DAMIENI step into my house, Vanessa walking behind me.After leaving the airport, I decided to pass by my house to check if I could find a clue.The house feels dull without Dani. For some strange reason, I feel so angry at this house. It was supposed to protect Dani but it sat and watched as she was taken away. It sat and watched as the security cameras were destroyed. It sat and watched as the windows and doors were broken. Deep down, I know I'm not angry at the house. I'm angry at myself. I should have been here to protect my wife. That's what husbands do. They protect their wives. But I was on a flight to another country when my wife needed me. I will never forgive myself.The house has tight security now. I got some new security cameras installed. I want to make sure something like this never happens again. Especially not to my wife.Unfortunately, I find no clue about where I could find Dani. She's missing. And she's with some bad guys. And she must be so terrified. I feel lik
DANIWhen you're in a state of shock, you don't even realise it.I thought this was a dream. I thought I was still locked up in that empty dark room. I thought that my mind had made up some dreamy scenario to help me escape from that empty dark room. When you are terrified, your mind tries to save you out of the state of terror. I thought that was what my mind was trying to do when Nate appeared out of nowhere. I was convinced that he was in my dream. That he was the superhero sent to save me. But he was not.Now I believe that it's all real. Nate saving me. Nate driving me to his house. Nate eating chicken with me. Nate driving me to Damien's place. We didn't find him at our house so I assumed he was at his parents' place. Deep down, I was scared that he was still in Greece. But his wife had gone missing. That was enough to raise an alarm and drag him back to the country. Plus, I thought it was a dream. And in dreams, things are supposed to go the way you want them to, right? And I w
I'm back home.The security is tighter now. Damien has put up new security cameras after the previous ones were crashed and destroyed. The house feels safe again. It even feels more safe now that Damien hasn't gone to work yet. He's downstairs making breakfast. The aroma of the pancakes just woke me up.It's 11.34am and he still hasn't gone to work. I don't think he'll go to work today. Maybe he's scared I might get kidnapped again.That puts a smile on my face as I look up at the ceiling. I missed being home. I missed this bed. And I missed being in bed with my husband. But he's not in bed with me. He's in the kitchen, making breakfast for his wife.I jump out of bed, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. I'm back home. I'm friends with Nate again. I have a wonderful husband. And Vanessa Green Giovanni is finally out of our lives for good. Luca Giovanni made sure of that after he left with her last night. I'm happy that I'll never get to see that Snake's face in
I push Damien off and jump out of the bed.I storm to the bathroom and lock myself from the inside when I see Damien approaching. He starts banging loudly on the door. But I don't open the door. I'm having a shower. And showers should be private moments.Damien stands outside the door the entire time that I'm in the shower. I finally burst the door open and step out. He follows me to the closet as I pick an outfit and drop the towel. I start applying the lotion all over my skin as he sits on the bed, staring at me with remorseful eyes."I'm sorry..." He says. "I didn't mean to do that.""Do what?" I scoff. "Moan your ex's name? Ofcourse it was a little mistake and you didn't mean to do that. Apology accepted."I slide into the tight little skirt and the crop sweater. I toss my hair in a bun and put on some makeup. All this time, Damien is staring at me in total surprise."Where are you going?""Far from this house." I apply some lipstick. "I think I need some space.""Space from what?
VANESSAThe car stops.The trunk flies open as the clean fresh breeze beats my face. A breath of fresh air. I've been locked in the trunk for a couple of minutes but it felt like hours.Dario stands still, looking down at me. He's one of Luca's loyal lapdogs. When Luca tells him to bark, he barks. When Luca tells him to jump, he jumps. When Luca tells him to wipe his ass with his tongue, he will happily wipe his ass with his tongue. That's just how loyal Dario is. And I think it's pathetic. Being so loyal it makes you look foolish.I will never forget the day that Dario went bald. He had a mass of gorgeous dark hair the first time I met him. But then Luca decided one day that he didn't like the hair on his head. So he asked Dario to go bald. So Dario went bald.He's also added a couple of pounds. He didn't look this big the last time I saw him."Welcome home." He smiles down at me. "Please don't try anything stupid. I want this to go as smooth as possible."Try anything stupid? What d
DANIDamien flies down the stairs and switches on the TV swiftly.LUCA GIOVANNI FOUND DEAD IN HIS MILLION-DOLLAR HOME AFTER HIS HOUSE WAS BLOWN UP. Damien stands still like a statue, staring at the screen. His face is blank. I can't tell what's going on in that brain of his. He switches onto another channel. And then another channel. And then another channel. All the channels are reporting the death of the wealthy tycoon. People thought he was a successful businessman when he was actually a drug lord.Damien's frown grows deeper when he flips to another channel. This time, the headlines are not only talking about the death of the Italian drug dealer. They are also talking about the bodies that were found after the explosion.Damien grabs his phone and puts the Private Investigator on loud speaker."Good news?" He says in a dangerously calm voice. "How is this good news? Three bodies were found after the explosion. Maybe one of them is Vanessa.""We don't know that." Mark says. "The
