Damian sat in the darkness of his study, his mind heavy with thoughts. The room was silent except for the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. His fingers drummed against the edge of the desk, his jaw clenched tightly as memories began to flood his mind.
Taylor. The name had always been like poison to him, a name tied to pain and loss. Damian leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling as the weight of the past pressed down on him.
The massacre.
He could still see it clearly, even after all these years. He was just a boy then, no older than 12, when it happened.
He closed his eyes, the images playing in his mind like a horrible movie. His sister, Clara, had been so full of life. She had a laugh that could light up the darkest room, and she was his protector, his guide. Clara was everything to him.
And then she was gone.
Damian’s fists clenched, his knuckles turning white as the memory of that night resurfaced. The screams. The blood. The lifeless body of his sister lying in the middle of their home.
He shook his head, trying to push the images away, but they refused to leave. “Taylor,” he muttered, his voice filled with anger.
Taylor was responsible. Damian didn’t need proof; he knew it in his bones. Taylor’s men had attacked his family, killing Clara in cold blood. She had been innocent, unarmed, but that didn’t matter to them.
“I wanted to kill him,” Damian said to himself, his voice shaking with emotion. “I wanted to make him pay for what he did to her.”
He remembered the rage he felt as a boy, the way he had begged his father to let him join the fight. But his father had refused, telling him he was too young, too reckless.
“You’ll get your revenge one day,” his father had said. “But not now.”
Damian scoffed at the memory, his fingers gripping the edge of the desk. “And now, here I am,” he muttered. “In love with the daughter of the man who destroyed my family.”
He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “What kind of cruel joke is this?”
He thought about Aurora, her soft eyes and gentle smile. She had no idea about the blood that tied their families together. She didn’t know that her father was the reason he had grown up without his sister, the reason his heart had been filled with so much anger and hatred for so many years.
“She’s innocent,” Damian said softly, his voice breaking. “She has nothing to do with what Taylor did. She’s not like him.”
But no matter how much he tried to separate her from her father, the truth remained: Aurora was Taylor’s blood.
Damian ran a hand through his hair, his frustration boiling over. “How am I supposed to live with this?” he asked himself. “How am I supposed to love her, knowing where she comes from?”
He stood abruptly, pacing the room. His thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of it all.
“Taylor killed my sister,” he said aloud, his voice filled with anger. “He took her from me, and now I’m supposed to raise his grandchild? To build a life with his daughter?”
The idea felt impossible, like a betrayal of Clara’s memory. But at the same time, he couldn’t imagine a life without Aurora.
Damian stopped pacing, leaning against the desk as he stared down at the floor. “I’ve waited years to make Taylor suffer,” he said quietly. “I’ve dreamed of the day I’d finally make him pay for what he did.”
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “But now… I don’t know.”
Aurora’s face flashed in his mind, her laughter ringing in his ears. She was nothing like her father. She was kind, caring, and brave.
“She’s different,” Damian said, his voice softer now. “She’s not responsible for his sins.”
But the anger inside him refused to die. Part of him still wanted revenge, still wanted to see Taylor brought to his knees.
“How do I choose?” he asked himself, his voice filled with pain. “How do I love her without hating him?”
He sat back down, burying his face in his hands. The war inside him was exhausting, and he didn’t know how much longer he could fight it.
For years, his hatred for Taylor had been his driving force. It had shaped him, hardened him, and given him purpose. But now, his love for Aurora was challenging everything he thought he knew.
“She’s carrying my child,” Damian said quietly. “My family. My future.”
He looked up, his eyes narrowing as a new determination filled him. “I’ll protect her,” he said firmly. “No matter what.”
But as he sat there, the memory of Clara’s lifeless body lingered in the back of his mind, a reminder of the man who had taken everything from him.
“Taylor,” Damian muttered, his voice filled with resolve. “You’ll answer for what you did. But I won’t let your sins destroy Aurora’s life.”
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as the weight of his past and his present pressed down on him.
“Clara,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “I hope you can for
give me.”
And with that, Damian closed his eyes, bracing himself for the battles ahead.