"Don't scare your sister," Enlyan’s voice turned firm, making Joxan close his mouth immediately.
She exhaled softly and said, "I'll call Mini once we’re out of the airport. We’ll stay at her place for a few days."
"Okay," Joxan mumbled under his breath, clearly distracted.
Just then, his eyes caught sight of a man in the crowd. His figure was strikingly familiar—tall, imposing, and exuding a cold aura that could be felt even from a distance. The resemblance was undeniable. That had to be Damian Blackwood.
His… biological father?
Joxan’s gaze flickered toward Enlyan, who was busy searching for a contact on her phone. Without hesitation, he clutched his stomach and groaned dramatically.
"Oh, Mommy! My belly hurts! I need to use the restroom!"
Enlyan immediately looked down, alarmed to see him clutching his stomach so tightly his face was turning red. His legs rubbed together as if he was really in distress.
"Mommy will take you. Jes, stay here, okay? I’ll be right back."
She bent down to pick him up, but Joxan suddenly bolted.
"No need! I can’t hold it! Wait for me—I’ll be back soon!" He yelled before sprinting off.
Enlyan sighed, shaking her head in amusement.
Jessica, however, watched her brother run with knowing eyes. "Mommy, brother is definitely up to something," she muttered.
Enlyan chuckled and patted her daughter’s head. "You little spy. You’re really sharp, aren’t you?"
She then turned her attention back to her phone.
"Mini, it’s me—Enlyan. I’m back."
The voice on the other end squealed with excitement.
"Enlyan! When did you arrive? I’ll take the day off and pick you up. Are you at the airport?"
"No need to come. I’m with the kids. We’ll just take a taxi to your place," Enlyan reassured her as she started walking.
In her distraction, she suddenly collided with someone.
"Ah, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking—" she looked up mid-apology, only for her voice to catch in her throat.
Her heartbeat stuttered.
Thump. Thump.
It was him.
Damian Blackwood.
Her ex-husband.
Of all places, of all times—what a cruel twist of fate!
Damian spotted her from a distance, and his entire body tensed. The way she walked, the way she carried herself—it was exactly like her.
He couldn't stop himself. He moved forward, deliberately bumping into her.
Ertha, standing nearby, was utterly stunned. He had never seen Damian take the initiative to approach a woman, not once in the past five years. After his wife's accident, he had become an iceberg, radiating an aura so cold that people instinctively kept their distance. Yet now, he had willingly walked toward a stranger.
Ertha’s gaze shifted to the woman, and for a moment, he was spellbound. She was breathtakingly beautiful, as if sculpted by the hands of an artist. But it wasn’t just her beauty—there was something else. A presence. A familiarity.
Damian, too, was momentarily dazed. But he quickly snapped out of it, his expression hardening as he took a step back.
"Watch where you're going," he said coldly.
Enlyan sneered inwardly. Watch where I'm going?
If only he knew the pain she had endured—how she had nearly drowned in the ocean, how her face had been slashed by debris, how sea creatures had gnawed at her skin as she fought to survive. If only he knew how she had suffered through nine months of agony to bring her child into this world before undergoing countless reconstructive surgeries to erase the past.
How many nights had she woken up from nightmares, her pillow soaked with tears?
And now, the man responsible for all of it was standing right in front of her.
Her fingers curled into fists. A sharp, seething hatred boiled within her. She wanted to rip his face apart, tear open his chest, and see if he even had a heart.
But instead, she smiled.
The lollipop in her hand—one Joxan had been eating earlier—had smeared against his pristine suit when they collided. Seizing the opportunity, she tilted her head and said,
"Oh no, I really didn’t see you just now. Your suit is ruined. Can I have your number? I’ll buy you a new one and send it to you."
Her voice was deliberately low and hoarse, carrying a sultry undertone.
For a brief moment, something flickered in Damian’s eyes. Not her.
Neither her face nor her voice matched his late wife’s.
He had memorized every detail of Enlyan—the warmth of her gaze, the sweetness of her laughter, the way her voice used to ring with clarity. But this woman… her voice was rougher, different. To most, it might be seductive. But to him? It was foreign.
His heart clenched, then turned cold once more.
"Not necessary. It’s just a suit."
Without hesitation, he stripped off his jacket and tossed it into the nearby trash can, right in front of her—as if it were nothing more than a piece of garbage.
Jessica clung to Enlyan’s dress, watching the man warily.
Damian’s gaze landed on the little girl. Something about her struck a nerve. Her delicate features, those eyes… she looked familiar. Almost too familiar.
But when he shifted his gaze back to Enlyan, an inexplicable emotion gripped him—one he couldn't quite place.
Enlyan’s lips curled slightly.
So, in his eyes, she was just another woman trying to get his attention? The thought was almost laughable.
How predictable.
Perfect.
She could play that game.
She watched his retreating figure with a sneer. If only he knew who she really was.
Soon, Damian Blackwood, we’ll meet again.
And this time, it won’t be as your lost wife.
This time, she was stepping into his world as a designer—a professional he would have to sit across from and negotiate with.
Daimon remained kneeling on the floor, frozen.He had hoped foolishly that if Elyana could accept him again, maybe Joxan would too. But reality had struck him harder than expected.Joxan was only five. But the things he’d witnessed the sleepless nights, the tears, the helplessness of his mother fighting alone to raise him and his sister were etched too deep in his little heart.And no matter how hard Daimon tried… Some wounds, even time couldn't erase.“Are you going out?”After breakfast, Daimon walked into Elyana’s room and saw her standing in front of the vanity mirror, applying the final touch of lipstick.“Yes, I’m going to meet Mini,” Elyana replied calmly, her tone indifferent.Daimon’s eyes stayed on her the whole time.“Let me drive you.”She turned around, meeting his gaze with a composed expression.“There’s no need. Finish y
Elyana looked up at him, eyes wide, rimmed red. “I wanted you to suffer,” she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “I wanted you to feel what I felt when I begged you to love me and you didn’t. I wanted you to bleed the way I did that night.”Daimon nodded slowly.“Then do it. Hate me. Punish me. Hit me, scream at me, but don’t leave me. Give me a chance to atone—to be the man you deserve. I swear I’ll spend the rest of my life making it right.”Her heart nearly gave out. Her mind spun in chaos.“And what if I can’t forgive you?” she asked quietly.He cupped her face with trembling hands, forcing her to look into his eyes—eyes full of love, desperation, and fear. “Then I’ll wait,” he said.“Even if it takes the rest of my life. I’ll wait. Because loving you… that’s the only thing I’ve ever been certain of.”Elyana’s tears poured silently, her heart caught between everything that had been broken and everything that could still be saved.A long silence followed. One filled with too
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