Chapter Five: The Rose Left Behind
1573 Words
Damien stood motionless for a few moments after hearing Liam’s words. It felt as though something precious was slipping away from him… something he was slowly losing. Yet he couldn’t understand why he was feeling this way.
He walked out of the room and made his way toward the rose garden—the very garden he had planted for Isla. As he walked among the roses, he gently brushed his fingertips over the petals before letting out a long, weary sigh.
After a while, he returned inside.
Just as he was about to enter his room, he noticed that Isla’s bedroom door was slightly open. He stopped in his tracks.
Slowly, almost unconsciously, he walked toward her room and peeked inside.
Isla was asleep.
Sometime before dawn...
Exhaustion had finally pulled her into a restless sleep.
The moonlight pouring through the window illuminated her face, making her look like a sleeping angel.
Damien stood outside her bedroom for a long moment.
His hand slowly reached for the doorknob.
It stopped midway.
He stared at the door in silence before letting out a slow breath.
Without opening it...
He turned around and walked away.
Back in his own bedroom, he found Eva sleeping peacefully. He sat beside her for a while, quietly staring at her. After a few moments, he stood up and settled into the armchair near the window.
Without realizing it…
He eventually fell asleep there.
⸻
The next morning…
Isla slowly opened her eyes.
She sat up on the bed, her eyes swollen from crying all night.
For one brief moment…
She forgot.
Forgot that Damien now shared his life with another woman.
Almost instinctively, she called out,
“Dami…”
“Dami…”
“Babe… where are you? Aren’t you going to give me my good morning kiss? How am I supposed to start my day without you?”
The bedroom door opened.
Hope instantly lit up her face.
But it disappeared just as quickly.
It wasn’t Damien.
It was Liam.
Isla looked at him in surprise while Liam stood there looking extremely awkward.
"What are you doing here?"
"I called Damien..."
"Where is he?"
Liam hesitated.
“Ma’am… Mr. Damien…”
“What about Damien?” she interrupted impatiently. “Just tell him to come here. Forget it, I’ll call him myself.”
She stood up—
Then suddenly froze.
Everything came rushing back.
The divorce.
The betrayal.
Eva.
Damien choosing someone else.
The smile disappeared from her face.
She slowly sat back down on the bed, staring blankly ahead.
Without looking at Liam, she quietly said,
“Liam… tell Damien I’m taking a leave today.”
She pulled the blanket over herself—
Her eyes drifted toward the empty nightstand.
For a brief second...
She expected to see the cup of coffee Damien used to leave there every morning before she woke up.
There was nothing.
Only silence.
A bitter smile touched her lips.
"Old habits..."
she whispered to herself.
"They really are hard to forget."
She slowly closed her eyes.
But no matter how hard she tried...
The tears came anyway.
⸻
Damien woke up when he felt someone gently touching him.
He opened his eyes to find Eva standing in front of him, already dressed beautifully with light makeup on.
“Baby, wake up.”
“Good morning.”
“You slept here all night? Why didn’t you sleep beside me?”
Before Damien could answer, Eva smiled.
“Never mind. I made breakfast for you. Freshen up and come downstairs.”
“You didn’t have to cook,” Damien replied calmly. “We have cooks.”
“Alright then. I’ll arrange the dining table.”
Damien simply nodded.
As Eva walked downstairs, she glanced toward Isla’s room.
The door was closed.
A satisfied smile appeared on her lips.
Perfect.
No drama today.
The cooks had already prepared breakfast.
As Eva entered the dining room, several servants exchanged subtle glances, though she failed to notice.
Looking at the table, she frowned.
“I don’t like this breakfast.”
“Make waffles.”
“And bacon.”
One of the cooks politely replied,
“But, Ma’am… Sir and Ma’am usually have toast and coffee every morning.”
Eva smirked.
“They used to.”
“From today onward, Sir will drink herbal tea with me.”
“So throw everything away.”
“The menu changes from today.”
The cooks exchanged helpless looks before quietly preparing everything again.
⸻
Not far away, Liam was arranging fresh hydrangeas in flower pots.
Eva snapped her fingers.
“Hey!”
She pointed at him.
“Isla’s pet.”
“Did she tell you to decorate the house with these flowers?”
