DAMIENThe gentle hum of the plane's engines fills the first-class cabin, but my mind is elsewhere. I glance at Anna beside me, noticing how pale she looks. She’s resting her head against the window, her eyes half-closed, breathing shallowly. Something's off, and it hits me with a pang of worry I didn’t expect.I lean in closer, my voice soft. “Baby, you okay?”She blinks slowly, her hand coming up to press against her temple. “I don’t feel too good,” she mutters, her voice weak. “I think... I might be getting sick.”My chest tightens. I wasn’t prepared to feel this much concern, to care this deeply. I reach out without thinking, gently rubbing a hand on her knee. “You need anything? Water? Maybe some ginger ale will help?”Anna shakes her head, eyes still closed, her hand resting limply in her lap. I don’t miss how her skin has taken on a faint sheen of sweat, or how she’s trying to keep it together.“Hey, baby, look at me,” I say gently, shifting to see her face more clearly. She op
ANNA The soft hum of the plane is the only thing keeping me from spiralling deeper into my thoughts. I sit there, staring out the window at the endless clouds, trying to focus on anything other than the storm raging inside me. The nausea from earlier has mostly subsided, but it’s nothing compared to the swirling emotions in my chest. Damien is sitting beside me, unusually quiet, and it’s making everything worse. The tension between us is suffocating, even as he tries to improve it.“Anna,” Damien says softly, breaking the silence. His voice is hesitant like he’s treading carefully. “Are you still feeling sick?”I turn to face him, his eyes full of concern. The genuine worry on his face makes it hard to stay distant, but I force myself to hold back. “I’m fine,” I reply, my voice flat. I don’t mean for it to sound cold, but it does.He doesn’t drop it. “You don’t look fine, baby.”There it is again that word. Baby. He’s called me that a few times now, and each time, it feels strange. F
ANNAAs the plane finally touches down in Seattle, I feel a mixture of exhaustion and anticipation. The last few days in the Maldives have been a whirlwind of emotions, and now, returning home feels surreal. I can’t shake the feeling that everything has changed—between Damien and me, between myself and the world.We disembark, and my first thought is how cold Seattle feels compared to the Maldives. I pull my jacket tighter around me as we walk through the private terminal. Everything is a blur, and I almost don’t notice the sleek convoy of cars waiting for us.But then, I stop. A Rolls-Royce? Followed by a couple of SUVs? My eyes widen, and I turn to Damien, who is walking beside me like this is just another normal day."Is this... for us?" I ask, my voice laced with disbelief."Yeah," he replies casually like he’s used to this level of grandeur. "It’s ours."I blink, trying to wrap my head around the idea that I’m about to step into a car that costs more than a house. "Is this... nor
DAMIEN“Damien!” she shouts, her voice sharp, almost furious. It echoes down the driveway, stopping me in my tracks.I turn, heart pounding, and see Vanessa storming toward me, her face a mask of anger. Anna’s figure stiffens just ahead of me, frozen mid-step. I see her hesitate, and instantly, she rushes inside the house, not saying a word.I can feel the weight of Vanessa’s gaze as she closes the distance between us. The knot in my stomach tightens, and I know whatever’s coming isn’t going to be good.“Vanessa, this isn’t the time,” I say through clenched teeth, glancing back at the house where Anna has disappeared.Vanessa doesn’t care. She’s livid, her eyes narrowing as she steps closer, not giving me an inch to breathe. “You think you can just brush me off like I’m nothing?” she snaps, her voice low but seething. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Damien? You can’t just cut me out of your life!”I sigh, trying to keep my voice steady. “Vanessa, you showing up like this isn
ANNA“Damienn!!!!” I scream, clutching my side as the sharpest pain I’ve ever felt rips through me. My vision blurs as a white-hot, stabbing sensation pulses through my body. I feel like I’m being torn apart from the inside. The world narrows to just the pain and the panic that follows it."Anna!" Damien’s voice cuts through the haze, full of urgency. He’s in front of me within seconds, kneeling and cupping my face. His touch is gentle, but his hands are shaking. “What’s wrong? Talk to me!” His voice is rising in panic.I gasp, struggling to catch my breath as the pain intensifies. “It’s... my side...” I manage to whisper, tears streaming down my face. “It’s so bad... I can’t...”“Hold on, baby,” Damien says, his voice shaking as he pulls out his phone. He fumbles with it momentarily, dialling a number with trembling fingers. “Get here right now! My wife is in a lot of pain, hurry!”His eyes flick back to me as he snaps the phone shut, his face pale. “Baby, I’ve called for help. They
DAMIENI’m sitting in the waiting room, staring blankly at the clock on the wall. Each second feels like a lifetime. My heart pounds in my chest, and my mind is racing with every worst-case scenario imaginable. The words "surgery" and "life-threatening" keep replaying in my head, over and over. I’ve never felt so damn powerless."Damien," my nanny’s voice pulls me out of my trance. She’s standing next to me, holding a cup of coffee that she offers with a sympathetic smile. "You should drink something. You’ve been sitting here for hours."I take the cup without really thinking, but I don’t drink. I can’t. “How long do these things take?” I mutter, more to myself than to her.Miss Rosie sits down next to me, folding her hands in her lap. "Sometimes longer than we want, but the doctors know what they’re doing. Anna’s strong. She’ll pull through."I nod, but the words don’t sink in. Miss Rosie’s trying to help, but it doesn’t stop the crushing weight of fear. I hate this—being here, waiti
ANNAThe soft hum of the hospital room’s air conditioning fills the quiet space. I’m staring at the ceiling, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me. The pain in my side is a dull throb now, nothing compared to the agony I felt before the surgery. Still, the tightness lingers, reminding me of how close things got.I shift slightly on the bed, wincing as the ache sharpens. It’s hard to focus on anything, especially with my mind swirling. I still can’t believe this happened. Surgery. I’ve never had surgery before, and the thought of something like this hitting me so suddenly terrifies me. One minute I was just nauseous, thinking it would pass, and the next I was being rushed to the hospital with Damien by my side.He’s been here the whole time, holding my hand, watching over me. It’s strange, seeing him like this. I’ve always been confused about his feelings, and always kept my guard up, but now, his attention is unwavering. His care feels different.“Baby?” His voice breaks
ANNAAs we step through the front door, I feel a strange mixture of relief and nerves. It’s comforting to be back in familiar surroundings, but a sense of tension sits between Damien and me, a quiet buzz that has only grown since I left the hospital.Damien keeps his hand on my back as we walk through the house. “You need to rest,” he says, his voice softer than usual, as if afraid I’ll shatter under his care.“I know,” I reply, the words feeling small. I don’t resist as he leads me to my room, where I’ve been staying since we got married. But when he stops at the door, he pauses, glancing at me with something unreadable in his eyes.“Actually,” he begins slowly as if testing each word, “I think you should stay in my room. Just for tonight.”His words hang in the air, heavy and unexpected.I cross my arms, leaning slightly on the doorframe to steady myself. “Why?” The question comes out sharper than I intended, but I can’t help it. Sharing a room with Damien, especially with how tense