His words slurred slightly, the smell of alcohol heavy in the air. “Claire’s just been fooled by you for now. Once she forgives me, you’re finished!”
Justin’s laugh was cold and sharp. Without hesitation, he punched Damian again, sending him sprawling to the ground.
wwww.
www
xxx
I stood there silently, watching it all with frozen detachment.
month as I struggled to recover, never uttering a word of complaint.
MALEATS y daay in that car crash, it was Justin
who drop’ng in
Landale and stayed by my side for an entire
Where was Damian then? He said he was too busy. In truth, he had whisked Serena off to Swizzland, strolling with her through charming cobblestone streets. Their Instagram pages were flooded with photos of stolen kisses and radiant smiles.
The two men were still locked in a brutal fight when a police car appeared. Two uniformed officers stepped out.
One of them met Damian’s eyes for a brief, charged moment before pulling the two apart and ordering all three of us to follow them to a nearby clinic.
At the clinic, as I focused on checking Justin’s injuries, a police officer unexpectedly shoved me into Damian’s room instead.
It was only then that I realized that the whole night had been a carefully laid trap.
Damian had orchestrated everything just to get a few minutes alone with me.
Lcrossed my arms and leaned casually against the doorframe with a half–smile that didn’t reach the eyes. “Damian, are you a
child?”
Even with two broken ribs, Damian’s eyes were red. His voice was hoarse and cracking.
“Claire, none of that matters anymore. Don’t you know how much I miss you? I’ve missed you so much it’s driving me insane.”
As the doctor entered to tend to his injuries, my eyes fell on the tattoo on his chest.
My face was etched into his skin. It was set apart from the other ink sprawling across his torso.
1/2
Chapter 10
+25 BONUS
Once upon a time, I had thought about tattooing Damian’s name on my body too.
Like cigarettes, liquor, and money, there were some things one thought one would never let go of.
Now, I was glad I had never been foolish enough to do it.
“Tell me, are you begging me out of love or because of who I am now?”
Damian blurted instantly, “Out of love! I love you, Claire!”
Previously, hearing those words might have sent my heart racing, tearing down every wall I had built just to forgive him. It was because his love had always felt rare and precious.
Now, back in the warm embrace of my true family, I learned what love really meant.
For the first time, I realized that the love I had forced by kneeling and begging for all those years, was so heavy that it nearly broke my back.
Love was, in reality, as light as air.
I was the one who had given it all the weight, convinced it was everything I had in life.
In the hospital room, despite the doctor’s stern warnings to stay still, Damian struggled upright. He staggered toward me and grabbed my wrist in a death grip, refusing to let go.
“Claire… I’m sorry.”
His voice was barely above a whisper, thick with tears. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it right. Please forgive me.”
Before I could speak, his phone rang.
Serena’s name flashed on the screen.
Without hesitation, Damian answered the call and put it on speaker.
An ear–splitting scream came from the other end, “Damian! This isn’t what we agreed on! If you won’t spare me, at least spare my baby!”
