His Enemy, My Husband

Chapter 15: Unanswered Questions

The drive back to Damien’s mansion felt longer than usual.

Isla had left for home immediately after the encounter with Vanessa as well as the surprising entry and defense of Clarissa.

Her talk about the Blackwood defending their own had not left her the same.

The moment Vanessa was gone, Isla left the boutique. Her focus was shattered. She needed to see Damien.

Isla barely noticed buildings or the other cars by the roadside on her car drive back; her eyes were distant, and her mind was somewhere else. The thoughts that had started to disturb her since her second outing with Damien were rising to the surface again.

She had gained too much from this marriage.

The luxury, the protection, the status everything had fallen into place for her.

But what about Damien?

That question had remained even after his vague explanation about possessing what Nate can't take back. Now after what just happened at the boutique, the questions wouldn’t let go.

It had sunk deeper, creating ringlets in her skin

The one-sidedness of it all made her restless.

She shifted her grip on the steering wheel, her palms feeling hot.

Damien had everything. He has always been more powerful than Nate and did not need a marriage with her to achieve that, he has always been untouchable in a way that made people wary of even speaking his name.

So what was it that he still wanted?

What was it that Nate couldn’t take back?

And why did it all center around her?

By the time she reached the penthouse, her frame was tight with frustration.

Damien was by the bar, pouring himself a drink, looking as unbothered as ever when she entered.

Isla stopped a few feet away, arms folded, watching him.

The constant nonchalance with which he carried himself only made the lines on her face grow.

She hesitated for a second. Then, with her voice low but firm, she finally asked,

"What do you want from this, Damien?"

Of course, without looking up, he heard the question but continued his sip, and then after some time, he shrugged.

"Revenge. Isn’t that why we’re here?"

He asked with false curiosity.

That answer wasn’t good enough, and he knew that too.

Isla was shaking her head even before he finished speaking.

"Revenge only settles my end of the deal, Damien. That’s the reason I agreed. But my question was…what about you? I can't point at anything solid."

When he didn't immediately say something, Isla allowed her questioning eyes to lock onto him as she folded her arms tighter like a detective during an interrogation.

"Last I checked, you’re doing better than Nate. Your business is untouchable. So what exactly is this ‘thing’ Nate can’t take back?"

This time, Damien paused as if she had started towing a sensitive path with her question.

The silence stretched, heavy with meaning.

Then, slowly, Damien started to lift his head, his gaze finally meeting her own.

Something was unsettling in his expression. But as usual, there was always something dark in his expression. His face is a mask of hidden secrets.

He took one step forward before responding with,

"You don’t need to know."

The words made Isla lift her brows,

His voice was quiet, but there was a burden behind it. It also bore traces of a warning.

But unlike before, Isla didn’t back away. Her chin lifted, her posture unchanging.

“Why wouldn't I need to know?” She asked with her hands.

"Or are you saying I was just a weapon? And…and you won’t tell me?"

A slow smirk curved Damien’s lips, his eyes narrowing in a way that instantly made her uncomfortable. But his next words did even worse,

"Are you scared already? We haven’t even started."

Isla swallowed, feeling her heart jump.

Just getting started? What the hell did he mean by that?

Damien started to move in even closer when he noticed her anxiety, closing the space between them until Isla could feel the heat of his breath, warm with the scent of what he was drinking.

The air between them was developing new layers, it was making her breathing difficult.

Isla's eyes slightly, struggling to hold his gaze steady at this range, but she forced herself not to look away.

Then, his next words left her feeling even more bereft.

"Mrs. Blackwood, stop asking questions you’re not ready to hear the answer to."

She gasped.

What?

Her breath half stopped as Damien leaned in, his presence suddenly overwhelming.

Her heart was now pounding so hard it almost drowned out her thoughts.

A jolt of anxiety ran through her, bringing back the memory of the last time they had been this close.

The worst part was this time, there was no public space to keep him in check. No one is watching. No forced performance.

What was he doing? Was he going to?

But then his fingers brushed against her ear, plucking a thread from her hair.

“That was it? Good gracious.”

Isla's back stood frozen, her body trembling slightly. The heat had made her hair stand and her cheeks a little red, a slow flush of embarrassment.

She let out a quiet sigh, taking a moment to steady herself, to gather the words that had scattered in her chest.

When she spoke again, her voice was softer now, yet a little bit more desperate.

"Can’t you just tell me?"

Damien pulled back slightly, keeping his expression as ghost-like as always.

Then, without hesitation, he muttered two words.

"This isn't about revenge, Isla. Not entirely."

And just like that, he turned and walked away.

Isla stood there, motionless, her heart still racing.

The slap of his answer, or rather the lack of one was hanging over her, leaving her with even more questions than before.

She let out yet another sigh, with her hands on her waist as one of the statements Damien made earlier kept repeating over and again in her head to the point that it started to ache,

"Mrs. Blackwood, stop asking questions you’re not ready to hear the answer to.”

Why the hell would he tell her something like that?