A Secret Between Us

Chapter 5

Ariana's POV

"Ariana"

Lily's voice echoed through the garden like a bucket of ice water, snapping every nerve in my body awake. He pulled away instantly, his breathing just as uneven as mine.

For a second, neither of us moved.

My heart pounded wildly against my ribs, the warmth of his body still lingering against mine.

Oh my God...

What have I done?

"Ariana!" Lily called again, her voice sounded closer this time.

Panic seized me completely

I quickly stepped away from Damien, smoothing the wrinkles in my dress with trembling hands. My fingers instinctively touched my lips before I forced them back to my side.

I couldn't let her see me like this.

Not with him

Not with her brother.

Damien straightened his jacket with unexpected calmness, though the tightness in his jaw betrayed him. His eyes met mine briefly.

"Go," he said quietly…..I nodded without trusting myself to speak.

Turning on my jittery legs, I hurried back towards the ballroom, desperately trying to steady my breathing before Lily saw me.

"There you are!" Lily exclaimed the moment she spotted me. "I've looked everywhere for you."

She stopped mid-sentence, her brows knitting together.

"Ariana... are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, forcing as much composure into my voice as I could.

"You don't look fine."

She said, stepping closer to study my face.

"Your lipstick is smudged."

Without thinking, I rubbed at my lips.

"I knew those cheap touch-up lipsticks wouldn't survive the night."

I replied, forcing a laugh and praying she couldn't hear how loudly my heart was beating.

Thankfully, she didn't question it any further.

We went back to our table, and the rest of the night passed in a blur.

But I couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened.

What if there hadn't been an interruption?

Sitting at the Kingston family table, I felt like a ghost, with the clinking of crystal glasses and the low hum of high-society chatter fading into background noise.

My mind was trapped on that dark terrace, replaying every moment over and over again.

"Dad's coming over to say goodbye," Lily whispered, nudging my shoulder.

I snapped out of my daze, my posture instantly straightening as Warren approached the table.

For a moment, I barely recognized the man.

The conversation around us seemed to shift as Warren Kingston approached, surrounded by the quiet respect that seemed to follow him everywhere.

He stopped beside Lily's chair, the corners of his eyes softening.

"I'm leaving now, sweetheart. Don't stay out too late," he said, leaning down to press a gentle, protective kiss onto her forehead.

"I won't, Dad. Have a safe trip." Lily smiled warmly.

Beside him, Vanessa immediately stepped in to say her good, her hand sliding smoothly over Damien's forearm as she remained at his side.

I hadn't even realized Damien had approached the table.

"I'll walk out with you," Vanessa said smoothly to him.

Damien gave a brief nod.

He looked as composed as ever.

As though he hadn't been standing with me on the terrace minutes ago.

As though nothing had happened.

Warren exchanged a few final words with some of the guests while Damien stood beside him, offering professional handshakes and brief acknowledgements to people who approached him.

And then, right before they turned to walk away, his eyes shifted.

They locked onto mine

There was no smile.

It was just a long, heavy look that seemed to pin me to my seat.

The silence stretching between us for that single heartbeat spoke volumes.

As Damien walked away with Vanessa beside him, a cold shiver ran down my spine.

He could hide it so easily.

I, on the other hand, felt like the guilt was written all over my face…..

The drive back to Old Westbridge was a completely different kind of torture.

The excitement from the party had finally faded, leaving a heavy, suffocating silence in the car. I leaned my head against the cool passenger window, staring out at the passing streetlights and desperately wishing the alcohol would completely leave my system.

Beside me, Lily hummed happily, completely oblivious to the war raging inside my head.

"I'm really glad you came tonight, Ari" Lily said softly, her eyes fixed on the dark road ahead. "Damien hardly comes to these kinds of events anymore. He hates the media circus."

My stomach twisted painfully.

"He seems... very dedicated to his work."

"He is," Lily sighed, her expression turning tender. "He's scary to everyone else, just like Dad. People think he's cold. But he's always been my safe place."

She took a deep breath, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel as she continued,

"After Mom died, it was just the three of us.

And Dad,

He sacrificed so much to build the company and make sure we never wanted for anything. Damien also carried everything on his shoulders, and I want him to be happy again."

Every sentence Lily spoke felt like a physical blow to my chest.

Her safe place.

The words echoed in my ears, turning into a deafening roar of guilt.

Lily loved her brother fiercely, and she trusted me more than anyone else in the world.

And yet, hours after crying over Ethan's betrayal, I had crossed a boundary with the one man I should have stayed away from.

Her brother.

What had I done?

By the time we unlocked the door to our apartment, my chest felt so tight I could barely breathe.

Lily muttered a sleepy goodnight, completely exhausted, and headed straight to her bedroom.

I walked into my room, closing the door behind me, and finally let the mask drop.

As I slipped out of the satin dress, I caught a distinct scent wafting from the fabric,

the expensive cologne......dark wood and a faint hint of tobacco.

It was Damien's scent.

And it was clinging to the fabric of my dress, heavy and undeniable.

I froze, holding the dress in my hands.

His voice rushed back into my mind, making me feel unsettled all over again.

I couldn't escape him.

Even alone in my room, his presence seemed to follow me.

Driven by blind panic,

I tossed the dress into the furthest corner of my closet and practically ran into the bathroom.

I turned the shower on and stepped beneath the hot water, hoping it would put a stop to my thoughts.

It didn't.

His voice came back first.

Then his eyes.

Then the moment on the terrace that I had been trying desperately not to remember.

I closed my eyes.

Forget it.

But my mind refused to cooperate. The flashbacks kept coming.

I scrubbed my neck, my shoulders, my arms, my back…..everywhere I could still feel the memory of his

I leaned my forehead against the wet bathroom tile, letting the water drench my hair.

But no matter how much soap I used,

and no matter how hard I tried to wash the memory away, the truth remained.

I had crossed a line,

And tomorrow, I would have to wake up and pretend I had not.