CHAPTER 4: DRUNKEN MISTAKE

SERA'S POV

“I'm sorry Sera, but one of the twins did not survive.” The doctor announced, sympathy edged on the lines of his face.

“What do you mean doctor, i saw my baby…,i clearly saw my baby alive……give me my baby.” I screamed, gripping the doctor's neck.

“Nurse sedate her now.” The doctor choked.

“Noooooooo.” I screamed as the nurses approached.

I jumped from the bed drenched in sweat, I was in my house, no hospital, no doctors nor nurse, but the heartache was there, it was real... .I miss my baby so much..

I was still in that state, when my phone buzzed with a call from Damon.”

“Hello Mr Blackwood?” I answered, forcing my voice to be stable.

“Meet me at history, be there in thirty minutes and don't keep me waiting.” He ordered and ended the call.

I should not be here, that was the first thought that keeps repeating in my head as I stand outside the glass doors of the bar, that holds the memories of most of our loved up moments as lovers. A bar he usually came to drink, whenever he has a scuffle with old Mrs Black-wood .

“This is a bad idea, Sera.” I whisper under my breath. But my phone buzzes again. “If you are going to stand outside all night, I suggest you leave. I don’t have the patience for hesitation.”

“Perhaps he had another argument with her, Sera just go join him drink.” I exhale slowly seeking control as I push the door open. The music hits me first, low and heavy, wrapping around the room like smoke. The lights are dim, golden and expensive. The kind of place people like Damon Blackwood don’t come to relax… they come to seek comfort.

My eyes found him immediately, he sat at his usual table, one arm resting lazily on the back of the couch, a glass of whiskey in his hand and he was looking straight at me.

I swallow and walk toward him, each step feels heavier than the last. When I reached him, I stopped. “I came.” I said with a tired huff.

His gaze drags over me slowly, from my face down to my heels, then back up again assessing me.

“I can see that,” he replies, his voice low, smooth and dangerous in a quiet way. “Sit.”

He gestures to our favourite waiter without looking away from me. “Bring her the usual.”

“I don’t….”

“You will drink,” he cuts in smoothly, lifting his glass slightly. “Or you can leave and explain on Monday morning why you refused a direct instruction from your employer.” He said authoritatively, but I could see the pain and need for comfort in his eyes.

I sighed and took the drink from the waiter, he watched me as I brought it to my lips. The burn was immediate, I coughed slightly, placing the glass down. Five years is such a long time to stay away from alcohol.

“Not used to it anymore?” He asks, tilting his head slightly.

“I don’t drink often, like before.” I replied.

“That explains a lot.” He murmurs and takes a slow sip of his whiskey, then sets the glass down with deliberate care.

“You left my office yesterday,” he smirked, his tone calm but precise, like every word has been sharpened. “Without answering my question.”

I look at him. “I answered enough Mr Blackwood.”

“No,” he said quietly. “You avoided it.” His eyes lock onto mine, unblinking and demanding.

“Why did you leave Sera?”

“I already told you,” I replied, keeping my voice steady. “I had reasons.”

His expression hardens slightly. “Reasons,” he repeats, almost mockingly. “You walked out of my life without a word, without an explanation, without even the decency to look back… and all you have is reasons.”

I grip my glass tighter, and shake my head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me Sera.” He chuckled dangerously

I shook my head lightly, rejecting his offer. “No thanks.”

His eyes narrowed, I felt coldness filling the entire space as his expression dropped. “Then drink,” he says, pushing the glass closer to me. “If you won’t talk, then drink.”

I picked up the glass again, and drank as instructed. After taking the second glass, the edges of the room begin to blur. And the third, the tension in my shoulders loosens just enough for my guard to slip.

“You’re different Sera.” He says quietly, watching me closely.

I laugh, a little too freely. “People change Damon.”

“Not like this.” He argued.

“Like what?” I challenged, leaning back slightly.

“Like someone who isn’t scared of you anymore?” I asked.

His gaze darkened, and the temperature dropped even less. “You were never scared of me.”

“Maybe I should have been.” I laughed, taking a glup from my glass.

“Who is he?” He asked, the question came out of nowhere.

I blink at him. “What? Who is whom?”

“The man,” he says, his voice colder now. “The one you left me for.”

I let out a soft, disbelieving laugh. “You really think I left you for a man?”

“What else was I supposed to think?” he snaps, the first crack in his control showing. “You disappeared, Sera. People don’t just walk away from something like that unless they are running toward something else.”

I shake my head slowly. “You always think everything is about you.”

“And you always avoid the truth.”

“I didn’t leave you for anyone,” I said, my voice softer now, heavier.

“Then why did you leave, tell me?” He demanded.

“I had things to deal with!” I snapped, my voice rising slightly. “I didn’t have time to sit down and explain things like you wanted!”

“What things?” He asked immediately.

“Life!” I said, throwing my hand up. “Responsibilities! Someone needed me and I didn’t have the luxury of staying and playing love story with you!”

“Responsibilities?” He repeats. “You expect me to believe that you threw away everything we had because of responsibilities?”

I close my eyes briefly. The alcohol is making everything harder to control. “You wouldn’t understand Damon.”

“Stop saying that,” he rebuked, his voice low and dangerous. “You don’t get to decide what I understand, or not”

I open my eyes and look at him, the anger, the hurt, was still there in his eyes even after five years. “You think you were the only one affected?” I ask quietly.

His expression freezes. “What does that mean?”

“It means… life didn’t stop for me either.” I smiled.

He leans forward slightly. “And what exactly happened to you, Sera?” he asks, his voice quieter now, more focused. “What was so important that you had to disappear?”

I laughed softly, shaking my head. I took another sip.The room was spinning, the whiskey burned my throat and drove me close to tears, but it wasn’t the drink….it was the weight of looking at him again, feeling him there, feeling everything I’d tried to bury come alive.

“I… I had someone depending on me,” I slurred, words escaping before I could stop them, and before I could control myself, my head tilted sideways, my vision blurring. “Someone… more important than whatever…”

I swayed, then the world tipped sideways and my knees gave way.

I woke slowly, the soft light of my apartment filtering through the curtains. My head throbbed, but the first thing I noticed wasn’t the hangover.

“Mama! Are you awake?” I blinked at the familiar voice, and my chest tightened all over again.

“Mia?” My voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. She climbed onto the edge of the bed, small hands clutching the blanket like an anchor. Her eyes wide, curious and careful locked onto mine.

“Mama… are you drunk?” she asked quietly, but with all the seriousness a four-year-old could muster.

I coughed, trying to sit up. “A little,” I admitted, swallowing. “I… just fell asleep.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Yesterday… someone brought you home Mama.”

I blinked, confused and foggy. “Who?”

Mia hesitated, eyes darting to the corner of the room, then back to me. “I don’t know his name, Mama… but he’s… he’s tall. He’s handsome. He’s the kind of man I always wished would be my daddy.”

My throat tightened. Mia hesitated, then continued. “I asked him….” Her small voice dropped, almost scared to speak it. “I asked him… to be my daddy?”