SUGGESTION

***DAMIAN***

Celine looked at me, her eyes piercing me with an intensity that almost made me flinch. Her voice was calm, but with a sharpness that brooked no contradiction.

“Have you ever really talked about it, Damian?” she asked, and her words were like a dagger that pierced deep into my insides. “Have you ever listened to why he really left?”

My breath caught in my throat, the anger inside of me flared up like a fire that I hadn’t been able to extinguish for years. “What does it matter?” I snarled, my voice dark and dangerous. “He left. He left me behind. That’s all that matters.”

Celine took a step towards me, her eyes glowing with determination. “No, Damian! That’s not all that matters! Maybe you never knew the truth. Maybe it could have all turned out differently if you had just asked him!”

I turned away from her, took a few steps across the room, my jaw tensed, my hands clenched into fists. The darkness inside me seethed, the memories were like ghosts that seemed to never stop haunting me. “You don’t understand, Celine,” I finally said, my voice hoarse. “There is nothing to say. Nothing that can undo what he did.”

“And you?” Her voice was sharp like a blade piercing my back. “What about what you did, Damian? You carry just as much darkness as he does.”

I spun around, my eyes narrowing, my voice a dangerous rumble. “He betrayed me, Celine! He left me in hell while he saved himself! And you’re telling me that was his damn plan, to save me?”

Celine stopped, her posture unwavering, even though I could feel how hard she was fighting her own emotions. “Yes, Damian,” she said calmly, but with emphasis. “Maybe it was. Maybe he wasn’t strong enough to save you both. Maybe he thought that if he left, he could make a difference. But you don’t know. Because you never asked him.”

The words hung in the air, heavy and inescapable. My breathing quickened, the darkness inside me raging, and yet there was a small part of me that knew she was right. I had never asked. I had never given Jax a chance to explain his side.

“You have to talk, Damian,“ Celine said, her voice softening but not losing its urgency. ’You can’t carry this anger with you forever. It will consume you. Both of you.”

I laughed bitterly, a hollow, cold sound that echoed through the room. ’Talk?” I scoffed. “To Jax? You really think that will change anything?”

Celine stepped closer, her hand lightly on my arm, a gesture that surprised and reassured me at the same time. “Maybe not. But maybe it will give you answers, Damian. Answers you need to move on.”

I looked at her, my gaze cold, but inside me a storm raged that almost tore me apart. “And if I don’t want to hear what he has to say?” I whispered, my voice raw with doubt.

“Then you will never be truly free,” she said softly, her eyes seeking mine, full of warmth and determination. ”And you know that, Damian.”

The silence between us was suffocating, but her words echoed in my head like an echo that refused to fade away. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was time to face the shadows I had avoided for so long. But could I really do that?

Celine stood before me, her eyes burning with determination, her voice firm but laced with a soft urgency that tore at me. She stepped closer, her hands raised slightly in front of her, as if to calm me, while I raged inside. I was a storm, she was the only thing stopping me from tearing everything down.

“Damian,” she began softly, her voice had a pleading undertone that hit me more than I would ever admit. ”Please... At least try. Do it for me, okay?”

Her words broke through the darkness in my head, like a sudden flash of lightning that dissolved the shadows for a moment. For her? For her I would tear down the world. But talking? With Jax? The thought was like poison spreading through my veins.

“Celine...” My voice was rough, almost a growl, as I shook my head, trying to suppress the anger that was rising in me. ”You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

“Yes, Damian,“ she replied, her voice becoming more insistent as she stepped closer. ’I know exactly what I’m asking. I’m asking you to be strong. Not for him, but for me. For us.”

The word ’us” hung heavily in the air. It was a promise, a damned promise, that I couldn’t ignore. Her closeness, the warmth of her voice – it broke the walls I had built around myself. But the anger, the darkness, was still there, lurking, ready to crush any attempt.

“You don’t understand,” I growled, my hands clenching into fists, my fingernails cutting into my palms. ”There is nothing to say, Celine.”

“Maybe he suffered just as much,” she replied, her voice now sharper, almost challenging. ”Maybe he never stopped hating himself for it, Damian. But you’ll never know unless you listen to him.”

I laughed bitterly, a cold, cutting sound. “Listen?” I scoffed. “What is he supposed to say, Celine? That he had no choice? That he did it for us? Those words mean nothing.”

