Endless Love by Bianca Borell
Chapter Twenty-Six
BRIA
I open the door, and my blood runs cold at Damien darting toward me. He’s followed by Alex, who stares at me, questioning my sanity, and I roll my eyes at him. I try to close the door, but they storm in. I lose my balance while Damien steadies me, but he doesn’t look back. The three men stare at each other. The only thing crossing my mind is to put myself between them.
“Damien, Alex, let’s go.”
They ignore me.
Alex pales as if he saw a ghost, and the man standing before him is the last person he ever expected to see again. With an angry voice, he bellows, “What are you doing here, Liam?”
“You know him?” Damien questions. It’s as if I’m not even here.
“Nice to see you again, Alex. But I don’t have time for this,” Liam says, all three of them staring each other down, and it’s a close tie which one of them appears more ruthless.
Damien scans the space, and his eyes fall on the table where the glass of water and the two medicine bottles sit.
“What did you give her?” he shouts, fuming.
“Damien, calm down,” I demand, my patience with his attitude wavering off.
“I’m not talking to you right now.”
His gaze is ice cold. I want to believe it’s his way of processing the worries he has because of me, but my chest twitches.
“Listen to her. I understand and respect your concern, but it’s her heart medication. She wasn’t well.”
Just for one second, Damien’s features soften as his eyes travel up and down my body, concern etched in his eyes. It doesn’t take long, though, before the icy stare replaces the warmth once again.
Liam rises to his feet. His mission is over. He’s neither interested in confronting Damien nor to see Alex again. He just wanted to meet me, and in his own way, warn me.
“I’m out of here. If you ever want to contact me, which you should because you love her, ask Alex for my number.”
Alex grips Damien’s arm, his jaw clenching with all the strength he needs to keep Damien in his spot.
Liam stops next to me and says, “It was definitely interesting meeting you. I’ll keep in mind what you said. You should do the same.”
His voice is flat as our gazes meet mid-air. There’s no hiding that we acknowledge we share something in common—loss, grief, and someone else. I still debate who. I nod in response while Damien eyes me as if not recognizing who I am anymore.
“Stay away from my family,” Alex warns.
“Impossible.”
He turns his head around and looks at Alex one more time over his shoulder, a flash of animosity passing through his eyes, followed by a silent challenge. He disappears down the corridor, and Damien paces around, nostrils flaring. He loves me enough to calm himself down before saying something he can’t undo and will regret. It reassures me we’re on the right path.
Yes, I could have said no to Liam, but when do I ever back away from the things I want? Why start now? I’m aware I hurt Damien, but some things I will do just for myself.
“Bria, I swear to god, I could strangle you myself. What the fuck was going through your mind? Have you any idea who you just met?” Alex scolds.
“You tell me. Should I be afraid of you too, then?”
He flinches, digging a finger in his chest.
“I’m the man you have known for the last seven years, and you ask something like that? You’re unbelievable.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, but you treat me as if I’m some kind of idiot.”
“Because right now, I don’t see anything resembling even an ounce of intelligence.”.
I greet my teeth and glare at him. “I wasn’t in danger, not with him, and you know it. Why are you yelling at me then?”
“Because you could not possibly know if he is or is not dangerous. He’s a stranger to you. And like it or not, your last name draws attention. Why are you even here?”
“I’m tired, and I want to go home,” I turn my back to them, and dart toward the exit.
“This conversation isn’t over.”
“Yes, whatever,” I mumble. One drama-free night. Is it so damn impossible?
Damien doesn’t hold my hand, he doesn’t even look at me. It’s like I don’t even exist, and I force my pain back. How can I make him understand there is a connection between Liam and me? I am sure he will return, and I need to find out what it is.
We wait outside where everyone fidgets on the pavement, even though I’m sure Alex didn’t tell them what happened. He’s loyal to me first and foremost, thankfully.
“Hi, sis, are you all right?” asks Filip.
“I’m sorry that tonight ended sooner than expected, but I’m tired.”
“The only thing that matters is you being okay. There will be other nights,” he assures, smiling at me. I nod and embrace him as he shelters me in his arms. I take all the comfort he offers me and envelop myself in it. I’ll need it for what’s coming.
“See you soon.”
Chloe embraces me quickly, and we kiss on the cheeks. Sarah leaves with them. With them gone, a maddening silence takes over. We hop in the car, and when we’re all seated, Sophia eyes us all and asks, “What happened? You’re all acting weird, and one of you better talk.”
