Chapter 18 BREATAKING.
\~~~DAMIEN.
Serena’s eyes widened immediately, panic flashing across her face as she shook her head frantically.
“Wa… your house? No, no, no,” she stammered. “That is not… It’s not proper.”
I stared at her for a long second, disbelief mixing with irritation. Proper?
After what I had just seen? After someone had torn her home apart like an animal searching for prey?
“I don’t care what is proper,” I said, my voice firm.
“There is no argument here, Serena. Whoever did this knew where you lived. That alone is enough.”
She swallowed, her fingers clutching the sleeves of my shirt as though letting go would make the ground disappear beneath her. “I can just stay with Maya. She will let me. I can’t move in with you. We… we are not even married yet.”
“You are moving in with me,” I replied calmly. “And that is final. The wedding is less than two weeks away. There is nothing improper about keeping you alive.”
“B… but…”
“Is this really the time to be stubborn?” I asked, softer now, though the edge remained. “Look around you, Serena.”
She went quiet then. Her shoulders slumped, and I knew I had won, not because I wanted to dominate her, but because fear had finally outweighed pride.
“But… school,” she murmured weakly.
“Will I stop you from attending classes?” I asked. “Enough excuses.”
I guided her outside gently, my hand steady at her back. She was still shaking, and still pale. I opened the front door and helped her in, adjusting her seat belt myself when her fingers fumbled too much to do it.
“You drove yourself?” she asked softly as I closed the door.
I paused for a second before walking around the car.
If only she knew.
No one could have driven me faster than I did today. No one. I had been in the middle of a meeting with files on the table, voices droning on about numbers I no longer cared about when my phone rang. I saw her name, and something in my chest tightened instantly.
I didn’t excuse myself. I didn’t even explain. I just stood up, walked out of the conference room, and drove like a madman to her place.
I settled behind the wheel and started the engine, pulling out smoothly. My eyes stayed on the road, but my mind was elsewhere, replaying the image of her apartment in ruins, the terror in her eyes when she clung to me like I was the only solid thing left in her world.
‘This wasn’t a simple break-in,’ I thought to myself.
“Did you see him take anything?” I asked.
“N… no,” she replied. “He didn’t have anything with him.”
That confirmed it.
They weren’t stealing.
They were searching.
My jaw tightened as my thoughts began to spiral. Someone had gone through her space with intention and purpose. Looking for something specific, something I didn’t yet understand.
Ryan crossed my mind immediately.
It was possible. More than possible. He didn’t look like the kind of man who accepted defeat easily. Sabotaging this union wouldn’t be beneath him. But what exactly could he be searching for? What could Serena possibly have that would require such violence, such risk?
And if it wasn’t Ryan… then who?
The silence in the car grew heavy, but I didn’t break it again. When I glanced sideways, I realized Serena had fallen asleep. Her head was tilted slightly toward the window, her lashes resting against her cheeks, exhaustion finally pulling her under.
I slowed a little and reached over, adjusting the seat backward so she could lie more comfortably.
She looked small like this. Very fragile.
And whoever had done this, whoever thought they could terrify her into submission, had made a grave mistake.
Because now, they had my full attention.
______
The tires crunched softly against the gravel as I pulled into the driveway, and the engine went quiet. For a moment, I just sat there, hands still on the wheel, breathing out the tension I’d been carrying since I left her apartment.
“We’re here,” I said gently.
Serena stirred beside me. Her lashes fluttered, and she blinked like she wasn’t sure where she was. Then her eyes focused, widening as she took in the tall gates, the long stretch of lights, the house rising ahead of us like something out of a dream.
She nodded slowly. “Okay.”
I stepped out first, walked around, and opened the door for her. She hesitated for half a second before taking my hand. I felt how small and cold her fingers were in mine, and something tight twisted in my chest.
As we walked side by side, she kept looking around, her head turning left and right.
“This… is beautiful,” she said softly, a small smile breaking through everything she had been holding in.
I nodded. Compliments had never meant much to me, but hearing them from her felt different.
Inside, the moment the doors closed behind us, she stopped short and her breath caught.
“This is so breathtaking,” she whispered. “You have a very beautiful space.”
I watched her for a second before answering. “And it’s your home now, too.”
The words surprised even me. A faint blush crept into her cheeks, and she looked down quickly. I looked away too, suddenly aware of how quiet the room had become.
“Sit over there,” I said, pointing to the couch. “I’ll be right back.”
She obeyed without argument, still glancing around like she was afraid the place might disappear if she didn’t keep looking. I headed straight to the kitchen, grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, then pulled out the first aid kit I kept stocked and untouched for years.
When I returned, she was still standing, her fingers brushing over a sculpture absently.
“Sit,” I said again, softer this time.
She did.
“What are you doing?” she asked as I knelt in front of her and opened the kit.
I gently took her wrist. The skin was red, swollen, and bruised. My jaw clenched so hard it hurt.
“I will kill that motherfucker,” I muttered before I could stop myself.