LOGINDamon sat on the living room couch like a king, one leg crossed over the other, his posture radiating authority. His expression was carved from stone, his eyes burning with fury. He looked every bit the predator, waiting for his prey to stumble closer.“Damon!” The name tore from my throat, a ragged gasp of relief and burgeoning fear. My heart, which had been a frantic drumbeat of anxiety since he left, now hammered with a different kind of terror.Tears streamed down my face before I realized it. He had come back earlier than promised, and the relief of seeing him overwhelmed me.I dropped everything, my bag, my purse, my phone, the flimsy veneer of my composure, and ran to him. My arms wrapped around his rigid form, pulling him into a desperate, clinging embrace. His expensive suit jacket felt like a shield, unyielding beneath my touch. My lips found his, a frantic seeking, a desperate plea. I kissed him like my life depended on it, pouring every ounce of my overwhelming relief, my
PASTShefali’s POV:The days that followed were a battlefield. Not outside, but inside the walls of Jacob’s hotel room, inside my own chest, inside the fragile bond between us. We fought, argued, and clashed like fire and storm. Jake kept insisting, almost pleading, that I should not trust Damon. His words were sharp, relentless, each one cutting deeper than the last.“Shifu, open your eyes!” Jacob snapped one evening, slamming his fist against the desk.“Everything points to him. Knight Corporation. The cameras, photos, and videos. Damon is the one who has access to all of this; he knows your every detail. He’s not protecting you — he’s controlling you. And if you don’t see it now, you’ll regret it later.”I shook my head violently, tears burning my eyes.“No, Jake. There’s no solid evidence against Dami, so you can’t just accuse him. You don’t know him. You don’t know Damon the way I do. He’s my man. He’s the love of my life. I trust him.”Jacob’s jaw tightened, his voice trembling
My heart leapt.Damon, I thought instantly. He must have sent something. A gift. A gesture. Maybe this was his way of bridging the silence between us. My lips curved into a faint smile, the kind that carried both relief and longing.I carried the package inside, setting it gently on the table as though it were something precious. My fingers brushed the card, and for a moment, I let myself believe. Believe that Damon had remembered me, that he had thought of me, that he still cared.But when I opened the box, the ground beneath me vanished.Inside was lingerie. My lingerie. Used. Torn, shredded, but still carrying the faint trace of my scent. I stared at it, frozen, my mind refusing to process what my eyes were seeing. I had thought the maids had thrown it away long ago. I was wrong.My chest tightened. My breath caught. Panic clawed at me, sharp and merciless. My hands trembled as I reached for the letter tucked inside, the paper shaking between my fingers.I didn’t want to read it. I
PASTShefali’s POV:It had been a week since Jacob asked me not to return to my apartment. I stayed at his hotel, hidden away, living in borrowed shadows. To keep myself safe, I used a disguise whenever I had to step out — a blonde wig, oversized hoodie, and tinted glasses that made me look like someone else entirely. But the real trick was how I managed to get all my necessities out of Damon’s apartment without raising suspicion.I had convinced one of the maids to pack my essentials — books, clothes, toiletries — into plain cardboard boxes. I told her Damon had asked me to donate them. Once the boxes were ready, I slipped into the building wearing the disguise, signed the delivery slip under a fake name, and carried them out myself. No one questioned me. No one looked twice. By the time I reached Jacob’s hotel, I had everything I needed to survive without stepping foot back into that apartment.Jacob was relentless. For seven days straight, he worked like a machine, his laptop glowi
Jake didn’t answer immediately.I told him the recent events that bugged me.About the guy who attacked me at the boxing match, screaming that he’d seen my videos and thought I was a hooker. About the way guys at uni looked at me — hungry, judgmental, cruel. They never approached, but their eyes said enough.I told him about the conversation I overheard in the women’s washroom. A group of girls, barely acquaintances, gossiping with their friends.“You know there’s a girl in our course,” one said.“She’s from India. Works as an escort. Sleeps with rich men. Shoots videos. Performs live. Her videos are quite popular online. I heard she even slept with the professors and management for extra credit. I saw her walk to uni in the beginning. Now she arrives in various luxurious cars, accompanied by drivers or handsome men. Heard she has a few sugar daddies and sleeps with anyone who can get her to big-shot parties and designer bags, jewellery and all. Total slut.”I told him about the guy w
PASTShefali’s POVAs Jacob instructed, I followed the plan like clockwork. I dressed for university in a long pleated skirt and a sleeveless crop top, pairing it with my usual jacket and a scarf that I draped loosely around my neck. I looked like myself — the version of me that everyone expected to see. I attended class, took notes, answered questions, and kept my head down.Afterwards, I spent an hour in the library, pretending to study while my mind raced with everything Jake and I had discussed. From there, I walked to our usual café, met Naina, and ordered the same drink I always did. I smiled, laughed, and played my part.Then I made my move.I excused myself, saying I needed to use the washroom, and quickly bid farewell to Naina. I waited until I saw her leave the café, and I went towards the university building and hid in the washroom. As I saw Naina, head toward the campus gate, I called her, urgency laced in my voice.“Naina, it’s an emergency. Can you come to the university







