For the first time in her lifetime, Devon is smoking a cigarette while in deep thought. Now that she got all her memories back, she’s cruising down the memory lane.
Looking back, her life seemed to be uneventful. Being the sheltered princess of the Farrows family, she experienced almost nothing in her adolescence. Thanks to that, she’s quite ignorant in dealing with more complicated emotions and situations.
Now Daemon came into her life and suddenly, she’s been pushed into the real cruel world that treated her harshly. She’s been rejected, abused, almost killed, lost her child, forgot her own memories, almost raped. She’s experienced it all and it sucks. So much.
“Can you light me up?”
With an open mouth, she looked up to find Henry holding out a cigarette at her. She nodded and reached for the lighter by his side and gave it to him. He chuckled and sat beside her taking in the lighter and lighting up his cigarette at the same time.
“I didn’t know you smoke,” he broke the awkward silence between them.
“I didn’t know that I smoke too.” She ticked off the ashes to the ground. “I felt like this is the best thing to do right now.”
They fell silent again. They’re just there, peacefully sitting on the bench watching the flowers in the garden.
She originally wanted to be alone but Henry’s presence is tolerable enough.
“You seemed to have changed,” he said when he finished another stick. “You have become stronger,” he commented and smiled charmingly at her. “You’ve gotten pretty good at being a mafia’s wife.”
She shrugged and gave up on her cigarette. This isn’t meant for her. Maybe alcohol but she wanted to remain sober for later. “Everything changes, Henry. Everybody changes.”
“Including your feelings for Daemon?”
They both looked at each other, him waiting hopefully for an answer while she fell dead silent analyzing her feelings.
Finally, she shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Why is that?” she asked but her mind is somewhere else. It’s on her husband who surprisingly stayed in the whole house after they argued.
It’s a miracle considering how often he stayed outside for his business. Is he finally changing for her and Emily?
She sucked in for breath when tears pooled in her eyes. Her poor baby. Her Emily. She must have been looking for her scent all these years. What would she look like now? She bet, she’ll be pretty as always just like the baby she used to rock in her arms.
Right! It’s Henry who had been with them before the accident happened. She turned to him to ask about it but she’s much more shocked when she found his face slowly lowering into hers trying to kiss her.
She pushed him away and slapped him on the face before standing up. “What the hell?! What are you doing?!”
“I like you,” he confessed and tried to touch her hand but she immediately backtracked.
“Who’s asking? Henry, you’re my friend. What you’re doing is wrong.”
He fell silent but his eyes remained on her.
“Does my husband know about this?”
“He did.”
She sighed and took another stick of cigarette. Her stress levels shoot up again. Why does he have to do this to her?
“Your husband is an asshole. He lured you in and married you for his own revenge. Why are you still staying loyal to him when he obviously plays out with Maddy?”
“I know that,” she said quietly.
“You know that and still you stayed with him?” Henry gasped ridiculously.
“Why?” Devon raised her brows at him. “You think I’m being too pathetic right now? What a pitiful woman letting her husband cheat on her so maybe I can also convince her to cheat on him. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
Henry clenched his jaws. “I know he didn’t like Emily because she’s a girl. Devon, if you like someone like him then you seriously have a problem with your head.”
It’s her turn to laugh insultingly. “Look who’s talking. You’re worse than me for serving him this long. And who should I like? You? Why? What makes you any better than Daemon? You’re in the same business as him.”
She threw the cigarette butt on the ground and turned her back on him but he managed to catch her arm.
“If you change your mind, you can always come to me, Devon. I’ll show you how to be properly taken care of by a man.”
She just pulled her arm back and hurriedly went back into the house only to stop on her feet when she saw Daemon in front of her obviously looking at them earlier.
Sighing, she walked past him. There’s no need to be conscious or worried. She didn’t do anything wrong.
“I’m sorry.”
His words stopped her again. She looked at him with a blank expression on her face.
“You saw that?” she still asked.
He nodded. Devon smirked bitterly.
“I’m unlike you, Daemon. I respect this marriage even if you don’t.”
He released a sigh. “I know you’re not tempted.”
She doesn’t know how to react so she just lets out an empty laugh. “If I’m going to involve myself with other men, I’ll make sure first to end things with you. I’ll ask for a divorce.”
Alarmed, his hand went from my arm into my hand and gripped it warmly. “I’m not going to allow that. You’ll stay with me, Devon. Please. Give me a chance, please. One last chance to make it work.”
“I’m getting really tired of this shit. One time, we’re okay and then the next thing, you give me another reason to doubt about where this relationship is going. One day I’m okay, the next day I’m not. I don’t know how to feel anymore. I’m even doubting myself. I don’t know what to feel with you anymore.”
He slowly loosened his clasp on her hand but the determination on his face further intensified.
“I’m not going to lose you this time, Devon. I know better than to let you go.”
She clenched her fists even tighter. “You’re selfish, Daemon. You always have been.”