"Pregnant!?" Theo practically screams on the phone.Her ears must be deceiving her. Damien did not just call her to tell her that he got Amelia pregnant. This can't be happening to her family. This is it, the last nail in the coffin. There's no going back from this. The Keller Family has officially disbanded. Ethan's already leaving, and this pregnancy isn't going to convince him to stay.She hangs up the phone. She sits on her bed and seethes. Her family is breaking apart and there's nothing she can do about it. She grabs the nearest lamp and hurls it across the room. She'd tear this house down if she could, if her leg weren't still healing from the accident that killed her girlfriend. She really liked her, and every time she thinks about her death, she's filled with guilt. She only died because of her, because she was involved with a Keller. And Damien promised to take care of whoever tampered with their brakes, but so far he hasn't done a thing about it. He never gets involved in a
Damien puts down the phone.I can't believe he just called Theo and told her about the pregnancy. He said she had to know, but maybe we could've kept this a secret until a later date? Why tell them now, when everyone's still so upset with everything that's going on?I cross my arms over my chest and stare out of the large window in his office. It's getting dark, I didn't realize so much time has passed. I spent the entire day with him, just sitting on that sofa in the corner. He doesn't trust me to leave his side, that's what he said.We haven't talked much about the pregnancy, and I was surprised when he called Theo. Why did he do that, I wonder? If I didn't know any better, I'd think that perhaps he's happy about it. But this was unplanned and unexpected, and we haven't even discussed other...options.It crushes my heart to think of that. I didn't plan on being a mother either, but I don't think I can bring myself to terminate the pregnancy. I grew up in a religious home, and mother
Devon gulps down his whiskey.Pregnant? Dammit. He could believe it when his spy, Courtney, told him over the phone. Amelia's fucking pregnant. Expecting Damien's child. That's fucked up. That fucked him up.He didn't see this coming. He knew she was living with him currently, that he had killed Ferdinand and took her with him. He knows her mother is with Bertha's sons—yes, there's two of them. He couldn't believe it when Kaitlyn told him. She had twins and both are Ferdinand's. He was right about the alias, too. He—or rather, they—are known as 'The Ghost'. That's because he could disappear and be in two different places at once. No one knew how he did it, and they quickly turned to the supernatural, but come on. That makes sense now, and there's a simple and quite rational explanation for it. They couldn't think that perhaps there were two of them? With the exact same face? He wouldn't have guessed either, but still. The world is a pathetic place.He thinks of her again and his stoma
I was so agitated that I never got to ask Damien what he meant by 'this city won't sleep unless he's found'.Did the twins get away, is that what happened? That's a question for later, because right now I'm about to meet my mother, and I'll have to tell her what's going on.I try to organize my thoughts. I separate the lies from the truth and take a deep breath. It's harder than I thought, since they've all jumbled up in my mind and I don't know what's real and what's fabricated. All I know is that there are things I'd rather not tell her, like the pregnancy. Yes, there's no reason for me to spill that, especially since there's so much uncertainty surrounding it.Getting her out of this city is my priority at the moment.I'm not sure if she'll take the money, but it's worth a shot. When he handed me the bag, I couldn't even bring myself to thank him. Following my meltdown, I couldn't say much. I'm calmer now, but that doesn't necessarily mean that my feelings have disappeared. I'm sti
Devon's sitting on his desk and thinking about last night.The more he thinks about Elizabeth's proposition, the angrier he gets. How could she suggest such a thing, especially to him? She really is fucking crazy. He could've killed her for saying something that stupid. Granted, he's not happy with Amelia either. He's disappointed and frankly, heartbroken. But he'll get her back, it's only a matter of time. In two days, he'll have her. Damien Keller will be dead and this will all be forgotten.All he knows is that hurting her to get to Damien's son is out of the question. He's getting her out of this place intact. He doesn't know what he wants from her, though. A relationship? It's complicated. He doesn't do relationships. But he doesn't want to see her with Keller, either. He doesn't deserve her.He gets angry when he thinks that maybe she might have kept things from him when she started having an affair with Damien. He doesn't like thinking that way, mainly because he doesn't know w
Penelope leaves the office. She didn't glance at me once.Damien poured himself a whiskey and now he's holding the glass filled with whiskey to his temple. I'm giving him some space before bombarding him with questions. I heard almost everything they said but there's a lot I couldn't grasp. I want to know everything that's going on. No more secrets between us starting now.He looks over at me and sits back in his chair. I both hate and love it when his azure eyes are focused on me. I love it because I get butterflies, but I hate it because I can't tell what he's thinking about. He'll always be a puzzle I can't solve. "What is it? What's going on?""There's a spy in our home," he says. My heart skips a beat. I knew it had something to do with agents, but I didn't think it'd be related to his home. Is this Devon's doing? Did he really get someone in his house?"Are you sure?" I ask."Come here," he says instead. "I want to show you something."I make my way towards his desk and he holds
The trip isn't as long as it should be.Maybe that's only because I'm dreading what's to come. The closer we get to the mansion, the faster my heart beats. Is it terrible that I feel bad for the maid? Will he spare her life as he spared mine?That's unlikely. Damien Keller is not a forgiving man. I was the exception and he left that clear. I will never stop feeling ashamed because of this. It doesn't matter that I genuinely fell in love with him, I could've easily been this woman, who's completely unaware of what's coming. What if she's doing this to save her family, too?There's nothing I can do to save her. Nothing I can do to help.The bad feeling hasn't left me. Maybe it just has to do with this woman's death. Oh, and this pregnancy we haven't discussed. Sometimes I forget that I'm carrying his child. Now that my mother is safe, I can start thinking about this with a clear head. Yet there's something else impeding and I don't know what it is.His driver parks the car in front of t
Kathy's standing at the top of the stairs. She has a wine glass nestled in her left hand and I notice that she's barefoot. She's wearing a long red silk robe and her hair is down. Red tints her lips and cheeks.Her eyes are wild and seriously, she looks drunk. She's eyeing us with disgust. She's looking at the dead woman's body. She shakes her head as she says, "This is hell. I'm in hell! Don't you ever shut up?" She pauses then takes a step back. "Is that a dead person? Is she dead?"Yeah, she's definitely drunk.Damien ignores her. He's giving his men orders to get rid of her body. Meanwhile, Theo's still sobbing uncontrollably and drowning all other noises. "You're a monster! You're a killer! You didn't have to do this! She wasn't a bad person!""Theo, that's enough. You're out of control." He glances at the watch on his wrist. "Did you take your medicine?""Fuck you!" she hisses. "You remember that I take medicine? That's because of you! Because ever since dad died, you've changed
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