Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Damien POV
FLASHBACK
I quickly pulled the door open.
“Say it again!” I shouted at Melissa.
She froze, as she saw me.
“What did you hear?” She asked trembling.
“I said, say it again!” I demanded, moving closer.
She just stared at my, her hands holding her phone tightly.
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“Don’t make me do something I’ll regret,” I warned, grabbing a vase from the side table and breaking it on the floor. Melissa jumped.
“You better start talking.”
“Or else, I will call the police,” I said. “If you don’t tell me the truth right now, I swear I will.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she still didn’t speak.
“WHO OWNS THE BABY?” I roared, my patience gone.
She flinched.
“Ty,” she whispered.
I stared at her, stunned. “What?”
“It’s Ty’s baby,” she said again, louder this time, her voice shaking. “I was going to tell you eventually, Damien. I just… time.”
“Time huh” I scoffed.
She nodded.
“I didn’t plan to lie to you forever. I just… I needed help, Damien. My mom’s sick. My grandma’s sick. My dad’s gone. I have loan sharks on my neck. Tyler doesn’t have money, and I didn’t know what else to do. You were the only way out.”
“So I wasn’t the father?” I scoffed. I didn’t know whether to feel relieved that I wasn’t the father and in any way tied to her, or angry that she lied to me and made a scene at my place.
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Chapter 32
“You are despicable,” I said.
“I didn’t mean to-” she cried.
I raised a hand, cutting her off. “Stop. Just stop.”
I reached into my wallet, pulling out a wad of cash and threw it to her bed.
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“Here, this can solve some of your problems and the hospital bills. But don’t ever contact me again. Do you hear me? I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to hear from you. Don’t ever cross paths with me, and tell Tyler if I see him, I’m going to beat the shit out of him.”
She cried harder as she took the money, but I didn’t care. I turned and walked out.
PRESENT DAY
I sat at the corner table of the café, staring out the window at Julie’s office. I was least interested in the coffee in front of me, as I had barely touched it, and it was now cold.
Then we finally arrived. She had forgotten her phone in her office, so she went back to get it. It felt as if she had spent an hour just getting her phone.
She sat across from me as she placed her order. From when we waited for the drink to when it arrived, we didn’t say anything; we just stared at each other.
I opened my mouth to say something, but she also tried to speak at the same time.
“I—”
“No, you-”
We both stopped. After a few seconds, she made an attempt to go first.
Then I tried going first, but she cut me off. We paused again, waiting for one of us to speak, and each time I tried to talk, she interrupted me. We repeated this over five times. I stared at her, and we both laughed.
“You first,” I said, gesturing for her to speak.
Julie looked down at her hands, her fingers fidgeting.
“How are you?” she asked.
“Terrible,” I muttered. After the baby scare and the thought of never seeing you again, who
wouldn’t feel terrible?
“Oh” she said, still fidgeting.
“I went to Melissa,” I continued. “I confronted her. She admitted it, Julie. The baby isn’t mine.
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It’s someone else’s. She lied to me, and I fell for it like an idiot.”
“So, what do you want?” she asked, finally looking at me.
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“You, I don’t want to lose you, Julie. The thought of going back to my life without having you is terrifying.”
“Damien, you have a lot to handle. I can’t…” I cut her off, knowing where this was heading.
“I am not asking you to marry me or date me, Julie. I am just asking you not to cut me off, to pick up my calls whenever I call. We can be friends if that’s what you want.”
“Friends don’t have sex with each other or profess love,” she scoffed.
“Damien, you shake my world whenever I come in contact with you. Sometimes you make me feel on top of the world, while other times you make me feel like a mess, and I can’t really handle it.”
I stared at her. I really didn’t know what to say to make her agree to stay with me.
“But guess what?” She asked, as she continued.
“I have grown fond of you.”
She said, barely looking up at me, “You know what, Damien? I don’t mind the baggage. Maybe I do need someone in my life. And honestly…” She hesitated as I saw her cheeks turn red. “I did enjoy the sex. So let’s be more than friends, maybe friends with benefits-no strings attached, so no one gets hurt in the end.”
I smiled widely. “Are you serious?” I asked
She nodded. “Yes, I’m serious. But only if you promise no drama.”
“I swear,” I said, placing my hand over my heart dramatically. “No drama. Just… whatever this is.”
“Friends with benefits,” she reminded me.
“Friends with benefits,” I repeated, grinning like a schoolboy who had just gotten away with something.
“Good.” She said.
Then I suddenly pulled out my phone and began dialing a number.
“What are you doing?” She asked
I held the phone to my car, waiting, then her phone rang. She stared at me, wondering why I
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Chapter 32
was calling her.
“What are you doing?” she asked again.
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“I just wanted to confirm if you saw my calls and chose to ignore me for the past two days.”
“You’re unbelievable.” She chuckled.
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Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy DaisyNovel. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.