SPECIE OF LOVE

CHAINS

*Chapter 8: _Chains*_

*Damien’s POV*

Inside my car, rain hammered the roof like a warning.

I hit redial. “Hey Josh, what’s up? Saw your missed calls.”

“Mrs. Cole called,” Josh said. His voice was shaking. Actually shaking.

_What?_ My grip tightened on the wheel. “My mom?”

I screamed it. Loud enough that the driver next to me glanced over.

I yanked the car to the curb and ripped my seatbelt off. My chest was caving in. “What did she say?”

“She just… asked about you. We talked business, then she asked when you last saw Isabella. I didn’t answer.” Josh swallowed. I could hear it. “Then she said she was in my area. Asked for my address.”

My heart was a pestle in a mortar. Pounding. Pulverizing. I knew where this was going.

“I sent it,” Josh continued. “Fifteen minutes later, she’s at my door. With Isabella.”

No. No no no.

“We talked. About everything. Until Isabella brought up your… scandal. With your secretary.”

_“No!”_ I roared. The sound tore my throat raw.

“Mrs. Cole asked if it was true,” Josh said, quiet now. Defeated. “She was staring at me, Damien. Like she could rip the truth out of my skull. I gave in.”

The air left my car.

“She asked for anything that—” he hesitated. “You know. Anything that could implicate Ava.”

My blood went arctic. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“I didn’t want to. I swear. But she kept pushing. Kept asking. So I gave her the video.” A pause. “She said thank you. Then they left.”

The world tilted.

“Ava is in trouble, Damien.”

I was trembling so hard the phone almost slipped from my hand. I hung up.

No goodbye. No _think_.

Just drive.

*THE COLE HAVEN*

I stormed in. The scent of truffle popcorn hit me first.

Mom and Isabella. Curled up on the Italian leather sectional, laughing at some reality show. Like they hadn’t just signed Ava’s death warrant.

“Evening, Mom,” I said. My voice was gravel.

She didn’t look away from the TV. “Welcome home, son. I see you’re finally freed from her chains.”

She scoffed. Like Ava was a disease I’d been cured of.

I ignored her and sat. Too close to Isabella. On purpose.

“Hey,” I said to Isabella. “How are you doing?”

Her head snapped to me. Her eyes were glassy. Furious. “Are you seriously asking me that dumb question? You haven’t been here in a month. Not since your _scandal_.” She spat the word. “You couldn’t even send an apology. And your pa—”

“What about her?” I cut in. My jaw was locked. “Her name is Ava. And what exactly did you people do?”

Mrs. Cole stood. Slow. Elegant. Deadly. Isabella followed like a shadow.

“Just played a little game,” Mom said, examining her nails. “And let’s just say… the s*_ tape is with her now.”

The sound that came out of me wasn’t human.

_“Jesus!”_ I shouted. The maid in the hallway flinched. “You should have at least helped me!”

I turned on Mom. My hands were fists. “Why are you doing this? Choosing for me? Power over love?”

She finally looked at me. Her eyes were winter.

“No,” she said softly. “Sense over stupidity.”

Sense. Like Ava was a bad stock choice.

I was already dialing. Ava. Ava. _Pick up, baby, please pick up._

Voicemail. Every time.

“She still has some dignity,” Mrs. Cole mused, watching me fall apart.

“Hmmm.” She smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes. “Good girl.”

Then she turned and climbed the stairs. Dismissing me. Dismissing Ava’s life.

Isabella lingered for a second. “You chose her,” she whispered. “Now look what you did to her.”

Then she was gone too.

I called again. And again. Until my thumb hurt. Until the screen blurred.

Until I couldn’t take it anymore and threw my phone at the wall.

It didn’t shatter.

But I did.

_“AAAAAAAAH!”*

The scream ripped out of me. From my chest. From five years of silence. From the second I let my mother near Josh.

I’d ruined her.

And now I had 24 hours to un-ruin her, or I’d lose her forever.

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