“Throw them away.”
“Replace them with lilies.”
Liam calmly continued arranging the flowers.
Eva raised her voice louder.
“Are you deaf?”
Only then did Liam look at her.
Mrs. Cross planted these hydrangeas herself.
They have always belonged here.
Eva folded her arms.
“Tell your precious Ma’am to keep her preferences to herself.”
Liam answered politely,
“This is Ma’am Isla’s house.”
“So it will be decorated according to her preference.”
“If it’s your room…”
“You may decorate it however you like.”
Without waiting for another response, he walked upstairs.
Eva stood there fuming with anger.
⸻
Liam knocked gently before entering Isla’s room.
“Ma’am, breakfast is almost ready.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I don’t feel like eating.”
Liam walked closer and knelt beside her bed.
“Ma’am…”
“You don’t have to forgive anyone today.”
“But please…”
“Eat.”
Isla remained silent.
After a long pause, she finally said,
“Tell them to prepare breakfast.”
“I’m hungry.”
“And let Damien know…”
“I’ll be attending the office today.”
A bright smile appeared on Liam’s face.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“I’ll arrange everything right away.”
As he was about to leave—
“Liam.”
He stopped and turned around.
“Thank you…”
“…for the motivation.”
Liam smiled softly.
“Anytime, Ma’am.”
Then he quietly left the room.
⸻
When Liam came downstairs, Damien was already sitting at the dining table while Eva was busy giving orders to the staff. Damien was casually scrolling through his phone.
As Liam walked down the stairs, Damien looked at him and quietly lowered his phone, almost as if he was waiting to hear something.
Liam walked toward the cooks.
“Prepare Ma’am Isla’s favorite pancakes.”
“She’s getting ready and will be downstairs soon.”
The moment Damien heard that, he instinctively looked at Liam.
Liam noticed.
Realizing he had been caught, Damien awkwardly cleared his throat, picked up his phone again, and pretended he didn’t care.
Eva placed a cup of tea beside him.
Still looking at his phone, Damien absentmindedly took a sip.
The moment the tea touched his tongue, his brows furrowed.
“Since when do we serve herbal tea in the morning?”
One of the cooks lowered his head.
"Mrs. Eva asked us to prepare it, Sir."
Without thinking, Damien replied,
"Then where's Isla's coffee?”
Silence.
Every servant in the dining room froze.
Even Damien realized what had just slipped out of his mouth.
He cleared his throat, picked up his phone, and acted as though nothing had happened.
Just then…
He looked toward the staircase.
Isla was walking downstairs in a hurry, wearing a flowing light-yellow dress.
Today she wasn’t wearing the watch Damien had gifted her.
Instead, she wore the one she had bought herself.
For several seconds…
Damien couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She looked breathtaking.
“Ma’am, please have a seat,” Liam said with a smile. “Breakfast is almost ready.”
Normally, Isla would always sit beside Damien.
Today…
She chose the seat at the far end of the table.
She didn’t even spare him a single glance.
After sitting down, she looked at one of the cooks.
“Please serve my breakfast.”
“I’m already late.”
Damien was still staring at her.
Suddenly—
The fork beside his plate slipped onto the floor.
The sharp sound pulled him back to reality.
At the same time, he noticed Eva.
She had been watching him all along.
Furious, she slammed her teacup onto the table and turned to leave.
“Baby, wait.”
Damien tried to stop her.
But Eva pulled her hand away and walked upstairs without looking back.
Isla merely glanced at Eva before quietly continuing her breakfast.
Damien didn’t follow Eva.
He was getting late as well.
After taking a few bites, Isla looked at Liam.
“Have you had breakfast?”
Liam looked surprised.
“No, Ma’am.”
Without looking up from her plate, Isla said,
“Sit.”
“Have breakfast with me.”
“But, Ma’am…”
“That’s an order.”
Liam had no choice but to obey.
He sat beside her and quietly started eating.
Across the table…
Damien silently ate his breakfast.
But every now and then…
His eyes drifted toward Isla and Liam.
Liam wasn’t doing anything extraordinary.
He was simply making sure Isla ate.
Yet…
For reasons Damien refused to understand…
Watching another man care for the woman who had once belonged at his side felt strangely unbearable.
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