eyes snap up as I mention his name. He cocks his head, a lot more confused than I am. But I don’t seem to care about his reaction. He continues to look at me as I try to gather my words into one piece.“Imogene. How are you?” my father asks in a low tone.I want to yell and ask him if “how are you” is the first thing to say after abandoning me for eight years. An apology would do.“I’m fine
Imogene Scott I narrow my eyes and hope the nurse recognizes how inappropriate it is that she’s saying this to me in a gossip-py way right now. She doesn’t. “They say he brought this upon himself by…” I cut her short. “I’ll go in now.” I say rudely. As I step into the hospital room, the first thing that strikes me is the overwhelming sterility of the space. The lighting is dim, but it still catches on the white sheets, giving the room an unsettling glow. My eyes land on my father, lying motionless in the bed. His once strong and commanding presence reduced to this fragile, weakened state. It’s jarring, to see him like this. A faint beep from the heart monitor punctuates the silence. I walk toward the bed, my footsteps muted on the linoleum floor. The chair beside him creaks slightly as I sit down, and I can’t help but feel a pang of worry. His face is pale, almost ashen, and the deep lines etched into his skin seem more pronounced than ever before. His chest rises and falls wi
Damien Shaw As I leave the hospital, the cool evening air does little to quell the storm raging inside me. The confrontation with Imogene still echoes in my mind, her sharp words cutting deeper than I’d like to admit. And the fact that she might be thinking of rejecting a huge business deal all because she wants to be away from me, is heartbreaking.She’s as fierce and stubborn as ever, and I can’t blame her. I’ve earned every bit of her anger. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to fight for her, for us, and for our daughter—Lily.I unlock my car and slide into the driver’s seat, the leather creaking softly under my weight. For a moment, I sit there in silence. I grip the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white.My phone buzzes in my pocket, pulling me from my thoughts. I pull it out and see Breonna’s name flashing on the screen. I’ve not heard from her all day and it’s a surprise. She usually cannot go a day without hearing from me. I hesitate for a moment before