Chapter 104
Damien’s POV
The silence had been fragile, almost tentative between us. And for the first time in what felt like forever, Irene was in my arms again. We were breathing in the same rhythm again. And that felt like a small victor.
Although I wasn’t sure if it was a victory I had earned, but I desperately needed it. I mean after everything we have been through, the lies and the betrayals, Irene was still here, allowing me to hold her, to try and piece us back together.
But I somehow knew this peace was only momentary.
I knew the storm wasn’t over and even though I wanted to shield her from the chaos that our lives have become. The cracks were too deep, and too wide. And each time we patched one, another opened up.
But still, for this moment, Irene was in my arms, and I could pretend that we were on our way to healing.
“Irene, I-“I began to say, wanting to confess everything. The guilt was eating me alive. I couldn’t shake the memory of that night with Eva, no matter how hard I tried to forget it, to make myself think it didn’t happen the way she said. I still couldn’t remember it clearly, and that made me sick.
But before I could get the words out, Eva burst through the door and her voice sliced through the air.
“Damien!” she shouted from the doorway, frantically breathing with panicked eyes.
Irene grew stiff in my arms, pulling away as we both turned toward Eva.
My heart sank immediately when I saw the fear written all over her face. And I felt like there was something more than her facial expression was saying.
“Eva, What is it?” I asked, dreading the answer.
She was breathless, her voice shaking as she spoke. “It’s Lenora. You have to come now. She’s in the bathroom with a knife. I think she’s going to hurt herself, Damien.”
For a split second, I couldn’t process her words.
Lenora? With a knife?
It didn’t make sense. Lenora was always the vibrant one, the one who could hold everything together even when the rest of us were falling apart. The one who always had a smile on.
So why resort to this?
But the fear in Eva’s eyes was real, it wasn’t one of her games. That caused a cold dread to settle in the pit of my stomach. Irene was already standing, and I shot up beside her, my mind racing.
Without hesitating for another second, I ran past Eva, heading down the hallway toward the bathroom. Irene was close behind me, her footsteps were quick and panicked, and I could hear Eva right behind us, her breath coming out in shallow
gasps.
My heart was pounding in my chest, and as I reached the bathroom door, I could already hear the faint sound of sobbing coming from the inside.
“Lenora!” I banged on the door, trying to keep my voice steady, but the panic was creeping in. “Lenora, open the door!”
No answer.
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Chapter 104
Damien’s POV
The silence had been fragile, almost tentative between us. And for the first time in what felt like forever, Irene was in my arms again. We were breathing in the same rhythm again. And that felt like a small victor.
Although I wasn’t sure if it was a victory I had earned, but I desperately needed it. I mean after everything we have been through, the lies and the betrayals, Irene was still here, allowing me to hold her, to try and piece us back together.
But I somehow knew this peace was only momentary.
I knew the storm wasn’t over and even though I wanted to shield her from the chaos that our lives have become. The cracks were too deep and too wide. And each time we patched one, another opened up.
But still, for this moment, Irene was in my arms, and I could pretend that we were on our way to healing.
“Irene, I—” I began to say, wanting to confess everything. The guilt was eating me alive. I couldn’t shake the memory of that night with Eva, no matter how hard I tried to forget it, to make myself think it didn’t happen the way she said. I still couldn’t remember it clearly, and that made me sick.
But before I could get the words out, Eva burst through the door and her voice sliced through the air.
“Damien!” she shouted from the doorway, frantically breathing with panicked eyes.
Irene grew stiff in my arms, pulling away as we both turned toward Eva.
My heart sank immediately when I saw the fear written all over her face. And I felt like there was something more than her facial expression was saying.
“Eva, What is it?” I asked, dreading the answer.
She was breathless, her voice shaking as she spoke. “It’s Lenora. You have to come now. She’s in the bathroom with a knife. I think she’s going to hurt herself, Damien.”
For a split second, I couldn’t process her words.