“Then find out!” Her voice broke, but her eyes glistened with unyielding strength. “You’re better than this, Damian. I know you are. You can hate him, you can damn him, but give him a chance to speak. Just once. For me.”

I looked at her, her eyes piercing me as if she could see into the darkest corners of my being. For her. It was always for her. My teeth ground, my breath heavy as I fought the internal storm that threatened to consume me.

“Celine...” I finally whispered, my voice little more than a rasp. ’If I do this, it’s for you. Not for him. Not for me. For you.”

Her lips curved into a slight smile, but her eyes were wet, full of unspoken emotion. ’That’s all I ask, Damian. Thank you.”

I turned away, my eyes fixed on the darkness outside. Talking. That was a fight I didn’t want to win. But for her... for her I would try. But the darkness inside me whispered something else: Sometimes a conversation ends in blood.

Celine suddenly stood before me, closer than I had expected, her eyes sparkling with determination. Her breathing quickened, and her posture was straight, almost defiant. Then it came – the words that hit me like a slap in the face.

“Give me your phone,” she demanded, her voice firm, cold and unyielding. ”I’m calling him.”

I stared at her, my gaze growing sharper, darker. For a moment, I thought I hadn’t heard her right. But the seriousness in her eyes left no doubt. “What did you just say?” I growled, my voice a dangerous rumble that made the air between us heavy.

“You heard me, Damian,” she replied, unblinking. ”Give me your damn cell phone. I’ll call Jax.”

Part of me admired her courage. The other part? It was ready to lose control. My jaw tightened, the darkness inside me seethed, my hands clenched into fists. “You think I’ll just let you talk to him?” I asked, my voice low but with a dangerous edge to it. “Have you lost your mind?”

Celine stepped closer, not intimidated by my threatening attitude. Her gaze pierced mine as if she wanted to challenge the darkness within me. “If you don’t do it, Damian, I will do it myself,” she said, her voice didn’t even tremble. “I’m not waiting any longer for you to decide. There’s more at stake here than just you.”

“More than me?“ I spat, my voice rising, becoming rougher.

“Yes, exactly, it’s about our family! And you?” she asked, her eyes flashing dangerously. “Do you want to protect me, Damian? By wallowing in your hatred and doing nothing? That won’t help anyone.”

I took a step towards her, the tension between us was palpable, almost explosive. “This is not your fight, Celine,” I hissed.

“This is not just your past, Damian!” Her voice was loud now, penetrating. ”It’s my family too! My damn truth! You can’t keep everything to yourself and expect me to stay quiet.”

I stood still, my chest rising and falling heavily. Her words hit me, but I couldn’t let go of control. Not now. “You don’t know what you’re asking for, Celine,” I finally said, my voice low but dangerous.

“Yes, I do, Damian,” she replied, and she held out her hand, demanding, unyielding. ”I demand that you give me your cell phone. Let me call him. Let me open this damn door that you don’t want to open.”

For a moment, everything was silent. The darkness inside me fought against the unwavering determination in her eyes. Then, reluctantly, with a quiet curse, I took the phone out of my pocket and put it in her hand. “If you do this,” I said softly, my voice dark, a promise, “then be prepared for what’s coming.”

She nodded slowly, without taking her eyes off me, while she unlocked the cell phone. There was nothing I could do but watch her dial the number. And deep inside me, I knew – this call would change everything.

I sat down heavily on the chair next to the bed, my hands running through my hair, which was damp with sweat. The thought had come like a phantom, sharp and fleeting, barely tangible: chains. To tie her to this bed, to prevent the call. The idea flickered hot and uninvited, made my fist crash on the armrest. I couldn’t... I couldn’t.

“Celine,“ I began, my voice hoarse with tension. She still had the cell phone in her hand, ready to dial his number . Her eyes, as deep and endless as the abyss I carried within me, slowly wandered to me.

“What?” Her voice was cool, almost a whisper, yet sharp enough to cut me.

“You can’t just call him,” I forced out, my fingers clutching the back of the chair as if it were my only salvation from the abyss into which I could plunge.

She sat up a little straighter, her gaze full of defiance. ”And who decides that? You?”

Her laughter was bitter, a weapon that pierced my chest. I felt the darkness rising in me, like a wild animal tearing at its chains. I wanted to hold her back, to force her to give up. But I had done enough to her.

“Celine,” I whispered, suppressing the harshness from my voice, ”this isn’t right.”

“Celine, please...” I whispered, but she had already dialed his number and disappeared into the next room.