All Chapters of HIS TO RUIN: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

SELENE.My eyes fluttered open slowly, the world coming into focus in fragments. Light first. Then a ceiling I did not recognize. Then a presence too close to ignore.Damien.He stood beside the bed, shoulders stiff, eyes fixed on mine. There was irritation there, clear as day, but beneath it something else flickered. Concern. The kind he probably hated letting slip.For a second, neither of us spoke.His jaw tightened, muscles shifting as if he were grinding his teeth. When he finally spoke, his voice came out rough, impatient.“Why would you fall like that just to get my attention?”The words stung more than I expected.“You could have gotten yourself seriously hurt.”His irritation sharpened the words, but it did nothing to hide what lay underneath.I swallowed. My throat felt dry. I tried to sit up.Pain stopped me cold.He noticed.Of course he did.His eyes tracked every movement, even when he pretended not to care.“What was it you wanted to show me?” His voice was clipped. Con

SELENE.I was going to walk out of the room feeling accomplished, the flash drive heavy in my bag like a secret I could finally use. Everything I needed was finally mine. I hailed an Uber without a second thought, letting the city blur past the window. By the time I reached the penthouse, I felt a strange calm, a thrill I couldn’t quite name.I stepped out of the cab and walked inside. The apartment was quiet. Damien hadn’t returned from work. The emptiness made my chest tighten. I moved to my room, dropping my bag onto the bed, and perched my laptop on my lap. My fingers hovered above the keyboard for a moment before I slid the flash drive in.The files opened, spilling secrets onto the screen. Philip and Marcus. Conversations, texts, confessions, and refusals. I could feel the tension in Philip’s voice, his desperation for his son’s treatment. Marcus’s cold, calculating replies. The messages where Philip begged for money, and Marcus ignored him. I swallowed hard, my hand trembling

SELENE.I sank deeper into the bathtub, letting the warm water swallow my skin, easing the tightness I had carried for so long. My head tipped back against the porcelain, hair floating around me like loose threads. Relief spread through my chest, heavy and sweet. I closed my eyes and breathed it in.So this was peace.I did not know it could taste this good.A soft laugh slipped from my lips as I lifted my head and tossed my hair back, water splashing against the tiles. My body felt light. Alive. For the first time since everything began to fall apart, I was not bracing for impact. I was not waiting for the next blow.I thought of Damien.The way he had looked at me earlier replayed in my mind. The way his eyes had lingered on mine. He had not said the words, but they were there, sitting heavy in his silence. Guilt. Regret. An apology he did not know how to give.He had accused me wrongly. And now he knew it.I smiled to myself, fingers tracing lazy circles in the water. This was how

SELENE.I woke up with a groan.Not the gentle kind. The kind that came from everywhere at once. My back. My thighs. My shoulders. Even my pride seemed sore.I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling, blinking slowly as memory crept in. Not all at once. It never came all at once. It came in pieces. His hands. His voice. The way he looked at me like I was something he could lose and never survive.I let out a breath and brought my arm over my eyes.Damien was a beast.Not in the way men liked to call themselves when they wanted to sound impressive. No. He was controlled chaos. Power barely restrained. And last night, he had let go.A corner of my mouth lifted before I could stop it.I admired that beast.I shifted, stretching instinctively, and hissed under my breath. My muscles protested like they had been dragged through a war and somehow survived. I dragged the sheet higher, cocooning myself, then slowly pushed myself upright.That was when I noticed it.The other side of the

SELENE.I poured the wine slowly, watching the deep red swirl into the glass. The sound was steady, calming. I needed that. Something ordinary to anchor me after the way the day had unfolded.I turned, lifting the glass to my lips, and froze.Damien stood a few steps away, his back to me, shoulders locked tight. One hand gripped his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen like he was resisting the urge to shatter it. The light from the display cast a faint glow over his knuckles.He did not move.My brow furrowed. Curiosity tugged at me, sharp and uneasy. Damien was rarely still like that. When something bothered him, it usually came out in motion or words. Silence from him felt heavier.“Damien?” I called calmly, keeping my tone light. “Who’s on the screen?”Nothing.The quiet stretched. I lowered the glass slightly, my fingers tightening around the stem.I walked closer, the heel of my foot brushing the rug. “You’re going to make me nervous,” I said, letting a playful edge slip in