Chapter 63:
Damien’s P.O.V
“Tia!”
I’d heard the strangled cry for help just a second ago and it momentarily frozen me on the spot. She was hurt and I had no doubt that her ex was in there with her, torturing her as I stood and wasted my time ringing the doorbell. I couldn’t see anyone else in the apartment next to hers and I didn’t have time to call for help. I looked around the door, trying to find a rational place where the spare key might be since it wasn't under the welcome mat, but my mind wasn't working properly. So I did the only thing I could, I took a few steps back and ran into the door with all my strength.
The door jerked but it was strong, it came back to its original position and wouldn’t budge. So I tried again, and again. Fear and anger had gripped me in a chocking hold at the fact that while I was wasting time trying to break down the door, something bad was happe
Chapter 64:Damien’s P.O.VAs soon as we reached the hospital, Tia was immediately rushed to the operating theatre. Daniel and Victor went on to fill all the necessary documents while I waited outside with Grace and Kendra and watched as the lights turned red and several doctors and nurses entered the theatre, ready to operate on Tia.“It’s going to be okay, Grace,” I heard Kendra assure her as the two women huddled together at one corner. “Ty’s strong; she’s always been a fighter. She’ll pull through. She has to.”“I know. She’ll make it. I know...” Grace spoke before she broke down in Kendra’s arms.I collapsed on the chair opposite to them, too exhausted and emotionally drained to comfort either women. But thankfully, their husbands returned on time and took them into their arms, whispering sweet nothings into their ears as they held t
Chapter 65:Tatiana’s P.O.VA constant beeping noise cut through the haziness in my mind and woke me up from my peaceful slumber.I tried to open my eyes but they wouldn’t budge and my throat felt raw and itchy. I needed water. Where was I? It was so blissfully quiet in here. I didn’t want to wake up. I wanted to stay right here, forever.Scream! Scream louder, you whore!My eyes snapped open as everything that happened came back to me. Connor! He had hurt me! He had tried to kill me! Then why wasn't I dead? Where was I? Why was everything so hazy and white?Tia!Damien! He had been there! He had come for me! Is that why I was still alive? Was I in a hospital?“Nurse! She’s awake!” Someone yelled from next to me, making me wince. The sound was too loud.And just like that, the quiet was gone and everything around me buzzed into activity. The next thing
EpilogueTatiana’s P.O.V5 Years later...“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to Diana, Tony and Abigail! Happy birthday to you!”As all of us clapped, our three precious girls, all four years old, Diana and Abigail with their father’s dark hair and Tony with her mother’s blonde locks, blew out the candles to the humongous cake we had ordered and dived right into it without offering us any.“Girls!” Grace’s stern voice was heard over the infectious giggles. “What happened to staying clean until dinner?”“Sorry, aunty!” Those came from Diana and Tony.“Sorry, mummy!”That came from Abigail.All three spoke at the same time in between little giggles before diving back into the cake and stuffing their chubby little cheeks with chocolate frosting. Even at four,
GraceThe pounding music blasting from the inbuilt speakers gave me a headache. It pulsed through my veins, vibrated in my blood stream and slammed straight to my heart until it beat with the same intensity, a merciless tattoo against my ribs.But who was I to complain? It is, after all, the reason why I'm insideHell Hole, not the literal one, but my favorite bar to hang out on Friday night's with my girlfriends....one of whom.... is nowhere to be found. Ah! There's Ken, slender blonde with killer legs and an extremely short black dress, on the dance floor, devouring the face of a guy in an orange jacket. AveryOrange jacket. Trust Kendra Millar to have other-worldly tastes.My other girlfriend, Ty, short for Tatiana, sat next me on a barstool, sipping from a glass of Bloody Mary-trust her to add veggies into a cocktail-bobbing her head to the music while singing out the lyrics and texting her boyfrien
DanielThere's a certain kind of satisfaction in watching your prey from afar. The feeling of a Panther when it's fixated on a target and unwilling to let to it go. Usually, they go straight for the kill. But sometimes, when they find something that they reallylike, they can be really patient stalk it for days on end. Relentless. Always keeping their eyes on the prey but staying in the shadows. Not letting anyone guess at their intention until it’s time to pounce.For me, that time was tonight.I've noticed her for days. She's a regular on Friday nights and she's always with those two women. Occasionally, a man would join them, but he seems to be into the auburn haired friend.Graceis always alone.I'd learned her name only a few days ago when her friends had celebrated her birthday here. But I'd planned to pursue her a month before that. But now, two and a half months later, it's finall
