CHAPTER 21
mamien’s POV
The first thing I felt when I woke up was pain. A pounding headache pulsed behind my eyes, sending sharp, punishing waves through my skull. I exhaled, slow and controlled, pressing my fingers against my temples in an attempt to get rid of the discomfort.
The morning light streaming through the curtains did nothing to help. If anything, it only made my irritation worse.
Fragments of last night slammed into me all at once–the erased footage from the nursing home, the sight of Celeste standing beside Theo Mercer like a united front, the unshaken fury in her eyes, and then… the slap
A muscle ticked in my jaw as I reached up, touching the lingering sting on my cheek.
She had hit me.
Not out of desperation. Not out of hysteria.
But to protect him. Damn.
A bitter taste filled my mouth, something ugly and unfamiliar twisting in my chest. I would never forget that moment, suddenly getting stripped of my dignity. Just like that.
And for what?! For that asshole.
Celeste had never looked at me like that before. Not when I ignored her or dismissed her affection. Not even when I locked her
away.
But last night? It was different. There had been nothing left in her gaze but coldness and fury.
In the past, when I was like this–when exhaustion and alcohol blurred my senses–she would have been there. She would have gently taken the glass from my hands and run her fingers through my hair, massaging my temples and whispering comforting words in my ear.
She would have held me against her, letting me sink into her warmth, into that incomprehensible sense of peace only she could give me.
But this time, the warmth was gone.
And all I was left with was the sting of her rejection and the unbearable silence that followed.
In the end, my assistant Mark had arrived and whisked me away. But before leaving, I had stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting. Hoping.
er came down. Not even a glance or a parting word.
But Celeste never came
She didn’t want to see me.
+20 Bonus
The realization had struck harder than I expected, settling deep in my chest like a sickness I couldn’t shake.
I had thought that no matter how bad things got, no matter how much I pushed her away, there would always be a thread–frail, but unbroken–tying us together.
But last night, that thread snapped.
And I didn’t know how to handle it.
I ran a
Pushing aside my thoughts and down my face and forced myself to stand. My head pounded from the hangover, my
throat dry as sandpaper. I didn’t even remember drinking a lot, but maybe I did when I got home.
I don’t remember… Shit, I need a fucking shower. Some aspirin. Anything to make me forget.
A knock on the door made me pause. Wait, not a knock. A pound.
I turned toward the sound, my brows furrowing. And then the door swung open and I froze at the sight of my parents, standing
right outside my bedroom.
I blinked, half–wondering if I was still drunk or perhaps dreaming. It wasn’t often they made personal visits, much less together.
But here they were, both of them dressed in pristine morning attire, their expressions set in stone.
My mother’s eyes swept over me, dark with barely restrained exasperation. My father’s were colder–sharp and filled with
something I hadn’t seen directed at me in a long time.
Disappointment.
“Damien.” My mother was the first to speak, her voice crisp, tinged with impatience. “This has gone on long enough.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, inhaling deeply. “If this is about Celeste-”
“This is about our family,” my father cut in, his tone steely. “And the disgrace you’re dragging us into.”
I let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Right. Of course.”
My mother’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t take that tone with us. We’ve tolerated enough of this madness. That woman-” she practically spat the word, “-has tainted this family for far too long. It’s time to sever ties once and for all.”
My eyes widened. I clenched my jaw.
My father exhaled sharply, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves. “You’ve let yourself be humiliated, Damien. You, the heir of this family, have made a fool of yourself over a woman who not only betrayed you but is now publicly defending another man. Do you have any idea how this looks?”
night, it
I bit the inside of my check. I knew it had spread quickly. The gossip media wasted no time–by the time I got home last nigh was already making rounds online.
The whispers had probably gotten louder already by this morning–the tabloids were feeding off the scandal like vultures. The
Vaughn heir, once untouchable, was now painted as a lovesick fool chasing after an unfaithful wife.
+20 Bonus
“Do you understand the damage this is causing?” my mother continued. “We can’t afford any more of this… drama.”
I bristled. “This drama is about my marriage.”
“Was your marriage,” she corrected, folding her arms. “And it’s time you stopped clinging to it like some desperate fool. I thought you didn’t care about that woman, anyway! You want to salvage your reputation? End it.”
I ground my teeth, resisting the urge to snap back.
I had spent my entire life following their expectations, playing the perfect son, the ideal heir. And yet none of it had ever been
enough.
And now, here they were, dictating my next move yet again.
“Enough is enough,” my father said, his voice leaving no room for argument. “Divorce her now and end this scandal
immediately.”
I opened my mouth to argue.
“If you don’t,” he continued smoothly, “you will no longer be the Vaughn heir. So make your choice. And for your sake, I hope
you make the right one.
“You can’t be serious,” I said slowly, my voice lower, quieter.
My father merely met my gaze, unwavering- “You are n
woman who has already chosen to walk away.”
my
son. But I will not allow you to throw this family’s name into ruin over a
I swallowed hard, my fists tightening at my sides, the anger inside me flaring up. Did he really think he could just command me again to do his bid like a child?
Before I could even snap out a response, the door burst open.
“Damien!”
It was Genevieve. She su
She swept into the
the room with the perfect amount of urgency–concern apparent in her expression, her eyes flickering between me and my parents as if she were the only sane person in the room.
“Please,” she implored, placing a hand delicately over her heart. “Let’s all just take a breath.”
I Iclenched my fists at my sides, already irritated. But my father’s gaze shifted to her, his expression softening slightly. My mother, too, seemed to regard her with a certain approval she had never once given Celeste.
Genevieve turned toward my parents, her voice as smooth as silk. “Damien isn’t acting this way because of Celeste ”
She shook her head with a small sigh, as if she were disappointed in me but still willing to defend me. “You know him–he’s
never been the type to let anyone manipulate him, least of all her.” She turned her eyes to me, warm, understanding, almost pitying. “Damien’s doing all this for himself. Not for her.”
My eyes narrowed. Then she sealed the deal.
