Chapter 1: “Promise Me”

Tayla’s POV

There was something terrifying about waking up in the middle of the night and realizing the person you loved wasn’t beside you.

At first, I thought I was dreaming.

My hand moved across the king-sized bed, searching for the warmth that had been there when I fell asleep.

Instead, my fingers met cold sheets.

My eyes opened instantly.

The digital clock on the nightstand glowed red.

2:17 AM.

A knot formed in my stomach.

Damian wasn’t there.

I pushed myself upright and looked around the dark bedroom.

The bathroom light was off.

The door was closed.

The room was silent except for the distant hum of traffic from the streets of Manhattan.

For a moment, I tried convincing myself there was a reasonable explanation.

Maybe he couldn’t sleep.

Maybe he was working.

Maybe—

Then I saw the balcony door slightly open.

A cool breeze slipped into the room.

And suddenly, I knew where he was.

I got out of bed and wrapped a silk robe around myself before walking toward the balcony.

The moment I stepped outside, the city unfolded before me.

New York glittered beneath the night sky like a sea of stars.

Towering skyscrapers stretched into the darkness.

Cars moved like streams of light below.

It was beautiful.

Yet the man standing at the railing looked completely out of place against it.

Damian stood with one hand in his pocket while the other gripped a glass of whiskey.

His broad shoulders were tense.

His jaw was clenched.

And his gaze was fixed on something far away.

Something I couldn’t see.

Something that clearly haunted him.

My chest tightened.

For weeks now, I had been watching him become someone I barely recognized.

Not because he treated me differently.

He still kissed me goodbye every morning.

Still asked about my day.

Still tucked Noah into bed whenever he was home early enough.

But there was something hiding beneath the surface.

Something dark.

Something heavy.

And no matter how many times I asked about it, Damian always smiled and told me everything was fine.

I knew he was lying.

The question was why.

I walked toward him slowly.

The cold marble beneath my feet sent chills up my body.

When I reached him, I slipped my arms around his waist from behind.

His entire body stiffened.

Then immediately relaxed.

A quiet breath escaped him.

Almost as though he had been holding it for hours.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked softly.

For several seconds, he didn’t answer.

Then he reached down and covered my hands with his.

His fingers were warm.

Familiar.

Comforting.

Yet somehow, tonight they felt different.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said.

His voice sounded rough.

Like he hadn’t slept either.

I rested my cheek against his back.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

I could hear it even without seeing his face.

“No.”

“No what?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

I sighed.

“That’s becoming a habit.”

This time he didn’t smile.

And that worried me even more.

Damian finally turned around.

The moment our eyes met, my heart squeezed painfully.

He looked exhausted.

Not physically.

Emotionally.

Like a man carrying a burden too heavy to bear alone.

His dark eyes searched mine.

“You should be in bed.”

“So should you.”

A brief silence stretched between us.

The city lights reflected in his eyes.

God.

I loved this man.

I loved him so much it scared me.

Seven years together.

Five years married.

And somehow, I still found myself staring at him like a foolish teenager.

His hand rose and gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

The simple gesture made my heart flutter.

It always did.

“You’ve been worrying again,” he murmured.

I laughed softly.

“Maybe because you keep giving me reasons to.”

His expression darkened.

Only slightly.

But I noticed.

I always noticed.

“Tayla—”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“I’m serious.”

He looked away.

And that was answer enough.

The knot in my stomach tightened.

“You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Avoiding me.”

His jaw flexed.

The movement was subtle.

But I saw it.

And suddenly I wasn’t sleepy anymore.

I was scared.

“Damian, what’s going on?”

Nothing.

Silence.

Just silence.

The kind of silence that felt louder than words.

Finally, he pulled me closer.

His arms wrapped around my waist.

Strong.

Protective.

The way they always had.

The way they always would.

At least that’s what I wanted to believe.

“I love you.”

The words caught me off guard.

I blinked.

“What?”

A smile appeared on his lips.

A real one this time.

“I said I love you.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Nice attempt.”

His eyebrow lifted.

“Attempt?”

“You’re changing the subject.”

A laugh escaped him.

The sound was warm.

Comforting.

Familiar.

And for a moment, the tension disappeared.

Just like that.

As though it had never existed.

