The smell of disinfectant tickles my nostrils.I hate how hospitals smell, and this doesn't stem from my childhood. I was a fairly healthy kid, I rarely fell ill. Perhaps it has to do with my mother. When she passed out a few days after Aaron was convicted, I was desperate. I didn't know what to do. They told me she was really sick, and I had to wait outside her room the whole day, waiting for her to wake up. I don't know what I would've done if she didn't. I remember feeling terribly anxious and afraid. What would I have done without her? I shake my head to get rid of these thoughts. I'm ready to go, but they're still keeping me here for some reason. Felix is gone, I don't know where he is. I haven't seen him since I got here. It's not that I want him around me; I know that he's probably already told Ferdinand about this and I'll have to deal with him when I get back. He must have followed me, which means he saw me with Devon. I wonder if that'll implicate him in some way. I'm mad
Devon rushes into his office and locks the door behind him.He sits behind his desk, then starts looking around for the bottle of scotch he kept in one of the drawers. He can't find it, which pisses him off. He slams the drawer shut and sits back, willing himself to calm down or he's going to lose his shit.That old woman, she said her name was Bertha Johnson, didn't want to cooperate at first, but Devon always finds a way to get someone talking. He threatened her, but when that didn't work, he promised to help her get what she wants. And when she talked, she fucking talked. He had a hard time believing her, but there was no way he couldn't. She knew exactly what she was talking about, her story made sense. He knew a small part, but now he finally pieced everything together.The story is too fucking crazy to be true.He needs to make calls, get people investigating this immediately, but Sam will be in his ass about this, because people need to be paid for their work, and the company c
Mom just shut down.As soon as I confronted her about it, she walked out of my room without offering me any explanation. I didn't go after her; it would be a waste of time. I can't understand why she won't just tell me. What's the worst that could happen if she did?I didn't realize that I fell asleep. I wake up and it's morning. I feel a deep ache in my bones, but I'm better. I shower, paying special attention to my hair because my head still hurts a lot, then get dressed in jeans and a black top. I wonder who bought all these clothes for me. They're exactly my size.I leave the bedroom and realize that the sitting and dining rooms are empty. It's around ten, which means that everyone's already gone. My mother must be in her room, that's where she always is, but I won't go to her, not until she opens up to me about all this. I'm disappointed and angry at her, I won't deny it. I kept secrets from her, that's true, but I'm still hurt that she'd not want to share this with me.One of th
Fury is burning in her eyes.Damien doesn't know why he followed her here exactly; all he knows is he couldn't resist her pull. Ferdinand was watching him, almost like he expected him to follow her. He walks a little further into the room and closes the door."So you're following me now?" she asks, jutting her chin out."You're the one in my private area, not the other way around." His response catches her off-guard. She blinks, her mask of confidence slipping for a moment. She turns around, facing the large window, observing the moving bodies below.What the fuck am I doing? He's asked himself this question about a hundred times since he saw her watching him with wide eyes. No, he's been asking himself that since he received the news that she would be joining Ferdinand, and instantly decided that he would show up. He got the invitation earlier, but he hadn't planned on going. He didn't have time to waste on drinks with John Herbert and the others.But when he heard that she would be
I can't wait for this 'meeting' to end.It's been going on for three hours, and so far, they haven't discussed anything of importance, just trivial matters. John Herbert—he's the one who sent the invitations—just talks about horse racing and bets, nothing that will contribute to this war Ferdinand keeps talking about. They're drinking the finest wine and having a grand time, whereas I'm sitting far away from the group and thinking about what happened.Damien.I don't understand him. When I saw him, all I wanted was to get away from him. I didn't expect him to follow me, and especially not to kiss me. It was brief, but it was a breath-taking kiss. I can't imagine why he would do such a thing. Just yesterday he said he would kill me if he had the chance, now he kissed me and demanded to know why I didn't tell anyone about Adam. The time for questions has passed long ago. Nothing makes sense, and I need alone time to reflect and think about what I'm going to do about this.I don't need t
Ethan stares at the ocean, and can't help but think of Damien. What the fuck is wrong with him? Something is amiss. He looked like he ate a mouthful of shit just yesterday, yet all of a sudden he's fine, back to his old self. Not his old, old self, but the one before that spying bitch came along and fucked with his head. He saw him before he left the office, and he had that stupid look in his face, like he saw a fucking butterfly. Ethan didn't ask him what was wrong. He'll leave that for after they return from the meeting with Jasper. Ethan will be seeing him for the first time in over fifteen years. His brother's a dick, Damien's right about that. He left without a word, which disappointed his parents, and Ethan, who had always looked up to him. He was everything Ethan wanted to be—extroverted, optimistic, daring. He admired his optimism above everything else. He couldn't imagine what it was like to be positive all the time, to expect the best in every situation, no matter how impr
