Elyana froze, his question slicing through the storm of pain raging inside her. Her back was to him, her shoulders trembling not from fear, but from the weight of her shattered heart.“What do you have to do?” she repeated bitterly, her voice shaking. “Can you turn back time? Can you take away the scars on my body? The nightmares that kept me awake every night for five years? Can you bring back my old face?”Daimon’s breath hitched.She turned slowly, her face streaked with tears. Her eyes held pain, fury, and devastation raw and unfiltered.“You can’t.”She shook her head.“You can’t undo what happened. Even if what you said is true even if Katrina’s child wasn’t yours even if you never meant for me to be hurt… I was hurt. I bled for you. I died for you, Daimon.”Daimon stepped forward, as if every word she spoke tore into him.“I know,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “And if I could take your pain and carry it myself, I would. I would take every cut, every broken bone, every sleepl
He stopped. His voice cracked just slightly at the end. Then, silence.He exhaled slowly.“I didn’t tell you any of this before,” he said softly, “because I didn’t know how to bring up my brother in front of you.”Elyana’s expression didn’t change, but her hands tightened into fists at her sides.“You never knew about him,” Daimon continued as his fingers brushed on her cheeks. “After you came into my life, I just… never mentioned him. I thought it didn’t matter. And when Katrina came back… she brought the news of his death with her. I was devastated, Elyana. I didn’t know how to deal with it, let alone explain it to you.”His voice dropped a little, as if admitting something even he had never said out loud before.“At that time, I wasn’t thinking about how you felt. I just needed to confirm if what she said was true. Whether the child she carried was truly my brother’s. Because if that child was family… if he was really my brother’s son… I couldn’t let him be born outside, alone, unp
Daimon gently laid Elyana down on the bed, his breath shaky as his hands moved to undo her blouse. But the second his fingers brushed the fabric, Elyana jolted back to her senses.Her eyes widened, and she instantly caught his hand.“Daimon, don’t… Let me go!”Her voice was sharp, trembling. She pushed him off with sudden strength, sitting upright and swinging her legs off the bed.“Damn it… How could I let myself lose control?” Elyana cursed silently, trying to calm the storm inside her.She took a deep breath, the cold air filling her lungs as she stepped away from him, the warmth of his body a stark contrast to the chill that had settled in her chest.She stood, refusing to even look at him. “Don’t mistake this for anything. It meant nothing—it was just a mistake,” she said coldly, reaching for the door.But Daimon moved before she could escape. He grabbed her arm and spun her back, forcing her onto the bed again not with cruelty, but desperation. He pinned her beneath him, his arm
In the kitchen, Elyana stood by the sink, her fingers tapping the counter in irritation. Her heart was still pounding from the shock.“What was he doing there?” she muttered under her breath. “Don’t tell me he actually slept on the floor the whole night…”She glanced at the stairway, then back at the empty counter.“He’s still wearing the same clothes,” she mumbled. Her fingers curled into a fist.“Hah,” she exhaled, patting the side of her head in frustration. “Why do I even care? Let him freeze. Let him rot out there.”Shaking her head, she poured herself a glass of lukewarm water and took a slow sip to calm her nerves. After a moment, she brewed some coffee more out of habit than need and carried the warm cup out into the garden.The morning air was crisp and fresh, brushing against her skin like a forgotten memory. It was quiet. Peaceful. The kind of quiet tha
“I hate you,” she whispered. “With everything I have, I hate you.”Daimon’s jaw clenched as Elyana’s words echoed in the room, each one like a blade to the chest. He didn’t flinch. Not now. Her fury, her heartbreak—they were real, and he knew he deserved every bit of it. But still, his expression stayed cold, almost unreadable.Yes, he had hurt her.He didn’t even blink. “That’s fine. You can hate me as my wife.”He knew that.He had failed her over and over again left her alone in her darkest moments, let others humiliate her, and never once stepped forward to shield her like he should have. And now, her pain was written all over her face, in the trembling of her lips, the wetness in her eyes, and the rage in her voice.But Daimon didn’t care not now.Not when he was so close to getting what he wanted.He needed her back. Not just for Jessica. Not ju
Elyana stared at the papers, her hands clenched into trembling fists.“You’re insane,” she whispered, her voice thick with disbelief. “You’re actually blackmailing me with my own daughter?”Daimon didn’t flinch. “Call it whatever you like. I’m just giving you a choice.”Her chair screeched against the floor as she stood up sharply, eyes blazing with fury. “A choice? Don’t talk to me about choices, Daimon. Where was my choice when you abandoned me? Where was my choice when I was carrying your children, alone, humiliated, broken?!”“You could’ve come to me,” he snapped.“I did!” she screamed, the tears finally spilling down her cheeks. “But you didn’t listen. You believed everything but me. And now you think you can walk back into my life and throw contracts at me like I’m some deal to be signed?”Daimon’s jaw tightened, but he remained seated. “You came back for Jessica’s bone marrow. Not me. Don’t pretend your motives were pure.”Elyana shook her head, her voice shaking as much as her