When I woke up, Damien hadn't come back all night, and the room was exactly as he left it.I felt exhausted, lying in bed with my face buried in my hands, feeling helpless.Damien's warning before he left left me unsure what to do next.His possessiveness was overwhelming, making me afraid. How could I possibly break things off with Alex?Maybe I should just forget it all, pretending Alex never existed in my life?That sounded like a fantasy.Today, I needed to focus on rehearsing with Mia, and nothing else could get in the way.I shook my head, trying to clear thoughts of Damien and Alex from my mind.To hide my awful complexion, I applied some makeup, making myself look a little better.When I got to school, Eleanor had been waiting in the rehearsal room for a while.Mia and I changed into our ballet clothes and shoes, did some warm-up exercises, and decided to run through our parts separately first.Eleanor set up a video camera to record us so we could review and see whe
That evening, after I returned home, I got a call from Mia. She told me she had contacted Eleanor.Mia thought our ballet skills were good enough and that instead of practicing repeatedly, it would be better for me to adjust my state before rehearsing again.Of course, she didn't say that to Eleanor. She told our coach that we had trained enough on the first day and needed a break, so we wouldn't be rehearsing tomorrow. Eleanor, as usual, complained that we hadn't restrained ourselves as she advised, but she granted us a day off."I'm really grateful, Mia." Mia had given me the chance to adjust myself."Save your useless gratitude. I hope next time I see you, your condition won't be so bad that I feel the urge to change partners." Mia's teasing now seemed endearing to me.Before hanging up, she asked if I wanted to go shopping with her, saying it was a good way to relieve stress.I declined."I think I'll visit my adorable little siblings tomorrow. That will help me.""Alrigh
I sent Olivia and Daniel to Susan's early.The day was still young, and I decided to call Damien.As the phone rang, I felt a surge of anxiety. I feared he might see my call and ignore it, but thankfully, he answered."Damien... I was hoping you might be willing to talk to me again," I said softly, trying to make my voice sound as fragile as possible.I hoped this would work on Damien.It seemed he was in a meeting. I heard him say a few words to someone nearby, likely his assistant, Stephen, and then he moved to a quieter place."I'm glad you reached out, but Allison, I hope you thought this through before contacting me," he said. Despite claiming to be glad, his tone was calm, revealing nothing of his true feelings.This made me even more nervous.Biting my lip, I quickly replied, "I think I have, Damien.""Then I'll come to see you. I hope you're sincere. I don't want to be angry with you anymore."With that, Damien hung up. I instantly understood his message. He would be
I only relaxed when Damien held me in his arms and kissed me.I thought it meant he was still willing to help pay for my mother's medical bills."Allison, I'm so happy." Damien kissed my forehead and the corners of my mouth. "Is there anything you want me to do?"Still in a post-orgasmic daze, I looked at Damien with dreamy eyes and told him, "I took Olivia and Daniel to see my mother. She hasn't woken up yet.""Allison, don't be sad. Maybe we just need to wait a bit longer? She'll wake up." Damien's chin rubbed against the top of my head, his voice gentle."But the medical report includes a recommendation from the doctor to give up on my mother's treatment. That day, I also met my aunt, who almost immediately chose to give up on my mother after seeing the doctor's suggestion..."I felt my eyes heat up and begin to sting but to get Damien's help, I had to keep talking."Damien, I don't want to give up on her. I want you to help me again."Saying such words might be a bit embarr
After Damien helped transfer my mother, besides rehearsing for my personal performance at school, I visited my mother more frequently, eagerly hoping her test results would come out soon.I pinned my hopes on this.It made me look much more energetic these past few days, and Mia noticed, saying I seemed full of life.I told her about my mother's transfer. I had no one else to share my joy with. I wanted to wait until my mother's test results were out before telling Olivia and Daniel the news.I was merely a kept woman to Damien, and the hug from last time was just out of my excitement. The only person left to share my joy with was Mia, who was the most aware of my emotional shifts. I couldn't hide anything from her."This is really good news! Maybe Mrs. Claire will be able to make it to your graduation performance.""From your lips to God's ears, Mia," I shrugged.After our rehearsal, Mia pulled out three tickets from her backpack in the locker room and handed them to me."Mayb
Damien POVWhen I received that photo, I was listening to Stephen's report on recent work arrangements.I felt somewhat bored. I was more interested in finding out where Allison was. Ever since we reconciled, I found myself wanting to spend more time with her.I thought maybe she was trying to transform the person she fell in love with into me. She learned to be proactive, to compromise, and to focus on my preferences to better please me.It was a wonderful thing. Her choices made our lovemaking session on the day we reconciled enjoyable for both of us.Then, as I was pondering where my little swan might be today, I received that photo from an unknown sender.As soon as I opened it, I instantly realized who the sender was. It was Alex, smiling like an idiot in the photo, attempting to provoke me.After I had persuaded his father to send him to Silicon Valley in California under the pretense of honing his skills, Alex, unable to see Allison, decided to retaliate in other ways. It
Damien punished me again, and I didn't resist.I tried to get used to what he was doing to me, even though I couldn't understand his thoughts.Meeting Alex was an accident, but I did meet him, and there was no explaining that to Damien. He'd be angry anyway.The next day, I dragged my injured body to school, covering the marks with a high-neck shirt.Luckily, the weather wasn't great, and my complexion didn't seem too bad.Convincing myself to accept Damien's rude behavior allowed me to maintain a pleasant facade in front of Mia. I told her I stayed up late playing with Olivia and Daniel, which made me tired.Mia bought my story, her expression shifting between happiness and annoyance."Alright, alright, Allison. Since you were with your siblings, I'll forgive your tiredness today."Eleanor couldn't join us today as she was helping other students, leaving Mia and me to rehearse on our own.After our practice, we watched the recorded video on my phone to identify problems. We h
Emily left with a grim look on her face. Before she walked away, she glanced at me, her expression complex.Perhaps she always knew it was Alex who had been approaching me actively, but she didn't want to believe that it was his choice.Emily had been deceiving herself, convincing herself that all of Alex's actions were because I was still giving him hope.She might come to trouble me again, but that was something beyond my control.Honestly, I had no expectations about whether she would tell Alex about this or not. Whether she told him or not, it was an incredibly foolish thing.After Emily left, I felt a bit dizzy.The conversation with her had left me exhausted. I held my forehead with one hand and reached out with the other to steady myself against the hallway wall.Before I could do so, Mia was already there, supporting me."Allison, are you alright?" she asked, looking at me with concern."I'm fine. I just need to rest for a moment." I apologized. I felt deeply sorry for