CHAPTER FIFTEEN

It was beginning to be a normal thing for Lauren to wake up in the morning, disoriented and with a headache. She fumbled around in the bed, patting the other side of the bed but it was empty. That only meant that Nathan was already out for work.

She stood up and took the aspirin that he always left for her beside the bed. She still felt foggy afterward, feeling like she was supposed to remember something but her memory came up blank.

She hit the side of her head lightly like it would help her recall. “Why am I forgetting so much lately?” She whined as she got out of the bed. She went straight into the bathroom and showered.

When she was done, she got dressed and went into the kitchen where she saw that breakfast was already spread out and covered. She opened the lid to reveal freshly made omelets, pancakes, and another meal that couldn’t remember the name, laced with lots of syrup.

That was very thoughtful of Nathan, she thought. She couldn’t understand exactly why he was suddenly being super nice to her but if breakfast every morning and having to sleep in was what she got then she was willing to take it.

She finished the food in a matter of minutes, wondering why she ate so much. She just couldn’t stop. She was rinsing out the plates when she remembered what she was forgetting. She was supposed to call Damien back.

Drying her hands with a towel she went to the sitting room where she had left her phone and picked it up. She was about to dial his number when his call came in.

“I was just about to call you,” she said into the phone when she connected the call.

“Well, it was time you did,” Damien said.

She paused, there was something wrong with his voice. It felt detached and hoarse like he had been screaming. It also lost that deep bass that it had that always turned her on in the mornings. She shook her head. That was inappropriate.

“Did you lose your voice?” she asked.

“That’s not why I called.”

“OH,” she wondered what made him sound so downcast, so not full of life.

“He’s dead,” he said quietly. she was barely able to hear him but she did anyway and her breath hitched as she processed what he said.

“Who’s dead?” she asked, her heart beating fast.

“You know who Lauren. I know I promised to bring him back to you but…I was a moment too late—” He broke off, unable to keep his speech going as tears clogged his throat.

“Who Damien! Who died?” she asked, her heart waiting silently from his reply.

“Harry,” he finally said after a moment of silence between them both. None of them, spoke after he answered. A deadly silence blanketing their conversation as Lauren struggled to comprehend what he was saying.

“You… you mean my Harry is dead?” she stuttered. Her eyes darted around the room as she felt like the walls were closing in on her.

“You promised,” she whispered into the phone. “You promised to bring him back to me safe,” she said quietly. “You fucking promised!” she finally yelled.

Damien said nothing, he had expected this. She was supposed to react like this. Lauren felt like throwing up all the contents of her stomach, was that why she had had an unsettling feeling these past days.

Her little Harry, who had only just got to know his real father. Her sadness soon turned to anger. She gripped the phone like her life depended on it and spoke.

“If you didn’t come into our lives, Harry would still be alive! You killed my son! He was barely even two, his birthday is coming up in two months, did you know that?” she yelled, unable to stop herself or wonder how her words would hurt him.

“I trusted you! That you would bring him back safely to me, and what did you do? You broke that trust, killed him even. I do hope that you rot in jail Damien. I hope that Nathan takes you away as he did to my precious baby!” she yelled.

She slammed her phone on the ground when he didn’t speak or reply to any of her accusations. It angered her the more. She jumped on her phone, destroying it in the process. It was the stupid device that let her know the life full of pain that she was now doomed to live.

She flung what was left of her phone to the wall, killing whatever chance of survival that she’d had. She was utterly livid and helpless.

When she had nothing left to throw, she sat down on the floor and cried her eyes out. Harry’s bright green eyes haunted her mind, his little delete fingers that she kissed every morning. the way he played with his food when he thought she wasn’t looking. How was she going to live her life knowing that she was already gone?

The door opened but she made no move to see who it was. She just sat there, unmoving. She had no more will to live, it was like the life had been snuffed out of her the moment she lost her child.

“Lauren,” came Nathan’s voice, approaching her with caution when he saw the state she was in. She still didn’t answer him.

“Lauren,” he called again, squatting in front of her so he was at eye level with her.

