Chapter 39 Seven Years of Lie

Chapter 39 Seven Years of Lie

Lara's POV

“So if I hear you clearly, you are saying you took seven hundred thousand dollars from my father to marry me right?”

He looked down at his hands again.

"Yes."

The word choked hung in my throat like a bone.

Yes or what did I hear you say?

He said yes.

So Damien collected seven hundred million dollars from my father and didn't tell me. He pretended he truly loved me not knowing it was love because of the money.

I stood up immediately from the chair I was sitting on

"SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS?!"

"Lara,I can explain,let me explain—"

"Explain WHAT?!" What does your so-called mouth want to say? I was pacing now. Couldn't stay still. "That I was bought? That my father PURCHASED me a husband and that you collected the money like some kind of mail-order bride?!"

"It wasn't like that—"

"Then what WAS it like, Damien? You took money. To Marry me. That's prostitution with a wedding ring and you pretended you really love me!"

He stood up as well and tried to come closer.

"Don't." I held up my hand. "Don't come near me."

"Lara, please, I just want you to listen to me honestly—"

"Listen to what exactly?Tell me. I should be listening to more lies? Seven years, Damien! SEVEN YEARS you've been lying to me!"

“To be honest, my feelings was true—”

“What feelings? Feelings that you built on lie! The money, the contract, the rescue that night on the curb was all lies”.

I grabbed the folder on the table.The evidence Robert gave me and threw everything at him.

Everything scattered on the floor, the bank statements. The contract. The letter and the DNA results.

"Look at it! LOOK AT IT! It's all right there in black and white!"

Damien bent down. Picked up the contract. Read it even though he already knew what it said.

His face went pale.

"Where did you get this?"

“Does that actually matter?” Is everything a lie? Is it not true?

He didn't give a response.

"Was any of it real?" My voice was shaking now. "Any moment we shared? Any time you said you loved me?"

“Everything was real. My feelings for you were real”.

“But you were paid to marry me. You were hired to love me!”

"I wasn't hired to love you! Your father asked me to protect you!"

"And you took seven hundred thousand m
dollars to do it!"

"He insisted I take it !" Damien's voice was rising too now. "He wanted to make sure you'd be taken care of!"

"Make sure WHAT? That you'd actually go through with it? That you wouldn't back out of the deal?"

"It wasn't a deal—"

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS!"

We were both yelling at each other now.
Ethan was sleeping upstairs, so we needed to lower our voices.

But I just couldn't. I was unable to lower my voice. I trusted him for seven years, loved him and now everything is crashing down.

"Was there ever a moment," I said, my voice breaking, "a single moment where you chose me? Not because my father asked you to. Not because you were paid. But because you actually wanted to?"

“ I had loved you from the very first day I set my eyes on you”.

"You met me at a hotel where you were WATCHING me! And following me like some stalker!"

“I was only protecting you honestly, your father is my mentor and he asked me to”. I was watching you, but what happened between us that night was real! That wasn't planned!”

"So everything—the hotel, finding me on that street, saving me—all of it was just you fulfilling a CONTRACT?!"How am I supposed to believe that when you ORCHESTRATED everything else?.

Damien ran his hands through his hair. He looked really exhausted.

Honestly, I'm sorry, I ought to have informed you when we met, but it escaped my mind. I'm sorry for everything.
" Your father begged me to watch over you when he was gone."

"For seven hundred thousand dollars."

"The money was insurance! He wanted to make sure I would take care of you and that you wouldn't end up in the streets!

"So that made you buy me”.

He was honestly now short of words, tired and exhausted, but I kept pressuring him, asking him different questions but he kept quiet, probably didn't know what to say again.

That silence was an answer already.

"Oh my God. It's true. All of it."

"I was trying to save you—"

"By manipulating me just like Lucas and Claire did.”

"It's not the same—"

"ISN'T IT?!"

I couldn't look at him anymore so I turned away and stared at the wall."The hotel. That night. Were you there by chance or by design?" I asked.

But it was obvious he was tired of my questions. Too tired of it."Damien."

"Your father asked me to watch you at the gala. To make sure you were safe."

