GUILTY

"I am sorry, love, that I forgot to tell you. But I did this to protect them. It was for their own safety. Please don't get angry. I swear, it wasn't intentional to keep you in the dark. It just slipped my mind, hun."


"Didn't it ever occur to you that they were better off with you under all these security measures?" Damian asks in rage.

Well, but Gracia would have had easy access to them, right? "What about Gracia, love? What if she uses them to get back at me? You know that that woman cannot be trusted at all. She can do just anything to hurt me," I explain.

"Are you sure she can't reach them wherever they are?" He shoots, and I freeze. In a way, this freaks me out.


Shit!

"Come on, Damian! I am more than anxious enough to handle more," I say, springing to my feet as fear piques my interest. 'If you know something, just let it out, but don't make me feel bad about my decision. I may not have done the right thing, but I had the best intentions. I did what I thought was right."


He hugs my shoulders. "I am sorry," he whispers, hugging my shoulders to calm my paranoia. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel this way, because I know you did what you thought was best."

Yeah, but he doesn't agree with what I did. I can see it in his eyes. "But you don't approve of what I did either. You think it was stupid of me to do that. I know," I retort calmly.

"Hey, I didn't say anything like that. I just felt bad when I didn't see them. Then you lied to me and said that you would stay with the police, but you evaded them and went straight to Gracia. What if you ran into that monster? What if you got hurt? What then, huh? You know I would die if something happened to you. That would prove me a total failure in protecting you, Ellie!"

Now I feel guilty! And I really am.

"I am sorry. I was just trying to"

"To look for the person who murdered nanny Aisha in your own compound," he cuts me off, worry filled in his tone. 'I get that, love, but at the expense of risking your life like that?"

"Again, I am sorry. I wasn't thinking at that moment. A lot of things were running through my head. A killer sneaked into the castle under such tight security and murdered my best nanny in cold blood. I saw the shadow, meaning that the monster was still around, thirsty for more blood. What was I supposed to do, Damian?"

"Stay beside me, or at least ask me to come with you, for your safety." He says this, caressing my shoulders.

I know that very well. "I don't want anybody else to get hurt, Damian. This is getting so messed up!" I say.

"Nobody else will get hurt, but you have got to trust me and tell me everything. Did she confess?" He asks, scanning my eyes.

Shoot! I mean...

"Huh?" I hum.

"Garcia! The reason you went to confront her was because you suspected her. So, did she admit anything?"

Ooh, dear Lord! I am between a rock and a hard place. If I reveal all that that monster said to me, can Damian keep his cool? And again, Jezebel warned me against disclosing anything to anyone, and she threatened me with Damian's life. I can't risk this. I cannot risk Damian getting hurt. Even a scratch on his flawless face would kill me, especially if I were to be the cause.

"The truth, Ellie! All of it!" He drops his hands from my shoulders, dipping them in his pockets, waiting for my reply.

Loyalty, Ellie! You should choose wisely who to show your loyalty to.

"First, swear, Damian, that you won't do anything about what I am going to tell you. You will let me handle this."

He sneers.

"Sorry, but even you know that I can't do that, Ellie! There is no way I'm going to let you deal with that monster. I'm your protector, remember?"

"I know, but it's either that, or I keep the secrets to myself and handle the situation the best way I find how to." I state.

"Are you serious? You would rather choose to keep your husband in the dark than betray a woman like Gracia."

Husband! Yeah! Fake or legal, he is my husband, and that's why I am doing all this.

"No, Damian. It's deeper than you think. It's love. I love you so much, and that's why I am taking all these precautions. Because if I don't do this, it's your precious life that's next on the list of that monster, and I can't lose you. I can't risk another life, much less yours."

"Me? Why is she targeting me?"

"You are in the way of her getting what she wants, and you are important to me. Hurting me is her sole goal."

"So, that explains why. It is adding up now." He mutters in a dead low key, but I was lucky to hear it, albeit with so much struggle.

Is it adding up? What is adding up? "Sorry, what explains what? What is adding up?" I query.

"A lot of things. I will explain everything tomorrow. For now, let's rest," he says.

Rest? How am I supposed to do that? "Can't you tell me now?"

He looks at me, his eyes filled with a mix of concern and exhaustion. "I promise, tomorrow. You need to trust me on this. Right now, we both need to calm down and get some sleep. It'll make more sense when we can think clearly."

I want to push and demand answers, but I can see he's at his limit. "Alright," I concede reluctantly. "But first thing in the morning, I want to know everything."

He nods, giving me a reassuring, if weary, smile. "First thing," he promises.

As I lay down, my mind races with unanswered questions and uneasy thoughts. How am I supposed to rest when everything is shrouded in mystery and danger? I close my eyes, willing myself to find some semblance of calm. Tomorrow, I tell myself. Tomorrow, I'll get the answers I need.

"Not about that. But I will tell you about the plan that will solve this misery once and for all. Only if you let me cuddle you for a while." He pulls me to him, pushing us both onto the bed as he captures my lips.

Cuddle or make love, I don't mind as long as it's him—my Damian, my betrothed, my sweet, true love. The man who made me fume with rage at the mere notion of him now makes me rupture with love. A man that I never wanted to meet or love. A man I never deemed marrying, but now I do. I want him to be close to me all the days of my life. I want to love him like this until eternity.

"Mmh. So, what is the plan? I need something to put me at ease, hubby, and trust me, just seeing you around is more than peace to me. I wouldn't mind some spice to distract my mind through this scary night." I say, nuzzling his sugary lips with mine and his nose with mine.