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
DAMIENAs morning light filters through the curtains, I wake up to the soft rise and fall of Anna's breathing beside me. She’s still asleep, looking so peaceful, and for a moment, I just lie here watching her, caught off guard by how beautiful she looks. I’m not exactly the sentimental type, but something about seeing her like this completely at ease, her hair falling loosely around her face—gets to me in a way I wasn’t expecting. It’s strange, the effect she has on me, and it makes me feel… out of my element. Since we got married, I've mostly kept my emotions in check, playing the role, and keeping things in order, but this morning, lying here next to her, that resolve feels thinner, stretched.I brush a few strands of hair away from her face, letting my fingers linger against her cheek. Her skin is warm and soft under my touch, and before I even realize what I'm doing, I lean down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She stirs, her eyes fluttering open, and for a brief second, I feel
DAMIENVanessa closes the office door behind her, and an unmistakable tension fills the room. She leans against the door, arms crossed, her eyes fixed on me with that familiar look intense, unyielding as if she’s challenging me to break first. It’s a look I used to find thrilling, but now it feels… complicated. And that’s the last thing I want at this moment.“So,” I start, keeping my tone casual. “What’s this about, Vanessa?”She tilts her head slightly, her lips curving into a small, almost knowing smile. “You know what this is about, Damien. I thought we agreed things between us wouldn’t change just because you decided to go ahead with… this marriage.”She says the word as if it’s something bitter, something she can’t bear to even acknowledge. I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck, feeling the weight of her words settle over me.“We did talk, yes,” I reply carefully, keeping my voice level. “But things are different now. I have responsibilities. Anna… she’s my wife, Vanessa.”She sco
ANNAI’ve barely had time to sip my tea when my phone rings, Lola’s name flashing on the screen. Perfect timing. I settle onto the couch and pick up, eager to pour out everything that’s been happening.“Finally!” Lola's voice chirps. “I was starting to think you’d fallen off the face of the earth.”I laugh, a bit too quickly. “Not quite, but close enough. There’s so much I need to tell you. I don’t even know where to start.”“Well, I’m all ears. Spill it!” Her voice is giddy like she’s buckling in for a ride.I take a deep breath, wondering where to begin. “Okay, so you know how everything’s been a bit…awkward with Damien?”“Uh-huh, understatement of the year, Lola teases. “Go on.”“Well,” I continue, “he’s…different lately. There’s this new side of him. This morning, he…he kissed me, Lola.” The memory still feels surreal, leaving me warm and flustered.I can practically hear her jaw drop. “Hold up! You’re saying he kissed you, like, actually kissed you?”“Yes! And it felt…nice,” I ad
DAMIENI’m in my office, staring at the computer screen, as the numbers scroll by in a mocking parade of red and zeroes. This is a nightmare—one technical glitch, and suddenly I’m haemorrhaging money by the second. I clench my fists, willing myself to stay calm, but it’s like everything is slipping out of my control. My phone buzzes in my hand again, and I barely recognize the voice on the other end as mine when I bark a greeting.“James, where are we on this? I don’t want excuses. I need solutions!”The voice on the other line stammers, going on about server errors, and backup delays, but I can’t even process the words anymore. I grit my teeth, my patience unravelling like a thread.“Enough!” I snap, my voice colder than I intended. “I don’t care what you have to do—get it fixed. Now.”I hung up before he could respond and immediately called the finance team. They’re scrambling too, I know, but I don’t care. This is my responsibility, my reputation is on the line, and it feels like t
DAMIENIt’s only been a few days since that night in my office, but I can’t shake the memory of Anna—the feel of her lips, the softness of her touch, the way she held me like I was something more than a broken mess wrapped up in business suits and deadlines. I can still feel her presence, lingering like a shadow in my office, in my home, in every quiet moment that used to be reserved for the mental noise I’ve cultivated over the years. Work has only become more complicated since then, and I try to distract myself with calls and files. Yet, the harder I throw myself into my work, the more I crave her company. I keep replaying that kiss, wondering if it meant as much to her as it did to me—or if I just read too much into it like I always do. I glance at my watch. It's nearly midnight, and I’ve been hunched over my desk for hours. Numbers, data, endless calls to suppliers and disgruntled clients—it all blurs together, a wash of monotony that would usually lull me into a numb state of f