I'm almost done packing.I don't know when Damien will come, but I hope he doesn't come anytime soon. I'm getting out of here. That's it, there's nothing left for me to do here, and I was an idiot for wanting to stay. My mother was here last night, offering her help, and I turned her away coldly. How blind I was. How could I choose to stay, knowing how complicated my presence here is? How could I naively believe that Damien would spare me, that he would understand, that he would forgive me?How could I be stupid enough to fall in love with him?No, I thought it was love. It isn't love. All that has evaporated, and has been replaced with pure, unfiltered hatred. He killed Aaron, mercilessly, threw him in a dumpster. How many men has he killed? I don't care what Aaron has done. He was my brother. We weren't extremely close; he was always distant and due to the age gap between us, we didn't have much to talk about. But he was always there. He helped me with my homework sometimes, and whe
I close my eyes firmly and tell myself that this isn't happening.He can't be kissing me. What happened to all that aggression? I can't understand for the life of me why my lips are moving against his, why my body is reacting to his kiss despite everything he's done. I remind myself that he killed Aaron, not twelve hours ago. My brother. Still, I part my lips for him, allow him to explore my mouth with his tongue as tears cascade down my cheeks.He breaks the kiss and holds my face, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that shakes me to my core. "Tell me there's nothing going on between you and that man. You aren't lying to me, are you?"Of course I am, even though I've never been romantically involved with Devon. He's waiting for an answer. I don't have it in me to keep lying. I shake my head. No, I'm not lying. Even though all I've done since I got here is lie."Are you sure?" he asks. "Fuck, Yara. I don't know what to fucking think at this point. Why would you meet him and n
Damien needs time to think.He needs to think about what happened this afternoon with Yara, but he can't judge this situation with a clear mind. He's biased. He cares for her way too fucking much for that. He can't find a fault in her, not because there isn't one, but because he can't bear to. She wasn't herself, though, he'll admit that at least. He could see the hatred in her eyes, it burned right through him, set his soul on fire. He needs to reflect, figure out his next step. She threw him completely off balance. Was leaving an admission of guilt? His head is starting to hurt. Fuck, he needs a drink. The floor is empty, just as he expected. He loosens his tie as he makes his way towards his office. Ethan didn't lock the door on his way out, he realizes. It's a good thing, because he doesn't have the key.He turns the handle and pauses by the door when he sees Elizabeth in his chair.Her presence is unexpected, unwanted, and worsens his mood. Someone's going to lose their job, if
When I hear the front door open, my heart plummets.I'm still in bed. I didn't have the energy to get up. I look at the closed door. Any moment now, he'll come in here. I wonder what he'll say to me. By now, he's had more than enough time to process my lies. What if he found an inconsistency?Five minutes pass and the door remains closed.I frown. Did I imagine those sounds? It's dead still now. What if it was an intruder? I sit up quickly at the thought. I force myself to take in deep breaths. No, I'm being paranoid. There's no intruder. It's Damien. I'm sure it is. I dress up quickly, hold my breath as I approach the closed door. I'm assuming he didn't check up on me because my bags are still in the living room, and I wouldn't leave without them. Or is he waiting for me to come out? I turn the handle.He's sitting on the couch, as I expected, facing the bedroom's door. He's smoking a cigarette and there's a tumbler in his other hand. Something about him is off, I sense it immediate
v6.12.1Welcome to Radish for Writers.Log OutEpisode PreviewStories/Story/Season/Episode PreviewCrestfallenAn episode can only be edited for 7 days after its publication.CrestfallenBy now, Yara—no, Amelia—is dead.Damien gave Hans explicit orders. He would take her to a warehouse, one of many he owns. There would be two men waiting for them. He would deliver her to them and walk away. Simple as that. Coming to this decision took a chunk out of his soul, but it was absolutely necessary. She knew too much, and she had betrayed him. That isn't something he takes lightly. However, he'll admit that he had to viciously fight the urge to call Hans and make him turn around and bring her back to him. Ethan is watching him pensively, his own cigarette forgotten. He shakes his head and says, "Just fucking cry already. Come on, get it out of your system."Damien takes a drag, keeps it in his lungs for a beat longer. It isn't giving him what he wants. He'll need something stronger to forg
"You're my father?" I can't believe this. I think I might pass out. Ferdinand Cooper is my father? How? This can't be true. It just can't. "This can't be happening.""The first time I saw you," he begins, "I found you familiar. Do you remember? You look like your mother, but I couldn't tell you that at the time. I thought it was a mere coincidence. I didn't think Daisy was pregnant when she left. I had no idea at all." Daisy? He means my mother? "I should've investigated. None of this would have happened if I had."I remember that. Damien invited me to that dinner at the lounge. It was the day I snapped a photo of Elizabeth and Ethan kissing in the staff room. I was shaking. He introduced Ferdinand to me as an old friend, and asked me to keep him entertained. He asked me if he knew me, but I didn't take his question seriously.How would I have known?"Close the door," he says, taking a seat. He gestures to the empty chair across him. "Take a seat. I think we have a lot to talk about,
Devon finds Elizabeth sitting with a cocktail in front of her.When he received her text, he has to confess; he looked twice. There was just something off about it. She said she wanted to see him, that she had something important to say to him. She wanted to meet him at the secluded bar downtown, where they first met. He found it strange. Lately, they've been meeting at restaurants, more public places. The last time he saw her, he asked her if she would tell Damien of it, and she said she wouldn't.Her exact words were, "Why would I do that? I want him to get fucked." He didn't believe her, but he didn't do anything to stop her. He figured that it would be better if she outed Amelia. Damien would send her away and all of this would be behind them. But he hasn't been able to contact Amelia for the last seven hours. He has no idea why her phone is off. What if Elizabeth really told Damien, and the worst happened? What if Amelia is dead right this minute?It's the only reason why he res
It's Aaron's funeral today.It's just the three of us here, watching the coffin being lowered in the ground. My mother and I are watching without shedding a tear. There isn't a single tear left inside of me. These past couple of days have been torturous; hopelessness and despair has been clinging to us like a cloud, and by us I mean mom and I. My brother's loss rocked us; I felt worse the second day. I woke up feeling empty, overcome with loss. I felt defeated, deflated, lost. Ferdinand has been trying to reach out to me, but I can't and won't let him in. I'm indifferent towards him solely because he didn't help Aaron, he let him die, but I'm sure that if my mother decides to tell me about him, the whole unfiltered truth, I'll despise him. She hasn't talked to me since the day I arrived. She hasn't said a single word. She was locked in her room the whole time, holding pictures of Aaron. It's heartbreaking and shattering.Ferdinand told us yesterday at breakfast that there would be a
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