LOGINCINDY’S POVI scoffed loudly. Fucking pathetic, desperate bitch.I wanted to cuss her out right there, but Damian, as if reading my mind, shook his head slightly, silently telling me to let it go.I took a deep breath and nodded back in understanding.“Damian was drunk that night,” Nancy continued. “I knew he thought I was you, Cindy. He kept saying your name, over and over. But I… I let it happen anyway. I wanted it to happen.”Her hands trembled as she pressed them together harder.“I was jealous. I’ve been jealous of you for so long. Of what you two have. I wanted to break what you had because I thought maybe… maybe then I’d have a chance.”Tears spilled down her cheeks now, and she didn’t bother wiping them away.“I hate myself for it,” she continued, her voice barely audible.“I destroyed something beautiful, and I hurt both of you in the worst way. I was selfish and cruel, and I know sorry doesn’t fix it. I know I don’t deserve forgiveness. But I needed you to hear it from me,
CINDY’S POVThe words broke something open inside me, and a sob tore from my throat as I leaned over him, pressing my forehead to his chest, careful of the bandages.“Oh my God, Damian, you’re back,” I whispered, my voice shaking, tears falling freely now, soaking into the hospital gown. I couldn’t stop them.I didn’t want to.His hand came up slowly, fingers threading through my hair with the little strength he had, holding me there.“I’ll never leave you,” he rasped, his voice rough and thick with emotion.“Never, baby. I promise.”I lifted my head just enough to look at him, my hands cupping his face, my thumbs brushing over the bruises blooming along his cheekbone.His eyes were open, hazy with pain and medication, but they were fixed on me like I was the only thing in the world.“I was so scared,” I confessed, my voice shaky.“I thought I lost you. I thought I’d never get to tell you how much I love you, how sorry I am for walking away when you needed me most.”He shook his head
CINDY’S POVI rushed Damian to the nearest hospital the moment the accident happened, my hands shaking so badly I could barely dial emergency services while pressing against the wound on his side.The ambulance ride was a blur of sirens and paramedics shouting vitals, and now here I was, standing in the sterile corridor of St. David’s Medical Center, pacing back and forth in front of his private room for what felt like hours but was only forty minutes according to the clock on the wall.The air smelled sharp with antiseptic, that clean, cold scent that always made hospitals feel more like places where hope went to die than to heal.Fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead, radiating a harsh white glow that made my eyes ache from crying.My white suit was ruined—streaked with blood, his blood—and I had not even noticed until a nurse offered me a scrub top that I waved away.I could not move far from the door. I could not sit.I just paced, hands clasped tight, whispering prayers unde
DAMIAN’S POVMy hands slid down to her shoulders, squeezing lightly as I kissed the corner of her mouth gently.“Please, let me spend the rest of my life showin’ you that you are the only one who owns my heart. Completely. Irrevocably. I am yours, Cindy. I always have been.”Her breath hitched, her eyes shining, and I didn’t wait another second.I pulled her deeper into my chest, one hand sliding up to cradle the back of her head, fingers threading through her hair.I kissed her deeply, slow at first, my lips pressing to hers like I was pouring every apology, every promise, every ounce of love I had into that single touch.She stiffened for a heartbeat, her hands coming up to my chest like she might push me away, but then she melted.Her fingers curled into my shirt, pulling me closer, and she kissed me back with the same desperate need I felt.Our lips moved together, soft and hungry, tongues meeting in a slow, sweet dance that made my knees weak. I nearly fell.I tasted salt from he
DAMIAN’S POVShe flinched at my words, her body going rigid in my arms for a heartbeat before she softened again. I could feel her trying to hold herself together, fighting the tremble that ran through her.I pressed my face deeper into the curve of her neck, breathing her in like she was oxygen. My lips brushed the soft skin there in a gentle kiss that made her shiver.“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my voice breaking on every syllable as I kissed her neck again, slow and tender.“I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m sorry for everything I did to you. I’m sorry I let you down. I’m sorry I broke your trust. I’m sorry I made you feel like you weren’t enough.”I kissed the spot just below her ear, letting my lips linger there, feeling her pulse flutter beneath them.“I know that’s no excuse for my actions, and I know words don’t fix what I broke, but I need you to know that I regret every second of it. Every single damn second.”Tears burned my eyes again, and this time I didn’t fight them.The
DAMIAN’S POVI watched her from across the table, her composure shattered, and her hands trembling just enough to show how deeply this cut.All those years she had manipulated, schemed, and twisted everything to her will, and now here she was…. defeated.The look on her face was priceless: shock, fury, and something almost like fear.For once, she had no clever words, no last-minute maneuver.She had played her hand, and it had failed spectacularly.She gathered her things quickly, slung her bag over her shoulder with a sharp jerk that made the strap snap against her suit.She did not say a single word. She did not need to.The silence she left behind was louder than any outburst.She paused at the threshold long enough to throw a final, venomous look over her shoulder at me, then at Cindy, before the door closed behind them.I let the moment linger, savoring my victory before breaking the shocking silence in the room with a deep sigh.“I think that is all I have to say. Thank you.”I







