Clara's heart hammered in her chest as Damien's gaze locked on hers, cold and unyielding. The words he'd just spoken felt like a knife slicing through the fragile calm she'd fought so hard to maintain.
"You've been lying to me," Damien said quietly, though his tone carried the weight of a storm brewing.
"Keep your voice down," Clara hissed, glancing toward the hallway where Lucas had disappeared moments ago.
Damien didn't move, his broad frame blocking the doorway like an immovable wall. "No more games, Clara. I deserve to know the truth."
Her grip tightened on the edge of the counter, the cool surface grounding her even as her mind raced. She knew this confrontation was inevitable, but she hadn't expected it to come crashing down so soon—or so forcefully.
"You're assuming things," she said, forcing her voice to stay steady.
"Am I?" Damien's eyes darkened. "Because that boy—" He jabbed a finger toward the hallway. "He's mine. Isn't he?"
Clara flinched, her composure cracking under the weight of his accusation. She didn't answer, but her silence spoke louder than any denial ever could.
Damien exhaled sharply, running a hand through his dark hair as he took a step back. "I can't believe this," he muttered, more to himself than to her.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," Clara said, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to keep it firm.
He turned back to her, his expression a mix of anger and something else—betrayal. "Then tell me, Clara. Make me understand."
For a moment, she considered it. She considered laying everything bare, telling him the truth about Lucas, about why she'd left, about the danger that had been chasing them ever since. But then she thought of Lucas's wide, trusting eyes, and the walls she'd spent years building snapped back into place.
"You don't get to demand answers from me," she said, her voice sharper now. "Not after everything."
Damien's jaw tightened. "Everything? You mean you disappearing without a word? Leaving me to think—" He cut himself off, shaking his head. "Do you have any idea what that did to me?"
Clara's breath hitched. She hadn't wanted to hurt him, not really. But she'd done what she had to do—for Lucas, for both of them.
"You don't understand," she said softly.
"Then make me understand!" Damien's voice rose, the intensity in his tone making her take a step back.
Before she could respond, a small voice cut through the tension.
"Mommy?"
Both Clara and Damien turned to see Lucas standing in the doorway, clutching his stuffed wolf to his chest. His blue eyes darted between them, confusion and fear clouding his innocent face.
Damien froze, his gaze softening as he looked at the boy. For a moment, the room was silent, the weight of unspoken truths hanging heavy in the air.
Clara moved toward Lucas, kneeling in front of him and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, sweetheart," she said, her voice soothing despite the turmoil churning inside her.
Lucas glanced at Damien, then back at his mother. "Who is he?"
Clara hesitated, her heart breaking at the question. How could she explain this to a child who barely understood the world around him, let alone the complicated web of lies and secrets they were trapped in?
"I'm—" Damien began, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant. He crouched down to Lucas's level, his gaze meeting the boy's. "I'm a friend of your mom's."
Lucas tilted his head, studying Damien with the kind of curiosity only a child could muster. "You're really tall," he said matter-of-factly.
Despite the tension in the room, Clara felt a faint smile tug at her lips.
Damien chuckled softly, though the sound was tinged with sadness. "Yeah, I guess I am."
Lucas nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer, and turned back to Clara. "Can I have a snack?"
Clara let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Of course, sweetie. Go sit at the table, and I'll bring you something."
As Lucas padded back toward the kitchen, Clara stood, her eyes meeting Damien's once more. The brief moment of levity between them evaporated, replaced by the heavy weight of everything left unsaid.
"We're not done," Damien said quietly, his voice low and firm.
Clara nodded, her throat tight. "I know."
She busied herself preparing a snack for Lucas, her hands moving on autopilot as her mind raced. What was she supposed to do now? Damien wasn't the kind of man who backed down, and she knew he wouldn't leave until he got the answers he wanted.
When she turned back to the table, she found Lucas happily munching on an apple slice, completely oblivious to the storm raging between the adults in the room. Damien stood off to the side, his gaze fixed on the boy with an intensity that made Clara's chest ache.
She placed a hand on his arm, drawing his attention back to her. "We can't talk here," she said quietly.
Damien nodded, his expression unreadable.
---
**Scene Break**
The moment the door closed behind them, Damien turned to her, his eyes blazing. "How old is he?"
Clara hesitated, her fingers twisting nervously in front of her. "Damien—"
"Answer me, Clara."
She swallowed hard. "He's five."
Damien's face hardened, his lips pressing into a thin line. "So, you left me six years ago, and now there's a five-year-old boy who looks exactly like me? Do you think I'm stupid?"
"I never said you were stupid."
"Then what, Clara? What is this?" He gestured wildly toward the house. "Why would you keep something like this from me?"
Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them away. "I didn't have a choice."
"Bullshit," Damien snapped. "You always have a choice."
"You don't understand!" Clara's voice cracked, her emotions boiling over. "I did what I had to do to protect him. To protect us."
"From what?" Damien demanded. "From me?"
"No." Her voice dropped to a whisper, the weight of the truth threatening to crush her. "From the people who wanted to hurt you. The people who wanted to hurt him."
Damien froze, his expression shifting from anger to something closer to shock. "What are you talking about?"
Clara took a deep breath, her hands trembling. "When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I couldn't stay. There were too many people who would use him to get to you. I couldn't risk it, Damien. I couldn't let them take him away."
Damien's jaw tightened, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "You should have told me. I could have protected both of you."
Clara shook her head. "You couldn't have stopped them. These people... they don't stop. They don't care about reason or loyalty. They would have done anything to get to you—even if it meant hurting him."
The silence that followed was deafening, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air.
Finally, Damien spoke, his voice low and filled with determination. "No one is going to hurt him. I won't let them."
Clara's breath hitched. For the first time in years, she felt a flicker of hope. But it was quickly overshadowed by the fear that had kept her running for so long.
"You don't understand what you're up against," she said softly.
Damien stepped closer, his eyes locking onto hers. "Then make me understand. Because I'm not going anywhere, Clara. Not this time."
Clara's revelation leaves Damien reeling, but her warnings about the danger surrounding Lucas only strengthen his resolve to stay and protect them. Yet, neither of them realizes just how close the threat has already come.