Chapter 184 184
Three days passed after that dreadful night.
On the surface, Jacqueline behaved as though nothing had happened. She laughed as usual, talked even more than she normally did, and carried herself with an exaggerated cheerfulness as if she were determined to convince everyone, including herself, that she was perfectly fine.
But beneath that bright act, there was something else.
She was keeping a careful, deliberate distance from Damien.
And it was slowly driving him insane.
Most of her time was now spent in the kitchen with Sofía. After what had happened that night, Sofía had quietly asked Damien not to take Jacqueline back to the two-story house. It was clear the girl needed people around her. The more voices, the more company, the fewer chances her mind would wander back to those terrible memories.
And staying close to her meant they could make sure that night would never repeat itself.
Yet Jacqueline herself felt the opposite.
Ever since that night, she had wanted nothing more than to leave this place.
Everyone here had seen it.
They had witnessed her at her weakest broken, panicking, unraveling in a way she had never allowed anyone to see before.
Though they all behaved as though nothing unusual had happened, Jacqueline knew better. They were pretending. Behind their calm expressions, she knew there was sympathy.
And she hated that.
What bothered her most wasn’t their pity.
It was Damien.
She didn’t want him being kind to her simply because he felt sorry for her. She couldn’t stand the idea of him comforting her out of pity.
For so long she had fought to keep that part of herself hidden to bury the pain and continue spreading smiles and laughter around her.
But she had failed.
Now they all knew what she truly carried inside her.
Agony.
Sorrow.
“Wanna tag along?”
Jacqueline turned to see Charlotte standing beside her in the kitchen.
“Where to?” she asked.
“The garden,” Charlotte replied casually. “The weather feels romantic. I’m single, you’re single. Let’s drink coffee.”
She wiggled her eyebrows playfully.
Jacqueline stared at her with wide eyes.
This was the first time she had seen Charlotte act so lively and mischievous.
“Well then,” Jacqueline said, winking at her. “Let’s go, darling.”
They both burst into laughter and headed outside together. The cook had already started preparing their coffee as they wandered into the garden.
The weather was peaceful cool and slightly crisp. The fresh air felt soothing.
Jacqueline glanced down at the bandages wrapped around her arms.
When Mathieu had first seen them, the boy had panicked terribly. She had been immensely relieved when Damien stepped in.
He had taken Mathieu away and spoken to him privately. Jacqueline didn’t know what he had said, but afterward the boy stopped asking questions.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t worried.
Mathieu had barely left her side since.
And Damien…
He had been unusually gentle. Concerned.
Too concerned.
Why?
Just because he had seen her break down?
She didn’t like it.
That was why she had started avoiding him.
So far, she had managed to ignore him successfully even though she knew he wanted to talk to her. He would want answers. He would want her to open up about what had happened.
And she couldn’t do that.
The irony wasn’t lost on her. She wanted the exact same thing from him.
By now, Damien had clearly noticed the way she was ignoring him and judging by his expression lately, it was getting on his nerves.
Thinking back, things had been different before the panic attack.
It had almost seemed like Damien was ready to give them a chance.
The memory made her cheeks warm.
The way he had touched her that night… the way he had undone her completely…
And she had touched him too.
She had brought him pleasure.
They never even spoke about that night afterward because everything had turned so ugly.
Sometimes she couldn’t stop wondering what might have happened if she hadn’t had that panic attack.
Would Damien have talked to her about it?
Or would he have simply walked away without a word, like the unpredictable, bipolar jerk he sometimes seemed to be?
“What are you thinking about?” Charlotte asked suddenly.
Jacqueline blinked and returned to the present moment.
“Nothing,” she muttered, staring down at the grass.
Then Charlotte asked abruptly, “What do you think about witches?”
Jacqueline frowned.
“They… don’t exist?” she replied uncertainly, confusion written all over her face.
Charlotte forced a quick smile.
“Of course they uh don’t exist… yeah…” she said awkwardly before quickly adding, “What about vampires?”
Jacqueline stared at her like she had just said something ridiculous.
“You know your brother was kidnapped by an assassin named Noël,” Jacqueline began dramatically. “Dominique had sent him to bring Damien back.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened in curiosity.
“And you know what your brother told me?” Jacqueline continued.
Charlotte waited expectantly.
“He said Noël was a vampire and that I should run for my life,” Jacqueline said with exaggerated seriousness before snorting. “But guess what? I saw right through that lie.”
Charlotte watched her with wide, slightly alarmed eyes while forcing an awkward laugh.
“Vampires? Seriously? Haha…”
Jacqueline laughed as well.
Charlotte hesitated before asking carefully, “What about… werewolves?”
Jacqueline raised an eyebrow.
“They’re not real either,” she said. “Why are you asking me all these fantasy questions?”
Charlotte tilted her head thoughtfully.
“I think they’re all real.”
Jacqueline narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Don’t tell me you’ve actually met some supernatural creature,” she teased.
Charlotte immediately looked flustered.
“I uh no…” she stammered, avoiding Jacqueline’s gaze.
Jacqueline squinted at her.
“Wait a second… why are you acting nervous?”
Before Charlotte could respond, a deep voice echoed from behind them.
“Jacq.”
Both girls froze.
They slowly turned around.
Jacqueline had already sensed his presence before seeing him. She inhaled quietly the moment their eyes met then immediately looked away.
“Come,” Damien said.
The authority in his voice was unmistakable.
Jacqueline’s head snapped toward him again.
“Where?” she asked stiffly.
He looked completely serious.
“You’ll see.”
He stepped aside slightly, clearly expecting her to walk toward him.
But Jacqueline didn’t move.
She stayed exactly where she was, staring back at him.
Deep down, fear stirred inside her. She knew he wanted to confront her about that night and she wasn’t ready for that.
He had seen her at her worst.
“I… I already promised Charlotte we’d have a girls’ dinner date,” she blurted quickly. “I can’t come.”
Charlotte turned to stare at her in disbelief.
Jacqueline barely noticed.
Her attention snapped back to Damien when he suddenly stepped closer.
His large, warm hand closed around her smaller, colder one.
He intertwined their fingers firmly.
When his olive-green eyes met hers, Jacqueline forced herself to breathe normally.
“You’re coming with me,” Damien said.
And this time, it wasn’t a request.