Chapter 80 Chapter 80
iley’s POV
My mother helped Benita out of the room, her arm wrapped protectively around the younger girl’s shaking shoulders. I could hear Benita’s broken sobs echoing down the hallway as they disappeared into one of the other rooms.
Sophia stumbled toward the bathroom attached to her room, one hand pressed to her mouth. The sound of her retching was audible even through the closed door.
And then it was just Damien and me.
The silence was deafening. Heavy. Oppressive.
Damien still knelt beside me where I’d fallen, his hands hovering near me like he was afraid to touch me, afraid I might break. His face was pale, his jaw tight, his eyes dark with emotions I couldn’t name.
I sat there on the floor, my back against the bed frame, my head throbbing, and tried to breathe.
But I couldn’t.
The memory of the other day crashed over me all at once. The gunfire. The screaming. Running through the house terrified for my life. Everything came rushing st once and a sob tore from my throat before I could stop it.
“Hailey…..” Damien started.
“I wanted to die,” I interrupted, the words spilling out in a rush of raw emotion. “During the raid, when we were trapped, when those men were hunting us… I literally wanted to accept death. I thought ‘this is it, this is how I die,’ and part of me was almost… relieved.”
“Don’t say that,” Damien said, his voice rough.
“Why not?” I demanded, tears streaming down my face now. “It’s true! I was so scared, so tired, so overwhelmed that death seemed easier than trying to survive another minute in your world!”
“Hailey…”
“I hate you!” I sobbed, the words exploding out of me. “I hate you for getting me pregnant! I hate you for dragging me into this nightmare! I hate you for not being there when we needed you! Where were you, Damien? Where were you when men were shooting at us? Where were you when Marco was dying? WHERE WERE YOU?”
My voice broke on the last words, dissolving into incoherent crying.
Damien didn’t say anything. He just pulled me into his arms, holding me tight against his chest while I sobbed and beat my fists weakly against him.
“I hate you,” I repeated, but there was no strength behind it now. Just exhaustion and grief. “I hate that I stayed. I hate that I can’t leave even though I should.”
“I’m sorry,” Damien whispered into my hair. “God, Hailey, I’m so sorry. I should have been there. I should have protected you better. I failed you. I failed Marco. I failed everyone.”
“You should have saved him,” I sobbed. “Marco. You should have been there to save him. He died because of your daughter’s schemes and you weren’t there to stop it.”
“I know,” Damien said, and I heard the pain in his voice. “I know. And I will carry that guilt for the rest of my life.”
He pulled back just enough to cup my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him through my tears.
“But I swear to you,” he said, his voice fierce and determined, “I will avenge him. I will avenge all of this. The Morellis will pay for what they did. I promise you.”
“I don’t want vengeance,” I said weakly, shaking my head. “I don’t want revenge or blood or more violence. I just want peace. I want to feel safe. I want to know that my baby will grow up without being hunted.”
“You will have that,” Damien promised. “I will give you that. Whatever it takes.”
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust that he could make good on that promise.But I was too tired.
My eyes were so heavy. The adrenaline that had kept me going all day was finally gone, leaving nothing but exhaustion in its wake.
“I’m so tired,” I whispered.
“Then sleep,” Damien said softly, lifting me easily and carrying me to the bed. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
He laid me down gently, pulling the blankets up over me, and I felt the tears still streaming down my face as I closed my eyes.
“Don’t leave,” I mumbled, already halfway to unconsciousness.
“I won’t,” Damien promised. “I’m right here.”
I felt him settle beside me, his arm wrapping protectively around me.
———
I woke to sunlight streaming through the room windows and someone gently shaking my shoulder.
“Hailey,” Benita’s voice was soft. “Wake up. It’s morning.”
I blinked my eyes open, disoriented for a moment. Benita sat on the edge of the bed, and she looked terrible. Her eyes were swollen and red-rimmed, her face pale, her hair hanging limp around her shoulders. She was wearing the same clothes from yesterday, rumpled and stained.
“Hey,” I said, my voice hoarse. “Are you okay?”
It was a stupid question. Of course she wasn’t okay.
Benita shook her head. “No. But I don’t want you to miss breakfast. You need to eat. For the baby.”
“Benita, you should eat too,” I said, reaching for her hand.
“I can’t,” she said simply. “Every time I try, I just… I can’t.”
I sat up slowly, my head still aching from hitting the bed frame last night. “Did you get any sleep?”
“A little,” Benita lied. I could tell from the dark circles under her eyes that she hadn’t slept at all.
She helped me out of bed, and we made our way to the main dining area of the hotel suite where breakfast had been laid out.
The scene that greeted us was uncomfortable.
Damien sat at the head of the table, his expression closed off and unreadable. Isabella sat to his right, perfectly composed as always, though there was tension in her shoulders. Kai and Lorenzo stood near the walls, on guard duty.
My mother was already seated, a cup of coffee in front of her, her expression carefully neutral.
And notably absent was Sophia.
“Good morning,” I said quietly, moving to take a seat.
“Hailey,” Damien said, his voice softer when he addressed me. “How are you feeling? How’s your head?”
“It hurts,” I admitted. “But I’ll be okay.”
Food was brought out eggs, toast, fruit, coffee. It all looked delicious, but my stomach was still in knots from yesterday.
A server placed a plate in front of me, and Damien immediately held up a hand.
“Wait,” he said, his voice sharp. “I need that food checked first.”
I blinked in confusion. “Checked? What do you mean?”
“Kai,” Damien said, not taking his eyes off my plate. “Get the tester. I want every dish meant for Hailey screened before she eats it.”
“You’re testing my food?” I asked, my voice rising slightly. “Why?”
“Because someone poisoned Elder Carter yesterday,” Damien said flatly. “And someone tried to poison you during the tutoring sessions. Until we know who we can trust completely, all food served to you will be tested.”
The reminder that Tyler had planned to poison me made my stomach turn.
But before I could respond, my mother’s voice cut through the tension.
“How noble,” Barbara said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Testing her food now. Protecting her now. Where was all this caution yesterday when your home was being invaded? Where was this protection when my daughter was running for her life?”
“Mother,” I said quietly, embarrassed.
“No, Hailey,” Barbara interrupted, her eyes fixed on Damien. “He needs to hear this. You claim to care about her, to protect her, but you weren’t there when she actually needed you. You were off chasing false leads while your family was being slaughtered.”
Damien’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond.
“And now you want to test her food?” Barbara continued. “That’s your solution? That’s how you’re going to keep her safe? By checking for poison after the fact instead of preventing the threat in the first place?”
“I….” Damien started.
“Don’t,” Barbara snapped. “I warned you. I told you that if you couldn’t keep my daughter safe, I would take her away. And yesterday proved I was right. You can’t protect her. You couldn’t even protect your own guards.”
The mention of Marco made Benita flinch visibly beside me.
“That’s enough,” I said, my voice firmer now. “Mom, please. This isn’t helping.”