~SIERRA~But the knowing look was easily replaced with confusion as he ran his hands through his hair. “I'm guessing you had no idea?” I asked, and he nodded. “You didn't suspect anything?” He raised his left brow. “Your father, maybe some files or...”“Nothing, Sierra. If I knew, do you think I would let him work for me?” He asked, and I looked at him confused. “He would run the company; you know I hate being CEO,” he said as if it were obvious.“Then why did you become CEO?”“Because of you,” he stopped pacing as he came close to the cell. “I had to be close to you; I had to prove to you that I was a changed man,” he said, looking into my eyes. I don't know why my heart was beating fast; no, I couldn't allow this; I just had to help him for the children, not to get back with me.“I…” I broke eye contact and cleared my throat, and he took a hint as he looked down, clearly hurt. “I recorded my conversation with Ethan,” he nodded, “but I won't give it in, at least until you talk to him
~SIERRA~Well, I didn’t expect Ethan to come clean. I thought of visiting him again, but it seemed I didn’t need to do that anymore as he came clean. “I will call you back,” I told the detective and ended the call as I wanted to see what else Ethan would say.“Mr. Winters and my mother were together before he married Damian's mother,” he said, and I turned up the volume. “I grew up with hate. I wanted to punish Mr. Winters for what he made my mother go through, but hearing of his death, I decided to go after Damian instead.”“And Damian is your brother?” the interviewer asked.“Yes,” he cleared his throat. “He is my little brother, and I apologize for what I did; I shouldn't have. I am sure he didn't know about me, and I truly regret it.” He sounded sincere. “I wish I could turn back time; I was blinded by anger that I ended up tricking him into signing a fake contract, and yes, the drug dealer doesn't exist; I made it up and leaked the contract to the media,” Ethan explained everythi
~SIERRA~So, giving Jane a knowing look, I followed Ava, who led me outside. “Did anything happen to Damian? Is he okay?” I asked as soon as we were out.“No, no, he's good. I mean, except from being locked up, he's fine.” She sadly smiled. She really cared for Damian, and that alone relaxed me. At least I knew there were people willing to help Damian, Jane, Ava, and now Ethan, but I still wondered where Lily was. I then remembered how she said that Damian forced her to testify against me. I had to ask Damian about it, but not while he's here. “Well,” Ava said, clearing her throat, and I shook out of my thoughts. I rubbed my arms—not that it was cold, but it felt weird talking to Ava; she never liked me. I mean, now I at least know none of them did because Lily was pretending.“You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable,” I said as Ava looked hesitant.“No, I have to. I mean, Damian told me he confessed to you, and that made me realise just how much he loves you.”“Ava…”“Don
~SIERRA~And no matter how much it sounded awkward, she was right; Cassie's body needed to be buried. “Um, what about her family?” I asked.“I don't know,” Ava said, shaking her head. “Only Damian will know, and I'm afraid to break the news to him,” she said, wiping imaginary tears. “I just feel so sad seeing my cousin in that state,” she added, and I nodded as I understood her. It's not easy to watch your loved one in pain.“I will talk to Damian about Cassie's body.” It sounded foreign coming from my mouth, like someone alive and healthy not long ago—I spoke to Cassie two days ago, and now she was dead. “Everything will be fine, Ava,” I reassured her, and she forced a smile. I nodded, then walked back in, and rushed straight to the detective's office.“Ms. Reid.” I found him seated in his seat. It's crazy how the guards didn't bother to stop me from coming straight here.“I heard you're going to Carl's location; I'm coming with you,” I said, and he looked at me confused. “I'm not ta
~SIERRA~To say I was not scared would be lying. I had children, and I didn't want them to get involved in any of this. I was about to type when I heard Damian's voice. I didn't even realize I was in front of his cell.“Damian,” I quickly put away the phone and looked at him.“What's the text about? Is it from Carl?”“What? No.” I couldn't tell him about Carl; it would just get him worried.“Are you sure?” Well, his concern was new to me. I don't know why it made me feel safe, and I knew saying words would just give it away. I didn't want him to think I was going to give him a second chance. Sure, I will give him a second chance with his children, but not with me. Damian and I would never get back together. I don't care if he did all that, thinking it was the best, but he did, and his betrayal still caused me so much pain. Just thinking of it made me suffocate.‘Sierra she's back; everything between us ends today.’His words were still fresh in my memory. Maybe there are some things w
~SIERRA~They say one shall never forget their first love, and Damian happened to be mine. I know I've lived the past five years forgetting him, but here I am, ready to kiss him, or will I? I brought myself back to my senses as I opened my eyes, which I didn't realize were closed, then pulled away. No, I couldn't let him do this; I was here for my children, not myself.I don't care if he did it to protect me; he still hurt me, and a normal person would have spoken to me about it. Yes, he saved my life, and that is the only reason I'm giving him a chance with my children.There was silence for a moment. I could feel the tension growing between us. “About Cassie,” I tried to clear the tension.“Hmm...” he hummed and moved backward. I looked up so I could see his face, and I saw a hint of hurt in his eyes. Well, I've never imagined this day—a day where I would reject Damian and he would be hurt. It was always vice versa; Damian was the one to reject me, and I was the one hurt.“Do you kn
