All Chapters of BURN FOR ME.... Mr COLE: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

. WEDNESDAY. 11:22 PM._I was closing the gallery. Alone. Damian was in a meeting. Clara was in New York.The parking lot was empty. Footsteps behind me. I stopped. Turned around.Elias. Hoodie. Hands in his pockets. Smiling."Fancy meeting you here," he said."You shouldn’t be here." "It’s a public place. I can go anywhere."He stepped closer. Really close. I could feel his breath."You look so beautiful when you’re scared."I gripped my bag tighter. "Move."He didn’t move. Just stared at me. Up and down."6 days," he said. "6 months. Same difference."I slipped past him. Got in my car. Locked the doors.He stood outside the window and laughed. Then walked away.---_DAY 205: THE STARES_Coffee shop in the morning. I was in line.Elias was behind me. Right behind me.He didn’t order anything. Just stared at me. Until the barista said "next?"I grabbed my coffee. Turned. He was standing in front of my car outside.My phone rang.

. SATURDAY. 8:00 AM.*It was Clara’s wedding. Damian’s little sister. And today, for the first time, we were both at a "family" event together."Are you nervous?" Damian took my hand. We were in the car. Heading to Hamptons. "No," I lied. "Yes," he squeezed my hand. "I’m here." --- *DAY 220: THE VENUE*White tent. By the ocean. 100 people. All Cole family friends. Clara in a white lehenga. The groom: Thomas. Architect. Good guy. Eleanor was here too. From Europe. The second she saw me, her face turned to stone. Damian immediately tightened his grip on my hand. "Mom," he said. "Damian." "This is Ava. My... partner." Eleanor nodded. `Partner.` The word tasted like poison. --- *DAY 220: THE CEREMONY*The wedding was by the shore. Salt in the air. Clara was crying. Happy tears. During the vows, Damian didn’t let go of my hand. "I’m scared," he whispered. "Why?" "Because this feels right. And right things don’t stay with us." "The

*DAY 224. MONDAY. 6:30 AM. CDG AIRPORT.*"Didn’t you sleep?" Thomas asked. Clara had fallen asleep on his shoulder on the flight. "No," Clara rubbed her eyes. "It was my first flight with you." Thomas laughed. "Taxi?" "No. Metro." "My wife is expensive." "My husband is cheap." They both laughed. 3 days. Just 3 days. Paris. Just us. --- *DAY 224: CHECK IN*Small hotel. Montmartre. With a balcony. You could see the Eiffel Tower. "This?" Clara looked at the room. "Don’t you like it?" "I do. Because you picked it." Thomas closed the door. Dropped the suitcase. And picked Clara up. "Hey put me down" "No." He laid her on the bed. Laid on top of her. "We have 3 days." "So?" "We’re not wasting them." He kissed her forehead, nose, cheeks, lips... everywhere. Slow. Like it was the first time. Clara’s breath caught. "Thomas..." "Hmm?" "I’m scared." "Of what?" "That I’ll wake up and this will be a dream." He put her h

MONDAY. 11:47 PM. RAIN.*"I'll be home in 20 min," Ava said on the phone. She was leaving the gallery. Alone. The rain was heavy. Damian was driving. Stuck in traffic. "Wait there. I’m coming." "No. I’ll come. You drive slow." She hung up. Started the car. --- *DAY 242: THE CRASH*11:52 PM. Near Brooklyn Bridge. The light was red. Ava hit the brakes. Loud sound from behind. Headlights. A horn. A car. Drunk driver. Going 120. `CRASH`Ava’s car spun. Airbag deployed. Glass shattered. Everything went dark. --- *DAY 242: THE HOSPITAL*12:34 AM. Damian’s phone rang. Unknown number. "Mr. Cole? This is Ava Reyes’s car. There’s been an accident. Come to Bellevue." The world stopped. Damian was at the hospital in 8 minutes. Soaked from the rain. ER. White lights. Smell of blood. Doctor: "Ms. Reyes is conscious. Fracture in her right hand. 3 places. Head injury. She’ll need stitches. Everything else is okay." Damian pus

TUESDAY. DOCTOR VISIT.*"Six weeks," the Doctor said, looking at the X-ray. "The bone is healing. Nicely." Ava squeezed Damian's hand tight. "When will the cast come off?" "Two more weeks. Then physiotherapy will be more intense." In the car on the way back, Ava was silent. Damian rubbed her casted hand. "What happened?" "Two more weeks... I can't paint." "You are. With your left hand." Ava looked out the window. "I hold the brush with my left. But I can't feel it." ---*DAY 278-283: THE WAIT*Every day was the same. Morning therapy. Afternoon sketching. Evening sadness. One day Ava threw the brush down. "I can't do it!" Damian picked up the brush. Put it on the table. "Then don't. Rest today." "I'm useless." Damian knelt in front of her. "That day in the hospital you said `I can't be alone` And I said `I'm here` I'm saying the same thing today." He pressed his forehead to hers. "Two weeks. Just two weeks." ---*DAY 284: TH