His face made something in Lauren’s snap. “It was you,” she said, her voice low and rough from crying.

“I did what?” he asked, using his thumb to clear the tearing residue that was under her eyes. She pushed his hand away.

“Don’t touch me,” she warned, glaring at him with so much anger and hatred in her heart.

“What did I do?” he asked again, patiently waiting for her to speak.

She looked at him in the eye and spoke, “I know that you killed Harry. I know all you’ve been doing to keep I and Damien apart.” Her brain screamed for her to stop as she was posed to danger being alone with him in the house.

“Why would you think that?” he asked, holding a hand to his chest as if he was hurt by what she said.

“Oh, spare me that crap! I know you made a clone of us. The break-up at the hospital, that wasn’t real. I know everything, I know how you made his clone come here to take Harry away! Why would you kill such an innocent kid who had no hand in whatever stupid game of yours you’re playing?” she spat in his face.

“Aren’t you the bold one?” he said, grabbing her jaw roughly.

“So you’re out to play now huh? After your cover has been busted,” she said, baring her teeth at him in anger. He held his hand and tugged but they remained on his jaw.

“Don’t test my patience, girl,” Nathan said, in a voice that was deep and wasn’t anything like the Nathan she had married. Of course, he was faking that too.

“Or you’ll do what, kill me?” she retorted. He smiled at her before releasing her jaw before she rubs the now sore skin, he slapped her cheek. She reeled over from the force, tears stinging in his eyes.

“Did you just…” she trailed off, unable to bring herself to ask the question.

“And I’ll do it again honey,” he said, too sweet that it made Lauren gag. She held the side of her face that he had struck.

“Damien would never strike a woman!” she said with so much disgust in her voice.

He laughed. Certainly not the reaction that she had been expecting from him, “What did you do to him?” she asked, knowing that Nathan had another trick up his sleeve.

He touched her jaw lightly but she flinched anyway, the movement making her cheek hurt “Let’s just say he wouldn’t be able to do anything of that sort,” he said and winked at her.

Lauren felt her blood recoil “What did you do?” She screamed this time.

He laughed like he was just watching a comedy show “I don’t know how to put it into words darling…” he started “So I’ll show you instead.” He held out his hand to her. “Come.”

She glared at him and ignored his outstretched hand and stood up by herself. He chuckled but said nothing and led her to the dining table, the only place that was clear of broken glass and evidence of Lauren’s meltdown.

He pulled out an iPad, Lauren eyeing him with suspicion.

“Now what you’re about to see my love, is a show I’ve spent so much time and money trying to perfect. I promise the idea is genius and you’ll love it,” he said and laughed, clapping at his performance.

He gave the device and pressed play on the screen. For a while, it was just Damien’s house that was in view.

“You’re stalking him?” she asked, disbelief marring her tone.

“Shhhh,” he said, putting his finger over his lip, “keep watching.”

Despite the uneasy feeling in her stomach she kept on watching. A figure clad in black with a mask entered the house. That was when Lauren knew that something bad was about to happen.

For a few minutes nothing happened, there was no sound coming from inside the house so she sighed, there was no sense of struggle. Just when she relaxed with a smug smile the house exploded making a loud boom sound as everything went up in flames.

She watched, watched, and waiting. This was just an edited video. Damien was inside his house, probably having a shower or lying around and sulking for his lost child. It had to be one of those.

She was wrong, when the smoked settled, all that was left of the house was debris and from there Lauren could smell the destruction and death.

“No,” she wanted to say, but no words came out. She just sat there staring at the device in her hand and Nathan stared at her.

“You didn’t think I was going to leave him alone, did you?” Nathan whispered into her ear but Lauren didn’t hear. If she thought she felt pain after hearing of Harry’s demise, then what she felt now was worse than hell. She wouldn’t even wish this on her worst enemy.

In the entire world, she had nothing left. The little light that would have shone into her life had been snuffed out and all that remained of her was darkness. Pure undiluted darkness, the kind that consumed and ate you whole.

“Kill me then,” she said, her voice a mere whisper to Nathan. “Just end my life as you did theirs,” she pleaded. “I have nothing left to live for.”