“What have you done!” Mrs Culhane’s screeched.
“Mom, it is not as bad as you think… We just wanted to spend sometime at home-” Damien tried to explain to his mother but she was not having it.
“Do not give me that Damien Culhane! Do not even try it! Why would you call off your honeymoon! Didn’t you think of your innocent wife?”
“Look at her! She is sick and pale because of you!” She barked pacing the room.
“Poor girl would be worried sick!”
Somehow, Mrs Culhane had found out about Damien calling off his honeymoon and she got to the house when Céline had gone unconscious.
“Mom, she is sick because she refused to eat anything. It’s not like-” Damien tried again, but she stopped him.
“Can you listen to yourself young man? Why would she eat when her husband refused to take her to their honeymoon?”
“What were you thinking?” She cried.
Damien knew his mother was dramatic but he didn’t think she would take things this serious.
“Mom, It is just a simple honeymoon and a lot of couples in the world don’t do it-”
“That’s the problem I have with you Damien! You compare yourself to everyone else!” She stated waving her hands in the air for more effect.
“You are my son. You are Damien Culhane and not some persons in the world!” She said firmly.
Damien was already exhausted with the happenings in his life. Having Céline pass out like that was another addition to his stress. He didn’t want anything to happen to her. She might be a liar and a cheat, but deep down he still loved her. Now, his mother was adding to his stress with her bickering and whining about some honeymoon.
“Mom I am sorry, okay. If it makes you feel better, I promise to take her to a real honeymoon this time, whatever you want…” He said, massaging his temples.
The first time he met Céline, he had thought she was going to be the end of him and he was right. Céline was killing him. Everything was happening because of her and he was starting to lose his mind.
“Good. Once she feels better, I am going to personally take you to the pitch and you’ll be using my private jet. I can trust my pilot to take you to your destination!”
“You have already wasted a lot of time… We don’t want you wasting more…” She hissed.
Damien furrowed his brows.
“Time? Wasting time for what mom?”
“For the children!” She clicked her tongue in annoyance and snatched her bag from the couch.
“Where are you going?” Damien asked her.
“To see my daughter-in-law of course.”
Damien followed behind her. He didn’t want his mother going to ask Céline too many questions. There were a lot of things he didn’t want his mom to know yet. Not until he and his friends, finally found prove.
“Oh Elizabeth!” His mother exclaimed as they met with Céline’s aunt in the corridor.
“Kimberley…” The women embraced themselves and held unto each other’s arms.
“Elizabeth I am so sorry this is happening to your niece. My son is a terrible husband but I apologize on his behalf and promise to change him. Céline deserves to be happy…”
Elizabeth couldn’t stare into Mrs Culhane’s eyes. Her focus was fixed on their held hands and Damien couldn’t help but feel something was wrong. When Elizabeth came she had worry lines on her face and even when the doctor had come. But as soon as she finished talking to the doctor there was a twinkle of joy in her blue eyes, that Damien couldn’t place a finger on. But now, the spark was gone. If anything she looked even more worried than when she came.
Was something wrong with Céline?
Unable to stop himself, he left the older women talking and walked faster to Céline’s room. He heard her speak and he wondered who it was because Sarah had left a while after the doctor.
He got to the door and peeked through, he saw Céline clutching her phone.
Damien knew eavesdropping was wrong but he couldn’t stop himself. His marriage depended on whatever piece of information he could get from the conversation she was having.
Ever since he told Céline about what he heard, she had kept herself hidden in the room. She refused to eat or even talk to Sarah or Lucas. She grew paler by the day and Damien got so worried he had to call her aunt to come talk to her. Maybe whatever was going on was deeper than he thought and he didn’t want to be tagged as the guy who lost his wife due to speculation.
When Elizabeth had arrived and found Céline unconscious, he called the doctor, who later assured them that she was fine. She was only dehydrated and needed to eat well.
They had all been taking turns to take care of her until she woke up that afternoon.
“Send me an account where I can send your money John! I am not having sex with you!” Céline snapped with so much anger, Damien immediately understood he had made a mistake.
His legs weakened and he had to rest on the wall to be able to keep standing.
Céline was not a gold-digger. Somebody was threatening her! Some bastard was threatening his wife and all he did was think of her as a cheap cheat!
“Are you going to come in or keep standing there like you have seen a ghost?” His mother’s sharp voice reached him and he had to swallow his tears to avoid more questioning.
He took slow steps into the room, making sure his eyes never met Céline’s. How could he face her after what he had done to her? After the things he had said to her?
She loved him and he broke her. He didn’t believe her, he didn’t even hear her side of the story before condemning her!
“My dear, how are you doing?” His mother sat on the bed where Céline was and held her hands.
“I am… fine.” Céline whispered and Damien felt like her words were knives slicing through her heart.
“Did the doctor say anything? Do you need maybe a special meal? Or protein shake?”
“No, I am- I am fine.”
“You look pale Céline, and I need you to be strong so you can make me grand children.”
From the corner of his eyes, he saw a blush creep unto Céline’s cheeks at his mother’s comment and he almost choked out a cry.
How could he have thought someone so cute, so innocent could ever be a criminal?
“There are some sex styles that require you to be at your hundred percent, so the sperm can travel properly-”
“Mom, stop. You are embarrassing her…”
“How? She is your wife and I am your mother, I am not giving a public speech here, I am talking to my children and all I want is for you to give me grandkids.”
“She should be pregnant by now. Because of you, I have to wait for another extra month!”
“Céline dear, do get better soon and call me as soon as you are ready. I am going to arrange for another honeymoon and this time he will have to take you! Even if it means I tag along, I will..”
Céline nodded shyly at her instructions.
“I have to go now,” she placed a hand on Céline’s cheeks. “Take care child!”
Then she got up to leave. She gave Damien a long glare before leaving and he knew she would do everything in her power to get them to a second honeymoon.
Too ashamed to speak to Céline. Damien left too.
Damien walked straight into his room and locked it.
“Dear lord, what have I done?” He whispered.
His phone suddenly rang making him jump out of his skin.
He checked the caller and his heart skipped another beat. It was the bank officer calling.
“Hello?”
“Sir, your wife has just activated the account. You wanted me to call if she ever did…”
“Oh yes, I did. Thank you. Has she made any withdrawal?”
“She didn’t make a withdrawal, she made a transfer and it was from a different account…”
“What account?” Damien asked to be sure.
He knew the accounting department had opened an account for her, when he had employed her; but the money in there was nothing to write home about. Her salary was barely two thousand dollars and she didn’t work for a long time. How much was she paying this bastard?
“Her salary account…” The bank officer concluded.
“Her salary-” It wasn’t enough. What was going on?
“How much did she transfer?”
“Twenty million dollars sir.”
Céline’s savings for the few months she worked with him before their marriage was not enough to pay that amount of money. Where did she get that kind of money from?
“Can you trace the receiving account and send me their details please,”
“Sir I am sorry but I am already going above the rules here. I can’t-”
“I made those fucking rules and this is my wife you are talking about! Do you want to lose your job?”
“No sir.”
“Then send me the fucking details!”