Chapter 4
Clara froze for a second before quickly catching on and grabbing the phone from him. “I didn’t buy anything. That’s probably just a message about
discounted airline tickets.”
Darmon was about to dig into it but held off when he saw she wasn’t up for the conversation. Clara had never lied to him before, had she?
He set his phone down, gave a small nod, and was about to wash up when Clara stopped him and pulled a first–aid kit from the cabinet.
“A glass shard scratched your back. Let me help with that,” she sakl
Damon hesitated, then sat on the couch and shrugged off his jacket. A small cut came into view. It wasn’t deep. No one had noticed since it was on his back, except Clara.
He observed her as she carefully cleaned the wound with a cott
a cotton swab, his mind slipping back to that letter. “Clara, about the letter today”
She cut him off before he could finish. “Keep the wound dry when you shower later, or it might get infected. And be more careful next time you fight. No one’s going to be around to patch you up after this.”
Danson missed her last words because his thoughts were suddenly interrupted
He looked up. “What did you say?
Clara shook her head, tied off the gauze, and headed to the bedroom.
get in a
By the time she finished blow–drying her hair, Damon had already showered and come out. He slipped his arms around her waist and leaned in for a kiss, but she turned her head, dodging the warmth of his lips.
Her tone was light. “I’m on my period. I want to get some
Damon didn’t push it. He rocked the blanket around her and switched off the light.
The next morning was bright and clear.
Clara was in the bathroom when she heard a commotion downstairs. After freshening up, she stepped out to find Giselle arriving with a group. Darmon leaned against the doorway, frowning. His tone held its usual impatience. “What are you doing here?”
Before Giselle could answer, a few of his friends jumped in with teasing grins. “Gigi said she just had to thank you in person for saving her yesterday!” Right on cue, Giselle pulled out a huge bouquet and a neatly wrapped gift as it pulling off a magle trick “Damon, I really appreciate what you did for me yesterday. I got you these as a little thank–you!”
Damon didn’t reach for them, though his expression looked much better.
was anything but polite. “These are Damon’s favorite Blue Moon roses. Mind
Seving that, Giselle placed the flowers straight into Clara’s hands. Her tone was anything putting them in a vase?”
Damon’s brow furrowed at that. His voice turned cold. “Don’t claim it’s my favorite when it’s really yours. And just so we’re clear, Clara is my wife, the houselooper.”
The room fell silent at his words, but Clara’s
a’s face remained unreadable. She glanced down at the bouquet in her hands, realizing for the first time what
they were.
Blue Moon roses? So these were the flowers Giselle was obsessed with. No wonder Damon had spent a fortune growing them in his greenhouse. But Clara didn’t comment.
She handed the bouquet to the housekeeper and said, “Please bring
bring down a few vases from the display cabinet on the second floor.”
Giselle’s gaze sharpened, but Clara ignored it and took her breakfast to the balcony. Only a window separated her from the living room, so she could hear their conversation loud and clear.
“Damon, aren’t these the paper bunnies I used to fold back in middle school? You’ve kept them in a crystal box all this time? I could make you some more tomorrow if you like them that much.
“And what’s this fashion doll set doing here? I remember tossing it in the trash. Did you actually dig it back out?
“Walt, are these the maple leaves we collected at Scented Hills? You really turned them into bookmarks and kept them all these years?”
As Giselle went on like she was uncovering hidden treasures, Clara thought back to the first time she had come to this villa. She had asked Damon about these things once
“Ob, just some little gifts fr
from my cousin in kindergarten. I figured I’d keep them, he’d explained.
Back then, she’d believed him without a second thought. She had completely missed how his eyes flickered with something far m eyes, filled with love and hate, longing and frustration, clearly spoke of a love affair.
more complicated. His
