Chapter 22
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Caught off guard, Damien staggered back a few steps, a trickle of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.
“Get away from her!” Liam stood in front of Elara, his eyes sharp as daggers, his voice a clear warning. “You touch her again, and I‘
m calling the police.”
to
Damien wiped the blood from his lip, his gaze shifting from Liam’s furious face Elara. Her expression was still serene, as if the
entire confrontation had nothing to do with her.
“I see…” A cold, bitter laugh escaped Damien’s lips, his eyes churning with a storm of emotions. “You left me for him?”
Elara stood up and brushed off her dress, though there was no dust on it. Her voice was flat. “Damien, are you always this self–imp-
ortant?”
“My leaving had nothing to do with anyone else.”
Damien’s pupils contracted. It felt like a physical blow to the chest, making it hard to breathe. “Then why did you leave? Between
us…”
“There is no ‘us‘,” Elara cut him off, finally meeting his gaze. Her
for three years for the money and my freedom. The traves were like ice. “Damien, have you forgotten? I stayed with you
is complete.
“Even‘?” Damien’s voice was a low growl. “Elara, do you really think
M
We’re even.”
can
be
“What else?” She let out a short, sharp laugh, her eyes completely void of warmth. “Did you think I loved you?”
The color drained from Damien’s face, as if he’d been stabbed. He opened
his
but
no words came out.
again, she had just endured it silently,
She was right. She had never said she loved him. Even when he had hurt her, time and
never showing a hint of emotional attachment. And he, like a fool, had mistaken her gentleness and tolerance for love
“Elara, let’s go, Liam said,putting a protective arm around her shoulders, is eyes stil ke warily or
Elara nodded and turned to leave.
“Wait!” Damien lunged for her wrist, but Liam blocked him.
on Damien
“Sir, I suggest you control yourself,” Liam’s voice was frigid.
Damien’s eyes were dangerously dark, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white. “Who the hell
our affairs?”
get involved in
“Our affairs?” Elara finally turned back, her eyes filled with scorn. “Damien, have you forgotten? Your precious Isabelle is still waiting
for you.”
“There’s nothing between me and her!” he practically roared. “It was all a misunderstanding! I can explain-
”
“Don’t bother,” Elara cut him off, her voice terrifyingly calm. “Whatever is going on with you and her has nothing to do with me.” She paused, her gaze turning completely cold. “Damien, I’ll say it one last time–I never loved you.”
The words were a razor–sharp blade that plunged straight into Damien’s heart. His breath stopped, and he felt as if he’d been drop-
ped into an icy abyss.
Elara didn’t give him another look. She turned and walked away, side–by–side with Liam. Her back was straight and unforgiving, as if
they had never shared any part of their lives.
his chest.
Damien stood rooted to the spot, watching her disappear from view, an agony unlike anything he had ever known tearing through
2013
Chapter 22
He didn’t believe it.
20:13 O
He refused to believe she had never loved him. He couldn’t accept that all the tenderness, all the sacrifices, had been nothing but
an act.
“Elara!” he suddenly screamed at her retreating back, his voice raw and broken. “You think it’s over just like that? I’m telling you, it’s
not!”
Her steps didn’t falter. She didn’t even turn her head.
Damien slammed his fist into a nearby tree. The bark scraped his knuckles, drawing blood. The pain was nothing compared to the agony in his heart.
He stared in the direction she had gone, his eyes dark and wild.
“I’m not letting you go… I will never let you go.”
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