Chapter 124 Chapter 124
Damien’s POV
I looked at Hailey, who was standing there with tears on her face, and I saw that she already knew this. She’d known about her father’s connection to the Morellis, to Elena’s shop.
“You knew,” I said to Hailey.
She nodded silently.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded.
“Because I didn’t know how,” Hailey said, her voice breaking. “Because I was afraid of what it meant. Because I didn’t want to believe that my father’s death and Elena’s death were connected.”
I turned back to Barbara. “What are you saying? That I’m responsible for your husband’s death?”
“I’m saying that this world you live in killed him,” Barbara said. “The Morellis. The violence. The secrets. All of it. And my fear…my biggest fear….is that this same world will take my daughter’s life from me. And soon after, her child’s.”
The accusation was clear. She believed I would get Hailey killed, just like her father had been killed.
“I would never…” I started.
“You can’t promise that,” Barbara interrupted. “You can’t promise she’ll be safe. Not really. Not when you’re at war with the Morellis. Not when they’re gaining ground and you’re losing it.”
She moved to the door and opened it, a clear dismissal.
“I’ve said what I needed to say,” Barbara said, her voice exhausted. “Now please leave. I have packing to finish.”
I wanted to argue, to defend myself, to explain that I would die before I let anything happen to Hailey.
But what good would words do when Barbara had already lost her husband to this world?
I took Hailey’s hand and led her out of the room.
That night, I lay in bed next to Hailey, both of us unable to sleep, the weight of everything pressing down on us.
“Your mother is right,” I said finally, breaking the silence. “You should go with her.”
Hailey turned to look at me, surprise evident on her face. “What?”
“I’m giving you permission to follow your mother if you wish to,” I said, the words physically painful to say. “If you want to leave, to go somewhere safer, I won’t stop you.”
In fact, I felt like urging her to go. Felt like begging her to choose safety over me. But I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it.
Hailey was quiet for a long moment, and I could see her thinking, processing.
“For some reason, I’m hesitant,” she finally said.
“Why?” I asked. “Your mother is offering you a way out. Safety. Peace. Why would you hesitate?”
“Truly this safehouse gives me the creeps,” Hailey said, and there was something in her voice, fear mixed with determination. “There’s something wrong here.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I don’t know exactly,” Hailey admitted. “But I have something to uncover first. Something I need to understand before I can leave.”
“Hailey, whatever it is, it’s not worth your life….”
“No, im not going until i uncover what i want to. No one can force me from leaving. My mother can go I won’t stop her but im not going.”
I looked at Hailey in the darkness, wanting desperately to know what she thought she needed to uncover, what secrets she was chasing in this house.
But something stopped me from asking.
Maybe it was the determined set of her jaw.
“I’ll prep Louis to be more agile,” I said finally, trying to offer what reassurance I could. “Now that Vincent is here, security will increase. Two experienced guards overseeing everything instead of just one.”
“Vincent’s presence doesn’t bode well with me,” Hailey said quietly.
I turned to look at her. “Why not?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Just a feeling. Something about him makes me uncomfortable.”
“Vincent is a trusted longtime ally,” I assured her. “Like Kai. Like Lorenzo. He’s been with this organization for over a decade. He’s loyal.”
“If you say so,” Hailey said, though she didn’t sound convinced.
I pulled her closer, grateful that she was staying, that she hadn’t chosen to leave with her mother.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “For not leaving.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Hailey said with a slight smile. “I might change my mind tomorrow.”
I kissed her then, pouring all my relief and fear and love into it. She returned the kiss with equal intensity, her hands moving to my chest, then lower.
We made love slowly, carefully, mindful of her pregnancy and everything she’d been through.
But midway through, Hailey suddenly tensed and pushed against my chest.
“Stop,” she said, her voice strained. “Damien, stop.”
I pulled back immediately, alarm flooding through me. “What’s wrong?”
“My stomach,” she said, her hand moving to her belly. “I’m feeling some pangs. Sharp ones.”
Fear gripped me. “The baby….”
“I don’t know,” Hailey said, her breathing becoming shallow. “It hurts. It’s different from before.”
I carefully withdrew and helped her lie back against the pillows, my hand joining hers on her stomach.
“Should I call a doctor?” I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.
“No, just… just wait,” Hailey said, breathing through the pain. “It’s starting to ease already.”
I held her, stroking her hair, murmuring reassurances until gradually the tension left her body and her breathing returned to normal.
“It’s gone,” she said after several minutes. “I’m cool now.”
“You scared me,” I admitted.
“I scared myself,” Hailey said. She looked up at me, and despite the scare, I saw desire still in her eyes. “But I’m not ready to stop completely.”
“Hailey, we should just rest….”
“I want to take care of you,” she interrupted, her hand sliding down my body.
I started to protest, but then her mouth was on my cock and all thoughts fled.
She gave me a blowjob with skill and attention that made my mind go blank, made me forget about the Morellis and the threats and everything except the feel of her.
Afterward, we lay on the bed together, both of us finally relaxed enough to sleep.
The next morning, I woke early while Hailey was still asleep beside me, her face peaceful in the dim light filtering through the curtains.
I carefully extracted myself from the bed, not wanting to wake her, and got dressed quietly.
I knew Barbara and Benita would be leaving this morning. Dawn, Barbara had said. And I wanted to see them off, to make sure they got away safely.
I made my way downstairs and found them in the entrance hall, their bags already packed and waiting by the door. Lorenzo stood nearby, ready to drive them wherever they were going.
Barbara looked up when she saw me, her expression guarded.
“You’re really going through with this,” I said.
“Yes,” Barbara confirmed. “We need to leave before everyone else wakes up. Less dramatic that way.”
Benita stood silently beside her, looking exhausted and hollow. The girl who used to be so vibrant and full of life was just a shell now, broken by grief and trauma.
“I want to see my daughter one last time,” Barbara said.
“Before we go. Just to say goodbye properly.”
I nodded. “I’ll go get her.”
I turned and headed back upstairs to the bedroom where Hailey still slept. I opened the door quietly, intending to gently wake her.
But before I could take two steps into the room, I heard footsteps pounding down the hallway behind me.
Sophia burst past me, her face twisted with rage, and stormed into the room where Hailey was just beginning to stir.
“GIVE IT BACK!” Sophia screamed, her voice shrill and furious. “Give it back right now, you thief!”