Chapter Nineteen — What He Promised Her
944 Words
I stared at the message until the words blurred.
Ask Damien what he promised your mother two years ago.
My mother.
Again.
Why did everyone keep bringing her into this?
I quickly locked my phone.
Damien had disappeared around the corner after the person he saw.
I should have followed him.
Instead, I stood there, trying to understand how a stranger knew about my mother.
A few minutes later, Damien returned.
Alone.
“Who was it?” I asked.
“I don’t know.”
“You didn’t catch them?”
“No.”
He looked frustrated.
Then his eyes dropped to my phone.
“You got another message.”
It wasn’t a question.
I nodded.
“Read it.”
I hesitated.
Then I showed him.
The moment he saw the message, his expression changed.
Not anger.
Fear.
Real fear.
“You can’t keep hiding things from me,” I said.
He looked away.
“What do you want me to say?”
“The truth.”
“You’re not ready for it.”
I laughed bitterly.
“How would you know?”
“Because I know what happened.”
“And I don’t?”
“No.”
His answer was so quick that it hurt.
I stepped closer.
“Then tell me.”
He said nothing.
“Damien.”
Still nothing.
“What did you promise my mother?”
His eyes met mine.
For a moment, I thought he would finally tell me.
Instead, he whispered,
“I promised her I’d protect you.”
My heart stopped.
“Protect me from what?”
He looked away.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because I gave her my word.”
“You gave my mother your word two years ago, and you never thought I deserved to know?”
“It wasn’t my secret to tell.”
I shook my head.
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true.”
“What happened to me two years ago?”
Damien’s jaw tightened.
“You were hurt.”
“I know that.”
“You don’t remember everything.”
“I know that too.”
“There are things your mind blocked out.”
I stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because sometimes forgetting is easier than remembering.”
I took a step back.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It will.”
“When?”
“When you’re ready.”
I almost laughed.
“Everyone keeps deciding when I’m ready.”
Damien looked at me.
“I know.”
His voice was softer now.
And somehow that made everything worse.
I turned away.
“I’m going back to the hostel.”
“Amara.”
“I need space.”
He didn’t stop me.
For once, he let me walk away.
But halfway across campus, I heard footsteps behind me.
I turned.
It was Ethan.
He stopped when he saw me.
“Hey.”
“What do you want?”
His expression changed.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
I almost walked past him.
Then I stopped.
“Ethan.”
“Yeah?”
“You knew Marcus.”
His face became serious.
“Yes.”
“What happened to him?”
“I already told you. I don’t know.”
“Then why are you scared every time I mention his name?”
He looked at me for a long moment.
“I’m not scared.”
“You are.”
He sighed.
“Amara, there are things you shouldn’t get involved in.”
“That’s exactly what Damien says.”
Ethan looked away.
“That should tell you something.”
“What?”
“That maybe he’s right.”
I frowned.
“Do you trust Damien?”
Ethan gave a humorless smile.
“That’s a complicated question.”
“Why?”
“Because Damien isn’t the person you think he is.”
My chest tightened.
“What does that mean?”
Before he could answer, his phone rang.
He checked the screen.
His expression immediately changed.
“Who is it?”
“No one.”
He rejected the call.
It rang again.
This time, he turned away to answer.
I couldn’t hear everything.
But I heard one sentence.
“She knows about Marcus.”
I froze.
Ethan looked back at me.
Our eyes met.
He ended the call.
“Who were you talking to?”
He didn’t answer.
“Ethan.”
“I have to go.”
He walked away.
I stood there, completely stunned.
How many people were involved in this?
And why did everyone seem to know things about me that I didn’t even remember?
That night, I sat on my bed with my mother’s old photograph in my hands.
I turned it over again.
The handwriting was still there.
Two years ago.
Student Affairs Hall.
Damien Carter.
I stared at Damien’s name.
Then something caught my attention.
There was another line underneath it.
A line I hadn’t noticed before.
I moved closer to the light.
My heart started beating faster.
The handwriting looked different.
Messier.
Almost rushed.
It said:
If anything happens, don’t let Amara remember.
I stopped breathing.
Who had written that?
And what exactly had happened that day?
My phone vibrated.
I nearly dropped the photograph.
Unknown number.
One message.
Now ask yourself why your mother wanted you to forget.
Then another message appeared.
And ask yourself why Damien agreed.
I stared at the screen.
For the first time, I wasn’t wondering whether Damien was hiding something from me.
I knew he was.
The only question was…
What was he so afraid I’d remember?
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