apter 80
Chapter 80
DAMIEN
23%血
I stared at my mother, my pulse pounding in my ears. The words she had just spoken clung to the air, suffocating, heavy, weighing down on me like a crushing force.
Divorce Rosalic.
It was as if the entire room had fallen into silence. My fingers curled into fists, nails biting into my palm as I processed what she had just said.
“Come again?” My voice was low, barely above a whisper, but the tension behind it was unmistakable.
Vivienne scoffed from across the table, arms crossed over her chest as she leaned back in her seat. “Oh, don’t act like you didn’t hear her, Damien. Her voice dripped with contempt, her gaze sharp with accusation. “Mother didn’t have water in her mouth when she said it. You need to divorce that disgrace of a wife you married because we will never accept her.”
Something inside me snapped.
I was on my feet before I even realized it, my chair scraping violently against the floor as I lunged forward, rage surging through me like wildfire.
“Say that again!” I roared, reaching for her, my vision tunneling with pure fury.
A firm grip yanked me back before I could get any closer.
Liam.
“Let go of me!” I snarled, struggling against him, my entire body shaking with anger.
“Calm the hell down, Damien!” Liam snapped, tightening his hold, his expression unreadable but his grip unwavering. “This isn’t the place for this!”
“Like hell, it isn’t!” I fought against his restraint, my eyes locked onto Vivienne, who had flinched back for a split second before regaining her composure, her lips curving into a smirk. She was enjoying this–enjoying pushing me to my limit.
“Damien!” My father’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. “Were you about to hit your own sister?!”
“Yes!” I shouted without hesitation, my rage burning hotter. “And I will if she keeps running her damn mouth about my
wife!”
Casps erupted around the table, and I didn’t give a damn.
Vivienne’s smirk faltered, but my mother quickly stepped in, standing up so abruptly that her chair nearly toppled over. Her eyes blazed with fury. “Look at you,” she hissed, her voice trembling with anger. “Look at what she’s turning you into. Raising your hand against your own flesh and blood over that girl!”
“That girl is my wife!” I shot back, my voice reverberating off the walls.
“A wife should bring a family together, not tear it apart!” she spat, slamming her hand on the table. “Rosalie is destroying this family, Damien! And you’re letting her!”
Hlet out a harsh, bitter laugh, shaking my head. “She’s destroying this family?” My voice was thick with disbelief. “Or is it you who’s doing everything possible to break us apart?”
The room fell into a tense silence, everyone staring at me,
but I didn’t
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Chapter 80
I turned to my mother, my hands clenched at my sides. “You have done nothing but attack her since day one. You came to my home–our home–and tried to humiliate her. You twist everything, paint her as the villain while presenting your’re the victim.” I scoffed. “Rosalie isn’t the problem here. You are.”
Her face darkened, her nostrils flaring “You’re blinded by her, she accused. “She’s manipulating you, controlling you. A real wife supports her husband, not humiliates him. A real wife knows her place-”
“My wife knows her place,” I cut her off coldly. “Right beside me, where she belongs”
“She belongs in the gutters! Right where you picked her and her unfortunate family up Mother yelled.
I clenched my fists so tightly my knuckles ached. My mother’s words still echoed in my head, their weight pressing down on me like a heavy stone,
I could feel my pulse hammering in my throat, a slow, simmering rage spreading through my veins. How could they say all this? How could they even think it?
Before I could lash out again,my aunt, Suzan, lifted her hand in a calming gesture. “Damien,” she said gently, her voice much
fter than the others. “I understand you’re upset. This is a lot to take in, and I know you feel like we’re attacking you.
need to calm down and listen to the advice we’re giving you.”
But
Advice?
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head as I glared at her. “Advice?” I repeated, my voice thick with disbelief. “There is no advice in your words.”
“Damien-”
“You’re telling me to throw away my marriage. To get rid of the woman 1 love like she’s some disposable object, all because she doesn’t fit into your perfect little version of what a Hale wife should be.” My chest heaved as I exhaled sharply. “That’s not advice, Aunt Suzan. That’s pure selfishness.”
My mother scoffed. “Selfishness?” she echoed. “You call it selfishness when all we’re trying to do is help you??
“Help me?” I snapped, my voice rising, “You’re not trying to help me. You’re trying to control me. You always haver
“Damien,” my father warned, his tone sharp.
I ignored him, my fury unrelenting. “Do you have any idea what I went through to marry her?” I asked, my dangerously calm now, my gaze sweeping over every person at the table. “Do you even remember?”
A tense silence fell over the room.
I let out a short, humorless chuckle. “Of course, you don’t. Because none of you cared when I was fighting for her. None of you were there when I had to step in to stop her father’s company from sinking into bankruptcy. Do you know how mu had to spend to save it?” I looked straight at my mother now, my voice cold. “Do you know how much I had to sacrifice
No one spoke.
“Fifty–one percent,” I continued, my jaw tightening. “That’s how much I had to acquire to keep it from collapsing completely. That’s how much I had to take to ensure her father didn’t lose everything he worked for. And now-” I let out a breath, shaking my head. “Now, you’re all sitting here, telling me to walk away from her? Like none of that matters!”
One of my uncles, Daniel, sighed and rubbed his forehead, looking tired. “Damien, we understand that you invested a lot into this marriage-”
“Do your cut him off, my voice sharp. “Because it sure as hell doesn’t sound like it
He exhaled, his expression unreadable. Look, no one is trying to discredit what you did. We know how much effort you put
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Chapter 80
23%
into marrying Rosalie. We know how much money you spent. But, Damien, at some point, you have to look at the bigger picture.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
Daniel sighed. “It means this marriage has done more harm than good,” he said. “We all see it, Damien. Whether you want to admit it or not, this has been nothing but a disaster. Your name has been dragged through the mud. Our family’s reputation has taken a hit because of everything that has happened. And you-” He gestured toward me. “You’re clearly not yourself anymore. You’re constantly at war with your own family, and for what? A woman who has brought you nothing but scandal?”
I felt my anger spike again, but before I could speak, another uncle chimed in. “Your loyalty to Rosalie is admirable, Damien. But you have to start thinking about what’s best for the family. The longer you stay in this marriage, the more damage it causes. You need to do what’s right.”
I stared at them, my breathing shallow.
What’s right.
That’s all they ever cared about.
Not my happiness. Not Rosalie’s. Just their precious reputation. Their perfect family image.
I clenched my jaw, my fingers digging into the edge of the table.
They didn’t understand. They never would.
Slowly, I pushed back my chair, rising to my feet. The movement was deliberate, controlled, but inside, I was still burning. My hands trembled slightly at my sides as I looked each of them in the eye.
“You want me to do what’s right for the family?” My voice was quiet now, but the weight behind it was unshakable. “Fine. Then listen to me carefully.”
I exhaled sharply.
Rosalie is my family.”
Silence.
Dead, suffocating silence.
I could see the shock on their faces, the way my mother’s mouth opened slightly like she wanted to argue, but I didn’t give
her the chance.
“I don’t care what any of you think. I don’t care about your damn reputation or what people on the internet are saying. I don’t care about your judgment, your expectations, or whatever deluded vision you have of how my life should be.” My voice was steady, unwavering. “The only thing I care about is my wife. And I will never divorce her.”
My mother looked furious. My father exhaled through his nose, clearly holding back his frustration. My sisters were glaring. Liam was watching me carefully.
I didn’t wait for any of them to respond.
I turned on my heel and walked out.
Let them stew in their own self–righteousness. Let them whisper and complain and throw around their so–called wisdom.
I didn’t owe them anything.
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Chapter 80
Thad already made my choter
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