Lenora? With a knife?
It didn’t make sense. Lenora was always the vibrant one, the one who could hold everything together even when the rest of us were falling apart. The one who always had a smile on.
So why resort to this?
But the fear in Eva’s eyes was real, it wasn’t one of her games. That caused a cold dread to settle in the pit of my stomach. Irene was already standing, and I shot up beside her, my mind racing.
Without hesitating for another second, I ran past Eva, heading down the hallway toward the bathroom. Irene was close behind me, her footsteps were quick and panicked, and I could hear Eva right behind us, her breath coming out in shallow
gasps.
My heart was pounding in my chest, and as I reached the bathroom door, I could already hear the faint sound of sobbing coming from the inside.
“Lenora!” I banged on the door, trying to keep my voice steady, but the panic was creeping in. “Lenora, open the door!”
No answer.
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Chapter 104
“Lenora! Please, just open the door!” I pounded harder.
0
The sobbing continued, quieter this time, and my heart squeezed in my chest. I had never heard her like this. Broken.
Lenora, she’s one who always had it together, who always knew how to fix things and put smiles on other’s faces, was falling apart behind that door, and I had no idea how to reach her.
“Damien…” Irene’s voice was soft beside me, etched with worry. I could tell she was terrified, just as I was.
“Lenora, whatever’s going on, we can fix it. Just open the door, okay?” I knocked one more time, pressing my forehead against the door.
Silence.
“I can’t… I can’t do this anymore…” i heard her faint whisper from the other side of the door. It made my stomach drop.–I had to get in there. I couldn’t lose her, not like this. I looked over at Irene, her eyes wide with fear, and then to the handle of the door.
“I’ll break it down if I have to,” I muttered, and just as I was about to force it open, we heard a soft click. And it was just enough for us to see Lenora sitting on the bathroom floor, her back against the tub, a knife recklessly clutched in her trembling hand.
Tears strolled down her face, her eyes were red and puffy and her whole body quaked as though she had been holding herself together for far too long.
“Lenora…” I breathed, stepping inside slowly, hands out in front of me as if I could somehow show her I meant no harm. “Give me the knife, okay? You don’t need it. We’re here for you.”
I could feel Irene’s presence behind me, but all I could focus on was my sister, the way she sat there as if she was a shell of herself. She had always been so composed, so put together. But now, she was breaking down, and I didn’t know how to stop
- it.
“It’s too much.,” Lenora whispered, her voice thick with tears. “I’ve ruined everything. My life, my relationship, everything, is all falling apart.” She sobbed even more.
“No,” Irene intervened, speaking softly as she knelt in front of her. “You haven’t ruined anything. We can fix this. We just need to talk.” I appreciated her for trying. I know how much she cares about my sister.
Lenora stared at me, her eyes filled with so much pain that it nearly b roke me. And just for a moment, she seemed to hesitate, her grip on the knife loosening.
But then her eyes shifted, and she looked past me, straight at Irene. Her face contorted into anger, and before I knew what was happening, the rage that had been kept at bay inside her exploded.
“You!” She shouted, “This is your fault,” she hissed, glaring at Irene. “You ruined everything.”
I froze, not understanding what she was saying, but I could feel Irene’s confusion beside me. Lenora’s glare was filled with bitterness as she looked at my wife, and I realized this wasn’t just about my family falling apart. This was about Irene.
Her voice increased in volume as her anger surged. “If it weren’t for you, none of this would’ve happened. My life was fine before you came along. Before you took Damien away. Before you made everything about you!”
Irene took a step back, her face a mixture of shock and hurt. “Lenora… I didn’t—“
“You didn’t what?” Lenora screamed, her body trembling with anger. “You didn’t break up this family? You didn’t push us all to the edge? You didn’t make me feel like I was losing everything I cared about?” She queried as if she had a deep hate seethed within her for me all this white.
Her words were like blows, each one landing harder than the la