You know those bugs that you spray or crush but they just can't die?Vanessa is the human form of those nagging bugs. A bug that will always come back to suck the blood out of my marriage.I thought she was gone but she's back. And she's sitting across from me, a big smile on her face. She's sitting next to Damien, who is filled with joy and relief. Just a few minutes ago, Damien didn't even want to tilt his head to look at me. Now he's all smiles with his fùcking ex."How did you manage to escape?" Damien asks her softly.Vanessa turns to point at the huge man on the other couch. He's the same man who kidnapped me."Dario saved my life." She says. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. He used to work for Luca but now he's a changed man. He realised how fùcked up Luca is when he told him how he wanted to kill me. Luca wanted to butcher me and then throw a barbecue party. Can you believe it?"Damien is shocked. I'm just as shocked but a small part of me wishes that Luca could have
I'm still in the kitchen when the doorbell rings.Damien's friends are here. They initially came to plan Vanessa's funeral next week. But they are all shocked to find her alive. Bursts of laughter and cheers fill up the room.The door to the kitchen swings open.Damien walks in with a big smile on his face. He's happy that all his friends are in one room."Dani," he says. "All my friends just arrived. Will you cook more food for everyone? Is that okay with you?"Ofcourse it's not okay with me. I get to stand here and cook for all his friends while they laugh and cheer and act like I don't exist. But I look up at him and smile a small smile."Ofcourse it's okay with me.""You are the best!" He pecks me on the cheek and walks out blissfully.A peck on the cheek? What does that mean? He's not attracted to me anymore? Husbands don't peck you on the cheek. They kiss you on the lips. But he pecked me! That was new. Maybe I'm overthinking. Maybe it's just an innocent peck. Maybe he was too l
DAMIENtwenty years laterIt's our twentieth anniversary.For every anniversary, we celebrate it in Bali. In the same hotel we went for our first, second and third honeymoon. There's been a lot of changes and renovations in the hotel over the years but it still gives me a feeling of nostalgia every time I come here.I step out of the shower and start drying myself with the towel.Dani is busy typing on her laptop. I apply some lotion and slide into a pair of white shorts. My wife doesn't bother to look up."George filed for divorce." I huff. "Gina cheated on him again. This time, with a younger man.""Not surprised." I sigh. "Why can't he just leave her?""He's addicted to the toxicity."Dani doesn't respond. She's still busy on her laptop. Plus, she's so over George and Gina. And honestly, so am I. For years, I wanted to save George from that abusive marriage but he clearly doesn't want to be saved. He made the bed. I'll just let him lie in it. Even if it's a bed of thorns that makes
DANII stare at Nate in shock.But he's not staring at me. He's staring at Damien."When Dani's dad shot me, I was paralysed." Nate says. "I could see everything. I could hear everything. But I couldn't move. I couldn't even feel blood oozing from my body."Okay, where's this going?"Dani was in shock after her father shot himself infront of her." He continues. "She just sat there, staring at his lifeless body. She was in shock and despair. She had lost all hope for life. That's until you came out of nowhere and wrapped your arms around her, crying. She was relieved. She was hopeful again. I was relieved too. And I was hopeful. That's when I allowed myself to pass out. All that time, I'd been forcing myself to hold on a little longer for Dani. I didn't want to leave her all alone and scared. But when you showed up, I knew she was in safe hands. So l let myself pass out."Nate finally turns to look at me, a small smile forming on his face."Remember that double date with Richard and yo
DAMIENI ring the doorbell.Dani swings the door open, dressed in her pajamas. She stares at me in complete shock and confusion."What are you doing here?" She asks in concern. "Are you okay?"I don't reply to that. I just pull her in my arms and cling to her body. I know she's pregnant and I'm probably hurting her baby but the baby will have to forgive me. I need his mother now. He can wait.Dani escorts me to the livingroom. She sneaks to the kitchen and brings me coffee. Yes, I definitely need coffee this time. I'm shaking due to the cold. Or maybe I'm shaking due to the shock. It's been a night of horror and I can't wait for it to end."What's going on, Damien?" Dani asks softly. "Where's Vanessa?"Just hearing her name sends chills all over my body. I look up at the ticking clock.The images of the last three hours play vividly in my head.Vanessa screaming in terror. Vanessa's head being chopped off. Vanessa's head being tossed in a black plastic bag like garbage. The "bad guys
