Chapter 150
“What do you mean, Damien?” Victoria suddenly screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of all her emotions.” Tears streamed down her face like a dam finally broken.}
what were those then?”
“When you hugged me, kissed my forehead, took me to Rome to see the Colloseum She grabbed the pillow from the sofa and hurled it at Damien with trembling hands. “If you didn’t love me, why did you do all that? Why did you give me hope?“> Damien didn’t dodge. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, but no words came out. Because deep down, he knew she was right.” All those small acts of intimacy… they had been instinct. Habit. Guilt. He had confused lingering warmth with love, familiarity with longing. But now, the damage was done.>
Victoria laughed bitterly through her tears, a sound more painful than any scream, “Did we
…
even miss each other, Damien?”
Her voice cracked as she choked out, continuing, “I was so stupid… going to Amelia, asking her to give you to me… thinking love was something I could bargain for.“}
She wiped at her cheeks roughly, mascara streaking down like bruises on her face.
“I’m the biggest fool of all.”}
Damien lowered his head, ashamed.
“Victoria, I’m sorry… But even so, we can still be-“>
Her voice cut like glass as she interrupted him, “Do you mean siblings?“}
Victoria raised her head, eyes burning with fury and heartbreak, as she shouted again, “Damien, you bastard!“}
Smack!
The slap landed hard across his face. His head turned with the force of it. Its sharp sting bloomed across his cheek:
“You might as well have let that monster beat me to death,” she spat, voice shaking.
“At least that pain would’ve been clear. Not like this.”
Then, Victoria turned and ran. Her sobs were echoing through the hallway. A moment later, the bedroom door slammed shut so hard the walls seemed to tremble.
Damien stood frozen in place, the heat of the slap still throbbing on his skin. But he didn’t follow her. His feet and heart felt very heavy.” Slowly but surely, he sank onto the sofa and buried his face in his hands. After that, the room was filled with silence. The only sound was just the soft ticking of the wall clock and the occasional blare of a horn outside.}
Damien then looked down. The crumpled divorce agreement laid discarded on the floor like a cruel reminder. In that moment, it hit him like a punch to the gut.
In the end, Damien hadn’t just lost Amelia. He had shattered the final thread of affection that once existed between him and Victoria. With a trembling hand, Damien slapped himself across the face.
The sound echoed through the room.
“I’m such a monster,” he muttered, voice hoarse and broken.
Damien gripped his hair. His fingers were digging into his scalp so deeply that his knuckles turned white with tension. But it was of no use.}
In the days that followed, Damien tried everything to reach Amelia. He canceled her email block, tried calling her old number. Nothing. Even Amelia’s adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Heartford, avoided him entirely.>
Finally, Damien realized that he was running out of roads on how to contact Amelia. When the day came, he swallowed his pride and showed up at Julian Weston’s law firm.
Julian’s office was large and pristine. Its vibe was a modern luxury. Outside the tall windows, the city buzzed with life. It was a sharp contrast to the storm inside Damien.
But Julian didn’t even bother to stand to greet him. Rather, he sat comfortably in his leather chair. He swirled his coffee with an amused
smirk.
“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Charleston himself,” he said mockingly.
“To what do I owe the honor? Do you finally remembered you have a wife?”
Damien’s jaw tensed at Julian’s remarks.”
“Mr. Weston,” he called Julian coolly.
“I came to ask for Amelia’s whereabouts.”
Julian leaned back and took a slow sip, asking without even looking at Damien, “Oh? And what do you plan to do if I tell you? Isn’t Victoria already staying under your roof?“!
Damien’s eyes narrowed as he answered, “That’s none of your business.”
Julian slammed his coffee cup down, no longer smiling.”
“You think this isn’t my business? Damien, in the past five years, have you ever really seen Amelia as your wife? You treated her like a placeholder. A shadow.““”
Damien’s fists curled at his sides, but he said nothing. On the other hand, Julian stood and walked around the desk, stopping just inches
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from Damien. He looked Damien straight in the eye.”
“Everyone knew Amelia liked you,” he said, each word heavy with disgust.
“But you … you pretended not to notice. You ignored her pain, ignored her presence, until the day she vanished.“}
Silence fell between them, thick and suffocating.
Julian’s voice lowered as he asked Damien, “You want to know where she is?“}
He then crossed his arms.
“Then you better ask yourself something first. What will you do differently if you find her? Because if it’s just more of the same, Damien … then you should stay far, far away.“>
Damien stood there, shaken. And for the first time, he wasn’t sure if he deserved to ever see Amelia again.§
