Chapter 20 YOUR HUSBAND.
\~~~DAMIEN.
I returned to my study long after the house had gone quiet.
Serena was asleep when I left her room. Curled on her side, the blanket pulled up to her chest, her breathing slow and even. I stood there longer than necessary, watching her like she might disappear if I turned away too quickly. Like she was something fragile that the world could still take from me if I blinked.
I made sure the door was locked.
Checked the windows and the corridor.
Paused, and then checked the lock again.
Only then did I walk away.
The study smelled like leather and old books. I settled into the chair behind my desk, loosening my cuffs before leaning back. The silence pressed around me, thick and heavy, but for the first time in years, it did not feel lonely.
For the first time since she arrived in my life, my house did not feel empty.
My phone rang and I picked it up immediately.
“What did you find?” I asked.
Ethan didn’t waste time. “We went through the CCTV surveillance as you instructed. Whoever it was, he was fully masked. No face. No defining marks. We tracked his movement too, but we lost him at some point. He blended into the crowd.”
I clenched my jaw, my fingers tightening around the phone.
“Damn it,” I muttered, slamming my palm on the table.
“It would help if she could confirm if anything is missing,” Ethan continued, “but from what we saw, he didn’t leave with anything. No bag. Nothing in his hands.”
That made no sense.
Someone doesn’t break into a house, risk exposure, and leave empty-handed. Not unless they came for something else. Or someone else.
“So there is no way to find him?” I asked.
“The investigation team is still on it, sir. I will update you once we have anything solid.”
“Good work,” I said.
I ended the call and stared at the laptop in front of me, my reflection faint on the black screen. My face looked harder under the dim light. Older and colder.
Someone broke into her property.
Entered her home and walked out without taking a thing.
That bothered me more than theft ever would.
I wasn’t even sure if this was done because of me… or her.
If it was meant for me, I could handle it. I had enemies. Always had. Men who hated my power, my reach, and the way I moved through the world without apology.
But if this was about her…
My jaw tightened.
My thoughts drifted back to Serena. To the way she had complained softly about not having enough clothes, how she had brushed it off like it didn’t matter. How most of her things were still at her apartment, and left behind like a life she had stepped out of too quickly.
I pushed back my chair and stood.
I didn’t like that she had been exposed.
Didn’t like that someone had been close enough to watch her.
I would fix that.
______
The next morning, Serena was already ready to leave the house.
She sat at the dining table when I entered, fully dressed, her bag by her feet. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, brushing against her skin like it belonged there, like it had been waiting for her.
She looked up, her eyes wide.
“You brought my things here yourself?” she asked.
There was disbelief in her voice. Not accusation, just surprise.
She pulled the plate of toasted bread closer to herself, then paused, glancing at the cup beside it.
“You made this too?”
I nodded.
Her brows lifted slightly, like she wasn’t sure what to say next. “Do you stay alone? Your house is so big. I can’t imagine how you take care of it.”
“I have a housekeeper,” I said. “She comes three times a week. And I have security outside. So no, I am not exactly alone.”
She hummed thoughtfully, taking a bite, her gaze roaming around the room like she was trying to take everything in at once.
“Do you not get bored?” she asked. “I stay in just one room and I still get bored sometimes. Not to talk of you with… all of this.”
“I am fine,” I replied.
It wasn’t a lie. It was simply what I had grown used to.
She ate in silence for a while, then stood, pulling her bag closer to her shoulder.
“I have a class by ten,” she said. “I am running late.”
“The driver is waiting outside.”
She stopped and turned to look at me.
“W… what? No, no. I can find my way. I will just take a taxi…”
“It will take you about twenty minutes to get to the main road,” I said, glancing at my wristwatch. “This is private property. Unauthorized vehicles don’t come in.”
Her mouth fell open. She checked her own watch, panic flashing across her face.
“So,” I added calmly, “the driver is waiting for you outside.”
“But… what if you need to go out too?”
I looked at her properly then. Really looked.
“Moonlight,” I said evenly, “I have more cars than I care to count. Your driver is waiting.”
She hesitated, then laughed awkwardly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
“O… okay. Just this one time, though. I will adjust from tomorrow. Twenty minutes of walking daily isn’t that bad. Forty minutes actually. Going and coming.”
I didn’t answer immediately.
My gaze lingered on her bare neck. Long, smooth, and vulnerable. I noticed the way her pulse fluttered there, the way the morning light softened her skin. She wore brown pants and a white shirt, simple and soft, and yet…
I smacked my lips and looked away before my thoughts crossed a line.
“Be on your way,” I said.
She nodded quickly, waved at me, and hurried out.
I stood there long after she was gone, staring at the space she had exited through, as if my will alone could pull her back into the room.
With the culprit still at large, I didn’t like her being out of my sight.
Not even a little.
And speaking of culprits…
I needed answers.
\~~~
I stopped in front of the gate and knocked once.
And then again before the door opened slowly.
Lisa stood there, Ryan’s wife.
Her hand rested on her stomach, possessive, and protective. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw me, fear flickering across her face before she masked it.
“M… Mr. Hale.”
Her voice was tight.
“Where is your husband?” I asked calmly.
“Ryan?”
“And exactly how many husbands do you have?” I hissed, my voice edged with irritation.