Damian stormed back into the bedroom, his presence even darker and more menacing than before. Lina, still curled up on the floor, flinched when she heard the door slam shut. Her tear-streaked face lifted toward him, but any hope of mercy vanished when she saw the cold fury in his eyes.
In his hand, he carried a coiled leather whip. The sight of it made Lina’s blood run cold.
“Get up,” Damian commanded, his voice sharp and unyielding.
Lina hesitated, her legs trembling as she struggled to stand. “Damian, please,” she whispered, her voice weak. “I don’t understand”
“You don’t understand?” Damian interrupted, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. He stepped closer, uncoiling the whip as he spoke. “Let me make it clear for you, Lina. You wanted my attention so badly, didn’t you? Throwing yourself at me, scheming against Aurora. Well, congratulations. You’ve got it now.”
Her eyes darted to the whip, then back to his face. “Please, don’t do this,” she begged, taking a step back.
He raised an eyebrow, his expression mocking. “You’re already crying, and I haven’t even started,” he said with a sadistic edge to his voice. “What happened to all that confidence? All that arrogance?”
“Damian, I’m sorry!” Lina cried, her hands clasped together in a desperate plea. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone! I just-”
“You just wanted to get rid of her,” Damian finished for her, his voice dripping with venom. “And now Aurora is lying in a hospital bed, fighting for her life, all because of you.”
Tears streamed down Lina’s face as she shook her head. “I didn’t know it would go this far,” she sobbed. “I didn’t mean for this to happen!”
Damian’s jaw tightened, and he took another step closer, towering over her. “You didn’t mean for it to happen?” he repeated coldly. “You’re a liar, Lina. You’ve always been a liar.”
He pointed the whip at her, his eyes blazing with fury. “Strip,” he ordered.
Lina froze, her eyes wide with shock. “What?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“You heard me,” Damian said, his tone calm but deadly. “Take off your clothes. Since you wanted me so badly, I think it’s only fair you get a taste of what Aurora went through when she first came here.”
Lina’s knees buckled as she collapsed onto the floor, shaking her head. “No, please,” she begged. “Don’t do this. I’m sorry, Damian. I’ll do anything to make it right, but don’t do this.”
Damian’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “You’re sorry?” he said mockingly. “You think sorry is going to fix what you’ve done? Sorry won’t save Aurora, will it?”
“Please,” Lina sobbed, her hands clutching at her dress. “I’ll do anything. Just don’t hurt me.”
Damian laughed bitterly, his voice echoing through the room. “Don’t hurt you?” he said. “That’s funny. You didn’t seem to care about hurting Aurora. Or me. You just wanted to get what you wanted, no matter the cost.”
******************
Lina crawled toward him, her hands clasping his ankle as she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “Damian, I love you,” she said desperately. “I did it for us. I thought if she was gone, you would finally see me-finally want me.”
Damian looked down at her, his expression filled with contempt. He yanked his leg free from her grasp, stepping back as if her touch disgusted him. “Love?” he said coldly. “You don’t know the first thing about love. All you know is manipulation and greed.”
Lina sobbed harder, shaking her head. “I can change,” she said, her voice breaking. “I’ll prove it to you. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Damian’s gaze hardened, and he raised the whip slightly, the leather gleaming in the dim light. “You don’t please me, Lina,” he said, his words like knives. “Your body doesn’t please me. Your presence disgusts me.”
Her cries grew louder as his words cut through her like blades. “Damian, don’t say that,” she whimpered. “Please.”
“Why not?” he shot back. “It’s the truth. You’re nothing to me, Lina. Nothing but a pathetic, selfish little girl who thought she could play with fire and not get burned.”
Lina shook her head frantically, her hands covering her ears as if she could block out his cruel words. “Stop,” she begged. “Please stop.”
But Damian wasn’t done. He stepped closer, his voice lowering to a deadly whisper. “You wanted to ruin Aurora because you couldn’t stand the fact that I cared about her. You wanted to destroy her because you knew you’d never be her.”
“Damian, I”
“Shut up,” he snapped, his eyes blazing. “You’ve done enough talking. Now it’s my turn.”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, dragging her toward the bed. Lina cried out in pain, her sobs filling the room.
“You think you can just cry and beg your way out of this?” Damian said harshly. “You think I’ll forgive you?”
Lina shook her head, her voice trembling. “I’ll do anything,” she repeated. “Please, just don’t hurt me.”
Damian released her roughly, and she stumbled back onto the bed. He stood over her, his expression filled with disgust. “I’m going to make you pay for what you’ve done,” he said coldly. “Every tear Aurora cried, every ounce of pain she felt that’s what you’re going to feel now.”