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All Chapters of My Waiting Ended Here: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Vera's post was flooded with well-wishes.Everyone was praising Damian for being so romantic.Vera replied to them all in one comment.[Damian never makes me wait. This time he had to accompany Seraphina to a prenatal checkup, so my birthday wish was forced to be one second late.][He took his private jet with me to chase that second back, keeping his promise to wish me on time.]Someone teased Damian about actually being punctual for once, and he responded right away.[She's my most important business partner.]I set the phone aside and stared blankly at the fluorescent light on the ceiling.In the adult world, even a breakdown happens in silence.Damian always said time was his enemy.The casinos under his name had no clocks, because time reminded gamblers to go home.He brought that habit into his real life.I'd lost count of how many times I'd waited alone at some meeting spot.He always showed up.Just never until after the movie had ended, or the concert was over.The night my mo

Chapter 2

I didn't reply to Vera.By the time I was discharged the next day and made it back to the estate, it was already evening.The moment I pushed the door open, I saw Damian and Vera.Vera was in a wine-red gown, her arm hooked naturally through Damian's.Her head was held high like a proud peacock.When she saw me, she smiled warmly."Seraphina, discharged already?""I figured you'd be laid up in the hospital at least a few more days."I didn't answer.The reason I'd rushed back was to pack my bags.I was sick of the neon and the noise of Las Vegas, and sick of the people here.I was going to leave this place and start over somewhere new.Vera paid no mind to my silence and turned to Damian."Remember what I said on the plane? Seraphina's best trick is using her health to scare people.""You just wouldn't listen. You were in such a hurry to get back that you bailed on my birthday party halfway through. Such a buzzkill."Damian's brow furrowed slightly.He looked down at me, disappointment

Chapter 3

I called in my advisor and asked why my account had been frozen.He stood by the door, hands hanging at his sides.“It was the Don's order. He wants you to cool off for a while.”I let out a cold laugh and drove straight to the St. Mark Casino.I had my own private stash of chips there, chips I could cash out directly.The casino was blazing with light, packed with cheers and wails.Time lost all meaning in here. So did names.This place only recognized chips.I took out every last black-gold chip and handed them to the counter to cash in.The staff didn't ask questions.When the cash went into the duffel bag, it dragged heavy on my hand.I carried the bag out of the VIP lounge.The banquet wasn't over yet. A crowd had gathered in the middle of the main hall.Damian stood among them, his black hair slicked back with pomade, as neat as his suit.Vera had her arm through his, her wine-red gown clinging to every curve.She turned sideways, landing herself right in the center of every came

Chapter 4

My mind went white. I stared blankly at the cross necklace in Vera's hand.It was my mother's keepsake.She'd said she wouldn't live to see my child born, so she wanted to prepare a gift for the baby at least.After my mother died, I never took that necklace off."Give it back!"Once I snapped out of it, I lunged at Vera.But Vera hid behind Damian, peeking out from over his shoulder."What's with the panic? You're the one who bumped into me first!""It's just an ordinary necklace. If you want, I'll pay you back ten of them!"She deliberately put heavy emphasis on the word "bumped."Like she was reminding Damian that I'd been picking on her all along.I tried to step around Damian, but he shifted sideways and blocked me.I looked up at him.He knew what that necklace meant to me, and he was still shielding Vera."Damian, she pulled my necklace off on purpose.""Get out of my way, or don't blame me for what happens next."Damian stared at me for a long moment, then sneered."I thought y

Chapter 5

Damian's POVDamian deliberately lost the chips in his hand to the congressman across from him.He raised his glass to congratulate the man, wearing the pleasant, weary look of someone used to social obligations, bored inside but forced to play along.The family was opening a new casino, and the gaming license needed approval from the congressman's committee.Tonight's banquet was for exactly that.The congressman got drunk, and Damian had him helped back to the Villa Hotel behind the casino.Vera took Damian's arm and reminded him with a smile."Don, let's go out and have another round with the others."Damian sighed.For some reason, Seraphina's pale face suddenly surfaced before his eyes.Just three hours ago, she'd looked up at him, her eyes full of tears.He didn't know it then, but those tears hadn't vanished. They'd become the damp that would haunt him for the rest of his life.But right now, he just felt tired."No more drinks. The congressman's business is settled. Leave the r