"So you were spying on me right?”

No I was protecting you, he said.

"I saw you that night." My voice was quieter now. "I remember pieces of it. You were there. In the hotel room when I woke up."

"Truth be told, it was just a coincidence.

"Don't lie to me anymore! Please! Just stop lying!"

Damien's shoulders sagged.

"You're right. I booked the room earlier that day. In case... in case something went wrong."

"In case you needed to save me."

"Yes."

"And that night. What happened between us. Was that part of the plan too?"

"No. God, no. That was... we were both drunk. Both hurting. It just happened." I didn't plan it.

But what did you plan? Fall for me? Or sleep with me?"

"Both."

At least that felt honest.

"And then you found me. Months later. On the street outside the house you'd conveniently just bought."

"I was looking for you. Yes. Your father asked me to. Made me say a promise."

"A promise you were paid half a million dollars to keep."

"The money didn't matter—"

"IT DOES TO ME!"

I walked to the window and everywhere was already dark. I thought about Ethan-My son.”Damien was behind me.

"Robert showed me the DNA results."

"Lara—"

"You're not his biological father."Neither is Lucas."I turned around and looked at him.

"You've known. Haven't you? The test is dated two years ago. TWO YEARS you've been lying about this!"

Ethan is my son! I love him as my son. He's mine.

"Then WHO is his father? If not you, if not Lucas, then WHO?!"

Damien's face was anguished.

"I don't know."

"You're LYING!"

"I'm not! Aswear! The DNA results were... strange and confusing. I hired geneticists to explain it but—"

"But WHAT?"

"They said it had something to do with your bone marrow transplant. After the accident. Some rare thing called chimerism. The donor's DNA somehow—"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I don't fully understand it. I'm saying I've been trying to figure it out for two years. I'm saying—"

"You're saying you've known Ethan isn't yours for TWO YEARS and you never told me!"

"Because he is mine! In every way that matters!"

But you decided not to tell me. You lived all your life lying to me. This was what I don't understand any longer.

I couldn't breathe. The room was too small. Too hot. Too full of lies.

"I can't do this anylonger." I'm not sure I can continue living with a bloody liar.

"Do what?”Damien's face went white.
"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I can't be here. I can't look at you. I can't breathe in this house again."

"Lara, please, just let me explain everything—"

"You've had seven years to explain! You chose to lie instead!"

"I was trying to protect you!"

"STOP SAYING THAT!"

I was screaming now. I couldn't help it.

"You weren't protecting me! You were controlling me! Making decisions for me! Just like Lucas! Just like Claire! Just like everyone in my LIFE!"

"That's not fair—"

"None of this is fair! My father dying wasn't fair! Lucas betraying me wasn't fair! And you lying to me for seven years ISN'T FAIR!"

My voice broke on the last word.

I was crying. Really crying now. All the pain and betrayal and hurt pouring out.

Damien tried to come closer and hold me.

I flinched away from his touch.

That flinch... I saw something break in his eyes.

"Don't touch me. Please. Just... don't."

—

I wiped my eyes and tred to pull myself together.

"I need to leave."

"What? No. Lara, this is your home—"

"This was never MY home. This was the home my father BOUGHT for me. With you as the caretaker."

"That's not—"

"It's true. All of it is true. And I can't stay here anymore."

Please don't leave me alone.

"I'm done talking."

I walked toward the stairs. He followed me.

"Lara, wait—"

"Don't follow me."

"Please—"

"I said DON'T FOLLOW ME!"

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and watched me go up.I could feel his eyes on me. Could hear him breathing hard. Trying not to break down.

But I couldn't care about his pain right now.

I had too much of my own.

I threw my suitcase on the bed and started grabbing clothes from the closet. I didn't think about what I was packing. I just grabbed things and put them inside my box.

Damien appeared in the doorway.

"Lara, please. Don't do this."

I ignored him.I went to the dresser. Grabbed underwear, socks. Threw them in the suitcase.

"Say something. Yell at me. Hit me. Just don't shut me out like this."

I finally looked at him.

