Imogene Scott But instead of a shadowy figure or some deranged person, I see Damien standing there, a flashlight in hand. The relief is so overwhelming that I almost drop the bat.My mind doesn’t stop to think about how and why he’s even here. Sure, he left earlier than us but he didn’t have to come right ahead if we were all heading to the same place. Right?“Damien?” My voice is shaky. “What the hell are you doing here?”He raises an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by my reaction. “I could ask you the same thing,” he says, lowering the flashlight. “I got here early because one of the contractors mentioned the restrooms need to be renovated before the convention. I had to check it out myself.”I blink. He’s gotta be kidding me. “You came all the way here… for a restroom?”That makes literally no sense.His mouth quirks into a wry smile. “I like to be thorough.”No kidding.I lower the bat completely, still holding it just in case. “Well, I don’t care about your thoroughness right no
Imogene Scott Just as Damien’s lips are about to brush against mine, the sound of Keith’s voice cuts through the air, sharp and clear.“Imogene, are you in there?” Keith yells from the other side of the door.I jerk back as if I’ve been burned, and the spell is broken. Elinor warned me, being around Damien would be no good for me. He’s manipulative, knows the right time to say and do things. Knows the right time I might crack under pressure.Shit!“I’m here! The door’s jammed!” I shout, my voice trembling.There’s a brief moment of silence, followed by a series of bangs as Keith forces the door open. The metal groans and then swings wide, flooding the cramped space with light and fresh air. I scramble to my feet, shrugging off Damien’s jacket as I do.“Thank you,” I say to Keith, my voice shaky. I don’t dare look back at Damien as I step past him, out into the open space of the site.Damien follows, his expression unreadable. “What took you so long to find us?” he asks Keith, his
Imogene Scott My head throbs as I pace back and forth my bedroom cradling Lily in my arms. She was asleep a while ago after Breonna left, but now she’s suddenly awake ten minutes later and wailing. She isn’t hungry, I tried giving her food. She doesn’t want to play either because she keeps tossing the toys aside. I can’t seem to figure out what she wants.Her small body is warm and squirming against me and her cries grow more frantic with each passing second. I try to soothe her, whispering soft words, bouncing her gently, but nothing seems to work. Her face is flushed, her tiny hands gripping at my shirt, and I can feel her tears soaking through the fabric.“Shhh, baby, please,” I murmur, but my voice is barely audible over her cries. My throat feels raw, the result of the cold I caught at the site earlier today. It has only gotten worse since I got home. Every breath feels like I’m dragging it through sandpaper, and my head is pounding so hard it feels like it might split in
Imogene Scott The morning sun filters through the window in my room, painting the walls in soft, golden light. I blink slowly, letting the warmth seep into my bones. I sit up and take a moment to register how I feel. My head no longer feels like it’s stuffed with wet cotton balls and molasses. As much as I hate to admit it, the chicken noodle soup Damien brought me last night must’ve done the trick. The thought of him in my apartment last night lol ast night, makes my stomach twist, but I push it aside. I stand up carefully. The room doesn’t whirl around me. Feeling optimistic, I stretch my arms above my head, feeling the tension in my muscles ease slightly. But then, the memories of last night flood back in.Damien was really here, in my apartment. He held Lily, comforted her like it was the most natural thing in the world, and even served me food. My heart constricts painfully, a mix of anger, confusion, and something else I can’t quite name.What was I thinking? He’s my ex-husb
Damien Shaw No one beats Imogene when it comes to pretending like nothing happened. She’s a master at it. Right now, she sits across from me in the conference room, her posture straight, her face impassive, her attention seemingly focused on the meeting that just ended. Her pen taps rhythmically against the table, and she makes notes in that neat, precise handwriting of hers. There’s not a single hint in her demeanor that suggests she cares.I’m seething inside, watching her act like everything is perfectly normal. How can she do this? How can she act like I didn’t take care of her when she was sick, like I didn’t hold our daughter in my arms for the first time in what feels like forever? That night—it wasn’t just about soup or care. It was a glimpse, into something I’ve been longing for. A family. My family. Our family. The way Lily clung to me, the way Imogene softened, just for a moment... It made me feel complete in a way I haven’t in years. But now, sitting here in this
Imogene Scott Damien doesn’t show up for meeting for the next few days and I conclude he’s hurt by my words. It’s a good thing. He needs to fucking understand there’s no place for him in mine and Lily’s life.I don’t let his absence bother me so I make sure to keep my schedule tight. I also hop on occasional video calls with Lily and Breonna every now and then. Then later, I meet Mrs Rita Phineas for a late brunch.“Dessert?” Mrs Phineas ask, raising an eyebrow at me.We just finished having brunch at Junior’s, a well-known tourist trap restaurant that actually has some of the best cheese cakes in the city. “Of course.” I study the dessert menu for an eternity. “I can’t decide between the raspberry swirl, Oreo, or red velvet.”“Get them all,” Mrs Phineas says. I love the way she acts when she’s around me. It’s like she’s my best friend and we’re the same age. “A sampler. We don’t have to finish them.”I slap my menu down on the table. “Speak for yourself. Inever leave desse