Chapter 6

Damian's POVIn the darkness, Damian heard faint voices.They were right above his head, yet as distant as wind at the edge of the sky."...his fingers moved...""...go get the doctor, hurry..."The next second, a hand closed around his.Warm, soft, trembling faintly.Damian gripped back on instinct.Seraphina.The name surfaced in his mind without warning.Then, from somewhere, a burst of strength forced his eyes open.The white light stabbed at his eyes, but the name rushed out of his throat first."Seraphina..."The hand holding his went stiff.Once his eyes adjusted to the light, Damian froze.The person gripping his hand was Vera.She was still in that wine-red gown, her eyes red-rimmed as she looked at him.Damian let go like he'd been burned.Vera's smile froze for a split second."Don, you're finally awake."She leaned in close, her voice choked with tears."I was so worried. The doctor said it's just impact injuries and a mild concussion. A few days' rest and you'll be fine...

Chapter 7

Damian's POVIn the study, Damian sat in the head chair, staring coldly at his men.On the other side of the wide black walnut desk stood the uneasy advisor, the elders, and the capos."I was in the hospital for three days, and I gave you three days."Damian tightened his grip on the glass in his hand. "And now you're telling me you can't find a trace of Donna."He hurled the glass at the wall and roared with fury:"You useless bunch! You can't even find one person!"Everyone flinched and ducked their heads, not daring to answer.Vera stepped to Damian's side."Don, they've all been searching with everything they've got. Just give them a little more time."Damian stared at the whiskey stain on the wall and said nothing."Also, right now you should be putting your energy into getting the new casino ready."Vera set a stack of documents in front of him. "Take a look at these first."Damian whipped his head toward her and pulled a black pistol from the drawer."Oh? The new casino ranks hi

Chapter 8

I settled in a small town on the California coast.No sleepless neon like Las Vegas here. No desires magnified by money.Outside my window, there was only the sound of the tide against the shore.I rented a cozy apartment and paid a year's rent in cash.The landlord counted the bills, then signed the lease without a fuss.The apartment wasn't big, but it had everything I needed.The first thing I bought was an alarm clock.I put it on my nightstand.Its ticking was soft.Here, time belonged to me.I didn't have to wait for anyone anymore.I rested for a whole week, spending my free time watching the sea.The sea breeze slowly healed my wounds, and a smile as clean as the foam returned to my face.I was no longer Donna. No longer Seraphina Santoro.I was Seraphina Costa.A week later, I walked into a design company with my old jewelry sketches in my arms and knocked on the door.The one who interviewed me was the design director, Julian.He flipped through my sketches page by page, stud

Chapter 9

Damian stood on the street corner, watching me from across the road.I looked back at him quietly.Between us was a red light and a restless stream of people.I'd wondered, once in a while.What I'd feel when I saw Damian again.Would I cry? Would I hate him? Would I be unable to stop myself from demanding answers?But in the moment we truly met again, there was only quiet in my chest.Everything between us was like a summer shower falling on asphalt.Long gone, without a trace.Damian ran across.He kept throwing out his hands to stop the speeding cars.The Don who'd once made everyone wait for him now wouldn't even wait for a red light.When Damian stopped in front of me, his breathing was ragged, his suit rumpled beyond recognition.In just one year, he'd grown so thin he barely looked like himself.His face was sallow, with a kind of almost transparent sheen.His eye sockets were sunken deep, his eyes shrinking back as if afraid of the light."Seraphina."He stared at me hard, like

Chapter 10

Damian didn't go sign the divorce papers with me, and he didn't leave either.He checked into the hotel next to my apartment building.From then on, he became a ghost I couldn't get rid of.Wherever I went, I'd spot him waiting in some corner.He never came closer, and he never left.He just stood there, quietly waiting for me, waiting for me to change my mind.It made me sick.Today at lunch, I stepped out onto the balcony for some air and saw that familiar figure on the street corner again.Long black trench coat. Thin shoulders and back.It was raining, and Damian had no umbrella.He stood as still as a rain-soaked gravestone.Julian walked up beside me, followed my gaze, and glanced at Damian."Who's that?"I smiled bitterly. "A husband who refuses to become an ex."Julian shrugged. "You could call the police. Say he's stalking you.""It's complicated." I took a sip of coffee. "He's a Don. The Italian kind."Julian blinked."Want me to handle it for you?"I hesitated. "How would yo

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