“Yes, Bria, we’re all waiting. Why don’t you explain to her what you did?”
Alex can be intimidating when he wants to be, and I pierce him with a look. With a sigh from Damien and a light warning in Alex’s direction, he starts the engine, and when we’re far from the club, I say, “I started feeling weak . . .”
Silence descends, and Sophia asks in the same low tone, not to scare me off like I’m some kind of wild animal trapped in a corner, “Should we go to the hospital. You were fine when we came. Tell me the truth. Please, I have to know if you’re well.”
Her concern breaks my heart a little more, and the pain suffocates me, but I ignore it. It’s not physical pain.
“I’m doing fine under normal circumstances. The stress got to me.”
Damien grips the wheel. It might break under the pressure.
“And then I met Liam.”
“Liam?” she screeches, and my eyebrows knit together.
“A friend of Alex’s.” She shuts her eyes, clasps her wrist, and stares out the window, her chest heaving. She tilts her face back, and her composure is back.
“Bria . . .”
“He’s a friend, or was, whatever, so let me continue. He knew me, and he offered what I needed—my damn heart medicine. We talked for a while. That’s all, but then the crazy brigade came and acted like madmen.” She nods as if sure I was in no real danger.
“I was behaving like a madman? Do you hear yourself? I was worried. How about this, princess? I find you in a room with a man I didn’t even know existed until a few moments ago, and two bottles of pills. Can you process what I’m saying?”
His words stab my heart, and every word coming out of his mouth digs the knife deeper. Princess is a derogatory term to punish me. Yes, he was worried, but what does he think I’d do, cheat on him, start taking drugs? Never. Is his worry blinding him this much?
“Damien, stop the nonsense,” Sophia intervenes.
“You can’t be serious.”
“You should have come to me and not let a stranger give you god knows what.”
“He didn’t hurt me, and he never would. Alex, please,” I shout, having had enough.
“Liam knows she’s untouchable, but it still was stupid, Bria. If you were this curious, you could have asked me instead.”
“It wasn’t even about you. Everyone needs closure, I was his.”
Sophia huffs and crosses her arms over her chest, her eyes firing daggers. I officially understand nothing anymore, of who behaves crazier and why.
“Ah, and here we have our answer. Mother Teresa in action, giving absolution.” I blink at him, anger sizzling inside of me, and I say what he never heard from me until now. And here I thought we were moving forward in the maturity and trusting department.
“Fuck you, Damien.”
He stares at me for one second before he says, his tone dropping to sarcastic, “You already have.”
“Guys, stop it. I mean it. Just calm yourselves already. She’s fine, and Liam just helped her. You should be damn thankful. Damien, she isn’t in danger, and as Alex already said, she never was. Quit it now, both of you. You will never go alone to a restroom, like ever, Bria.”
I lean my head on the seat and whisper, “Believe me, it’s the only thing I regret doing tonight.”
“What happened in there? Something else happened too.”
“I’d rather not go there.”
Damien snaps his head at me and asks, “Are you kidding me?”
“It was nothing,” I say.
“I’m on the verge here. If you honestly love me, you will tell me the rest.”
How would I describe tonight? A fucking emotional manipulation going south.
“I don´t want to. Don’t be like this.”
“Sweetheart, it’s all right. Whatever it is.”
I scowl at this. At least Alex changed his tactic, but neither angry nor sweet Alex could manipulate me. I couldn’t say the same about Damien.
“Whatever it is, I promise you I’ll not allow these two to do something stupid. Trust me. But we need to know what hurt you,” says Sophia.
They are all aware I can be stubborn and keep it to myself. But I am exhausted, and I say, “Monica.”
Her name fleeing my mouth sucks the air from the car. Like I guessed, the shock turns everyone silent, but it doesn’t take long.
“Was she there?”
“Yes, Soph.”
“What did she do?”
“Being her usual charming self, threatening me, hating me. Just Monica, I guess.”
“Bria, it’s not something to joke about.”
“Can we just drop it. I can handle her.”
“Yes, obviously. You see her once, and your heart suffers for your bravery.”
“Alex, please.”
“She will never touch you again.”
Damien’s voice sends chills down my spine. He and Alex exchange a determined look, but I can’t decipher what it means. I just wish for my bed and blissful sleep. I raise my knees and rest my head on them. Sophia and Alex get out of the car, both smiling reassuringly—Sophia sincerely and Alex as an apology for his behavior.
At least these two have it in them to get over what happened tonight or are good enough to hide it. I can’t say the same about Damien.