~SIERRA~With his facial expression, I could tell he was still surprised, but I could also see the guilt in his eyes. He opened his mouth but ended up mumbling words that didn't make sense. “They've been suspicious of your similarities with Nathan; I'm sure they will be so happy to know that you're their father,” I said, trying to make it seem less awkward. Damian didn't respond with words but a nod. I was about to add more when suddenly the detective joined us and asked if I could speak to him privately. Of course, I decided to go with him without second thoughts; it might be about Carl.“I'm sorry for interrupting,” he apologized as we reached his office, but I shook my head to show that it was okay and then asked about Carl. If the chief changed his mind, I knew it was risky, but I was willing to take the risk. His text said he was coming here for me, but I didn't trust it. I also didn't want him to come here because my children were here, and again, I didn't want them to get invol
~CASSIE~I left Sierra scrolling through the voice notes. I had no idea what they were about. I just told her what Lily told me. I was surprised that she didn't notice how anxious I was. I thought she would notice the earpiece, but she didn't. I mean, how could she when I covered it with my hair? Well, I was glad I did what Lily asked me to. Now it was time for me to leave the country. She promised to help, and even though I didn't completely trust her, I hoped she wouldn't play me.When I reached back to the van, I started talking to Lily. “You said you would have everything ready for me to leave the country, right?”“Of course. You did a good job, and I am going to help you, but first, we need to celebrate,” she said, and I agreed. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I was afraid of Lily; she scared me. I mean, how did she manage to fool Damian and Sierra when she was behind everything? And Carl, who was a Mafia member—how did she get to him? However she did it, Lily was dangerous,
FLORIDA, ST. AUGUSTINE 2023~DAMIAN~Ingrid did a good job keeping Sierra out, as it has been over two hours and they haven't returned to the house yet.The sun was setting and everything was perfect; we didn't need to do much, just the colorful lights, as the house was clean already.“Bottle is here,” Nathan excitedly said as he brought the bottle of juice. The bottle was the same as the one for champagne, and since they were too young for alcohol and Sierra was in that condition, we decided to settle for juice.“They are coming,” Atlas, who had been at the window, alerted us, and I quickly stood to my feet and hid the little box."Okay, wish me luck,” I said, and they both nodded, then Atlas switched off the light so that the candles could stand out.“Let us know when she says yes,” they said in unison before they hid behind the sofa.I was nervous. I've never been this nervous, even when I was handling court cases. I never got nervous, but Sierra, God, her reaction scared me.As I
FLORIDA, ST. AUGUSTINE 2023~DAMIAN~Whoever said love was a drug was damn right because I was high on it. Watching someone sleep for over an hour and simply enjoying the view is crazy because for the past week that's all I've been doing—watching Sierra sleep. It somehow gave me peace.After Sierra was released from the hospital, we stayed a week so I could sort everything.Ethan took over the head at the Winters, Sierra, and Thomas caught up as he left the detective work since Sam was not happy with it. Sierra gave them one of her restaurants in Texas, and they moved there—living in Sierra's home while Jane and her family moved into Sierra's mansion, the one in Georgia. Beatrice and Lana took mine as I wanted to express my gratitude for helping Sierra raise my children.After sorting everything, I booked tickets to Florida for a vacation since the holidays were in a month. We were still choosing a place to settle and start a family, as Georgia and Texas held bad memories, so we were
~DAMIAN~The first days we used protection, but after a few, we just couldn't control ourselves as we would get in the moment and only think of protection afterward. I didn't need protection; Sierra was my wife, but she always brought it up.Well, I was just so happy that we were going to have a baby—that Sierra gave me another chance.I walked to her bedside, kneeled, and started apologizing.“I'm sorry, I...”“It's okay; I know you did it to protect me.”“Still I hurt you; I should have told you; I shouldn't have pushed you away like that.”“And I understand; I forgive you; I do.” She was now holding my hands. “Please get up.”“Sierra I…”“Now Damian,” she demanded, and so I was left with no choice but to get up.“I'm really sorry; I promise that was not my intention; I was just trying to protect you and our kids. Ava called me; she threatened me.” She nodded her head in understanding and then squeezed my hand in a comforting manner.“Do you want to feel her heartbeat?” she asked, a