I run out of the hospital.I couldn't breathe in there for a second. It's like the white walls of the room were closing in on me. I held onto her bed for support, but after a while, even that wasn't enough.I couldn't believe what she was telling me.I breathe in deeply. The night's air cools my clammy skin. My head is full of haunting images, of the full story. Ferdinand is a son of a bitch. He's the Devil's incarnate.And he has full control of me.My mother met him when she was seventeen. She came from a poor family—that I always knew—and so she dropped out of high school and worked full-time to help pay the rent.She started working at one of his family's many businesses, a flower shop. She hadn't been there for too long when he came in one afternoon. He was twenty-three at the time, and she found him handsome. He asked her to prepare a bouquet of roses—it was his mother's birthday—and when she handed it to him, he asked her for her name."Edith," she said, smiling demurely, offer
Devon orders another drink.He plans on getting drunk tonight. Kaitlyn called with news, confirming Bertha's story. However, there's still a piece of the puzzle missing, and that's why he's getting fucking drunk tonight.Who's Daisy's and Gabriel's son?He should've known that finding that out would be a damned difficult task. He knows that Bertha's son took his place, but Aaron didn't know it when he first showed him that grave. Now he's dead, and Devon doesn't even know if he found out the whole truth before he died. It's unlikely, right? Because who would've told him? Ferdinand probably believes that the kid is dead, which means only Daisy would know, and whoever helped her, because there's no way she did all of this on her own.The bar's red lights makes him feel safe. It's why he chose this place. White light means a clear face which means someone might recognize him, and as much as it fucking sucks, he's still dead. And if he doesn't catch Keller and those fucks he works with, f
Six months have passed.They've been peaceful and for the most part, quiet. Tremendously busy, but I'm used to that part now. Working alongside Damien is the best part about it. I get to be with him all day and make sure that he isn't exerting himself. He has a lot more work now; he had to take over Ethan's duties. Theo helps, but there are certain things only Damien can handle. When Ethan was here, he took care of it, but he's been gone for half a year and there's no one capable enough to replace him. I think that deep down, Damien doesn't want anyone to take over Ethan's job, but he'll never admit it out loud. I help him whenever I can. There's a lot I still don't understand, but I'll get there.It's only a matter of time.He doesn't ever ask me to go home when there are people coming over to meet with him. We never talked about what happened with Ash, but it changed a lot of things. I gained some respect after I killed him. I see it in the way people look at me whenever we're at so
I help him peel his blazer off.This day has been mentally exhausting for him. He rarely leaves the office early, but I'm glad he did today. I'm glad, because at least we have the whole day ahead of us. It's going to be just the two of us. Theo rarely comes here, she prefers to stay in the city. It's closer to everything else. I love it here, because it feels like we're all alone in the world. I stare out the window and all I see is the vast sky, green hills, nature. I don't even see the guards surrounding the house. They're invisible to me.It's peaceful here, and breathtakingly beautiful. It's home. I understand why Damien is so attached to this place. It's not simply because he grew up here. I feel safe, here, untouchable. The first time I was here, I felt like an intruder. Our relationship was so different back then, I can't help but marvel at how everything is so different now. I never would have guessed that we'd end up here, closer than ever, madly in love. We've come a long wa
Today's an important day.I've been on edge all morning. Damien has called for a Keller family meeting. We're all going to be there, including Ethan and Penelope.He announced that there'd be a meeting only last night during dinner, and he asked Theo to give Ethan a call. I was startled by the news and so was she. He didn't tell me what he'll say to Ethan, but we can guess what it is. He wants closure. Ethan owns a third of everything, and that matter needs to be resolved. I doubt that Damien will allow him to return to the company. I just don't see it happening. Ethan himself never mentioned it to Theo, not that he'd dare to.Theo told me that he's out of the hospital. She said he hasn't left the country yet because he wants to see Damien first. Damien, however, wanted nothing to do with him until yesterday. He's asked after him, but he didn't want to see him. He's still hurt by what Ethan did to us, his betrayal is a wound that will never quite heal for him. And if it ever does, it'
