Chapter Three:The Promise Beneath The Water
1541 Words
Isla slowly closed her fingers around the ring.
The cold metal dug into her skin.
For a long moment…
She said nothing.
Then, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
It wasn’t a smile of happiness.
It was the smile of someone whose heart had already been broken beyond repair.
She slowly lifted her head.
Her swollen, tear-filled eyes met Damien’s.
“You may have forgotten what this house means…”
Her voice was quiet.
“But I haven’t.”
She looked around the mansion.
“The living room…”
“The kitchen where I waited for you every night…”
“The swimming pool we dreamed of building…”
“The garden…”
A broken smile crossed her lips.
“The black roses you planted because you knew they were my favorite.”
She pressed the ring against her chest.
“Maybe these things have no value to you anymore.”
“But to me…”
“They are worth far more than money.”
“They hold every memory of the six years we spent together.”
She took one step forward.
“So no…”
“I will not leave this house.”
“I won’t run away from the life I helped build.”
“If you want me gone…”
“You’ll have to watch me stay.”
For the first time that night…
The muscles in Damien’s jaw tightened.
His hands slowly curled into fists.
Something about her words unsettled him.
It felt…
Like a slap across his face.
Before either of them could speak again—
A voice drifted down from the second floor.
“Damien…”
Eva leaned casually against the upstairs railing.
One shoulder of her elegant dress had slipped slightly as she smiled down at him.
“Darling…”
“What are you still doing down there?”
“I’m waiting for you.”
She laughed softly.
“Don’t tell me you’re wasting our wedding night talking to her.”
Damien looked up.
The coldness on his face disappeared, replaced by a gentle smile.
“I’m coming, baby.”
His voice softened.
“Just give me another minute.”
Eva blew him a playful kiss before disappearing back toward the master bedroom.
Isla watched the exchange in complete silence.
Isla lowered her gaze.
She refused to let him see what his happiness was doing to her.
So she buried the pain behind a face that no longer knew how to smile.
Beside her, Liam lowered his gaze.
Guilt weighed heavily on his chest.
He had known.
He had known about Eva.
He had wanted to tell Isla countless times.
But he never had the courage.
Now…
He could only stand there and watch her world collapse.
Damien looked back at Isla.
His expression became cold once again.
“This is your final warning.”
“You won’t survive living here like this.”
“Sooner or later…”
“You’ll choose to leave.”
Without waiting for an answer, he turned around.
His footsteps echoed through the silent mansion.
A moment later…
The master bedroom door closed.
Isla didn't break this time.
There was nothing left inside her to shatter.
She simply stood there, silent...
As though the woman Damien had once loved had disappeared, leaving only an empty shell behind.
The sound echoed through the empty house that had once been filled with laughter.
Liam stood frozen.
His own eyes burned with tears.
He had worked for Damien Cross for years.
But he had also watched Isla love him with every piece of her heart.
And tonight…
That love had been destroyed before his eyes.
Quietly, Liam walked over and knelt beside her.
He removed his suit jacket and gently draped it over her shoulders.
“Madam…”
His voice trembled.
“You don’t have to go through this alone.”
Isla didn’t answer.
She simply cried harder, clutching the wedding ring tightly against her chest.
Liam remained beside her.
Not because he knew the right words.
But because sometimes…
Silence was the only comfort left.
Outside, the wind swept through the black rose garden.
One by one…
The petals fell to the ground.
Just like the love that had once bloomed inside the Cross residence.
Without a word, Isla turned away.
The wedding ring remained clutched tightly in her hand.
She walked toward the backyard, each slow step carrying her farther away from the life she once believed would last forever.
She walked through the silent mansion like a soul that had already left its body.
Behind her, Liam called out anxiously.
“Madam… please wait!”
But it was as if she couldn’t hear him anymore.
Without realizing it, she stepped onto the shattered pieces of the broken wine glass scattered across the marble floor.
