CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Adrian's POV

I was panting. I was gasping for air. I don't know what I was feeling but all I know is that my hands were all around Damien as I cried.

I fell in the pool. I fell on the fucking pool. I look so stupid crying over just because I accidentally fell on the fucking pool.

"Mom, I c—can't swim! P—lease h..elp!" I was unconsciously trying to reach over the edge as mommy just stood there. Lookin' at me with a smile.

"Annabelle, where are you?" My eyes opened widely as I heard daddy's voice.

"DADDY! HELP ME! DADD—"I was shouting out so loud so that Daddy could help me but I couldn't finish what I was yelling when I started to fall to the bottom of the pool. I reached out and before I could notice anything, my eyes started to close.

"Hey. I'm here. I'm here." Damien was whispering things to me as I cried and cried over what happened.  I was shaking, maybe because of the cold and the flashbacks that kept on pushing on my mind.

When I finally calmed myself down, I buried my head in the crook of Damien's neck as he continued running his hand across my back.

"my wife,are you okay? Of course you're not." I chuckled at what Damien just said. I can't believe he can still make it after being in a vulnerable state of mind.

"Just hold on tight, I'll take you back to our room. No sex this time." I gave him a soft slap on the back, making him smirk as he carried me bridal style. I looked back only to see Clara hugging Mrs. Cross as she cried. When she looked at me, I mouthed 'I'm okay' and she gave me a soft smile in reply.

Damien kept on carrying me until we entered the bedroom. "How about we take a bath, we're both wet." I just nodded softly in reply.

He carried me to the bathroom and made me sit on a chair. I watched him as he started filling the tub with water and some other liquids. I wouldn't care what it was. He then went over to me and to my surprise he hugged me tightly.

"I thought I'd lose you." A chuckle escapes me and his eyes drift over to me.

"What's so funny?" He raises his eyebrow at me in confusion.

"I fell into a pool no deeper than 8 feet. I wouldn't di—"

"If no one was there, you'd die. You know that." I bit my lip as I realized he was telling the truth. Damien then hugged me again.

Silence covered the room. I then leaned over and gave Damien's head a soft peck, feeling his wet hair over my lips. He looked at me in the eyes and I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Come on. Let's get you into the bathtub. I wouldn't want you getting sick." He started lifting my wet shirt over my head. When it came off, he threw it away. His warm hand then ran over my cold torso, making me shiver in return.

"I thought you said no sex." I said with a smirk. Damien then reached over and gave me a peck on the lips.

"Then stop tempting me." He then smiled at me before standing and taking off his shirt, exposing his beautiful body to me. He starts taking off his pants and underwear before finally submerging himself in the bathtub. He then looks at me with a smirk.

"What are you waiting for? Come in." I bit my lip before standing before him and taking off my pants and underwear. His eyes were watching me hungrily and he licked his lips. I then looked over the water and his erection was way standing.

I made my way towards him until my back was against his torso. His arms were wrapping me like a vine but I couldn't stop feeling my face heat up as his erection rubbed against my lower back.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" I raised an eyebrow as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"About you almost drowning and leaving me a widower. Or maybe I wouldn't be a widower since I might kill myself when you die."

"You'd kill yourself if I die?" A gasp escapes me as my eyes stare straight at the white wall in front of us.

"Stop changing the subject."

A sigh escapes me. What does he expect me to say?

"I expect you to tell the truth."

"Did I just say that out loud?" I bit my lip as I contemplated telling him my deepest secret.

"Yup. And stop changing the subject." This time a chuckle escaped me. I'm unconsciously changing the subject and Damien is being funny, reminding me to stop it.

"I—I'm not really comfortable telling you about it."

"T...that's fine." Damien sighed and again, silence filled the room.

Should I tell him? Should I tell him? Should I tell him? Should I tell him? It kept on playing again and again in my head.

Well, I knew all his secrets. Maybe not all but I learned all his deepest secrets and here I am, being unfair by not telling him anything.

You helped him with his problem. Maybe it's your turn to let him help you. My inner self suddenly spoke up and enlightened me again. My the fuck is he/she/it always right?

