CHAPTER TWELVESOLACE
1428 Words
The phone buzzed like a wasp trapped in her palm, sharp and insistent. Arielle glanced at it absentmindedly, expecting the usual message from her sister about dinner plans. But the name flashing on the screen made her heart stop—**Airyana**. The letters trembled, urgency bleeding through the digital glow.
She swiped to answer before the buzzing could sting again.
“Ari—” Her sister’s voice cracked on the other end, raw and panicked. “It’s Jace. He—he fell. There’s blood everywhere. We’re at St. Vincent’s. Please hurry!”
Arielle’s body froze, the phone slipping a little as her chest suddenly caved in.
“What happened?!” Her voice was sharp, desperate.
“I don’t know—Mom was yelling again—he… he fell. Please come.”
The line went dead.
Her brain shut down all but one command: move.
Grabbed her bag. Snatched her coat. Fumbled with her keys, hands trembling. Her breath hitched, but she pushed it down.
---
She stormed out of her office, nearly toppling a precarious stack of folders along the way. The soft clatter barely registered in her ears. Her phone buzzed again—no caller, just more missed calls and messages, none as urgent as this one.
Frantic, she pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed for a cab, fingers shaking so badly it took two tries.
As she rounded the corner toward the lobby, she collided with Nina, who was fresh from a coffee run, hands still gripping the cup.
“Arielle—hey, what—?”
“My brother. He’s in the hospital.”
Nina’s coffee slipped from her fingers, hitting the floor with a soft *splat*. She gasped.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. Mom was drunk and yelling. Jace fell down the stairs. We’re at St. Vincent’s.”
Nina’s eyes narrowed with concern. “Do you want me to come with you?”
Arielle shook her head fiercely, voice cracking. “No. I’ll text you when I get there.”
“I’m coming anyway,” Nina said firmly.
Arielle didn’t argue. Instead, she gave a tight nod and sprinted for the elevator.
---
DAMIEN
Ten Minutes Later**
The city lights glittered like scattered jewels below the office tower as night settled in. Damien stood by his office window, arms folded, watching the skyline shift from gold to ink.
A sharp knock on the glass wall pulled him back.
“Yes?” he called, not turning.
Nina poked her head in, breathless. “Sorry to interrupt, sir. Ms. Lively had to leave suddenly.”
“Why?”
“It’s her younger brother. He’s been hospitalized.”
A flicker passed over Damien’s features—barely noticeable but enough for Nina to catch it.
“Hospital?”
“St. Vincent’s.”
He gave a curt nod and turned back to the window, but Nina hesitated in the doorway.
“I’m going to meet her,” she said softly.
No reply.
She paused, then heard him call, “Ms. Dobrev.”
She stopped, surprised he remembered her last name.
He faced her now, arms still crossed. “Will you let me know how bad it is when you get there?”
“I—I will,” she stammered, eyes sharp with curiosity.
“Why?”
He gave her a slow, measured look. “I’d like to be informed. That’s all.”
She caught the cold edge softened by genuine concern.
Later, when she arrived at the hospital and saw Damien already waiting by the stone railing outside the emergency wing, she wasn’t surprised.
---
**Hospital Room**
The harsh fluorescent lights reflected off the sterile white walls, casting shadows that seemed to echo the pain Arielle felt inside.
Jace lay curled beneath crisp hospital sheets, his small frame fragile and still. A thick bandage wrapped his forehead, and nurses were carefully fitting a cast around his leg.
Arielle’s throat tightened. She crouched beside the bed, voice barely above a whisper. “Is he going to be okay?”
The nurse met her eyes with a tired but steady gaze. “He’s stable. The fracture will take time to heal, but it’s clean. He’s very lucky.”
Nearby, Airyana’s shoulders shook softly with quiet sobs.
Arielle pulled her sister into a gentle embrace. “You did great,” she whispered. “You got him here. Thank you.”
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and her mother stumbled in, eyes wild, mascara running down her cheeks, the sour scent of alcohol clinging to her like a shadow.
“What’s the big deal? He’s fine! Don’t look at me like that, Arielle—”
“You pushed him!” Arielle exploded, chest rising, voice sharp as broken glass. “You were drunk, yelling for food—and you shoved a child down the stairs!”
Her mother’s face twisted with anger. “Oh, so now I’m a murderer, huh?”
“You’re a *mother!*” Arielle shouted back, voice cracking with pain. “Start acting like one!”
The room fell silent, the tension thick enough to choke on.
Jace stirred weakly, the faintest sound escaping him.
Her mother opened her mouth to respond, but Arielle raised a firm hand.
“Leave. Now.”
When the woman hesitated, Arielle’s voice dropped low, cold. “Get out before I have security throw you out.”
Her mother cursed under her breath, stormed out, slamming the door so hard it rattled the frame.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Arielle sank into the chair beside Jace’s bed, burying her face in her hands. The weight of years of pain and responsibility pressed down like a crushing tide.
---
**Outside – Moments Later**
Nina found Damien pacing just outside the emergency wing, his expression unreadable.
“She’s inside with him,” Nina said gently.
“How bad?”
“Fractured leg. Head wound. He’ll be okay.” She hesitated. “It wasn’t an accident. Her mother’s… not fit.”
Damien’s jaw tightened into a hard line.
“I can’t stay,” Nina added reluctantly. “I’ve got a campaign to finalize by morning. Should I tell her you’re here?”
“I’ll stay.”
“What?”
Damien met her gaze, calm but resolute. “For Arielle.”
Nina blinked, surprised. “You’re full of surprises, sir.”
He gave a small nod. “Tell her it was a work emergency.”
Nina smiled faintly, a touch of warmth breaking through her fatigue. “You’re kind of a robot… but thanks for not being one tonight.”
---
**Back Inside**
Arielle sent her siblings home with the neighbor who had arrived to help, her eyes full of guilt and exhaustion.
She stayed behind, her vigil unbroken, watching over Jace’s pale face and fragile breathing. Her head was heavy with worry, her heart heavier still with a storm of emotions.
When she finally stepped out for a breath of fresh air, her body stiff and aching, she found him.
Damien.
Sitting quietly on the bench outside her brother’s room.
She froze.
“You didn’t have to come.”
“I know.”
“How long have you been here?”
“A while.”
Her voice cracked under the weight of everything. “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
He rose slowly, stepping closer. “Why not?”
“Because this part of my life… isn’t clean. It’s not polished. And I’ve worked so hard to keep it away from work.”
He reached out, voice low and steady. “You’ve worked harder than anyone. I see it.”
Arielle looked down, arms hugging herself tightly. “I don’t want pity.”
“You’re not getting pity.”
She dared to look up, surprised.
“You’re getting… respect.”
His words caught her off guard.
She swallowed hard.
“Jace could’ve died,” she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “Because she couldn’t even stay sober for one night.”
Damien hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out—not for a hug, but a firm, steady hand on her shoulder.
Warmth. Steady.
“Is there anything you need?” he asked softly.
She didn’t answer right away.
But she didn’t pull away either.
I could stay,” he said. “If you want me to.”
At first she didn't say anything. But after a few minutes, she suddenly nodded once, signalling her approval to his request.
She had found solace in him. And she wasn't ready to let it go yet.
---
- Writer