VANESSABe calm.Whatever happens in life, be calm. That's one of the greatest tricks to tackle every situation in life. Be calm. Take a deep breath. Don't lose it. You might be losing it inside, but don't show them. Act calm. Act confident.I turn to look at Damien.Ofcourse I'm shocked. And confused. He just jumped out of the kitchen. He was listening to the conversation this entire time. I should have listened to my gut when I entered the house.I got a whiff of his cologne when I entered the living room. Then I got a glance of his shoes at the door. But somehow, I convinced myself that they didn't belong to Damien. A bunch of shoes look the same. And there's no way they belonged to Damien. I mean, I left him home looking hungry and exhausted. There's no way he could drive back to the city for two hours instead of taking a rest. God, I was in for a shock!But I'm still calm. "Babe." I smile. "You know I hate surprises.""Don't babe me!" He snaps. "I heard everything you just said,
DAMIENI dash into the kitchen and pour all the coffee in the sink.I don't want coffee. I want something stronger. Something like scotch. Something that will make me forget about my dad. And Vanessa. And the pregnancy scam. And the whole drug dealing thing. And the way I just talked to Dani. And the way she looked at me. All I do is hurt her with my words and actions. And all she does is be kind and nice to me. After everything I did, she's letting me spend the night at her house. God, I don't deserve her...It's pouring heavily outside.I look outside, the rain beating down on the roof and sliding down the window. For a moment there, I wish that the rain could wash away all the pain. I wish that the rain could slide down my soul and wash away all the sadness and sorrow. The doorbell rings, pulling me away from the sea of sad thoughts."Good evening, Dani." I grit my teeth when I hear that familiar voice. Vanessa. What the fùck is she doing here? How the fùck did she know that I wa
DANIDamien is standing at my door when I get home from the hospital.The second he sees me, he runs to me and our bodies clash in a tight embrace. He starts crying in my arms. And I start crying in his arms. And now we're crying in each other's arms. I don't even know why I'm crying. But I definitely know why he's crying.He lost his father. A father that he deeply loved. And today he lay his father to rest. That's hard on anyone.The sky rumbles. We break apart and silently walk into the house before it starts raining. Damien takes off his shoes and sits on the couch. I take off my black coat and sneak to the kitchen. There, I make coffee and grab some cookies from the pantry. Damien looks like he needs something stronger than coffee but it's the best choice for now. "Thankyou." He smiles when I set the tray of coffee and cookies on the table.I sit across from him, creating some distance between us. I'm just from seeing Nate in the hospital and we even kissed when I left. I wou
DAMIENThe ride home was silent.Two hours on the road with Vanessa sulking and seething and staring at me, her eyes filled with fury.The second I stop the engine, she flies out of the car and storms into the house. I follow her quickly but I can't keep up with her pace. When I walk into the house, she's already flying up the stairs.Maria steps out of the kitchen with a bunch of sandwiches on the tray."Spill the tea." She giggles. "Why is she so mad this time? What happened at the funeral?""Nothing interesting." I shrug.That's my way of brushing Maria off. Although I like her, she can be a little nosy in a way that's annoying and steps on boundaries. Vanessa is still the mother of my child. She's just a surrogate. Sometimes I think that Maria forgets that. Vanessa can be a pain in the àss but she still deserves respect as the biological mother of my child."Want a sandwich?" She offers."Sure." I grab it. "I'm starving!"I run up the stairs, chewing on the sandwich as I head to o
DANICamille's mansion was the perfect pick for the reception after the funeral.The guests are waltzing around the large livingroom, cups of coffee clutched in their hands. A bunch of bowls are sitting at the dining table with cookies and biscuits and even chocolates.I'm sitting on the couch next to Camille, munching on the crunchy cookies. Her face is blank and void of emotion but I know that deep down, she's having an emotional crisis. A few hours ago, she broke down as her husband was put to the ground. I can't imagine what that felt like for her. Spending half of your life with someone and then having to watch their lifeless bodies being lowered to the ground. Tragic."Look at them!" Camille points to Damien and Vanessa. "She's always complaining about something. They should break up already."They seem like they are fighting. Vanessa is nagging about something. And Damien is glaring at her. They are obviously the unhappiest couple in the room. I get a little thrill watching the
DAMIENVanessa slides into her black heels and walks towards me.She stands so close, looking up at me. There's a blank look on her face and it's kinda creepy. She straightens my collar and starts fixing my black tie."I'm going to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest with me."The cold tone in her voice sends shivers down my spine. She's not been speaking to me the entire morning. I thought it was odd but chose not to overthink it. I thought it's because we were both busy getting ready for the funeral. I thought maybe she's giving me some space and silence because this is the day that I lay my dad to the ground. From the tone of her voice, that's clearly not the case. She's mad at me. And from the way she's playing with this tie, I might end up getting strangled if I don't provide the answer that she wants. And that makes my heart start racing."Have you been fùcking Dani?"I can't help but laugh. I thought it was something serious. Something that was going to be