Damian slammed the front door behind him, his chest heaving as he tried to control the rage boiling inside him. The mansion was eerily quiet, but it wasn’t long before the sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence.
“Damian!” Lina’s cheerful voice echoed through the hall as she appeared at the top of the grand staircase. She was dressed in an elegant silk gown, her makeup perfect, and her face lit up when she saw him. “You’re finally home!”
She rushed down the stairs, a wide smile on her face, her arms outstretched to hug him. But before she could reach him, Damian’s hand shot out, grabbing her by the hair.
“Damian!” she shrieked in surprise and pain, her hands flying to his wrist to try and loosen his grip. “What are you doing?”
“Shut up,” Damian growled, his voice low and deadly. He yanked her head back, forcing her to look up at him. Her smile was gone now, replaced with fear and confusion. “You wanted me, didn’t you? Always throwing yourself at me like a desperate little snake. Well, tonight you’ll get exactly what you’ve been begging for.”
“Damian, please!” Lina cried, tears already streaming down her face. “I don’t understand! What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Damian repeated, his voice filled with venom. He dragged her roughly down the hall toward the bedroom, her heels scraping against the floor as she stumbled to keep up. “You’re the reason Aurora is lying in a hospital bed, fighting for her life. That’s what’s wrong.”
He shoved open the bedroom door with one hand, dragging Lina inside. She struggled against him, her hands clawing at his arm, but his grip on her hair didn’t loosen.
“Damian, you’re hurting me!” she sobbed, her voice shaking. “I didn’t do anything!”
“Didn’t do anything?” Damian snarled, slamming the door shut behind them. He spun her around, forcing her to face him. His eyes burned with anger as he leaned in close, his voice a harsh whisper. “Don’t play innocent with me, Lina. I know exactly what kind of person you are. You’ve been scheming since the day you walked into my life.”
Lina shook her head frantically, her tears smudging her makeup. “I swear, Damian! I didn’t have anything to do with Aurora! it was your father’s idea to sell her off, I don’t even know what happened to her!”
“Liar!” Damian roared, his hand tightening in her hair. “You’ve hated her since the moment you saw her. You couldn’t stand the thought of her being in my life, so you had her sold off like she was nothing!”
“I didn’t” Lina started, but Damian cut her off.
“Shut up!” he snapped, dragging her closer to the bed. He shoved her down onto the mattress, towering over her as she curled up, trembling with fear.
“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” Damian said, his voice dripping with contempt. “Always acting like the perfect wife-to-be, always trying to get me to notice you. Well, congratulations, Lina. You have my attention now.”
Lina sobbed, shaking her head. “I only wanted to make you happy, Damian,” she said, her voice barely audible. “I wanted us to be together.”
“Happy?” Damian said with a bitter laugh. “You think this is happiness? Watching Aurora suffer because of you? Knowing that you’re the reason she might not wake up?”
“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!” Lina cried, her hands clutching the sheets. “I didn’t want her to get hurt! I just… I just wanted her gone.”
Damian’s jaw tightened, his hands balling into fists. “You wanted her gone, and now look what’s happened. She’s lying in a coma, barely hanging on, and it’s all because of you.”
“I didn’t know!” Lina sobbed. “I didn’t know they would hurt her! I thought they would just… keep her away from you!”
Damian leaned down, grabbing her by the chin and forcing her to look at him. “You thought wrong,” he said coldly. “And now you’re going to pay for it.”
“Please, Damian,” Lina begged, her voice trembling. “I’ll do anything. Just don’t hurt me.”
Damian’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Anything, huh?” he said. “That’s funny, because that’s exactly what Aurora said when she was begging for her life. And you know what? She didn’t deserve any of this. But you? You deserve every second of what’s coming to you.”
Lina’s sobs grew louder as Damian released her chin and stepped back, his chest rising and falling with deep, angry breaths.
“Get up,” he ordered, his voice sharp.
Lina hesitated, her eyes wide with fear.
“I said, get up!” Damian barked, his voice echoing through the room.
She scrambled to her feet, her legs shaking so badly she could barely stand. Damian grabbed her wrist and yanked her toward him, his eyes blazing with anger.
“You think you can manipulate me?” he hissed. “You think you can play your little games and get away with it? You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
Lina shook her head, her voice desperate. “Damian, please! I’ll do whatever you want! Just forgive me!”
“Forgive you?” Damian repeated, his voice filled with disbelief. “You don’t deserve forgiveness. You deserve to feel every ounce of pain you’ve caused.”
“I didn’t mean it!” Lina cried, her tears falling freely. “I didn’t know it would go this far!”
Damian’s grip on her wrist tightened, making her wince. “You didn’t know?” he said mockingly. “Well, now you know exactly what your actions have caused. And trust me, Lina, this is only the beginning.”
He shoved her away, watching as she stumbled and fell to the floor. She curled up, her sobs filling the room, but Damian didn’t care. His heart was too filled with rage and guilt to feel anything but contempt for her.
“This is your fault,” he said, his voice low and venomous. “Aurora’s blood is on your hands. And if she dies, so will you.”
Lina looked up at him, her face pale and streaked with tears. “Damian, please,” she whispered. “I’ll fix it. I’ll do whatever it takes. Just don’t hate me.”
Damian stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he turned and walked toward the door.
“I already hate you,” he said without looking back.
The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Lina alone with her guilt and her tears.