"You want me to say something? Fine. I don't know if I love you anymore. I don't know if I ever really did. Maybe I just loved the man I THOUGHT you were. But that man doesn't exist. He never did."

Damien looked like I'd stabbed him.

I faced him. Damien, "Name ONE thing. One thing about our relationship that wasn't orchestrated or manipulated or paid for."

He opened his mouth and closed it. Couldn't think of anything.

"Exactly."

I zipped up the suitcase.

I walked past Damien. Down the hall to Ethan's room.

He was sleeping peacefully.My beautiful boy who didn't know his world was falling apart.

I sat on the edge of his bed and gently shook his shoulder.

"Baby. Wake up. We need to go."

Ethan's eyes opened. Confused. Sleepy.

"Mommy?"

"We're going on a little trip, sweetheart."

"Now? It's dark."

"I know. But we need to go."

I started packing his bag. Grabbed his favorite stuffed dinosaur. Some clothes. His toothbrush.

"Where are we going?"

"Just... somewhere else for a while."

"Is Daddy coming too?"

I looked at the doorway. Damien was standing there. Watching.

"No, baby. Just us for now."

Ethan saw Damien. His face lit up.

"Daddy! Why aren't you coming?"

Damien's voice was rough. Like he'd been crying.

"Mommy needs some time away, buddy. But I'll see you soon. I promise."

"I don't want to go without you."

"I know. But you need to go with Mommy right now, okay? Be a good boy for her."

Ethan got out of bed. Ran to Damien. Hugged him tight.

Damien held him. Buried his face in Ethan's hair. I will miss you my darling.

I had to look away. Couldn't watch them say goodbye.

"Come on, Ethan. We need to go."

Damien let him go. Slowly. Like it physically hurts.

Ethan came back to me and took my hand.

"Can I bring my dinosaur?"

I already packed it.

I carried both suitcases downstairs. Ethan held my hand, still half-asleep.

Damien followed us down. Like a ghost.

At the front door, I stopped. Put down the bags to get my keys.

"Lara."

I didn't turn around.

"Please. Don't take him. Don't take Ethan."

"He's MY son."

"He's OUR son. Biology doesn't change that."

"You should have thought about that before lying to me."

I picked up the bags again.

"Where are you going? At least tell me where you're going."

"No."

"What if there's an emergency? What if something happens?"

"I'll call you if there's an emergency."

I opened the door. Cold night air rushed in.

"Lara—"

"Goodbye, Damien."

I got Ethan into his car seat. He was already falling asleep again. I started the car and looked back at the house one last time.

Damien was standing in the doorway. Lit from behind. I could see the outline of him.

The man I loved.

The man who lied to me for seven years.

I backed out of the driveway.

Drove away.

Didn't look back again.

Damien's pov

The car disappeared around the corner.She was gone.They were both gone. The people that light my life are gone.

I stood in the doorway until I couldn't see the taillights anymore.

Then I closed the door,leaned against it and slid down to the floor.

Put my head in my hands.

And finally let myself break.

I lost her.

I lost them both.


Lara's pov

I drove for twenty minutes before I realized I didn't know where I was going.

Couldn't go to friends. Didn't have any. Lucas and Claire had isolated me from everyone.

Couldn't go to family. Didn't have any left.

So I pulled into the first hotel I saw. It was expensive, but I could afford it though.

Now that I had my father's company. My father's money.

Money that came with strings attached. With contracts and lies and manipulation.

I checked in. Carried sleeping Ethan to the room.

Put him in the bed. Then I sat in the chair by the window. In the dark.

My phone kept buzzing. Damien calling. Texting.

Twenty missed calls. Dozens of messages.

I turned off the phone and sat there in silence.

Ethan was sleeping peacefully beside me.My son. My beautiful boy who wasn't who I thought he was.Raised by a man who wasn't who I thought he was.

In a marriage that was never what I thought it was.

I'd escaped Lucas's lies only to fall into Damien's.

And I had no idea what to do next.

The phone buzzed one more time before it powered down completely.

Damien's name on the screen.

I stared at it until it went dark.

Tomorrow I'd figure out my next move.

Tonight, I just needed to survive.