I'm afraid of opening the door.I've been standing here for a full minute with my heart in my throat. My hand is on the knob, ready. I can't bring myself to turn it, though, simply because I know that Damien's on the other side. There's a lot we need to talk about, so much in fact that I wouldn't know where to start.I hold my breath and close my eyes. I've been standing out here for too long. I remind myself that he's my husband, he's the man I love, and we'll get through this. We'd get through anything together. I've been in a far worse position before. This time, I was actually focusing on the well-being of our family.I open the door slowly.Only the bedside lamp is on. I see him right away; he's seated on the couch across his bed. He's staring out the window with a distant look in his eyes. I take a few steps towards him, my eyes on his handsome face. My heart's thumping against my chest. I'm overcome with emotion, but I put a hamper on them for now. He's a little pale, I notice
Amelia's going to hate him for this, but that's okay, because he doesn't plan on ever seeing her again.He means it this time. He's done with this shit. He had his chance, he fucked it up a hundred years ago. It's time to get over it. If there was ever a part of him that thought he'd get a chance with her, that part of him died a while back. She loves Damien Keller. He lost her a long time ago. That doesn't necessarily mean that he's content with the outcome, but he'll admit defeat. Staying here is slowly killing him.She's going to be alright. Leaving her back there was a dick move, sure, but he stands by what he said to her; when everyone finds out that she did it, there will be no revenge. He helped her along the way, but no one needs to know that. The Huntingtons won't dream of touching her, especially when the truth about Damien comes out. It would be an entirely different story with him.He glances at his watch. Five more minutes in there and he'd miss his flight. He can't miss
I've never been so glad to see him in all my life."Devon," I say, the word a gasp. "How did you—"He doesn't let me finish. "Did he hurt you? Are you hurt?"I shake my head. "No, but how did you—""I'll explain later," he assures me. "Right now, we've got to get this asshole tied to that chair. Quickly, before he wakes up. Bring that chair over there. I have rope under the bed."I grab it and Devon grabs a duffel bag from under the bed. He opens it and fishes out rope and a couple of knives. He's been lying under the bed the entire time. It's clear that he planned this thoroughly.He didn't abandon me. He said he'd help me kill Ash and here he is. I tell him, "I thought you weren't going to show up. I thought you tricked me.""I don't blame you for assuming the worst," he says, looking up at me. His eyes are glinting with mischief and something else, something I won't dare name. He points at my gun. "You know how to use that thing?"I stare at it. "Yes."He's watching me intently. "A
It's quarter to midnight.The clock is ticking and my heart is racing. I'm ready, my small gun is hidden in my underwear. I've made sure to wear an extra tight pair just for the occasion. The dress is scarlet and flowy, perfect for tonight.I'm waiting for him in the lobby. This time, I'm early. It makes me feel more in control of the situation even though that's far from the truth. I take a small sip of champagne and look back at the entrance. My heart's in my throat, making it hard for me to breathe. I have to remain cool, though. There's a lot at stake.Everything depends on this."Anything else?" the bartender asks me while pouring someone else a drink. I shake my head, I can't even speak at a time like this.I'm taking another sip of champagne when I finally spot him. There are two men walking behind him. He's saying something to them as he looks around. For me, no doubt. I fix my gaze on him and hold my breath as I wait for him to see me. He doesn't, which is fairly disappointin
"Leave," Damien says to the nurse. She scurries out of the room as soon as he mutters the word.He's in a terrible mood and he doesn't want anyone around him. He has finally moved from that awful, desolate place and he's home. He made sure that they didn't change any decorations. They lost a lot of antiques and furniture that was in their family for decades, but he's made sure that everything else remained the same. He's sure that he'll recover in no time here, he already feels better. He's not in bed, he's sitting on the sofa beside his bed. He's supposed to be resting, but he's done enough of that.He can't sleep when he's worried sick about Amelia.The fact that no one gives him any news is a bad sign as it is. They're hiding something from him, he can feel it. The last time he spoke to her, she told him that she wasn't going to turn back, that she'd go ahead with the plan. He has no idea of what her plan might be, but he knows it won't be anything he'll agree with. He wonders if p
I can't stop chewing my thumbnail.I force myself to put my hand down. I'm in agony; I don't know what to do and I'm running out of time. I'm supposed to be meeting Ash tonight. This was supposed to end it all, according to Devon, but he let Ethan go so what happens now? The only reason why I'm agreeing to everything is because of him. It isn't, but that's what Ash thinks. Am I still expected to show up? Why would he do this?I can't figure it out.I wish I had a way of contacting Devon to let him know that everything went to shit, but I don't have his number. I don't know where he's currently residing. I don't think I'll be seeing him anytime soon; tonight, maybe but not earlier. In the meantime, what do I do? I can't ask anyone's advice. My family is against me entirely. Theo probably thinks that our negotiations with Ash have come to an abrupt end, but she doesn't know half of it. I'm planning on killing him once and for all, I made a promise to myself that I would.For Damien.I h