Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 41 - Chapitre 47

The sun had already set when his car pulled into the Morrison driveway.The gateman had let him through the moment he said who he was. Not many people in this city didn’t know the name Damien Rhodes.He parked and sat there for a moment, both hands on the wheel.Then he reached over to the passenger seat and picked up the bouquet he had stopped for on the way — white roses this time, not red. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe red felt too much like a pattern he was trying to break.He honked once.Then he sat there.I hope she hears me out this time.He got out, shut the door behind him, and walked toward the front door.Mrs. Morrison heard the horn and stepped outside before he reached the door. She stood in the doorway with her arms folded tightly, looking at him with the kind of gaze that women who have experienced a lot in life use when they assess a situation.“Good evening, ma’am.” He kept his voice measured. “I’m Damien. Miriam’s husband.”She studied him for a moment. Trying to figure

Damien came around to her side and fell into step beside her, hand finding the small of her back as they walked through the doors — not controlling. But the way he had been since last night, like he was being careful about where he put his hands.Emily saw them from the upstairs window.She was at her desk when they pulled in, had slowly stood up, watched them walk in together, then set her coffee down and moved to her office.She pushed Miriam’s office door open without knocking.“What is going on here?”Miriam looked up from dropping her bag. “He dropped me off. Good morning, Emily.”“I can see that.” Emily’s eyes moved briefly to Damien, then away, like he wasn’t worth the full turn of her head. “But what is going on?”Damien stood near the door, hands in his pockets, face even. He had noticed the greeting that hadn’t come. He said nothing about it.“I’m heading out,” he said, turning to Miriam. “Let me know when you’re ready to go home and I’ll come get you.”She nodded.He crosse

They were in the middle of the party when Damien appeared beside her like he had been watching.“You okay?”“It’s getting a little crowded,” she said. “I need a minute.”He nodded and placed his hand at the small of her back, guiding her through the room toward the corridor that led to the main sitting room.The noise dropped the moment they stepped in.She exhaled.Then she saw Thomas.He was sitting on the sofa near the far window, alone, drink in hand, looking out at the garden like he was somewhere else entirely.She looked at Damien.“Give me a minute with him,” she said quietly.He nodded and slipped back toward the party.Thomas looked up when he heard her settle onto the sofa beside him.Something moved across his face — not surprise exactly, but a kind of recalibration.“You should be out there with everyone,” she said.“I needed a break.” He looked at his glass. “Too much noise.”She leaned back slightly and followed his gaze out the window.He had been sitting here thinking

He was still at his desk when his phone buzzed.He picked it up without thinking.Adrian.He almost put it back down. Then he read it.You think you own her?Then the screenshots started coming through.One after another. Conversations between him and Miriam — her laughing at something he said, voice notes she had sent, the kind of easy back and forth that happened between people who were genuinely comfortable with each other. Nothing inappropriate. Nothing that crossed the line.But intimate in a way that had nothing to do with lines.These are just a few times I made her laugh with just my words.Damien slowly set the phone down on the desk.He sat there for a moment.Then he stood up.He started pacing — not the controlled, deliberate movement he used when he was thinking through something. This was different. Shorter steps, tighter turns, something building in him that didn’t have a clean outlet.He stopped.Formed a fist.And drove it into the wall.The sound brought his assistan