บททั้งหมดของ His to Consume : บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

Lena's Pov With that, I faced the nightstand, my heart racing at the buzz. Damien. His name boldly flashed across the screen. My hesitation came. Another familiar swirl of guilt and disappointment washed over me.I don't want to hear any more accusations from him, this is paranoia with regards to Grant in his head. But the slight tug of desire to hear his voice even for a moment ground me.I let it ring once again before picking up."Damien," I said, my voice quieter than I meant it to be. "Lena," he breathed, relief flooding his tone. "Thank God. I've been trying to reach you all day." "Busy," I explained while looking towards the dress hanging on the door. "And with Grant?" he demanded, his voice now laced with an edge that made my insides curl. "It's work, Damien," I said, trying to sound firm. "I told you that." "I don't care what you've told me," he said angrily. "You don't know what he's capable of. You are walking into something dangerous, and if you don't know it, well,

Lena's povThe room was silent and it enveloped me like a heavy cloak. I took a shaky breath and paced back to the window, the city lights below no longer illuminated simply blurring with tears pooling in my eyes. Damien's voice echoed in my mind."What do you really want?"It had been a simple question, yet I could not answer that. Not really. So concerned had I been keeping the peace trying to sail through the storm created by these two men that I never took the time to really introspect my own desires.Actually, I was afraid. Afraid regarding which I should pick. Afraid of hurting somebody. Afraid of being wrong about what they really were.I pressed my forehead into the cool glass and shut my eyes, allowing the tears to flow.Another soft knock brought me from thought. For a moment, I thought it was Grant coming back to check on me. But when I opened the door, it wasn't the case but I found a hotel staff member standing there with an envelope in hand. "This is for you, miss," she

Lena's POVI just got inside the hotel lobby. My mind turned into a maelstrom of thoughts and doubts. The jewel-encrusted chandeliers above me and the shiny marble floors turned surreal, even seeming to mock the chaos inside of me. People passed and flowed on around me, completely ignorant of the storm raging within me. Laughter, hum from casual conversations, clicks of heels on polished floors-it just all flew by me.I had to find Grant. But how was I supposed to start? Damien's words became shadows on every one of my thoughts. What if Grant, with all his idealism and balance, was masking something infamously dark? It was unbelievable. I couldn't, but I knew better than to be thought reckless in ignoring the possibility.I gingerly pressed the elevator button as my hands trembled. Upon seeing the open doors, I stepped in and leaned back against the mirrored wall, staring at my own reflection. My face appeared pale, my eyes drawn. It was only another mark on the lines and expressions

Lena's POV The truth had already started unwinding. The pieces of the puzzle were scattered and despite my good attempts to fix them, they did not fit in a way that made sense.By the time I reached my apartment, it felt as though the weight of the folder was sheer unbearable, as if the papers inside really pressed down on me with the force of all the things I had avoided. I placed it on the kitchen counter, but even now, it was as if it was still in my hands, the aura of its presence lingering in the air around me taunting me with the decisions that I had to make.I paced, trying to clear my mind, but the thoughts came faster now. What had Grant been hiding? What was he really capable of? And Damien… Could I trust him? Could he really be the one to expose Grant for who he truly was, or was he just using my vulnerability to get what he wanted?Frustration built as I ran a hand through my hair. Obviously, the evidence Damien had given me would not be something ignore-worthy. Irrespect

Lena's POV "I can’t keep living in the shadows, Grant. I can’t keep wondering if everything I’ve been told is a lie. I deserve more than that. I deserve the truth, and I deserve someone who can be honest with me, someone who doesn’t keep secrets."His face twisted in pain and for a moment seemed so vulnerable to me, so broken, that I was almost tempted to lower my defenses. Almost. But the strength I had found in myself during the last few days, the clarity that had come in learning to see the truth for what it was, held me firm. I couldn't let him back in. There was no basis to what we had created: everything was built on the flimsy foundation of half-truths and lies. Not when the price of trusting him again would cost me my peace of mind, dignity, and self-respect."I'm sorry, Grant," I whispered, almost choking with all the emotion floating between us. "But this is it."Grant was standing there, frozen, and the weight of my words was now sinking into him like stones being let down