Imogene Scott The news article is all I can think about as I drive back home. My throat feels tight and I can’t push down the annoying feeling that keeps tugging down at my heartstrings. Damien is leaving for two years. He’s going to Africa, far away from Lily and I. It’s a good thing, it’s all I’ve ever wanted.My prayers have finally been answered.I get out of my car and walk into the building. For some reason, the walk across the lobby takes forever but I finally walk into the elevator. It dumps me on the seventh floor and I walk to my apartment, pressing the doorbell.Ding!Breonna soon steps out, a wide smile on her lips as she welcomes me. “Good evening, Ms Scott.”She tells me lily is asleep so I go straight to my room. I shred my clothes and step into the bathroom. In the bathroom, I throw my robe on the black granite counter and avoid looking in the mirror.I turn the shower on extra hot, hoping the heat would relieve the chill that has settled on me, and climb under
Imogene Scott The next two days, I stay home working on the campaign ad for Kennaway Fine Art Guide. I already told Keith I would be taking time off from the Tech Con project. I don’t go to the gallery either so I don’t have Breonna coming in to take care of Lily.It’s good that way since I’m trying not to see or think about anything that might remind me of Damien. He’s gone after suddenly coming into my life to cause a little distortion, he left. Good for me.I stretch on the couch as I finally close my laptop. Spending two days straight on working on the ad has been exhausting. But it has kept the bad thoughts away too. My phone buzzes somewhere in the living room and my eyes darts around to find it.Lily is holding it as she sits in a corner of the living room, violently tapping on the screen. I rise to my feet and take it from her. She lets out a loud cry so I immediately replace the phone with a squeaky toy. She starts smiling again.I finally slump on a couch and bring my
Imogene Scott I pull back from Damien’s embrace. He exhales heavily, brushing his fingers over my cheek before saying, "I need to get back to work. I’ll see you at home tonight."I frown. "You don’t think you should go home first? Shower, change?"He smirks, rubbing his jaw. "It’s already midday, I’ll do everything later tonight."I shake my head, wrapping my arms around him again despite the sweat and stress clinging to his skin. "I want to hug you all day even though you smell so bad.""No, I don’t," he scoffs, tightening his hold on me. "You’re just being mean."I smile against his chest, inhaling deeply before stepping back. "Where are you headed now?" he asks, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear."Lily’s school."His expression shifts. "Something wrong?"I open my mouth to say no—because I don’t want to worry him, because I know how he gets—but then I remember: no more secrets. That’s what we promised each other.I press my lips together and nod. "One of Lily’s clas
Damien Shaw I take a deep breath, my fingers tightening around the pen in my hand as I stare at Imogene. The way she’s looking at me—hurt, disappointed—makes something sharp twist in my chest, but I refuse to let it show. I remind myself why I stayed at the office last night, why I drowned myself in work instead of coming home. Because she needs to understand. Because she’s reckless. Because she keeps putting herself in situations that put our family in danger, and she doesn’t seem to grasp that her actions have consequences.But then there’s the guilt too, gnawing at the back of my mind. I didn’t just stay here to punish her—I stayed because I didn’t trust myself not to say something I’d regret. And now, looking at her standing in front of me, holding that ultrasound picture, my resolve wavers.God, I want to take it from her. I want to reach for it, to see them, to feel something other than this exhaustion and frustration. But if I give in too quickly, she’ll think she can get
Imogene Scott The morning air is crisp as I step out of the house, wrapping my coat a little tighter around myself. A light breeze brushes against my skin as I feel the chill settle in my lungs.I climb into my car, my hands gripping the cold steering wheel as I exhale. My mind is full of thoughts, but the one at the forefront is Damien. He didn’t come home last night. I’d stayed up, waiting, hoping the sound of his footsteps would echo through the hallway. But all I got was silence.When I finally called his office, an employee answered and confirmed what I’d already suspected. He had spent the night there, drowning himself in work just to avoid me. That’s how furious he was. My chest tightens as I pull out of the driveway, gripping the steering wheel a little harder.I plan on stopping by his office later, but first, my doctor’s appointment. Then Lily’s school.The hospital is a fifteen-minute drive, but it feels longer. My mind keeps circling back to Damien’s face last night,
