Chapter 97
My eyes shifted to Damien. He hadn’t said a word since the horrible announcement. All he did was shocked, as if he couldn’t quite grasp what had just happened. His silence hurt almost as much as Eva’s words.
as sit there, looking shell-
Why wasn’t he saying anything?
Why wasn’t he defending me?
Why wasn’t he calling her out on her lies?
But then again, could I really expect him to? He had no idea what was going on, no idea that the child I had was his, no idea of the years of manipulation Eva had crafted to get to this moment. Maybe he was just as lost as I was.
I couldn’t do this. Not right now,
Before anyone else could speak, before Damien could say anything that might break me further, I pushed back from the table, the chair scraping loudly against the hardwood floor. The tightness in my chest increased, and I needed air. I needed
to escape.
Without a word, Istormed out of the dining room, not caring about the stunned silence that followed me. My feet carried me to the front door, and before I knew it, I was outside, gasping for air. I needed to get away, to clear my head, to drown this pain in something, anything.
My mind raced, clouded by anger, confusion, and a huge sense of betrayal. My instincts kept screaming at me to fight, to stay and get back what was mine. But another part of me, that part of me that was wounded and fragile. That part of me just wanted to run and leave it all behind.
I fumbled for my phone, searching for an escape. I didn’t w want to think. I didn’t even want to feel. I just wanted to drown. everything out. The pain, the torture. Every goddamn thing.
Alcohol. Yes, that would do the trick. Anything to numb this deep, cutting pain.
My fingers shook as I pulled up a ride service app, but I found myself pausing when I was about to order a car to take me far away from this mess.
Was this really what I wanted? To flee? To leave everything behind for good?
To let Eva win?
Did I really want that?
A sharp breath escaped me and I tightly clenched my phone in my hand, staring at the screen. This wasn’t me. I wasn’t someone who ran away. But what was I supposed to do? Stay and fight? Against this monster of a woman who had already twisted my life into a nightmare?
I couldn’t help the bitter laugh that burst through my lips. Eva always played her cards well, she knew how to position. herself as the victim while tearing everyone else apart. And now she had Damien–trapped in her web of lies.
And I am mostly the one at fault. I am the origin of my problems
I leaned against the door, closing my eyes for a moment as the cool evening air brushed against my skin but couldn’t even calm me. Images of the past flashed through my mind. Images of me, Damien, and Charlie, living a peaceful life, a life that now seemed so far away and so unattainable.
Could I really walk back into that house and fight for it?
Could I confront Eva head–on and still come out in one piece!
The front door creaked behind me, and I tensed, expecting it to be Damien. But instead, it was her.
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