LILY'S POV
It had been a few days since the confrontation in Damien's office. A few days since Caleb's anger had reverberated in my chest like a distant storm, but it hadn't broken me. Not like it once would have. No, I was stronger now, more grounded in the decisions I had made. And yet, I still couldn't shake the feeling that something in the air had shifted.
I had packed a small bag, left Damien's penthouse without a word, and found solace in the comfort of Jess's place. She was the only person who never judged me, never told me what I should do or how I should feel. When I walked into her apartment that night, she took one look at me and simply pulled me into a hug. She didn't need to ask the questions that I didn't have answers for. Jess just understood.
The days passed quietly, each one giving me a little more clarity, though nothing seemed to make sense. Damien's presence loomed over me like a shadow, and no matter how far I tried to distance myself from him, his grip on me remained.
Today, Jess had insisted we go out for a walk on the beach to clear our heads. The sun was setting, the sky a mix of purple and orange as we walked barefoot along the shore. The air was cool and salty, and for a few moments, I could almost forget about everything that had happened. I could almost pretend I was just a normal girl, walking on a beach with her best friend, free from the tangled web of emotions and betrayals.
But it didn't last long.
Jess and I had been walking for nearly an hour when I heard her phone buzz in her bag. She fished it out and checked it, her face going pale as she stared at the screen. I raised an eyebrow.
"Jess? What's wrong?"
She didn't say anything at first, just handed me the phone. I looked down at the screen, seeing the headline of a tabloid article.
"Damien Black and His Ex-Wife Samantha Reed Are Getting Remarried."
I blinked, the words not quite registering at first. My heart thudded in my chest, and my throat tightened. I stared at the headline, feeling the ground beneath me shift. The world felt like it had just tilted, throwing me off balance.
"W-What?" I muttered, my voice shaky. "How… what does this mean?"
Jess was quiet for a long moment, watching me with wide eyes. She didn't have an answer, but she didn't need one. I knew what it meant.
Damien was getting remarried to his ex-wife.
Samantha Reed.
The woman I had heard so much about. The one Damien had never fully let go of according to tabloids.
Apparently not rumours anymore.
I had never met her, but I had heard the whispers. The way Damien's gaze would harden when her name came up, how she had left him, how he had never fully recovered from that loss. And now, here it was, in black and white—proof that whatever I had with him didn't matter.
I handed Jess her phone back, though I barely remembered doing it. My head was spinning, my thoughts a jumbled mess. How could this be happening? Why hadn't he told me? Why hadn't he said anything? I had just been with him. I had just spent days wrapped up in him, in his world. I had given so much of myself to him, and this was how it ended?
I felt a sharp sting behind my eyes, and I fought to keep my composure. The last thing I wanted was for Jess to see how hurt I was. I wasn't sure if it was out of pride or fear, but I didn't want her to know that this was breaking me.
"Lily…" Jess said softly, her voice full of concern, but I couldn't look at her. I couldn't look at anyone.
"Don't," I whispered. "Just don't."
Jess stood there for a moment, uncertain of what to say. I could feel her eyes on me, her concern wrapping around me like a weight I didn't want to bear. But I didn't have the strength to face her. Or anyone. Not right now.
I turned, walking a few steps away from her, my gaze locked on the ocean. The crashing waves were distant and soothing, but they couldn't calm the storm that was raging inside me. I didn't know what to do with the pain that was swelling in my chest. Damien had always been a puzzle to me, a challenge that I couldn't quite figure out. But this… this was a new kind of betrayal. And it hurt more than I had expected.
The worst part? I wasn't even sure if I had the right to feel betrayed. After all, I knew about Samantha. I had always known that she was part of his past, but I never expected her to come back into the picture like this. I never expected to be left in the dark while he continued to tie up loose ends with her.
Was I really just a diversion? A distraction? Someone to fill the void until Samantha returned?
"Lily," Jess called gently, but I didn't turn to face her. "You need to talk to him. You can't keep running from this."
I shook my head, my fingers gripping the hem of my shirt. "What am I supposed to say, Jess? 'Hey, Damien, I saw the article, and I wanted to know why you didn't mention your ex-wife might be getting back together with you?'" My laugh was hollow, sarcastic, and filled with bitterness. "I can't. I can't do that."
"Look, I get it," Jess said, her voice a little more firm now. "You're hurt. You're pissed. But you can't keep pretending like this doesn't matter. You deserve answers."
I closed my eyes, taking in a shaky breath. I could feel the tears rising, but I pushed them back, unwilling to let them fall. Not now. Not in front of Jess.
"I don't even know what I'm supposed to feel anymore," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don't even know who I am in all of this."
"You're Lily," Jess said softly, stepping closer to me. "And you're stronger than any woman I know...after my mum of course." she gave a faint smile.
I nodded and smiled, though I wasn't sure I believed her. I felt broken in ways I hadn't expected. I had always known that Damien was complicated, that his past was messy, but I didn't think I'd end up being collateral damage.
"What am I supposed to do now?" I whispered, my voice cracking.
Jess didn't have an immediate answer, but she reached for my hand, holding it tightly in hers. "We'll figure it out. One step at a time. But first, you need to talk to him. You need to get the truth, not just live in the shadows of your own fears."
I took a deep breath, looking out over the waves again. The truth. I didn't even know what that looked like anymore. Was it the version of Damien I had come to know—the passionate, intense, protective man who seemed to always pull me back into his world? Or was it the version of him that I had never seen, the one who had kept his ex-wife a secret, the one who seemed to have moved on while I was left hanging in the balance?
"I'll talk to him," I said, more to myself than to Jess. "But not today. Not yet."
Jess didn't argue. She simply nodded, knowing that I needed time. Time to process, to think, to figure out what I was willing to fight for.
But deep down, I already knew the answer. I didn't know if I could continue to fight for Damien, not with all of this weighing on me. Not with Samantha's shadow hanging over us.
As we walked back to the car, I couldn't shake the feeling that everything had changed. The path I thought I was on was suddenly unclear, and the person I thought I knew—Damien—was slipping further away from me.
I didn't know what the future held, but one thing was certain: I wasn't going to let myself be the victim anymore. I wasn't going to let anyone make decisions for me anymore.