Damien kisses Amelia goodbye and gets straight back to work.His words scared her earlier and he vehemently wishes that he could take them back. The last thing he wants is to worry her. It'll only exacerbate her restlessness. He knows she's anxious about this situation and he doesn't blame her, this hasn't been easy on anyone. It's going to get worse, he's certain of it. And there's still a lot he doesn't know.Since he couldn't take back what he said, he did what he could to relax her. He rolled up her dress and ate his way to her heart. He had her moaning his name and writhing in his chair. Her legs shook violently and she fought desperately to muffle her moans. He tasted every inch of her and relished in the familiarity of tonguing her sweet folds. He took his sweet time and he enjoyed every minute of it. For a moment, he forgot that his own blood had stabbed him in the back, that he was slowly dying on the inside. When he was done with her, she didn't mention any of it again. She
I can't wait for Damien to get home.First and foremost, we have to continue our conversation. I want to know exactly what he meant when he said that something might happen to him. He distracted me, but I've given it another thought and I'm not going to let it slide. He wants to wait until after the wedding, but this is different. This has nothing to do with Ethan and Theo finding out. He's talking about death. He wants to marry me as quickly as possible because he thinks he might die. He didn't have to say the words out loud, I understood.And I'm fucking terrified.I'm overcome with the urge to kill Ethan myself. I'll kill him and get this done and over with. Damien will forgive me. Theo might not, but at least this will all be behind us. How dare he sabotage my happiness? How dare he betray his own family? I can't believe Damien and I are related to that prick. I sacrificed myself for my brother, and Damien would do anything to keep us safe. My mother went through hell to keep us a
We're waiting for Ethan.By now, Theo knows that something is horribly wrong. She's been drumming her fingernails against the table non-stop ever since she sat down. She's been looking at all of us in the eye. She's not content; I can sense that she feels betrayed in a sense. It seems like all of us here have an idea of what's going on. She doesn't. She's been so distracted by the wedding plans that she didn't notice anything.I can't meet her gaze. I know the lie I told her last night was a necessary one, but we've been getting undeniably close and I didn't even give her a heads-up. I remind myself that this is what Damien wanted and I didn't want to sabotage his plan by opening my mouth. Theo would run to Ethan. He'd find out one way or another and he wouldn't even show up.Who am I kidding, he might not show up as it is.He might know by now about Gillian. If so, then his guess is that Damien knows the whole truth. That's just my assumption, I could be wrong. I hope I am. Damien to
"I feel like I'm in a nightmare," Theo says, blowing her nose on a napkin. "I've pinched myself a dozen times and I still haven't woken up."I keep rubbing her back because I don't know what else to do. What to say. She's bitterly disappointed in Ethan, I could tell by the way she reacted at the meeting. The normal Theo would never say such things to Ethan. He deserved her harsh treatment. Even now, he's not man enough to fix his mistakes. Damien gave him a chance.Who knows if what he said is true? Peneope could be perfectly fine somewhere. I can't believe he acted out simply because he found out that Gabriel Keller was his biological father. He betrayed his entire family because of it, then acted as if everything was fine. I never expected this from him. I thought he was a man of character.Like my Damien.After Ethan left, Damien asked me to escort Theo out because she was crying hysterically, but I think he just wanted to discuss his plans with the men in there. He didn't want us
Theo left with Roger to take care of the last minute preparations.I'm lying in bed and taking deep breaths before calling my mother. I know she won't be happy about this. She hates it when plans change, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not sure if I should tell her about Ethan and Damien's feud. Maybe not. Even though she didn't raise Ethan, I know she loves him. It's something we've never discussed, but I'm hoping we'll have the chance to do that when she arrives. We'll spend a lot of time together and it'll be like we were never apart.She answers on the second ring. "Amelia. I wasn't expecting your call so soon. Is everything alright?"No or yes? How do I answer her question? "It's...well, the plan has changed. Damien and I are getting married soon. And by soon I mean tonight."She's quiet for a solid minute. I'm waiting for her to say something and I'll go on from there. She asks, "What prompted the sudden change?""It's complicated," I admit. "I'll talk to him, someone
Ethan rushes inside The Den.Ash called and said he wanted to talk to him. Ever since he called him the night of Damien's engagement, he hasn't stopped bothering him. He wants to talk to him and he keeps arranging meeting after meeting. Ethan went because he thought Ash would offer him a way out, but all he found out was that he was Paco's boss. He was the one making his life miserable. Nothing changed, it only got worse. He's his slave now, so he has no choice but to do his bidding.He's never been more ashamed in all his life.Most of the things Damien accused him of were true. He did some messed up shit these past several months, he recognizes that. The worst of all was betraying Damien, his own brother. Those assholes don't know that, thankfully, but that doesn't really matter. Ethan knew he would get in serious trouble if any of that shit was ever caught. Damien had enough friends that would turn a blind eye to the contraband, booze, and things they considered 'harmless', but not
I've lost my mind.Nothing makes sense anymore. I don't know where I am or how long I've been here. I've lost all track of time. My bloody hands are clasped together and I haven't stopped praying, I haven't even paused to breathe.I can't unsee it. Damien. Dying right on my fucking lap. I couldn't do anything, I was absolutely helpless. I held him until my legs cramped. I was overcome with despair as I watched him bleed on me, unable to stop it. The skirt of my dress is red. It doesn't look like it's ever been white. It's like I went swimming in a pool of blood. I'm shaking from head to toe and I'll explode if I don't get news. I've been waiting for hours. No one's around to give me any answers.Theo isn't here. Everyone is gone. They've abandoned me here in this cold and desolate place. I'm surrounded by white walls that remind me of how perfect everything was before that son of a bitch came along and took my Damien from me. My dress was white and our smiles were white and the minist
I wake up in a dimly lit room.It takes me a few seconds to realize that I'm at the apartment. I try to sit up and my head spins, so I lie back down. My legs are tingling and I'm out of breath, like I just ran a marathon. I'm still in the blood-stained wedding dress. I know what this means. God, it can't be true.My heart is heavy in my chest. I remember everything that happened in the hospital; Theo in tears, telling me that Damien didn't make it. He died. Those two dragging me out. Her last words to me. To be strong."No," I say, pressing my face against the pillow. "No, no, no.""I'm glad you're awake," Theo tells me. I turn my head and see her sitting on the coffee table, holding a glass of water. She's no longer in the emerald gown she wore to our wedding, and she looks surprisingly calm. No tears in her eyes."Theo?""Drink this," she says. "You'll feel much better." Better? Better? She can't be serious. Maybe I'm dreaming. Her nonchalance infuriates me. How can she be so cold?