Soonie D'marcello

The steady sound of water pouring down into a disposable cup filled the hallway with Soonie standing right in front of it, eyes distant.

She wasn't thirsty, she just wanted to get away from Damon before she dug his eyes out herself.

The room had steeped in hush after Naomi drifted into sleep. The rhythm of the heart monitor was the only sound either of them could hear. Beyond the blinds, the garden lamps burned against the night.

Damon hadn’t moved from his post at the window. One hand was braced against the sill, the other resting loosely in his pocket but his gaze stayed on the reflection, the faint outline of Naomi’s sleeping form.

And not far from it is the shadow of Soonie hunched in the chair across from her bed.

It had been like this for nearly an hour. Silence was starting to get uncomfortable but it was better than having a conversation with each other.

Soonie’s eyes were also on Naomi and on Damon. Her arms were folded, her foot tapping against the tiled floors in angry bursts.

She had enough and decided to get water. Standing by the hallway, she was lost in thought, oblivious to the man standing across from her, eyes as cold as ice.

Soonie looked up, gaze fixed on Damon in silence, what the hell does he want?

“You got something to say?” She asked, frowning.

Damon remained still, staring at her like he could see right through her soul.

“Do I?” He asked.

“You know…” Her voice was low but sharp, slicing the stillness. “For a man who claims to love her, you have a funny way of showing it.”

Damon remained still. “Explain.”

“You let this happen.” The bitterness in her tone filled the room. “She’s lying in there, hurt and you just stood there like the asshole that you are. She's suffered enough for one lifetime! She was doing okay until you came into the picture and now….Now she's here. Because of you!”

Silence but a muscle in his jaw ticked. “And you think you could’ve prevented it?”

“Yes.” She said, taking a few steps forward, glaring at him. “If she’d been with me, this wouldn’t have happened.”

At that, Damon's cold eyes darkened. His eyes were unreadable at first but now, the look on his face made Soonie stiffen.

“Why,” he asked softly, “are you so…concerned?”

Soonie chuckled, is he really asking her that?! It was a simple question but deceptive and thick with implication.

She knows it. He knows it.

“Why? You're asking me why I'm worried about Naomi?” Soonie’s eyes twitched in disbelief . “Because she’s my best friend. She’s all I’ve got. I’m not going to sit here and pretend you’ve done right by her.”

Silence again. Damon studied her like he was reading an open book. She was trying so hard to hide it but he saw right through her.

The way her eyes lit up when he glances at her, the intense look she sends his way at every given chance…

He saw all of it.

Damon walked closer, voice dipping low. Not in anger but a chilling reminder.

“Naomi is my wife. That means something. Whether you like it or not.”

Soonie scoffed. “Wife. You keep using that word like it excuses everything. But where were you when she needed you most? Six years, she had to navigate life without you. Six years she fought to keep her life together, and you were nowhere. Now you want to play husband? Don't make me laugh.”

Damon didn’t flinch. “If you think this me playing husband, enjoy it. Whatever makes you sleep at night.”

The words landed like iron. Soonie’s mouth snapped shut, her breathing sharp.

“You think being here now erases the past?” she hissed. “You think your money, your power, your guards outside make her safe? You’re the reason she’s in danger to begin with.”

Damon’s jaw worked once, but his voice remained calm. “You're saying this like you know something I don't know...”

He got close and Soonie swallowed. It was hard not to feel intimated by a man like Damon.

“Do you know something I don't, Soonie?”

Her fists curled on her knees. “I know you drag trouble everywhere you go. I know she wouldn’t be in a hospital bed if she weren’t tied to you. And I know…” She cut herself off, chest rising and falling too fast.

Damon’s eyes narrowed slightly, just enough to mark that he’d noticed the slip. His next words were deliberate. “And you know what?”

Her throat worked. For a heartbeat she couldn’t answer.

“I don't owe you that!” she muttered at last.

Damon stepped closer, stopping just when Soonie took a hesitant step back. The lights caught in his eyes, turning them sharp. “For someone who claims to know nothing, you sure know how to shoot yourself in the leg.. ”

Soonie’s breath hitched, though her glare never wavered. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He almost smiled, but it wasn’t kind. “

“What do you think?”

Soonie’s blood boiled. “I know she deserves way better than an asshole who only shows up when it's convenient!"

Damon said nothing. “I believe you're here because you want to make Naomi feel better. Let's keep it at that. For her sake..”

Her lips parted, then snapped shut.Soonie straightened up, unwilling to shrink under the weight of his gaze.

“You arrogant bastard,” she whispered, trembling with fury. “You think you’ve won uh? You don’t even understand her at all.”

“I understand enough,” Damon countered. “Enough to know she asked me to stay. That’s more than she asked of you.”

For a moment they stood like that, eyes locked, Naomi’s steady breathing the only sound in the room.

Soonie broke first, her hands dragged through her hair, tugging. “You don’t deserve her,” she muttered. “You never did.”

Damon let the words hang, then replied with chilling calm. “Maybe not. But she’s still mine.”

The admission hit Soonie harder than any shouted insult. She froze mid-step, spine stiff. Then, she turned back to him.

“Mine,” she repeated, voice brittle. “You don’t even know what that means.”

His brows lifted a fraction. “And you do?”

Silence stretched again, taut and dangerous. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. Instead, her eyes flicked toward Naomi’s sleeping form, lingering a second too long.

Damon saw it. He didn’t comment, but his jaw tightened.

Soonie dragged her gaze away, forcing a sneer. “You talk about her like she's your property. Like one of your cars or your houses. But she’s not your property. She’s Naomi. She’s… she’s everything...”

“No. She’s not property. She’s my wife. And that is something you will never change, no matter how much you sit there and seethe.”

Soonie’s breath came faster, her eyes glossy with something she refused to name. “You bloody asshole!”

The movement in by the door cut her off. Naomi stepped out, lashes fluttering, brow creasing faintly as she shifted her weight.

“Stop…” Naomi’s voice was thin, groggy but cutting through their clash. Her eyes opened, bleary but alert enough to catch the tension thrumming in the hallway. “Both of you. Please.”

Instantly Soonie was at her side, bending down, her voice soft with panic. “Naomi, I’m sorry. Did we wake you? You should be resting.”

Naomi reached for her hand, squeezing weakly. “You’re stressing me out,” she murmured.

Damon’s expression didn’t change, but he stepped back, giving them space. His eyes, however, never left Soonie.

“I don’t want you fighting,” Naomi whispered. “Not here. Not now. I need peace. Please.”

Soonie swallowed hard, brushing a strand of hair from Naomi’s face with trembling fingers. “Of course. Anything for you.”

Naomi gave a faint smile, then turned her gaze to Damon. “And you. Please… don’t provoke her. She’s worried about me, that’s all.”

Damon inclined his head once. “As you wish.”

The fragile quiet returned. Naomi’s hand remained in Soonie’s, her thumb tracing idle circles over the skin.

“Lets get you back in bed okay? Come on..” Soonie leads Naomi back into the room, her arms wrapped around her waist to help shift her weight better.

Her eyes met Damon's and a smirk followed. It's only a matter of time before Naomi sees him for the asshole he is and shove him off like dirt.