Puzzled

Chapter Four

Stunned, Damien stared at her.

Her head was wrapped completely in a bandage, her face was white and her lip pale, and there were cuts on it.

He was puzzled.

He thought she had been in a minor accident so why is she looking like she just survived world war 2?

When Diego had called him that she had been involved in an accident, he wanted to go to the hospital because if his grandma gets wind of Lana beibg hospitalized, all hell will let loose.

But Rina had held on to his cloth at that moment.

"Please Dami, don't go. I'm scared" she had said, softly and feverishly. Her eyes were closed but tears still dripped out of them to soak her pillows.

She was a very fragile person and had been seriously shaken when Lana had behaved like a rogue towards her.

His heart hardened and he decided to stay with her. After all, he was sure Lana was just involved in a minor accident.

"Just take her to the hospital! The doctors would take care of her" he had spoken harshly into the phone "Do not call me over this matter again."

As he said those words, he failed to see the slight smile which curved Rina's lips. For she was awake and only putting up an act.

He had taken care of her all day, however and forgotten about Lana but here she was in front of him, looking like death.

She looked awful but that did not dim the fire in her eyes.

She stared at him with hatred as he quietly excused himself from his group and walked towards her, cautiously.

What was that she said?

Divorce?

She can't be serious but somehow, Damien was sure she was serious.

Lana's formerly, calm and cowardly eyes were staring at him with so much hatred and fire, that he almost lost composure.

As he walked towards her, a voice called out.

"Lana, what are you doing here?" Lana turned to look at a middle aged woman who was dressed to the nines, in a beautiful red gown, with a full skirt that covered her feet.

It was Vera, Damien's Mom.

"They said you were at the hospital but you seem fine. You were never the most beautiful either, so it's okay" she walked up to her son, and stared at Lana as though she was something nasty.

Vera had never really liked Lana. They were all enraged when Laura had brought in a nobody to be a part of their family.

That's what they thought of her.

A nobody with no family or background. She was just a poor aide that took care of rich people and somehow deceived Laura into making Damien marry her.

Lana's face darkened immediately, when she saw that Vera was linking arms with Rina, who was looking like a flower petal at that moment, dressed in an exquisite white dress, with thin shoulder straps and a flared skirt which stopped just above her knees.

Lana was very conscious of the fact that she looked like a mess but she didn't care.

It's not like she'll ever be the centre of Damien's attention.

Rina's eyes glittered with malice and mockery as she glanced at Lana but she quickly masked it as she walked up to Damien and linked arms with him also.

"Dami!"

She laid her head on his shoulder and gave Lana a petulant look.

"Why are you out in the cold, Rina?" Damien quickly pulled off his suit jacket and draped it over Rina's shoulder.

"I just wanted to see you" She sniffled and cuddled up to him, still casting malicious glances at Lana but Lana looked like she didn't give a damn.

"But it's not safe. The doctor said you should be more careful."

"Oh come on dear, we are still in the estate" Vera piped in "There's nothing wrong in coming out to see your fiance. You both look good together. You ought to be with her instead of a gold digger who is also a nobody."

She said that last bit, looking pointedly at Lana. Vera had hated her mother inlaw when she brought in this poor aide to marry her precious son.

She was of a long line of aristocrats and she wished for Damien to marry into money and wealth just like their family.

Even though Rina's family was not as wealthy as theirs, she was still the one Damien preferred and Vera accepts her because she was an outstanding fashion designer and was valuable to their company, which was a fashion and entertainment company.

Lana, on the other hand, was nothing but a gold digging poor aide. Vera would not let this nasty thing destroy her son's happiness.

Damien was silent as he watched Lana with narrowed eyes. He saw that she had no reaction to what his mom said. From all indications, it seemed as though she was deaf from the way she was staring at them, indifferently.

He had expected her to turn into a blubbery mess at the mention of that word. After all, she brought this all on herself but the gaze she was giving them was just cold.

Wait, was she serious about the divorce?

She had got to be joking.

His fists clenched into balls at his side as he remembered what Rina had told him, when he eventually found her after three years.

He knew now why his grandmother had insisted on them getting married. It was not because she had saved his life.

Rather, it was because Lana manipulated his grandma into it. She was obsessed with him and used that to blackmail Rina, which led her to leaving the city.

Grandma even went as far as saying, he can only have his inheritance, if he married her and bore a child through her.

Which he knew would never happen, because he had never touched her and he would never touch her.

And now, here she was acting all righteous and seeking a divorce?

She had got to be joking.

"I've had enough of this shit" she finally spat out through gritted teeth.

"Go home, Lana" Vera said, her dark eyes looking at her with impatience and derision. There's no place for you here! You're embarrassing the family."

Lana scoffed, and this attitude made Vera frown.

They were treating her as though she wasn't there, as though she wasn't a human being with feelings, that bitch was caressing her husband up and down.

And her mother-in-law, rubbing it in her face that she'd never be Damien's lover.

She can't stand the sight, anymore.

She felt weaker as she beheld them, and she seemed more pale than ever "You think about what I said, Damien Romero."

With that, she turned on her heel to walk out on them but she had not taken a step when a huge pole which connected wires, on which beautiful lanterns were hung around the garden, fell with a loud creak.

Everyome screamed and shrieked as they watched the pole descend.

Lana gasped in horror, her eyes widening in fear as the pole decended but she was not quick enough to move out of the way.

She saw from the corner of her eyes as Damien launched himself at Rina, covering her with his entire body and her heart ached as she closed her eyes, waiting for the impact of the pole on her head.

It would be better to just die. She could not take it anymore. If she had known love would be this painful, she never would have ventured into it.

Suddenly, there was stunned silence.

Lana opened her eyes, after waiting for a few minutes and nothing happened.

Suddenly, she became acutely aware of a strong surface. She was being held against a strong body.

Stunned, she looked up into beautiful green eyes, covered with long lashes.

A beautiful man, with long black hair, sensual green eyes, and thin lips was holding her up by the waist, against himself.

Lana wondered if she was actually dead and this was an angel guiding her towards heaven but that was not the case.

Shortly before the impact, he had grabbed her quickly out of the way and almost gotten crushed by the pole.

Lana was shaking terribly, from the realization that she almost lost her life and the pain of seeing that her so-called husband had not even tried to save her.

Suddenly, her legs could no longer hold her up. She felt the floor give way beneath her and she fainted.