Sharp glass pierced the soles of her bare feet.
She didn’t stop.
She didn’t even flinch.
Each step left a faint trail of crimson behind her.
It wasn’t an accident.
Perhaps…
Physical pain was easier to bear than the pain inside her heart.
Slowly, she reached the edge of the swimming pool.
The water reflected the pale moonlight.
She stood there silently, staring at the ring resting in her trembling palm.
A memory surfaced.
Six years ago…
The pool had just been completed.
Damien had carried her into the crystal-clear water despite her laughter and playful protests.
“Demi!” she had laughed.
He had simply smiled before wrapping his arms around her.
“So what?”
“As long as you’re with me.”
That afternoon she had worn his favorite black bikini.
He couldn’t stop looking at her.
Then he had taken her hand.
“I promise you, Isla…”
“I will never leave you.”
Never.
The memory shattered like broken glass.
Back in the present…
Isla slowly lifted her head toward the master bedroom balcony overlooking the pool.
A tear escaped the corner of her eye.
Then another.
Behind her, Liam finally caught up.
He stopped a respectful distance away.
His heart sank when he noticed the blood beneath her feet.
“Madam…”
His voice trembled.
“Your feet are badly injured.”
“Please…”
“Let me help you.”
Isla remained completely still.
She never looked at him.
Thin streams of blood slipped into the swimming pool, disappearing beneath the rippling water.
Liam carefully knelt beside her.
One by one, he removed the tiny pieces of glass from her feet.
A sharp fragment cut across his own finger.
Blood trickled down his hand.
He didn’t even notice.
His only concern was Isla.
Upstairs…
Damien walked back into the master bedroom.
Without saying a word, he poured himself a glass of red wine.
He emptied it in one swallow.
Yet Isla’s words refused to leave his mind.
This house…
Have you forgotten us?
He emptied another glass of wine.
They still wouldn’t disappear.
Every sentence struck him like an invisible blade.
He clenched the crystal glass tightly.
For a brief moment…
It looked as though it might shatter in his hand.
“Damien…”
Eva approached him from behind.
She wrapped her arms around his waist before stepping in front of him.
A teasing smile curved across her lips.
“You’re not thinking about Isla… are you?”
She gently placed her hand against his chest.
“Forget her.”
“Look at me.”
She leaned forward, trying to kiss him.
Damien instinctively lowered his head.
Their lips were only inches apart.
Then…
Another face flashed through his mind.
Isla.
Smiling at him.
Standing beneath the rain.
Calling him…
“Demi.”
His entire body stiffened.
Immediately, he stepped back.
Eva blinked in confusion.
“What happened?”
“Why did you stop?”
Damien ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
His breathing had become uneven.
“Nothing.”
His voice sounded colder than before.
“I’m tired.”
“Go to sleep.”
Eva stared at him in disbelief.
“Our wedding night…”
“And you’re telling me to sleep?”
She forced a small laugh.
“You’ll regret wasting tonight.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned away and climbed onto the bed, clearly annoyed.
Damien said nothing.
He poured himself another glass of wine.
Then lit a cigarette.
The smoke slowly filled the room.
He closed his eyes.
Trying to erase Isla from his thoughts.
Trying…
And failing.
Unable to bear the silence, he walked toward the balcony.
The cool night air brushed against his face.
He looked down.
His gaze fell upon the swimming pool below.
There…
Under the silver glow of the moon…
Isla sat quietly at the edge of the pool.
Liam knelt beside her, carefully wrapping a bandage around her injured feet.
She never reacted.
Never spoke.
She simply stared into the water…
As though every dream she had ever cherished had drowned beneath its surface.
Damien stood motionless.
The cigarette between his fingers continued to burn.
The ash grew longer.
Until the burning tip touched his skin.
Only then did he realize he had been standing there without moving.
For the first time in six years…
Below, beside the swimming pool, Isla never looked up.
Above, on the balcony, Damien couldn’t look away.
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