“Come here.”

Before I could respond, he pulled me against his chest.

My hands settled over his heart.

Its steady rhythm soothed me immediately.

For a few precious seconds, everything felt normal again.

Like the old days.

Like before secrets started living between us.

“I miss you,” I whispered.

Damian froze.

The reaction was immediate.

Pain flashed across his face.

Raw.

Unexpected.

And gone just as quickly.

My heart dropped.

“You see?”

His gaze lifted.

“See what?”

“That look.”

His expression softened.

“What look?”

“The one that makes me feel like you’re saying goodbye.”

For the first time that night, genuine fear entered his eyes.

And that terrified me.

Because Damian Russo wasn’t afraid of anything.

Yet somehow…

Tonight he looked terrified.

Before either of us could speak again, the balcony door suddenly slid open.

“Daddy!”

A small blur came racing toward us.

Damian barely had time to react before Noah launched himself into his legs.

I laughed despite everything.

Our six-year-old son wore dinosaur pajamas and messy bed hair.

Clearly, he had just woken up.

Damian immediately crouched down.

The tension vanished from his face.

Replaced by warmth.

Love.

The kind that only Noah could bring out of him.

“Why are you awake, buddy?”

Noah crossed his arms dramatically.

“I had a nightmare.”

“A nightmare?”

He nodded seriously.

“A giant octopus ate my spaceship.”

I burst out laughing.

Damian tried not to.

Failed miserably.

“A giant octopus?”

“The biggest one ever.”

Damian scooped him into his arms.

“Sounds terrifying.”

“It was.”

The seriousness on Noah’s face nearly killed me.

Damian kissed the top of his head.

And for a brief moment, I forgot everything.

The secrets.

The fear.

The strange late-night phone calls.

All of it.

Because this was my family.

My entire world.

And I would do anything to keep it together.

Then Damian’s phone vibrated.

The sound instantly shattered the moment.

I felt him go rigid.

Noah noticed too.

“Daddy?”

Damian forced a smile.

“It’s nothing.”

But it wasn’t nothing.

I knew it.

Because the moment he looked at the screen, all the color drained from his face.

And suddenly…

The fear was back.

Stronger than before.

My stomach twisted.

Whoever was calling him had power over him.

The realization made me feel sick.

“Who’s that?” I asked quietly.

Damian immediately silenced the phone.

“No one important.”

I stared at him.

Then at the phone.

Then back at him.

The lie was obvious.

Painfully obvious.

And for the first time in our marriage, I realized something horrifying.

My husband was hiding something from me.

Something big.

Something dangerous.

The rest of the night passed in uneasy silence.

Eventually, Noah fell asleep between us while we watched cartoons in bed.

His small hand wrapped around Damian’s finger.

Refusing to let go.

I watched them both.

My two favorite people.

The two people I loved most in this world.

And suddenly tears burned behind my eyes.

Because I couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was coming.

“Damian.”

He looked up.

The room was dark except for the soft glow of the television.

“Yeah?”

I swallowed hard.

Then whispered the words that had been haunting me for weeks.

“Promise me you won’t leave.”

Everything stopped.

The television.

The laughter.

The comfort.

The air itself.

For a second, Damian simply stared at me.

As though the question had pierced straight through him.

Then his gaze shifted to Noah.

Sleeping peacefully between us.

Our son.

Our world.

His jaw tightened.

Pain flickered across his face.

And suddenly I knew.

Whatever secret he was carrying…

It was bigger than both of us.

“Promise me,” I whispered again.

His eyes returned to mine.

Shining with an emotion I couldn’t name.

Then he reached for my hand.

Pressed a kiss against my knuckles.

And finally said,

“I promise.”

I wanted to believe him.

God help me, I wanted to.

But something deep inside me whispered that promises were only as strong as the people making them.

And for the first time in seven years…

I wasn’t sure Damian believed his own.

Hours later, Elena and Noah slept peacefully.

But Damian remained awake.

Sitting alone in the darkness.

His phone illuminated his face.

A single message glowed on the screen.

Tomorrow.

8:00 AM.

If you don’t surrender, Luca goes down.

Damian closed his eyes.

His grip tightened around the phone.

And for the first time that night…

A tear slipped down his face.