Clara's legs felt like lead as Damien's voice echoed in her ears, cold and deliberate. "I'm not leaving until I get answers." His words weren't just a statement—they were a challenge.
She swallowed hard, her back pressed against the door she had just slammed shut. Her heart pounded, but her mind raced faster. Lucas was upstairs, where she'd sent him the moment Damien stepped back outside. At least he was safe—for now.
"You can't hide forever, Clara," Damien called from the other side. His tone was calm, almost too calm, but she heard the steel behind it. "I'll wait all night if I have to."
Her hand trembled as she locked the door, though she knew a lock wouldn't stop him. Damien Blackwood didn't respect boundaries. He crushed them.
Taking a deep breath, she turned and made her way to the stairs. Lucas sat at the top, clutching his stuffed wolf so tightly it looked like it might burst at the seams. His small frame seemed even smaller under the weight of the unspoken tension in the house.
"Is he gone?" Lucas's voice was barely a whisper.
She climbed the stairs slowly, crouching in front of him. "For now," she lied. "But you need to stay up here, okay? Don't come down, no matter what."
Lucas nodded, his wide eyes betraying the fear he tried so hard to hide. "Is he a bad guy?"
Clara's chest tightened. How could she answer that? Damien wasn't a villain in the traditional sense, but he was dangerous in ways Lucas couldn't understand.
"No," she said finally, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. "He's... complicated. But I'll handle it."
Lucas didn't look convinced, but he nodded again, trusting her in the way only a child could.
The sharp sound of knocking startled them both. Clara's stomach lurched as she realized Damien wasn't bluffing. He really wasn't leaving.
"Stay here," she said, her voice firm. Then she rose and made her way back downstairs, each step heavier than the last.
When she opened the door this time, Damien was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed. He looked infuriatingly calm, as though he had all the time in the world to wait her out.
"Clara," he said, his voice low and measured. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. But I'm not leaving until we talk."
She stepped outside, closing the door behind her. The cold night air bit at her skin, but she welcomed the chill. It was better than the suffocating heat of Damien's presence.
"There's nothing to talk about," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Damien's lips curled into a faint smirk, one that didn't reach his eyes. "You're still a terrible liar."
Clara's nails bit into her palms as she clenched her fists. "Why are you here, Damien? What do you want?"
"I want the truth," he said simply, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "That boy—Lucas. He's mine, isn't he?"
Her breath caught in her throat, but she forced herself to hold his gaze. "You don't get to show up here after all this time and start making demands."
"That's not a denial," he said, taking a step closer.
Clara's resolve wavered, but she refused to back down. "Lucas is my son. That's all you need to know."
Damien's jaw tightened, his calm façade cracking ever so slightly. "Do you really think I'm going to walk away without answers? Without knowing the truth?"
She took a step back, her back pressing against the door. "You don't have a right to—"
"I have every right," he interrupted, his voice rising for the first time. "If he's my son, I deserve to know."
Clara flinched, the force of his words cutting through her like a knife. But before she could respond, the door creaked open behind her.
"Mommy?"
Her heart sank as she turned to see Lucas standing in the doorway, his stuffed wolf dangling from one hand. His eyes flicked between her and Damien, confusion and curiosity written all over his face.
Damien's gaze softened as he looked at Lucas, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly. "Hey, buddy," he said, his voice gentler now. "What's your name?"
Lucas hesitated, glancing at Clara for reassurance. She gave him a small nod, though her stomach churned at the thought of what was about to unfold.
"Lucas," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper.
Damien crouched, bringing himself to Lucas's level. "That's a strong name," he said with a small smile. "How old are you, Lucas?"
"Five," Lucas said, holding up five fingers.
Clara felt like the ground was crumbling beneath her feet. Damien was piecing it together, she could see it in his eyes. The math wasn't hard to do.
"Five," Damien repeated, his smile fading as his gaze shifted back to Clara. "He's five."
Her throat tightened, but she didn't respond. What could she say?
"Lucas," Damien said, his voice soft but firm. "Why don't you head back inside? I need to talk to your mom for a minute."
Lucas hesitated, looking up at Clara. She forced a smile, though it felt like her face might crack under the strain. "Go on, sweetheart. I'll be right in."
Reluctantly, Lucas retreated back into the house, the door closing softly behind him. The moment it did, Damien straightened, his calm façade gone.
"Five years," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "You've been hiding him from me for five years."
Clara's hands shook, but she forced herself to stand her ground. "I did what I had to do."
"What you had to do?" Damien's voice rose again, his anger barely contained. "You didn't think I deserved to know I had a son?"
"You don't understand," she said, her voice breaking. "You weren't there, Damien. You don't know what it was like."
"Then make me understand," he demanded, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and hurt. "Why did you run? Why didn't you tell me?"
Clara's chest heaved as she struggled to find the words. How could she explain the fear, the desperation that had driven her to leave? How could she make him see that she'd done it to protect Lucas?
But before she could respond, a low rumble of thunder rolled in the distance, the storm on the horizon drawing closer. It was a fitting backdrop for the chaos unraveling between them.
"Damien," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "You need to leave."
His expression hardened, his jaw clenching as he took a step closer. "I'm not going anywhere, Clara. Not until I get the truth."
The determination in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. Damien Blackwood wasn't a man who gave up easily. And now, with the truth hanging between them, she knew this was only the beginning.
Damien's persistence leaves Clara with no choice but to confront the secrets she's been hiding for years. But as the storm closes in, she realizes that keeping Lucas safe may require more than just running—it may demand a truth she's not ready to face.