LOGIN(-Fifteen Years Ago)Rosetta held Katie’s hand all the way home.The little girl barely spoke during the drive, sitting quietly in the back seat with her schoolbag pressed against her chest while she stared through the window, watching the streets disappear behind them.She kept expecting her parents’ car to appear. Every time a vehicle passed them, Katie lifted her head. If it wasn’t Richard’s car, her shoulders dropped again.Rosetta watched her through the rearview mirror, fighting the tears burning behind her eyes.She had never imagined she would be the one coming to pick Katie up from school.When they finally reached home, Katie climbed out of the car and stood beside Rosetta.“Are Mummy and Daddy coming later?”Rosetta looked down at her. “Maybe tomorrow.”Katie’s eyes brightened immediately. “Really?”Rosetta forced a smile. “Really.”Katie nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer. She followed her grandmother inside.That night, Katie refused to sleep in her own room. S
[Fifteen Years Ago}Ten-year-old Katie sat cross-legged on the living-room floor, staring at the clock above the television while swinging her legs impatiently.It was her birthday…her tenth birthday.She had been waiting for her parents to return from work since morning, and although her mother had promised they would celebrate together after school, Katie had already decided that she would not let the day end without making the biggest fuss possible.She had even chosen the dress she wanted to wear. A pink one with little white flowers. Unfortunately, her mother had told her to wait until evening.Katie sighed and rested her chin in her palm. “Mummy said Daddy would be home before dinner,” she muttered to herself.Then she heard the sound of a car outside. Katie’s head snapped toward the window.The front door opened. “Happy birthday!”Katie’s eyes widened. “Daddy!”Richard walked into the living room carrying a large birthday cake, a bright smile spreading across his face.Katie sc
The man on the other end of the call took a breath, then spoke again.“Miss, the hospital is St. Vincent Medical Centre. She was brought here about twenty minutes ago after the accident. We tried contacting her emergency contact, but your number was the only one we could find from her belongings.”Katie’s heart seemed to stop. “St. Vincent?” she repeated, barely hearing her own voice.“Yes, ma’am.”“Is she conscious?”There was a silence. That silence terrified her more than anything he could have said.“Sir?” Katie pressed, her voice breaking. “Is my grandmother conscious?”“I’m sorry, miss. You need to come to the hospital.”Katie stood so quickly that her knees nearly gave way. Damien immediately caught her by the arm.“Katie.”“My grandmother,” she whispered.“What happened?”“She’s at St. Vincent.”Damien’s expression changed. “Is she okay?”Katie shook her head because she didn’t know how to answer him. “The man said there was an accident.”Damien didn’t ask another question. He
Katie stared at Damien.“Harry,” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. “He was the man who was caught on camera that day.”Damien’s brows drew together. “What day?”“The day everything started.” Katie swallowed, forcing herself to gather her thoughts. “The day I was stranded on the road before the rumors about me started spreading. He was the one people saw helping me. Someone recorded it, and the video went around before the rumors began.”Damien’s expression darkened.Katie looked down at the phone in his hand. “After that, he told me he had been sacked from his job because of everything that happened. I felt bad for him, so I took him in and gave him a job at my office.”Damien said nothing. The realization seemed to settle between them with a weight neither of them could ignore.“He made you feel sorry for him,” Damien said quietly.Katie nodded. “And I thought I was helping him.”Damien looked back at Brian’s message, his eyes narrowing as he reread the part about Harry
By the time Damien and Katie reached the Stark estate, the sky had already begun to darken.The drive home had been quiet, not because there was anything uncomfortable between them anymore, but because both of them were thinking about Brian’s message.I’ll tell you everything now.Those words had changed the mood inside the car completely.Katie couldn’t stop wondering what Brian had been hiding, while Damien was clearly thinking through every possibility of what could have happened after the pool incident.As soon as the car stopped in front of the house, Damien turned off the engine. Neither of them moved immediately.Katie stared at her phone. There was still no new message. Damien reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “Whatever he tells us, we’ll deal with it together.Katie looked at him. A small smile appeared on her face. “You’re getting used to saying that.”“I like the sound of it.”Katie shook her head, but her smile remained. They stepped out of the car and walked i
Damien stared at her for a while. Then, slowly, a smile appeared on his face.It was not the confident smile Katie was used to seeing whenever he had already decided what he wanted, but something softer, almost relieved, as if he had been waiting for those exact words for longer than she realized.“Finally,” he said quietly.Katie frowned. “Finally what?”“You actually want to listen to me.”A faint blush immediately touched her cheeks. “I asked you a question.”“And I’ve been waiting for you to ask me that question.” Damien’s smile widened slightly before he shifted the car into park and turned his body toward her. “Yes, Katie.”Her heart skipped. “Yes, it was true.”She stared at him. “I meant everything I said last night. I didn’t say those things because I was drunk, and I didn’t say them because I wanted you to feel sorry for me.” His expression became serious. “I love you.”Katie’s breath caught.Damien continued before she could interrupt. “I don’t know exactly when it happen







