All Chapters of A Love Forged In Ruins : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Layla's pov The echo of the gunshot fills my ears, intertwining with my heartbeat.Damian grips my wrist tightly, his body shielding mine as we crouch behind a stone bench in the garden."Stay down," he snarls, his voice like a knife.I am unable to breathe. My mind races. Who fired the shot? Where did it come from?Damian’s men move fast, fanning out, weapons raised. Someone shouts an order. Another voice curses.Then—silence.Long. Heavy. Drenched in tension.Finally, a guard approaches Damian, his face grim.“The shooter’s gone.”Damian’s fingers tighten around me before he lets go. Slowly, he stands, helping me up.I force my shaking legs to move, my eyes darting around. The shadows stretch long across the garden, shifting under the swaying lanterns.Damian turns to his men. “Find him. Now.”They scatter immediately, disappearing into the streets of the

Layla's pov The sound of sirens filled the estate. The blinding blue and red lights painted the night sky, flashing through the windows. Adrian and his men scattered like shadows, vanishing into the darkness before the police arrived. I screamed Damian’s name, my voice cracking as I clung to his weak body. His blood soaked my hands, warm and sticky, seeping through my clothes as I cradled him on the cold marble floor.“Damian! Damian, stay with me!” I shouted, shaking him gently, terrified of hurting him more. His face was pale, his lips had turned blue. His eyes were barely open, struggling to focus on me. Blood pooled beneath him, staining the floor.His breathing was shallow, each breath a painful gasp. I pressed my hands against the wound on his side, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. “Help! Somebody help!” I screamed, my voice breaking, echoing through the empty hallways.The paramedics burst through the doors. They moved quickly

Layla's pov The next few days were strange—different from what I had expected. The same Damian who had been desperate to hunt down his attackers was suddenly calm. Too calm. I had thought he would bury himself in work, ignore me, and treat our marriage as nothing more than a business deal, despite having confessed his love for me just days ago. But something had shifted between us. Subtle at first—small moments, lingering looks, unspoken words—but it was there, growing stronger with each passing day.One morning, I found him sitting at the dining table, scrolling through his phone with a concentrated frown. Normally, he would have locked himself in his office by now, but today, he was here—waiting.“You’re up early,” I said, setting a plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him.Damian looked up, his gaze flickering with something unreadable. “Couldn’t sleep.”I hesitated before sitting across from him. “Are you in pain?”

Layla's pov The day had started out like any other—quiet, calm, uneventful. Damian was in his home office, typing away on his laptop while I lazed on the couch in the living room, flipping through an old fashion magazine. The soft hum of classical music echoed faintly through the house, blending with the occasional click of his keyboard. I wasn’t sure when our life had started to feel normal, but lately, it had. Peaceful breakfasts, shared silence, soft looks across the table. I had almost forgotten why we were together in the first place—a marriage rooted in duty, not love.I should have known better than to believe it would stay peaceful for long.It started when I went to look for the old file box in the study. Damian had asked me to find a missing receipt for some imported equipment. The box was heavy and dusty, tucked in the bottom corner of a dark cabinet. I pulled it out, coughing as the dust rose in clouds around me. I opened the lid and

Layla’s POVI couldn’t sleep after reading the message. It haunted me all night.“You’re not the only one Damian’s lied to. Meet me. I have more answers.”The message gave a time and a location—an old train station just outside the city. I waited until Damian left the house early for a business call. My hands trembled as I dressed in jeans, a hoodie, and sneakers. My heart pounded in my chest as I slipped out the back door and called a cab.The ride was too short for my liking. Each bump in the road sent a wave of anxiety shooting through me. My mind was spinning, tangled with the accusations Usher had made and the secrets I hadn’t known about the man I’d married. The station loomed ahead as the cab pulled up. It looked abandoned—dark and haunting, the kind of place you didn’t want to be alone at night. Rusting metal gates, broken windows, a train that hadn’t run in years—it all added to the heavy atmosphere. The wind cut through the station like a thousand whispers, but all I could