Chapter 84 Fractures of Truth
POV Noah:
I know I have no right to do what I am about to do, but after seeing what is obvious to anyone looking from the outside, I decided to tell Scarlett what happened to my brother. I am not doing right by my brother by revealing his private life, especially something that hurt him so deeply; however, I know I am doing what is best for two people I love dearly. Damian may hate me afterward, but nothing will change my decision.
Scarlett is sitting on my bed, watching me pace back and forth; it is clear that she is nervous. Before, I believed that the best thing would be for Scarlett to stay away from Damian so she could get over him, but who am I to say what is best for her? In a way I will never be able to understand, Damian and Scarlett love each other in that crazy way of theirs.
“Noah, tell me already,” she asked.
“Scarlett, before I tell you what happened to Damian, I need you to understand that to know the truth about his feelings, you will have to ask him; only Damian can say what he does or does not feel for you. But I can guarantee that my brother is not the selfish, arrogant guy he shows most of the time.” Scarlett wet her lips before speaking.
“What happened to him?”
“My brother had only one serious relationship. Her name is Chloe. They were seriously dating; Damian was planning to propose to her on the anniversary of their relationship, but before that Chloe found out she was pregnant. My brother was so happy—you should have seen his happiness—but…” I stopped to think about how to explain to Scarlett how Chloe was a fucking bitch to my brother.
“But…”
“Chloe only thought about herself, so she made a selfish decision. She decided to have an abortion without Damian knowing. My brother was devastated; for a long time I didn’t even recognize him anymore. Damian understood that it was her body, and that the decision to continue the pregnancy was also hers. Chloe didn’t want to be a mother. Damian asked her to go through with the pregnancy; my brother would raise the baby without her. Even so, Chloe had the abortion. When Damian arrived at the clinic, the procedure had already been done.”
“Oh my God, that’s cruel on her part. She could have sat down and talked to him. I don’t know what went through her head not to want to be a mother…”
“In her words: ‘The baby will set my life back.’”
“Damian must have suffered a lot.”
“You have no idea how much, but that’s not the worst part.”
“There’s a worse part?” she asked, distressed.
I take a deep breath, remembering those difficult days with my brother’s test results, the crying, the disillusionment, the regret over wrong choices. It was hard to witness the worst of Damian. We stayed by his side, giving him all the support he needed. It reminds me of what I seem to have forgotten: I love my brother, and I want him to be happy, and for all the pain he felt because of Chloe’s choice to stay in the past.
“Damian became sterile.” Scarlett brought her hands to her mouth. “My brother went down a path of self-destruction, drinking a lot, going out every night, fucking random women. Unfortunately, he contracted an STI—nothing more than a sexually transmitted infection—syphilis.”
“I don’t know what to say, I…” Scarlett stopped speaking to cry. “That’s why… is that why he doesn’t want to be with me? Because of the syphilis?”
“No, Scarlett. He’s been cured for a long time. Damian went through months of treatment, but unfortunately it didn’t prevent him from becoming sterile.”
Scarlett stands up and begins to pace back and forth, her tears starting to roll down her face. I approach slowly, gently touching her shoulder and pulling her toward me. I hold her tightly, letting her cry against my chest. Telling what Damian went through opened an old wound. I never want to see that sadness in my brother again. Damian deserves to be happy; he needs to set aside the fear of getting hurt and be happy.
“Noah…”
“Scarlett, don’t give up on my brother,” I ask, whispering in her ear. “Damian is just a man who was deeply hurt. He is protecting his heart, but in the process my brother doesn’t see that he is hurting you.”
“I… I want to run after him right now and slap him, at the same time that I want to hold him tight and tell him that I am not the fucking ex. I will never hurt him on purpose. I love him. I have loved him since the moment he looked into my eyes and told me not to be ashamed of who I am. Damian gave me so much without me asking. I won’t give up on my asshole, even if I have to act like the brat he always calls me.”
“I expected nothing less from you.” I kissed her lips.
“Noah.” Scarlett pulled away, looking at me with a little smile at the corner of her lips. “What’s that Chloe’s last name?”
“Why?” I became alert.
“Nothing much, just curiosity.” She shrugged.
“Ward. Chloe Ward.”
“Oh, I’ve never heard of her.” She smiled, kissing me again. “Thank you for sharing this with me. Now I need to take care of a few little things.” She winked as she left the room.
Did I do the right thing by telling Scarlett everything? I hope Damian doesn’t kill me when he finds out about the bullet heading in his direction. I did it thinking about his happiness. I hope my brother understands me and doesn’t see this as a betrayal.