Chapter 73 Nothing but Tension
The knock at my door made my chest tighten, my pulse spiking before I even reached it. I knew it was him. Damian. Of course it was.
Before he could even speak, I yanked the door open and didn't give him a second to react. My lips crashed onto his in a heated, desperate kiss, hands gripping his shoulders like my life depended on it.
"I'm horny right now," I gasped, my voice low and breathless. "I need you badly. We can have whatever conversation later."
For a moment, he froze, hands tightening at his sides. Then his eyes darkened, sharp and dangerous. "Elena," he said, voice low, clipped. "Stop. Just stop."
I pressed closer, searching his expression, craving him, needing the warmth and fury that always made me feel alive. But the fury I saw in his eyes wasn't mine. It wasn't desire-it was pure, raw anger.
"I'm not a toy you can use whenever you feel like it!" he snapped, stepping back. "You've known! You've known for weeks, and you didn't tell me! Do you have any idea what you've done?"
I pulled back, blinking at him, trying to catch my breath. "I-I sent you a text! I sent it before this, Damian. I tried to tell you!"
His jaw tightened, and his hands curled into fists. "A text? You think a text is enough? You could have done this differently. You could have told me in person. You could have found a way to-"
I opened my mouth to argue, to tell him he hadn't even waited for me to say a word, but he cut me off again. "This... all of this, Elena-you could have told me. You could have handled it differently. And now... now, you reveal it to me just after I got engaged to Rachael?"
"You... you got engaged to Rachael?" I shouted, my legs giving way, my body threatening to collapse under the weight of shock and fury. "What? Get out now! I don't want to see you!"
"Elena-" he began, his voice low, furious, but I cut him off, pointing a shaking finger at the door. "GET. OUT. NOW! I don't care what you have to say! I don't want to hear it. Out!"
He stood there, his posture rigid, every inch of him radiating controlled rage, and I realized something terrifying: I had never seen him this furious before. This wasn't the Damian who teased, who charmed, who laughed-it was Damian, the man scorned, the man blindsided.
"I... I-" he started again, but I pushed him out the door before he could continue.
I leaned against it, breathing hard, shaking with adrenaline and fury. My hands trembled as I pressed them to my face, trying to calm the storm inside me. My pulse pounded, my chest ached, my stomach flipped. I had wanted answers, closure, maybe even a fight-but this? This was chaos incarnate.
And then I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Brian.
He was walking up the hallway, eyebrows furrowed, looking between my door and me. "Elena... what just happened?"
I swallowed, my voice raw. "Damian came. He... he found out. Or thought he did. Or something. I... I don't even know. Just... don't... don't let him in here, Brian. Not now."
Brian stepped closer, his expression a mix of concern and frustration. "He's at your door?"
"Yes! And he's... he's furious. I told him to get out. I don't care what he wants. I don't want him here."
Brian gave me a soft, steadying look. "Okay. Okay. You did the right thing. He can't just-he can't control this. Not right now. Not while you're trying to think."
I exhaled shakily, pressing my palms to my face again. "I tried to tell him earlier! I sent the text! And now... now he's engaged to Rachael, and I... I don't even know what to do. I don't even know how to feel."
Brian placed a hand on my shoulder, grounding me. "Then feel what you need to feel. Anger. Betrayal. Confusion. I've got your back. Always."
The knock came again. Heavy, impatient. Damian. I froze, my chest constricting, hands trembling.
"No," I whispered. "Not today. Not now. I said get out."
Brian stepped slightly in front of me, eyes narrowing, and I realized that maybe, just maybe, I didn't have to face this alone.
Damian's voice came through the door again, sharp and controlled, though I could hear the tension behind it. "Elena... I need to talk to you."
"Not today!" I shouted, voice cracking with fury. "Not now! Out! GO! I don't want to see you!"
The hallway fell silent, except for my ragged breathing, the pounding of my pulse in my ears. And as I sank against the door, shaking with anger, fear, and exhaustion, I realized that nothing-nothing-was going to prepare me for what happened next.