DAMIEN'S POVMy vision swam for a moment, blurring white walls of the intensive care unit. Was it true? Could it honestly be true?I blinked, once, twice, my eyes stinging. The face on the hospital bed, pale and still for what felt like an eternity, was now looking back at me. Adrian. His eyes were open.For a heartbeat, I thought my mind was playing a cruel trick. After all the endless hours, the frantic prayers, the hollow ache in my chest, surely this was just a dream, a desperate wish manifesting itself. But then, a sound, sharp and clear, cut through the heavy silence of the room. Carsen’s yell, a raw burst of joyous relief, echoed off the walls.“Adrian! You’re awake! Oh my god, you’re really awake!” That was it. That was the proof. Adrian was really, truly awake.Almost immediately, the room was a flurry of motion. A group of doctors, like a well-trained swarm, rushed in.Dr. Reed, his face usually calm, now showed a hint of urgency mixed with relief. They surrounded Adrian’s b
ADRIAN'S POVThe crushing weight of what felt like mud and icy water dragged me down. I was drowning, not in a physical sea, but in a torrent of unbearable memories. Each one is a sharp rock, tearing at my insides. I saw it all again, played on a ceaseless loop behind my eyelids, even though they were squeezed shut.My mother, her laugh echoing just moments before, swept away by the river's merciless surge. The water claimed her, pulling her under, her hand reaching, then gone. That image, always the first, was a cold, chilling hand gripping my heart.Then, Damien. Frame after frame of him with different women. Their faces blurred, but his smile, his touch, it was all too clear. Each scene is a fresh stab, a reminder of what he had so easily offered to others, what he had taken from me. The warmth of his skin against theirs, the casual intimacy. It was a parade of betrayal, each woman a mirror reflecting my own foolish hope.His words, sharp as broken glass, cut through the noise: "I
DAMIEN'S POVThe air in the room was thick, every reporter was a predator, their cameras like hungry eyes. The murmurs swirled around me, growing louder, turning into a roar as one voice, then another, broke through."Damien, one of the hottest bachelors, denied the wedding rumors with famous dermatologist and model, Vivienne Dubois." The words bounced off the walls, then came the real dagger. "Moreover, he just dropped he is in a relationship with his long-time best friend, Adrian Gabriel Raines."They reported, and I just gazed at them, my face a mask I’d worn for too long. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drum against the backdrop of their voices. Each click of a camera felt like a hammer blow.My eyes scanned the room, seeing a mix of shock, triumph, and plain confusion on their faces. They had their headlines. And I had my truth.I cleared my throat, the sound lost in the din. I reached out, patting the microphone with an open palm. It was a small signal, but in an in
DAMIEN'S POVThe air backstage was thick with a palpable tension that mirrored the frantic beating of my heart. Through a small gap in the velvet curtain, I could see it: a vast, hungry ocean of faces. Mostly members of the press, each one a shark in a tailored suit, eager for a fresh, bloody scoop. Their cameras flashed, their murmurs formed a restless hum, a predatory purr that vibrated through the floorboards and up into my very bones.I had spent the last two hours on my phone, making calls to every contact, every favor owed, every thread of influence I possessed, to arrange this last minute press conference. It was a desperate move, a Hail Mary pass in a game I felt I was losing, badly.My career, the shining image I had painstakingly built over many years, the very life I had crafted, hung in the balance. This day would be the turning point, one way or another. I was very nervous. My palms were slick, my breath shallow. A wave of nausea rolled through me, threatening to buckle m
DAMIEN'S POVThe glossy paper felt like a weapon, each sharp edge cutting into my skin. “Wedding Bells of the Decade,” the glittering letters screamed, bold and beautiful, yet full of poison. And there, beneath the headline, was my face. My face, pressed against Vivienne’s, her lips on mine, caught in that split second on the red carpet. It was a kiss, yes, but not our kiss. A forced, sudden contact, a public stunt I hadn't wanted. Yet, to the world, it was everything. It was a promise of a future I never intended, a lie that could shatter the only future I truly desired.My gaze flickered from the magazine to Adrian, lying so still in the bed beyond the glass. The tubes and wires were a constant, painful reminder of his fragile state, of the accident that had brought us all here. He was still in a deep sleep, a sleep I prayed he’d wake from soon. But not to this. Never to this.“So, Damien…” Carsen’s voice cut through the buzzing in my ears, sharp and laced with a familiar sneer. He
DAMIEN'S POV“Don’t worry, Gayle. I’ll stick to my promise. I won’t hurt him.”The words echoed in my mind, a cruel, mocking whisper. That was the exact promise I gave to Gayle and Carsen in the airport. Our bags were just checked, the boarding call for our flight back to New York City from our stay in Norway was about to sound. Adrian, my Adrian, stood a little way off, he was already at the boarding gate, I knew he was excited, I could feel his hope shining towards me. Gayle had given me a long, hard look, her eyes piercing, before she finally nodded. Carsen had just grunted, not quite believing me, but staying quiet for Adrian’s sake.That was the exact promise I broke. I broke it the moment I chose my image over Adrian, over the man I claimed to love, the man who trusted me completely.Now, the sterile smell of the hospital filled my nose, making my stomach churn. It was a smell that would forever remind me of this moment, this crushing wave of guilt. Adrian lay on the other sid