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?
So the great Damien Keller is actually dead.Devon heard the news and didn't feel anything. Not pride or joy or shit. He wasn't surprised, obviously; he was the one who paid the guy to do it. With Ash Rockford's money, not his, but that hardly matters. Ash wanted him to do it, but he refused. There's no way he was going to kill Damien Keller and walk out of that place alive. So he told Ash that he was going to pay someone to do it in his place. He arranged everything, the only thing he didn't do was pull the trigger.He managed to marry Amelia after all. She owns everything that once belonged to him. She's a rich woman, a powerful one. He's tempted to go to her and keep an eye on her from a distance, but he's still recovering from nearly starving to death. If Ash hadn't intervened, he would've died. He wonders if she knows and if so, what she'd say about it. Would she care at all? He's done a lot of shit in the past, but he was trying to warn her. He tried to help.If he had known of
Nothing feels the same without him.The Lounge feels empty, somehow. Damien's presence lit up the room. He breathed life into everything he touched, and this place was no exception. I feel his absence in my soul. The only thing that's keeping me on my feet is the fact that he's alive and that my mother's taking care of him.By now, everyone has heard. I can tell by the looks they're giving me, customers and employees. I'm wearing black, which is a confirmation. That's what I was aiming for. It's important for everyone to think he's dead. That way, he'll recover in peace."I'm so sorry for your loss, Amelia," Chris says once he sees me. "If there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to ask. Please. I'll do anything."I nod. I appreciate his offer, I really do. It's important for me to sort out the liars from trustworthy people, and I think I can count on Chris. I'll have to be cautious, though. Someone let that man in last night, I keep that in mind.I make my way to his office.
Damien opens his eyes.For a full minute, he's disoriented. He doesn't know where he is and he can't recognize his surroundings. He's never been in this place, he's sure of it.He closes his eyes again and sees a bloody scene. Slowly, it's all coming back to him. The wedding ceremony, Amelia's teary eyes, their vows, the panic, the pain. He feels cold all over again. The last thing he saw was her face, staring down at him. She was urging him to stay awake, but he couldn't. Everything felt so strange.Where is she now?He turns his head left then right. The room is empty. He can't sit up, it's like there's a heavy weight right on his chest. He tries not to panic, but he's failing miserably. What if something happened to her while he was out? He can't remember anything else. How'd he get here?What if more shooters showed up? What if they're all dead?He hears a door opening and he struggles to look. He sees a woman approach the bed. At first, he can't recognize her. She's not dressed i
"We have to do something," Theo repeats. In the space of an hour, she's had a panic attack and she passed out twice. Ethan's finger is gone. Roger has taken it away. I have no doubt that it's his, and she doesn't either. "Ash has him. He's going to kill him if we don't give him what he wants."Giving him what he wants isn't an option. The only reason why I don't mention it is because she's distraught. She wants solutions, not the truth. I wouldn't want to hear it either.Am I a terrible person for not caring? It's not that I'm not spooled by what I just saw, but I'm not going to lift a finger to help Ethan out of a situation he willingly put himself in. He should've known that he shouldn't have trusted a man like Ash, he has no honor. And in betraying his own blood, he lost his. My priority right now is Damien and only him. I'll find a way to get rid of Ash and everyone else who's behind him, but not for Ethan's sake.There aren't a lot of trustworthy people here. Roger is the excepti
I keep an eye on Penelope all day.Theo and I aren't on speaking terms at the moment. She chose to trust Penelope and I didn't. I have my reasons. I'm not being entirely unaccomodating. She's conspired against us once because of Ethan, she could easily do it again.I'm exhausted; it's been a long day. Every inch of me aches. I had a cup of coffee and it's keeping me alert and it has also suppressed my appetite. I'm starving, but I can't bring myself to eat anything. I'm worried sick about Damien and Theo's brilliant idea to tell Penelope about his whereabouts is slowly but surely killing me. I don't know if she'll give her the real address. Maybe she just said it would be a 'test' to appease me. I get that she wants us to stand together, but she's disregarding everything else. She's not thinking clearly and she doesn't want to listen to me.Instead of focusing on my task at hand, which is trying to find Damien's most trusted associates, I have to keep watching Penelope. Every time I s
Someone throws a bucket of ice-cold water at Ethan.He wakes up with a start and a scream caught in his throat. He instantly begins shivering. He was cold before, now he's freezing. Perhaps this is how Ash Rockford plans to kill him. This is where he dies, locked in someone's fucking basement.He's never been in this kind of pain in all his life. He doesn't know what hurts more, his fucking hand or his goddamn heart. He's lost both physical and mental parts of himself here, and he doesn't know how much he can take. He knows he deserves all this for being a coward, this is his punishment for being disloyal to his family."Time to wake up," Paco says. "Ash wants you upstairs. There's someone here to see you."He tries to get up, but he stumbles. Paco laughs, like the sick fuck he is. Gritting his teeth, he tries one more time and manages to stay on his feet. It's hard to walk when his whole body is shaking, but he pushes on. He's not going to humiliate himself in front of this bastard.
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