I'm you. Now shut the fuck up and let him in. UGH. Now he/she/it is being grumpy.

"Fine. I'll tell you."

"Okay. But I don't want to push you into doing it. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

"No! I want to tell you. No more secrets." The last line came more like a whisper.

"No more secrets." Damien repeated it and I just nodded before taking a deep breath.

"Damien, I.. I.. I ..am... I.."

"Don't be scared. I'll always be here for you."

"Damien, I am... " I took another deep breath before finally taking it in. "I was adopted."

Damien was silent and I just continued saying it.

"I was found on the doorstep of the McKinley household. My father thought he couldn't bear a child so he was very happy having me. But my mom hated me so much since I couldn't give her what she really wanted. I always wondered why she was always distant towards me. It then changed when Clara came. My mom was finally pregnant with an heir and when Clara was finally born, my mom wanted to give me back to an adoption center. My dad wanted me to stay and since my dad decides what stays and what doesn't, I stayed in the McKinley household."

"Did you think of Clara as...a threat?" Damien spoke and quickly shook my head.

"No! I thought of Clara as a real sister."

"Okay my wife, Carry on." Damien runs his hand on my stomach, making me calmer.

"I thought my mom was okay with me being there. I never realized she hates me when she started going to places, like parks and then leaving me there. I would cry but the police returned me home. Ever since then, I wouldn't go out with my mom since I knew she did it on purpose. I don't know what got into her but maybe she got tired of trying, she finally decided to kill me. By pushing me towards the pool."

"That's why you got scared earlier." I nodded as memories kept on rushing to me.

"When I was child, I never knew how to swim. My mom knew about it, so she made an act in front of my father to offer to teach me how to swim. I declined but my father pushed me since he didn't know about my mom's hate towards me. So in the afternoon, I was walking on the side of the pool when my mom pushed me. Our house had two pools, one for the kids and one for the adults. Since dad paid to build a kid-sized pool for Clara and me. Unfortunately, I fell into the 16 feet pool. I could've died and my mom would've just lied that I drowned in an accident. But before I could finally drown, dad jumped into the pool and saved me."

I was coughing up and gasping for air.

"Adrian, are you alright? Why did you try to swim here? This is a pool for adults." Dad said softly as he hugged me.

"S..she did it! She pushed me! Daddy, mommy pushed me!"I cried so hard and Dad went and glared at her.

"Is this true?" My mom stayed silent. But Daddy's voice started to rise.

"ANNABELLE, DID YOU TRY AND DROWN OUR SO—"

"Don't you try to call that child OUR son! That is not my son! Why can't you just give him back to an adoption center—" A weird sound filled the air and when I looked up, mom was holding her red cheek.

"Adrian is my son. I tried to let the park incident go but this time I won't. I love you but if you can't learn to love and accept our son, pack your bags and leave this house. Expect a divorce afterwards."

"Swe—"

"LEAVE!" Mom hurried and left the pool. Daddy then crouched down and hugged me.

"Adrian, you will always be a McKinley. You will always be my son. Now let's get you changed so that we can eat some chocolate cake."

"My mom was never seen again. I never wanted to see her either."

"Were you always afraid of swimming pools? You could've told me." Damien kissed the top of my head.

"I know how to swim and I am not afraid of pools. But earlier it just...It came back." Damien wrapped his arms tighter.

"I'm sorry for making you feel that way again." It came more like a whisper and I quickly turned my body, making my chest touch his torso.

"It's finally nice to be able to let the feelings come out. It's like I finally learned to let the memory bury deep." I leaned over and kissed him.

"I don't know why, but I think I just tasted chlorine. You did drink the pool water earlier, right?" Damien smirks when we pull back from the kiss, making me open my eyes widely before slapping his chest.

"Jerk!"

"You love me though." There's that smirk again.

"I hate to admit it, but yeah. I do." I leaned again to kiss him. Oh how I love this man.

"I just hope your bitch will not arrive at our wedding and ruin it."

I chuckled and reached over to grasp his hard erection.

"Stop ruining the moment, Mr. Cross."