Imogene’s pov I watch as Damien storms out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him with a force that rattles the walls. My hands tremble at my sides, my heart hammering against my ribs. I knew he would be upset—I expected anger, frustration—but not this kind of fury. Not the kind that makes his voice shake with disappointment, that makes his eyes burn with something dangerously close to resentment.I sit down heavily on the edge of the bed, exhaling a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. My mind races. How did he find out? Who told him? And why, after everything, does it still hurt that he’s so mad at me? He’s the only person left standing beside me in this storm, and now I feel like I’m losing him too.Subconsciously, I place my hands over my belly. The twins stir inside me, and I close my eyes. I’m due in two months. Two months until my life changes again. Two months until I’m holding them in my arms. But will I even be here for them? Or will I be behind bars, labeled “
Damien Shaw I step into my office, and the shift in the atmosphere is immediate. The air feels charged, thick with something. Eyes flicker toward me, then dart away, as if my presence is suddenly a weight they can’t bear to acknowledge. It’s been like this for days—whispers in the corridors, hushed conversations that stop the moment I step too close.They see me as a man protecting a murderer.I clench my jaw, ignoring the way my employees’ gazes follow me as I make my way to my office. The door clicks shut behind me, and I exhale slowly, my fingers pressing against my temples. The scandal is bleeding into IMU, seeping into the cracks, poisoning the foundation I spent years building. It isn’t just the company’s reputation at stake—investors are losing faith, deals are slipping through the cracks.And worst of all, there’s no solid proof that Imogene is innocent.I sit down, leaning back in my chair, the leather creaking beneath my weight. I need a plan. Something to turn this arou
Imogene Scott I grip the steering wheel, my knuckles whitening as I pull into the parking lot of the police station. My heart is hammering against my ribcage, so loud it nearly drowns out the hum of the engine. A part of me screams to turn back, to go home, to pretend I never got that text. But another part—the logical, rational part—knows that avoiding this will only make me look guilty.I take a deep breath, steadying myself before stepping out of the car. I pull my coat tighter around my body, trying to suppress the shiver crawling up my spine. The station’s glass doors slide open, and I walk in, my heels clicking against the tiled floor. The fluorescent lights overhead are too bright, making my skin prickle.A female officer greets me. “Mrs. Shaw, this way.”My stomach clenches. My voice feels lodged in my throat as I follow her down the hall. She leads me into an interrogation room, and I hesitate before stepping inside. The walls are bare, painted a dull gray, and the sing
Imogene scott The next morning I wake up early to make breakfast for Damien as a thank you for the ice cream yesterday. It’s not like I was able to sleep anyway. I slip into my flip flops and walk out of the room. Damien is still sleeping because it’s still 6:30pm. The scent of scrambled eggs hits me the moment I step off the last stair. I pause. That’s strange. It’s Saturday. Sheila shouldn’t be here this early. I pull my robe tighter around my body, shivering even though the house is warm. I walk into the kitchen to see Sheila standing at the stove, humming softly as she stirs a pan of eggs. There’s already a plate of bacon resting on the counter, and the coffee machine is also gurgling.“Sheila?” I say.She looks over her shoulder, startled. “Oh! Morning, Imogene.” I frown. “What are you doing here so early?” Sheila blinks at me, then lets out a small chuckle like I just told a joke she doesn’t quite get. “You asked me to come early today.” My stomach dips. “I did?”
Damien Shaw I curse under my breath for what feels like the hundredth time today, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turn white. My patience is running thin, and I swear I’m two seconds away from throwing my damn phone out the window. It had started early this morning—my private number, the one only family and close friends should have access to, had been blown up by reporters. I have no idea how they got it, but every few minutes, another call comes in, another message, another desperate attempt to dig their claws deeper into the mess surrounding Imogene. I lean back against the headrest and take a deep breath, but it does nothing to ease the tension sitting in my chest. Outside, the estate is quiet now, but hours ago, it had been a different story. Protesters had crowded outside the gates, chanting about justice for Georgia Aiko, waving their signs like they had already convicted Imogene in their heads. I had my men clear them out, but I know it’s not over
Imogene Scott5 days later… “Why were you in the parking lot with Miss Georgia Aiko?” The detective’s voice is sharp, slicing through the thick air of the interrogation room. I don’t respond right away. Not because I don’t want to—but because I’ve already answered this question a dozen times. “I told you,” I say. “I was there to meet someone.” His gaze is unreadable, his fingers tapping impatiently against the file in front of him. The walls are bare except for a clock ticking agonizingly slow. I feel like I’ve been in here for hours. “We checked,” the detective says, leaning forward. “There was no meeting scheduled with any reporter named Simon. We called the number you provided. No answer. So why don’t you start telling us the truth?” “I am telling you the truth,” I say, frustration bubbling under my skin. “Georgia and I were supposed to meet a reporter. He never showed up. Someone hit me on the head, and the next thing I knew, she was—” My voice catches. I take a de