Damien pov
I frowned as I looked at the envelope that had just arrived in the mail, scoffing before tossing it to the ground. Reaching for my cup of black coffee, I took a long gulp.
“Oh my God, Damien, isn’t that hot?” Caelina gasped, rushing over to check on me. Her hand reached for my face, but I caught it, forcing a smile before pressing a soft kiss to the back of her hand.
“I’m okay, baby. You are really caring. Whenever something happens, you are always here to check on me,” I chuckled.
Her face turned red in an instant, and she playfully smacked my shoulder. “What are you saying? You just drank hot coffee and now you’re spouting nonsense,” she scolded, though the blush spreading across her face gave her away.
I smiled as I admired her for a brief moment, taking in her soft features-the way her eyes sparkled whenever she blushed, the way her cute little ears turned red so easily, and the way her smile stretched effortlessly whenever she was near me.
This woman-Caelina-was my first love. The woman I had wanted to marry from the moment I first saw her on campus, standing under the rain, sharing her umbrella with me. We had run together, laughing without a care in the world.
That night, I knew she was mine. I knew I was going to make her my wife.
The same night we met, I took her home, and we made love. I could still remember her expression the next morning when she woke up and realized we were both naked. The way she had scrambled for her clothes, apologizing and trying to leave-it still brought a smile to my face. But I didn’t let her go. I had already decided-she was mine. And from that moment on, I declared her as my girlfriend.
Everything felt perfect when I was with her. Whenever she was near me, I was freed from the burdens that came with being the heir to the Laurent Corporation-freed from the suffocating presence of high society. With her, it was as if I existed in a different world entirely. She made me realize how simple life could be if we just let go of our worries. She made me feel… loved. Not the hollow, conditional love from those who only saw my wealth, but something real.
But then everything shattered when that woman came into the picture.
Valentina.
Our parents had wanted us to get married-an arranged marriage, something all too common in high society, where the children of the wealthy were bound together without even knowing each other. It was pathetic if you asked me. Marriage should be built on love, just like what Cealina and I shared, not treated as some dumb business deal.
That was why I had refused when my father first brought up the proposal. I told him I had someone else, that I would rather die than leave Cealina. But my father had been furious. To him, Cealina was a commoner, unworthy of bearing the Laurent name. So he threatened to strip me of my inheritance if I didn’t agree to marry Valentina.
At the time, I told him to go ahead-because to me, love was far more important than money. Love could change the world. Money couldn’t.
But to my surprise, the very next day, my father told me that Cealina had accepted the money I had dismissed so easily. And that she left me.
According to him, he said,
“Just because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you don’t realize the importance of money. Why would you, when you’ve always had everything at your disposal? That so-called ‘dirty money’ you turned your nose up at-she took it without a second thought. That greedy girl didn’t even hesitate!”
No, it had to be a lie.
Caelina would never do that to me-not when I was willing to give up everything for her. But she wasn’t answering my calls anymore. She had stopped coming to school entirely. She had really… disappeared.
Was Father right? Was money truly more important than love?
But it didn’t matter anymore. In the end, I had married the woman my father chose for me.
“Don’t think that just because I married you, we will ever be a real couple. You are not the one I love, and you never will be.”
That was what I had told her on our wedding night before walking out, leaving her alone in that cold, silent room.
“Don’t make breakfast for me again. You don’t know how to cook like her!”
I had thrown the food onto the ground, staring at it in disgust. How dare she try to make my favorite meal? Only Caelina had the right to do that.
But later, something shifted. I found myself softening toward her, especially after witnessing how everyone treated her-how both her family and mine mistreated her. I never stepped in. I never defended her. But because I pitied her, I stopped being so cruel.
But don’t get it wrong.
It wasn’t love.
Caelina was the one I loved. Not Valentina.
But then, just when I had started to accept my life with her, Caelina came back, shattering everything I had built with Valentina in just one night.
That night, I remembered how she had pleaded, explaining that she needed the money for her father’s surgery. She claimed my father had threatened her-that if she didn’t accept his offer, he would ensure her father’s death. She said she had no choice back then, that she still loved me, that she couldn’t live without me. That was why she had come back.
I believed her, but Valentina was pregnant at the time. She was carrying my child, and no matter how much I loved Cealina, I couldn’t leave my pregnant wife.
But God, I had been desperately waiting for an opportunity to get back together with my first love-the woman who made me feel something no high-class lady like Valentina ever could.
And then, it came.
Valentina fell down the stairs and lost our baby. At first, I was devastated over losing my child, and when she blamed Cealina, I was furious at her. But then Cealina swore she had nothing to do with it. That same night, while Valentina was in the hospital, I had snuck out and spent the night with Cealina.
I couldn’t help myself.
It was fucked up, but it reminded me of how much I had missed and loved her.
And now, she was here. After everything, my Cealina was finally my wife.
“Damien, Damien. Are you even listening to me?” A light tap on my hand pulled me from my thoughts. I lifted my head to find Caelina pouting at me.
“What are you thinking about? Are you even paying attention?” she huffed, her glare sharp.
Before I could respond, Agatha rushed in, cradling my crying child.
“I’m sorry for disturbing your peace, madam, but he just won’t stop crying,” she said, looking apologetic.
Caelina immediately stood up, concern flashing across her face. Without hesitation, she placed the child in my arms. Almost instantly, his cries quieted, replaced by soft giggles as his tiny hands reached for his mother’s face.
A smile tugged at my lips, an unfamiliar warmth settling in my chest. My gaze lingered on them, my family-my most treasured possession.
Father was wrong. Money wasn’t more important than love. Love would always prevail over mere wealth.
And Valentine’s death was proof of that-true love would always find its way back together no matter what.