THE LAST LOOK
790 Words
The parking lot was cold and quiet. Music from the ballroom leaked through the heavy doors, muffled and distant.
Damian’s friends clustered near the valet stand. Vanessa’s heels clicked against the concrete as she stepped in front of him, eyes red-rimmed but defiant.
“Damian, take me home,” she said, voice softer now. “Please. We need to talk. I know you’re mad about earlier, but it was an accident.”
Damian didn’t stop walking. His fingers fumbled for his keys, jaw locked tight.
“Sorry, Vanessa. I have to get home. I need to see Ellie.”
_What happened today made him realize he was falling for his wife._
Vanessa’s face flickered. “Are you falling for her? You promised me…”
“We’ll talk tomorrow.” He cut her off too fast. “Cole, drop her at her apartment.”
Cole nodded once, turning to her. “Yeah. Come on, Vanessa.”
Vanessa opened her mouth, words forming, but Damian was already pulling open his car door. He slid inside without glancing back. The engine roared to life, and he was gone down the driveway before she could say anything else.
Mark followed a second later, muttering about getting out of there.
That left Cole, Henry, and Vanessa standing under the dim parking lot light.
Henry hadn’t said a word the whole time. He just watched Vanessa, gaze steady but unreadable.
Vanessa felt it and turned on him, irritated. “What?”
Henry let out a short scoff. He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and looked her dead in the eye.
“Vanessa, I don’t like you.”
Vanessa blinked, caught off guard. “Excuse me?”
“But let me give you a piece of advice,” he continued, voice flat. “Damian is a married man. Leave him alone.”
Her lips parted to argue, but Henry wasn’t done.
“You may think he loves you,” he said, voice low and sharp. “But he’s just confused. Once he comes to his senses, you’ll lose everything.”
Cole shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. “Alright, man. Let’s go. I’ll drive you, Vanessa.”
Vanessa’s fingers clenched around her clutch. She didn’t reply. She just turned and walked to Cole’s car, heels clicking fast against the concrete.
Henry watched them leave, jaw tightening. Then he turned and walked in the opposite direction, hands still in his pockets.
..........................
Damian’s House
Damian’s car hadn’t even stopped rolling before he was out and striding toward the front door.
The house was too quiet.
Alice was in the living room, wiping down the coffee table when he burst in.
“Is Ellie home?” His voice was sharper than he meant it to be.
Alice froze, cloth in hand. “No, Master. Madam left this morning for the party. Didn’t you see her?”
Damian rubbed a hand down the back of his head, frustration creeping up his neck.
“She was there… but she left early.”
Alice blinked. “Oh. Okay, Master.” She went back to her work, pretending not to notice the way his shoulders had dropped.
_Is he worried about his wife’s whereabouts now? Maybe I saw it wrong._
Damian didn’t answer. He headed straight for the stairs, each step heavier than the last.
Their bedroom was exactly as it always was. Neat. Cold.
Her side of the bed untouched, the pillow still fluffed like she’d never slept in it last night.
Her scarf hung on the chair. Her book sat face-down on the nightstand, mid-chapter.
He sat on the edge of the bed, phone heavy in his hand.
It didn’t make sense. Nothing was missing. But the room felt empty in a way it never had before.
That last look she’d given him at the party replayed in his head on a loop.
Not angry. Not sad.
Just… final.
Like a goodbye glance.
His chest tightened. He pulled his phone out before he could think better of it and dialed her number.
It rang once.
_“Sorry, the number you’re trying to call is out of service.”_
The automated voice was flat. Final.
Damian stared at the phone like it had betrayed him. He tried again. Same message.
He sat there, staring at the empty space on her side of the bed.
“Where are you, Ellie?”
For the first time in their marriage, Damian Black didn’t know what to do next.
Ellie always answered on the first ring. This time she hadn’t answered at all—just out of service.
Outside, the city lights blinked on one by one.
And 6,000 miles away, a plane was already climbing into the night sky.
- Writer
