Chapter 87
Irene’s POV:
I woke up that morning with a knot in my stomach, the kind of tight, heavy feeling that told me something was about to go wrong. Charlie was still asleep beside me, his small body curled up against mine. I looked down at his peaceful face and tried to take comfort in his innocence, but it didn’t help. Not this time. My mind was too busy racing with thoughts of what I had done, of what I had left behind.
Leaving Damien was the hardest thing I’d ever done, but I felt like I had no choice. Eva had wormed her way into our lives, into his life, and no matter how many times I tried to warn him, he just wouldn’t see it. He couldn’t see the danger she was. And now, here I was, hiding away with Charlie and Delores, trying to figure out my next move.
I thought we’d be safe, that we’d have some peace. But when the knock came on the door that morning, my heart dropped into my stomach. I knew, somehow, even before I opened it, that it wasn’t Damien. It was her.
Eva stood there, looking far 100 composed for someone who had just tracked me down. She was dressed neatly, her hair perfectly in place, as if she hadn’t just turned my entire life upside down. The look on her face made my skin crawl–a mix of fake concern and that smugness I had come to despise
“Eva” I breathed, my voice shaky. “What are you doing here?” I instantly questioned, feeling like a fiery furnace was starting inside of the
“Irene/she said softly, her voice like honey, but I knew better than to trust it. “I came to talk. You left without a word, and Damien. well, he’s been worried sick about you. I’ve been worried too.” She replied with innocent and concerned eyes.
“Worried?” I nearly laughed, but it came out more like a choked sound. “You’ve been worried? You knew exactly why I left Don’t act like you’re here out of concern, Eva” I retorted
She sighed, stepping closer, forcing me to take a step back. “Irene, I know you think I’m the villain here, but I’m not. I’m just trying to help Damien. He needs someone he can rely on right now” She answered as if she wasn’t the one who had a fucking gun pointed at my head some days ago. Or she wasn’t the one who had threatened me into silence or be made to face the bloody consequences.
My blood boiled at her words. “You’ve been poisoning him against me, don’t act like you’re helping him. You’re the reason I left. You’re the reason our family’s falling apart!” I was almost screaming, but I had to remind myself that my son could hear
Eva tilted her head, her expression softening, but it only made me angrier. She was so good at this–playing the innocent, making everyone around her feel like they were the ones in the wrong.
“Irene,” she said gently, “I’m not here to fight. I’m here because I know you still care about Damien. And if you really care about him, you’ll come back. For his sake, if nothing else.”
I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to steady my breath. “Why do you care? What do you get out of me going back?” 1 needed to know that answer,
She gave me a look that almost seemed genuine, but I didn’t trust it for a second. “Because I care about Damien. And I care about you too. I don’t want to see this family torn apart. Damien he’s broken, Irene–He’s drinking too much. He’s barely holding it together. He needs you, whether you believe it or not. Her voice was too soft and calm, too deceiving-
1 blinked, her words hitting harder than I expected. Damien was struggling? I hadn’t known. I’d been so wrapped up in my own fears, my own need to protect Charlie, that I hadn’t thought about what this was doing to hun. But then, I shook my head. No. This was what she wanted–she wanted me to feel guilty, to feel like I was the one tearing our family apart when she was the one who’d come between us.
stern voice.
“You’re lying,” I said, though my voice wasn’t as strong as I wanted it to be. “You just want me out of the way.” I added in a
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Eva sighed again, stepping even closer. “Irene, if I wanted you out of the way, why would I be here? Why would I be telling you to come back? I’m telling you the truth. Damien’s a mess without you. I don’t know how much longer he can take it.” Her eyes were full of pity as she spoke.
I hated her for this. I hated how she could twist everything, how she could make me question myself. But the thought of Damien struggling, of him falling apart because of me… that was something I couldn’t ignore.
“I don’t believe you.” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure if I was saying it to convince her or myself.
Eva reached out, placing a hand on my arm. It took everything in me not to jerk away from her touch. “I know you don’t trust me,” she said, her voice soft. “And maybe you never will. But for Damien’s sake, please, come back. Let’s fix this together. I swear, I’m not your enemy, Irene”
That’s impossible!
Eva is my enemy!
I stared at her, my mind spinning. Was she telling the truth? Could Damien really be that lost without me? And even if he was, could I really go back into that house, knowing Eva would still be there, watching, waiting, manipulating?
“I don’t know if I can, I said quietly, my voice trembling. I don’t know if I can trust this anymore.”
Eva’s face softened, and for a moment, I almost believed the concern in her eyes. “Irene, I promise you, Damien needs you. If you don’t come back, I don’t know what will happen to him. And… Charlie needs a father figure.”
Those words hit me harder than anything else. Charlie. I had been so focused on protecting him, keeping him away from the toxicity that Eva had brought into our lives, that I hadn’t stopped to think about what it was doing to him to be away from his real father. I hadn’t stopped to think about the toll it was taking on Damien to be away from his son.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I need time to think
Eva nodded, stepping back and giving me space. “Take your tinie. But Damien’s on his way. I know he’ll want to talk to you.”
And that’s when it hit me–Eva had known all along. She’d known Damien was coming. She’d come here first to get into head to plant those seeds of doubt before I had the chance to talk to him. My stomach twisted in knots, and I hated myself for even considering that she might be telling the truth. But the damage was done. I couldn’t shake the thought of Damien falling apart without me.
my
When Damien finally arrived, my heart was racing. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if I could trust myself to make the right decision. But when I saw him–saw the worry etched into his face, the exhaustion in his eyes–I felt a part of
The crack.
“Irene,” he said, his voice soft, almost pleading. “Please. I just want you to come home.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words wouldn’t come. I glanced at Eva, who was standing just behind him, watching me closely. She gave me a small, encouraging nod as if to say, ‘See? He needs you!
And maybe he did, maybe he really was lost without me.
But could I go back? Could I live under the same roof as her, knowing what I knew?
I don’t know,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Damien stepped closer, his eyes full of desperation. “Irene, please. We can figure this out. We can work through whatever happened Just come back.”
I looked at Charlie, who was still asleep in the small bedroom, blissfully unaware of the chaos that surrounded him. I thought about what it would mean for him to grow up without both his parents, about the toll this was taking on him, even if he didn’t realize it yet.
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Chapter 87
And then, against all my instincts, I nodded. “Okay.” I said softly “I’ll come back. But this isn’t over, Damien. I need time. I need… I need to figure things out.
Damien’s face lit up with relief, and for a moment, I felt a flicker of hope. Maybe we could fix this. Maybe, if I went back, we could find a way to make things right.
But as I glanced at Eva, standing there with that too–sweet smile, I knew that this was far from over.
And deep down, I wasn’t sure if I’d made the right choice.