Grace "It's time to head upstairs." I must be really crazy if I was letting a stranger drag me upstairs to do whatever he pleases. But if Ty is right, which she usually is, this is supposed to help me clear my head and help me get back to work with a new incentive. He guided me through the middle of the dance floor where the people just moved away from him to let us through as if overwhelmed by his presence; and then he led me to an isolated corner where he opened up a set of double doors to reveal a flight of stairs. We travelled up the stairs but didn't stop at the first floor. Instead, he pulled me up another flight of stairs and to the second floor, where a bouncer stood waiting. "Thank you, Zach." Mr. Sexy Italian, because I was tired of calling him Man Mountain and hook-up guy, gave the bouncer a curt nod, to which he bowed his head and went downstairs. "Sooo...do you have a name?" I asked awkwardly. Of course h
Grace"He had a cucumber tied to his dick."Three things happened simultaneously. Ty dropped her phone on her poached eggs, I chocked on my coffee and a passing by waitress of about fifteen dropped her-thankfully empty-tray on the ground."What?" Ken gave a wide-eyed innocent look as the waitress scrambled to pick up the tray and ran for her dear life."Honey," Ty said, wiping the dripping yoke off her iPhone with a bundle of tissues. "Next time you decide to say something inappropriate in front of children, a prior warning would be congruous.""What did I say?" Another unimpeachable look."What didn't you?" I cleared my throat and took another drag of the scalding liquid. "You were saying?""Yes, as I was saying," a pointed look at Ty. “The guy I thought was a hunk with a nice junk was actually an extra large sized cucumber. Thank you Mr. Douchebag for ruining my liking for the vegetable!” Ken hu
GraceWalking into the club on a Monday felt surreal. More so was coming straight from the office in a white shirt that stuck to my skin because of continuous nervous sweating and a black pencil skirt that probably had white patches on it.I'm not usually this unkempt but my nerves had gotten the best of me. Somehow, I just wanted to prove to Daniel and myself that I'm not a slut or into one-night stands. I was going to tell him to his face, that he should forget about the other night completely, so that we can move on with our lives. That is, if I find him. I had no idea who he was, other than the fact that his name is Daniel and he’s been eyeing me for a while and just might be a regular. The most realistic thing to do would’ve been to come back on Friday to search for him, but I just couldn’t wait till then. I was a wreck.Surprisingly, Hell Hole was packed even on a Monday night. My eyes scanned the mass of sweating, swayin
EpilogueTatiana’s P.O.V5 Years later...“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to Diana, Tony and Abigail! Happy birthday to you!”As all of us clapped, our three precious girls, all four years old, Diana and Abigail with their father’s dark hair and Tony with her mother’s blonde locks, blew out the candles to the humongous cake we had ordered and dived right into it without offering us any.“Girls!” Grace’s stern voice was heard over the infectious giggles. “What happened to staying clean until dinner?”“Sorry, aunty!” Those came from Diana and Tony.“Sorry, mummy!”That came from Abigail.All three spoke at the same time in between little giggles before diving back into the cake and stuffing their chubby little cheeks with chocolate frosting. Even at four,
Chapter 65:Tatiana’s P.O.VA constant beeping noise cut through the haziness in my mind and woke me up from my peaceful slumber.I tried to open my eyes but they wouldn’t budge and my throat felt raw and itchy. I needed water. Where was I? It was so blissfully quiet in here. I didn’t want to wake up. I wanted to stay right here, forever.Scream! Scream louder, you whore!My eyes snapped open as everything that happened came back to me. Connor! He had hurt me! He had tried to kill me! Then why wasn't I dead? Where was I? Why was everything so hazy and white?Tia!Damien! He had been there! He had come for me! Is that why I was still alive? Was I in a hospital?“Nurse! She’s awake!” Someone yelled from next to me, making me wince. The sound was too loud.And just like that, the quiet was gone and everything around me buzzed into activity. The next thing
Chapter 64:Damien’s P.O.VAs soon as we reached the hospital, Tia was immediately rushed to the operating theatre. Daniel and Victor went on to fill all the necessary documents while I waited outside with Grace and Kendra and watched as the lights turned red and several doctors and nurses entered the theatre, ready to operate on Tia.“It’s going to be okay, Grace,” I heard Kendra assure her as the two women huddled together at one corner. “Ty’s strong; she’s always been a fighter. She’ll pull through. She has to.”“I know. She’ll make it. I know...” Grace spoke before she broke down in Kendra’s arms.I collapsed on the chair opposite to them, too exhausted and emotionally drained to comfort either women. But thankfully, their husbands returned on time and took them into their arms, whispering sweet nothings into their ears as they held t
