Chapter 4

"Kneel down and apologize to Eileen."

Damian's voice was a whip crack in the quiet living room. I had been discussing my plans to study abroad with my mother. Now, that fragile peace was shattered.

I looked up. He was standing in the doorway, cradling a sobbing Eileen in his arms. Behind him stood two of his large, imposing bodyguards.

A knot of fear tightened in my stomach. I knew this look on his face. This was the look he got right before he turned violent.

I glanced at my mother. She was frail. I was still recovering. We were no match for him and his men.

"What did I do now?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

He held up Eileen's wrist. There was a thin, red line across it.

"She's distraught because of you," he snarled. "Her condition has worsened. She tried to slit her wrist."

He looked at Eileen with such heartbreak, such tender concern.

Then he turned his cold eyes back to me. "Apologize. And swear you will never try to seduce me again."

I stared at him, stunned into silence. Seduce him? He was the one who had pursued me for years, who had come to my room in the middle of the night. He was the one who had made a thousand promises he never intended to keep.

A bitter, self-deprecating laugh rose in my throat. I was the fool. I was the one who had believed him.

My body trembled with a rage so deep it felt like it would tear me apart.

"Get out of my house," I said, my voice a low, dangerous whisper.

I looked down, hiding the fury in my eyes. I started a mental countdown. Just a few more days. Leo Gray promised. Just a few more days and I'll be free.

"Alana..." Damian began, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Eileen cut him off, her sobs growing louder. "Damian, I can't... I can't take it anymore. If she won't apologize, I'll just go die..."

"No!" he yelled, his face contorting in panic. He gave a sharp nod to his bodyguards. "Make her kneel."

They moved towards me.

My mother threw herself in front of me. "Don't you dare touch my daughter!"

One of the bodyguards shoved her aside without a second thought. She stumbled and fell hard against the coffee table.

"Mom!" I screamed, trying to get to her.

The other bodyguard grabbed me, his hand clamping down on my shoulder like a vise. He forced me to my knees. The impact sent a jolt of pain through my already bruised body.

My lip, which had just started to heal, split open again. I tasted blood.

My mother, ignoring my protests, scrambled to her feet and charged at the bodyguard holding me. He kicked out with his leg, sending her sprawling to the floor. She landed in an awkward, twisted position, her face pale with pain.

Seeing my mother hurt, something inside me broke. All the fight, all the pride, all the anger dissolved into pure, desperate fear.

"I'll do it!" I cried out, my voice breaking. "I'll apologize! Just let her go! Please!"

Eileen, who had been watching the scene with a pained expression, suddenly clutched her head. "Oh, my head hurts, Damian..."

He rushed to her side, his attention completely diverted. "Hold on, Eileen. I'll get you to a doctor."

He looked back at the bodyguards. "Get it done." He pointed a camera at me. "Make her say it. 'I, Alana Myers, am a shameless homewrecker. I will never seduce Damian Avila again.'"

Then he turned and left, carrying Eileen as if she were a precious, fragile doll.

The bodyguard holding the camera moved in close. "Say it."

Tears streamed down my face as I looked at my mother, who was trying to crawl towards me.

"I... I, Alana Myers..." I choked out the words, each one a dagger in my heart. They made me repeat it, over and over, until my voice was gone and my throat was raw.

When they were finally satisfied, they left. One of them kicked me in the head for good measure as he walked out the door.

My head hit the floor with a sickening thud. Blood trickled from a new cut on my forehead, mixing with my tears.

My mother saw the blood, her eyes wide with horror. She let out a small, strangled gasp and fainted.