Chapter 69 69

Chapter 69 69
Chapter Sixty Nine

Tessa POV

Before I knew it, I was drifting into sleep, the weight of the day’s events pulling me under. The last thing I felt was Damien’s hand gently stroking my hair, his quiet strength a lifeline in the dark.

“It's going to be okay, I promise…everything will be fine.” I could faintly hear his voice saying that as I let out a heavy sigh of exhaustion while sleeping.

As I drifted off to sleep in Damien’s arms, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my ear was the only thing that kept me anchored. 

Even in my exhausted state, my mind couldn’t fully let go of the fear and guilt. The image of my mom lying there, motionless, haunted me. 

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her pale face, and it broke something inside me all over again, crumbling my heart.

I was too tired to fight the sleep that eventually took me. I didn’t dream….at least not in the way I usually did. 

Instead, my mind played out flashes of memories, worries, and fears in a motion messing with that, that left me feeling more lost than before. The warmth of Damien’s embrace was the only thing that kept the darkness at bay.

When I finally woke up, it was to the soft murmur of voices and the distant beeping of machines. I blinked, trying to orient myself, and realized I was still in the hospital room, my head resting against Damien’s chest. 

He was sitting in the chair beside me, his hand still gently stroking my hair. It was a small, soothing gesture, and for a moment, I just stayed there, not wanting to move.

But then everything came rushing back….he fear, the guilt, the overwhelming need to protect my mom. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes as I tried to shake off the last remnants of sleep.

“You’re awake,” Damien said softly, his voice tinged with concern. He looked tired, the shadows under his eyes more pronounced than before.

“Yeah,” I whispered, my throat dry. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours,” he replied. “You needed the rest.”

I nodded, though the rest hadn’t done much to ease the heaviness in my chest. “How is she?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

“She’s stable,” Damien reassured me. “The doctor came in while you were sleeping. They’re keeping a close eye on her.”

I felt a small surge of relief at his words, but it was quickly overshadowed by the nagging fear that something could still go wrong. “I can’t believe this is happening,” I murmured, more to myself than to Damien.

“I know,” he said quietly, his hand moving to cover mine. “But we’ll get through this, Tess. Your mom’s strong. She’s going to pull through.”

I wanted to believe him, but the doubt gnawed at me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was my fault—that if I hadn’t gotten involved with Damien, none of this would’ve happened. My mom wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed, fighting for her life.

“I should’ve protected her,” I said, my voice breaking. “I should’ve been there.”

“Tess, this isn’t your fault,” Damien said firmly, his grip on my hand tightening. “Helen… she’s the one responsible for this. You couldn’t have known she would go this far.”

“I knew she had me in her palm but I felt it was…it was all a threat,” I insisted, the guilt weighing heavily on my heart. “I knew she hated me and wanted me gone from here. I knew she was obsessed with you. I just never thought… I never thought she’d hurt my mom to get to me like she promised she'd.”

He was silent for a moment, his expression pained. “I didn’t think she’d go this far either,” he admitted not paying full attention to what I said. “But baby, you can’t blame yourself for her actions. She’s the one who chose to do this, not you.”

I swallowed hard, trying to accept his words, but it was difficult. The guilt was like a heavy chain around my neck, dragging me down. “I just want her to wake up,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I just want to tell her I’m sorry.”

“She knows you love her, Tess,” Damien said softly. “She knows how much you care. And she’s going to wake up. You’ll get your chance to tell her everything.”

I nodded, though tears were already blurring my vision again. “I just… I don’t know what to do. I feel so lost.”

He reached out, gently wiping away a tear that had escaped down my cheek. “We’re going to take this one step at a time,” he said, his voice steady and reassuring. “First, we need to make sure your mom is safe. I’m going to call my friend and get things in motion. We’ll find a secure place for her, somewhere Helen won’t be able to reach her.”

I looked at him, feeling a flicker of hope. “You really think that will work?”

“I know it will,” he said with conviction. “We won’t let Helen hurt her again. I promise you that.”

His words gave me a small measure of comfort, but there was still so much uncertainty, so much that could go wrong. “And what about you?” I asked, my voice wavering. “What if Helen tries to come after you too?”

“I’ll be fine,” Damien said, though I could see the tension in his jaw. “Right now, my priority is keeping you and your mom safe.”

I wanted to argue, to tell him that he needed to think about his own safety too, but the truth was, I didn’t have the strength. I was too tired, too overwhelmed to do anything but nod.

“Okay,” I said softly. “Okay.”