All Chapters of After My Last Breath: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

[Elara]I wake up to find myself in a hospital suite.Blinking rapidly, I try to make sense of whatever the hell is going on.The last thing I remember is getting into the car with Dr. Wolfe, and after that…“Finally awake, I see,” comes a voice from my right.I turn my head—and immediately wish I hadn’t.Dr. Wolfe is standing beside the bed, looking down at me. Too close. Too alert. His dark hair is slightly tousled, like he’s run his fingers through it one too many times, and his blue eyes look sharper up close—focused, assessing, annoyingly calm. The kind of calm that makes you feel like he has everything under control, even when you very much don’t.I try to sit up, suddenly too aware of my position, and he instantly steps forward, sliding a pillow behind my back with practiced ease.“What happened?” I ask, my thoughts still scattered, my memory refusing to cooperate.He pulls back at the same time I tilt my head up—Thud.My forehead collides directly with his chin.“Ouch!” I win

It wasn’t easy to fool Damon when I first presented myself to him as Rose. He had too many questions—too many things he wanted to talk about. But luckily for me, I was prepared. I had read all their chats while Elara wasn’t paying attention, and that’s how I was able to turn myself into the exact Rose he was so eager to meet.After that, making him fall in love with me wasn’t difficult at all. He was already indebted to Rose for helping him resolve the biggest crisis he was facing at the time. From then on, all he wanted was to please her—to give her everything he possibly could.Poor Elara. When she finally figured out I’d taken her credit—and even her alias—there was nothing she could do except stand there and stare at me with that helpless look on her face.“You sound too happy,” he says, nuzzling his nose against me before biting down just hard enough to draw a moan from my lips. “You haven’t actually fallen in love with him, have you?”He can’t be serious.I flip him over, stradd

[Elara]Dr Wolfe drops me off at Jazz’s apartment first.But when I ask him about my phone, he says he forgot to retrieve it from Kyle.I nod, trying to convince myself it’s not a big deal. A few hours without my cell won’t kill me. In fact, let’s be honest—without the constant obsession of checking my phone every few minutes, it actually feels kind of nice.Besides, I don’t think Damon even knows that I’ve been bailed out, or that once Monday arrives, I plan to present my evidence and prove my innocence for good—the innocence he refused to even acknowledge.It will be my early anniversary gift to him.And I’ll make sure to watch his face when he realizes how badly he fucked up.“Here. Use this for a while,” Dr Wolfe says, handing me what looks like a brand-new phone.“I don’t think that’s right.” I try to return it, but he’s already getting into his car.“It’s nothing,” he says, his blue eyes serious as ever. “Besides, it’s not me giving it to you. It’s from your boss.” He looks away

[Elara]I’ve only been to the Midnight Club twice in my life.Once, when Damon took me there for a get-together with his close friends, and the second time when his friend Harry called me to pick him up after he got drunk out of his mind.“You okay?” Dr. Wolfe asks, probably wondering why I suddenly stopped at the entrance.I shake myself out of my stupor. “Yes, of course. I just… remembered something.”He hums. “Remembered something worth sharing?”I smile. “Not really. Just the fact that Damon’s friend Harry owns this club. And we might bump into either of them.”“You’re worried he’ll see you.”It’s not a question, and not a statement either. It’s… something that sounds like it’s giving him a toothache. Why else would he be grinding his jaw so hard?Then again, why would he feel so angry on my behalf? It’s probably just him being—well, him.“I’m not worried,” I say, meaning every word. “But I think it’s better not to have any confrontation right now. I want to face him when I have e

[Elara]As I stand outside the Aurora Banquet—the one owned by the Blackwood family, where all their important functions are held—my phone pings with a text.“Are you sure you don’t need help?” Dr. Wolfe asks.I take a moment to respond. Then I type, “Yes. I’m sure.”“Mommy, whose birthday is it today?” Cora asks, tugging at my finger and looking around the beautiful place in pure awe. “Is it someone important?”The question leaves me breathless, my heart aching with whatever feelings I have left for Damon.Never in the last five years did he throw a celebration like this for either Cora or me. Not even when Cora was born. Not when she turned one, or two, or three, or four. None of our anniversaries were celebrated here either. In fact, I don’t even remember a single time when he got us anything without me reminding him at least a week in advance.And now—look at him.Not only had he broken the one rule about holding Blackwood celebrations at this place, but he had also made sure it lo