Chapter 41
ROSALIE
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I woke up with a pounding headache, the kind that made me want to crawl back under the covers and block out the world. My head throbbed with each passing second, and my mouth felt dry, like I’d been chewing on cotton. I groaned, pressing a hand to my temple as I tried to sit up, only to find myself trapped. Something–no, someone–was holding me down.
I turned my head, my blurry vision landing on Damien. His arm was draped over my waist, his face peaceful as he slept beside me. For a moment, I froze, unsure how to process the sight. Damien, the man who always seemed to carry a storm cloud around him, looked almost… serene. The harsh lines of his face had softened, and his usual scowl was nowhere to be
SECIL
I blinked a few times, trying to piece together how I ended up here. The last thing I remembered was dinner at the restaurant–or, more accurately, me getting drunk and dancing like a fool. Heat rushed to my cheeks as fragments of the night came back. Damien had taken care of me, hadn’t he? He hadn’t yelled or snapped at me, even when I was probably being a complete handful.
I shifted carefully, trying to slip out from under his arm without waking him. His grip tightened instinctively, and for a second, I thought he might wake up. But he just murmured something incoherent and turned slightly, giving me enough space to free myself.
Once I was out of his grasp, I tiptoed toward the bathroom, closing the door softly behind me. I leaned against the sink, staring at my reflection. My hair was a mess, and my mascara had smudged, making me look like a raccoon. I splashed cold water on my face, hoping it would clear both the makeup and the lingering fog in my mind.
Bits and pieces of the previous night surfaced as I freshened up. Damien had been… different. Patient. He’d held me while I stumbled, danced with me when I insisted, and hadn’t once lost his temper. It was so unlike the man I knew that I wondered if I’d imagined it.
I headed to the kitchen, deciding to make breakfast as a way to appease his anger for getting drunk last night. Pancakes. scrambled CRKS. coffee–simple but thoughtful. As I worked, a small part of me dared to hope. Maybe last night had been a turning point. Maybe things between us were finally starting to change.
When everything was ready, I plated the food and went upstairs to wake him. I stepped inside meeting Damien, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone. The peaceful man I’d seen earlier was gone, replaced by the cold, distant version I was more familiar with.
“Good morning,” I said hesitantly, “I made breakfast.”
He didn’t look up, his eyes fixed on the screen. “I’m not hungry.”
I frowned, caught off guard by his tone. “You should eat something. It’s
“I said I’m not hungry,” he snapped, cutting me off.
His words felt like a slap, but I took a breath, trying to push past it. “I was just trying to do something nice for you.”
He finally looked up, his gaze sharp and unrelenting. “Nice? Do you think this“-he held up his phone–is nice!”
My stomach sank as I took a step closer. On the screen were pictures of me from last night, laughing and stumbling at the restaurant, plastered all over social media. The captions weren’t kind. They painted me as a drunken mess, a joke, and by extension, him as someone who couldn’t control his partner.
“What is this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
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Chapter 41
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“This,” he said, his voice growing colder with each word, “is what happens when you decide to act like a fool in public. Do you have any idea how humiliating this is!”
I stared at the photos, my mind racing. “I didn’t know anyone was taking pictures.”
“Of course, you didn’t,” he spat, his tone laced with disgust. “Because you never think. You just act, Rosalie, without a single thought about the consequences. And now look.” He threw his phone on the bed, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “You’ve made me a laughingstock.”
“I wasn’t trying to embarrass you, Damien.”
“That’s the problem,” he snapped, taking a step closer. His presence was overwhelming, the air between us charged with his fury. “You don’t even have to try. It comes naturally to you. Every time you open your mouth, every time you step into a room, you find some way to ruin things.”
“That is not fair. I didn’t mean to get drunk. I was just carried away by….
Just then Damien interrupted me, “Oh spare me lectures Rosalie! Do you know what fair means? You didn’t mean to get drunk? Do you know how your actions have reflected on me! You’ve made me the talk of the town.”
I felt my anger rise. “Oh, I see. It’s always about you, isn’t it? Your reputation, your image.”
He stepped closer, his eyes darkening “You don’t get it, do you? This isn’t just about me. It’s about the both of us. You made us look like fools last night.”
I laughed bitterly. “Oh, really? I made us look like fools? Because last I checked, you were the one letting Melanie hang all over you at the party. You let her kiss you, Damien! You didn’t just embarrass me; you humiliated me in front of everyone.”
His jaw tightened. “That’s different.”
“Of course, it’s different,” I snapped. “Because it’s you. Because you can do no wrong, right? Meanwhile, I make one mistake, and you’re ready to crucify me.”
“You don’t understand what actually happened and I am not crucifying you.” He said but I could see the flicker of guilt in his
“Really?” I asked, stepping closer. “Do you know what it felt like to stand there, watching everyone whisper about your mistress while you left me alone like I didn’t exist? Do you know how much that hurt, Damien? Or do you not care because it didn’t affect you?”
“I told you, that wasn’t what it looked like–”
“Oh, save it,” I interrupted, my voice rising. “You let her flaunt herself all over you, Damien. She kissed you, for God’s sake. And now you have the nerve to stand here and yell at me about embarrassing you? You don’t get to play the victim here.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Instead, he clenched his fists, his face a storm of anger and frustration. “You don’t understand-”
“No, Darnien, you don’t understand,” I shot back. “I made a mistake last night. I admit that. But you don’t get to lecture me about respect and appearances when you’ve done far worse. You want to talk about humiliation? Look in the mirror”
The room fell silent, the tension between us so thick it was suffocating. He stared at me, his jaw tight, his hands trembling at his sides. For a moment, I thought he might actually say something–something final–but instead, he turned away, running a hand through his hair.
“Unbelievable, he muttered under his breath. “You’re impossible!
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Chapter 41
“And you’re a hypocrite,” I said, my voice trembling with anger and unshed tears. “You want me to be perfect, to fit into this little box you’ve built in your head. Well, newsflash, Damien–I’m not perfect. I never will be. And if that’s what you want. you’re wasting your time.”
He turned back to me, his eyes blazing. “Don’t push me, Rosalie. You have no idea how close I am to-”
“Then do whatever you want to do! Leave this marriage if it’s choking you because I am so tired of trying when all you do is make my life miserable!” I yelled at once, interrupting him.
“Rosalie “His eyes were blazing and his hand were clenched into fists. For a moment, I thought he might actually hit me. But then he froze, his hand trembling before he let out a frustrated growl and turned away.
I stood there, my heart pounding as he stormed toward the door.
“You bring me nothing but problems Rosalie,” he muttered, slamming the door behind him.
I stood there, my chest heaving as I fought back tears. I wanted to scream, to cry, to hit something–but instead, I sank to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees. The tears came fast, and I didn’t bother wiping them away.
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