Chapter 63:Damien’s P.O.V“Tia!”I’d heard the strangled cry for help just a second ago and it momentarily frozen me on the spot. She was hurt and I had no doubt that her ex was in there with her, torturing her as I stood and wasted my time ringing the doorbell. I couldn’t see anyone else in the apartment next to hers and I didn’t have time to call for help. I looked around the door, trying to find a rational place where the spare key might be since it wasn't under the welcome mat, but my mind wasn't working properly. So I did the only thing I could, I took a few steps back and ran into the door with all my strength.The door jerked but it was strong, it came back to its original position and wouldn’t budge. So I tried again, and again. Fear and anger had gripped me in a chocking hold at the fact that while I was wasting time trying to break down the door, something bad was happe
Chapter 62:Tatiana’s P.O.VI was woken up from my nightmare by someone throwing ice cold water on my face.I blinked and opened my eyes but my vision was blurred. What was wrong? Why was my head hurting so much? Why couldn’t I reach for my head? My hands felt like they were tied behind my back in an uncomfortable position.The pounding in my head increased with every breath I took until it was almost unbearable. Something must be wrong! Why couldn’t I see properly? All I saw was through a red haze.And then, almost like a lightning bolt had hit me, I remembered exactly what had happened. Connor, my ex-boyfriend and abuser was here in my apartment and he had been waiting for me to show up. I’d tried to run as soon as I’d seen him sitting on my bed with a knife in his hand, but he had been faster and he’d caught hold of my hair and given me a hard shove where I’d fallen face
Chapter 61:Tatiana’s P.O.VThe cab dropped me off at my doorstep and I collected my baggage and entered my apartment building. But as soon as I stepped into the elevator, an unknown fear clutched at my stomach.I shook it off, thinking that it might be a post break-up trauma kind of thing. Then again, I was never Damien’s girlfriend to begin with. How could it be a post-breakup trauma if I wasn’t even in a relationship?Swallowing the lump in my throat, I exited the elevator and took out my apartment keys from my pocket and unlocked the door, but as soon as I stepped into my apartment, something felt off.Deciding not to take any chances, I stepped out of the door and reached my hand up to the 204 sign above my door. Not many people knew but it was my secret place to hide my spare key. I carefully unscrewed the bottom nail with my fingers and since it was a designer nail, it came out easily. Ther
Chapter 60:Tatiana’s P.O.VI closed my eyes and rested my head against the seat, relieved that the dreadful flight was over and to be finally away from Damien.But my relief was short-lived as the cab came to a stop a couple feet away from the airport terminus and none other than Damien Romano climbed into the back seat with me.“The cab’s taken.” I told him curtly before I closed my eyes again, trying to avoid the sting of tears.“I just want to talk.” He told be before telling the cab his location and settling back into the seat.I stayed quiet and turned my head towards the window to avoid his gaze that was burning holes in me. There were a thousand things that came to my mind but I couldn’t transform them into words. What was I supposed to say? I’m sorry I fell in love with you? I’d rather cut my tongue first. I couldn’t-wouldn’t beg for
Chapter 59:Tatiana’s P.O.V:The ride to the airport was quiet and tense. It was clear that the others felt it too since Grace and Ken voluntarily decided to sit beside me instead of with their husbands. Damien and I didn’t talk but Grace and Ken tried to make small talk so that the silence doesn’t become constricting.I caught Ken giving Daniel a ‘What did your brother do?’ look from the corner of my eyes. I also watched Daniel give a small shrug in return. But I think they already knew the truth, at least my friends did. It wasn't Damien who was at fault, it was me. Me and my stupid feelings. Damien had warned me right from the start that we'd have nothing more than physical intimacy between us. Anything more and he'd be gone.I hadn’t planned on him finding out either. But he had and now I feel like I'd tricked him into something he never wanted to be a part of. And it wasn’t h
Chapter 58:Damien’s P.O.VI love you, Damien.NO!It can’t be! This is exactly what I had been trying to avoid, haven’t I? I had told Tia specifically that I couldn’t do feelings, that I couldn’t trust another woman with my heart after what Marian did! I even told her my story. Even my family, even Daniel didn’t know all the details but I’d told Tia...Why did I tell her all that? Especially when I had sworn off relationships for good. Maybe it really was my fault? Had I gotten involved without even wanting to? Had I given her the wrong message all along? But what had I done than any other man wouldn’t have?Was it the gifts I’d given her? But I’d given gifts to everyone, to Daniel and his new bride and even to Victor and his wife.*“Oh! Damien, these look wonderful!” Tia looked at me with her wide green eyes filled with