~DAMIAN~ “I was not planning to kill you, but...” Ava said as she walked close to Sierra, the burning matchstick still in between her fingers. My hands were now in the air, pleading with her. “Please… Whatever I have done, please just... Just let Sierra go, punish...punish me.” "Oh, sweet Damian, my cousin is in love,” she mockingly said, “but this is not about you; it's about her, her mother!” she yelled. “Actually,” she calmed herself, “it's about the both of you; your father did my mother dirty and her mother did my mother dirty, and so you are both going to pay.” It was not the Ava I knew; this woman sounded crazy. “Ava…” “Kneel!” I didn't want to argue, as I knew trying to reason would not work, so I kneeled my eyes on Sierra and the matchstick between Ava's fingers. “Good,” she mockingly said and blew to the matchstick so the fire could go as it was below her finger. “Do you want to hear a little story?” She asked as if I had a choice. Then she started talking about h
~DAMIAN~“Speed up!” I yelled, and Thomas agreed with me as he asked the driver to drive faster. Each second we were wasting was ticking as Sierra's life was in danger.When Atlas returned, he told me about the people who kidnapped him and how they told him that I was his father. I knew it wasn't the right time, but I took him upstairs to his siblings and told them the truth—that I was their father and that Sierra and I were once together.I didn't tell them about the contract as I thought it might be complicated for them, and so I told them about making a horrible mistake that made Sierra walk away. They were understanding, as they didn't judge; instead, they were happy that I was their father.I was not in a better mood, so I forced them to eat and helped them get ready for bed before I left Mrs. Woods with them as Jane had to get home to her baby. Sam and Thomas stayed downstairs with the officers, who came to help check for clues, and waited in case the kidnappers called—they thou
~SIERRA~Ava explained planning Damian’s parents' deaths because, as she said, the company and everything the Winters owned belonged to her. She explained how she got Damian on a drug so he would have terrible headaches. “I haven't been giving it to him lately, so he seems to be overcoming it,” she added. Then she explained using Carl to have her revenge on Mr. Reid since Damian’s parents were out of her way now."Oh, and the second man who left my mother couldn't be found. Turns out my so-called father wasn't useless as he took him down, leaving his son and wife in the streets.”“Son?”"Yes, your brother.”“What?!”“Ow, don't tell me the detective hasn't told you that you're his sister; that's why he has been protective over you; it's because you're his little sister.”“What?!” again I asked, as this was too much. How was it possible that Detective Thomas was my brother? Okay, nothing was making sense.“The man your father was cheating with was Thomas’s father.” She said, but I shook
~SIERRA~I haven't seen Ava since forever; she said to be in New York working with patients. How was it that she was here? My eyes roamed the room, and I realized, unlike where Lily took me, this place seemed like a home as I was on a sofa. I was almost relaxed, but when I saw that both my legs and hands were tied, I panicked.“W-what's going on? Why am I here? And…”“This is not the time for questions, Sierra; trust me.” Ava cut me as she picked a glass of wine on the table and took a sip before she placed it down and then stared at me.I still didn't understand what was happening, but something was clear: Ava tied my legs and hands, which meant she was the one who caused that accident; she was the one who kidnapped me.“Ava I…”“I will shut your mouth for you if you don't shut it; it's me to talk, not you.” She calmly said, and I nodded my head. Then she stood up with the glass of wine in her hands and said, "See, years ago, Rosemarie was just an innocent girl who didn't know the w
~SIERRA~I cleaned my cheeks and then walked toward my car. My driver was standing out as he opened the door for me. “To the station,” I told him as he waited for my instruction."Yes, ma’am,” he said and then started the car.Again, I found my hand traveling down to my flat belly. I never planned for this, and now that Damian didn't want the child, I was not going to keep it. I haven't seen myself pregnant for over five years, especially with Damian's child again.Or maybe he knew that I fell pregnant and he was doing the same thing he did years ago, running away. I closed my eyes and tried to focus. No, I couldn't let this distract me; I won't let it get in my way of finally having peace.“Ms. Reid,” the driver's voice shook me out of my thoughts. I then realized we had arrived at the station. “Should I come in with you?” He asked as he opened the door for me. I shook my head and told him to wait for me there; he just worked for me; I didn't need him to mix with my problems.When I
~SIERRA~No, this was not happening; I won't let it happen again. So I banged once more and the door flew open, and Damian, who looked healthy like he was not just in a coma, opened and asked me to come in. I could tell by his facial expression that something was wrong.“Do you want anything?” He asked as I took a seat on the sofa. No, I was calm. I was not the same Sierra from years ago who burst when he started acting like this. I was a mature, respectful woman. I couldn't act on my emotions, so I asked him for a glass of water.He walked away to the kitchen, and my eyes couldn't help but roam the area; it was just the same as I left it, in Cassie's style.“Water,” Damian's voice made me turn to him. I took the glass from his hand and thanked him, then placed it on the table.“Okay,” I cleared my throat as he looked restless like he wanted me to leave. “The doctor called me and told me you left without his consent.”"Yeah, I'm feeling fine; why should he keep me there?” He sounded r