He Married Me but Loved Her

Chapter 3

All this time, Damian hadn't uttered a single word to me, too busy lavishing Eva with private islands and glittering jewels. He even handcrafted a crib, captioned: "Welcome to our family, little one. Mommy and Daddy are waiting ."

The media circus was relentless, as if he wanted to scream his love for her from the rooftops, flaunting it while grinding my dignity into the dirt, all to soothe Eva's petty vengeance.

A week later, Damian returned with her in tow. When he saw my ghostly pallor, his brow darkened. "What the hell happened to you? Didn't I..."

"Whoa!" Eva suddenly doubled over, clutching her stomach. "Damian, darling, it hurts so much!"

Damian's face tightened. He hauled her up and stormed upstairs, barking orders to round up every OB-GYN in the city. As their gazes brushed mine, Eva flashed me a triumphant middle finger.

That night, I was in the greenhouse, carefully tending to the jasmine's leaves. Eva barged in and sent the pot flying with a brutal crash. "Withered crone. How shameless can you get? The divorce papers are practically stapled to your forehead, yet you still won't let go?"

I leveled her with a glacial stare. "Pick. It. Up."

"A has-been like you, daring to order me around?" She let out a shrill laugh before stomping down on the jasmine's roots. "Heard you planted this to mourn that dead spawn in your belly. Guess what? When I trash it, Damian will choose me... not some rotting memory."

"Shut your mouth. Don't you dare speak of my Liora like that."

White hot rage exploded through me. In one motion, I drew my gun and fired. BANG! The bullet ripped into her thigh. Her shriek still ringing in the air, Damian came sprinting, face contorted with fury at the sight of her wound. In an instant, his pistol was jammed against my forehead. "Victoria. Have I been too soft on you?" he hissed. "Who gave you the right to shoot her?!"

"And who gave you the right to shove a gun in my*face?!" I roared back, slamming my barrel into his ribs. "Damian, or have you forgotten who made you?"

Back when we were scrapping to stay alive, we'd pledged ourselves to a syndicate. But his aim was laughable, targets kept slipping away, drawing the boss's scorn. "We don't feed dead weight." So I stood there, apple in hand, his love for me sharpening his aim until he never missed.

"Open your goddamn eyes!" My voice frayed, tears scalding my throat. "She asked for this, destroying the jasmine I planted for Liora! You know this flower's been with me for four years. It is her."

Damian's gaze dropped to the mangled roots. A shadow of remorse crossed his face, almost too fleeting to catch.

Eva broke down in hysterical sobs. "Victoria, I didn't know this flower meant so much to you! I messed up, okay? I didn't do it on purpose!"

"Damian, I'll grovel, I'll beg,just making her forgive me! Plead with her to spare my baby! She...she aimed right at my stomach! Said our child would pay for her daughter's life! If I hadn't dodged, you'd be burying us both!"

Damian's rage exploded. His hand clamped around my throat. "You'd dare harm her child? Victoria, you were a mother once. You know this pain. How heartless can you be? Just 'cause you got hurt, you gotta drag others down too?"

I almost choked on my own rage.

With a snick, I racked the slide and without looking fired a single shot that blasted the hanging basket by the greenhouse door to splinters.

"Get it now? If I wanted her kid dead, she'd already be bleeding out."

Damian went rigid, his eyes darting to Eva, something dark and unspoken in his stare. Yet he said nothing, sweeping her into his arms.

"Regardless. Consider us even." I threw out an arm, barring his way.