SWNOVELS Chapter 22
Chapter 22
I drew in a breath when I heard his deep and enticing voice behind me. I could also clearly smell his cologne wafting through the air.
I moved my jaw, trying to calm myself before slowly turning to face him. I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head to him.
“Remember, I only texted you because I wanted to know something, just to clarify what your true intentions are towards me.”
He lowered his gaze at me, his eyes deep and scrutinizing. After a moment, he shrugged. as if to say, “I’ll take care of it,” then signaled for me to follow him.
We headed to the most private part of the restaurant, as I had mentioned when we spoke earlier. It was crucial to avoid being seen, especially with the possibility of Dominic finding out. The restaurant’s security was still outside, so I needed to act swiftly.
When we reached the table reserved for us, I was about to take a seat when he suddenly pulled the chair out and gestured with his hand for me to sit.
I blinked in surprise at first, wondering, but as I realized what was happening, I simply sat down while he carefully pushed the chair in to ensure I’was comfortably seated.
He promptly took his seat and locked eyes with me, waiting to see who would break the silence first.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Explain yourself. What do you really want from me?”
I didn’t beat around the bush. Time was limited, so I needed to wrap up our meeting as soon as possible.
As I observed his eyes, he didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he intertwined his fingers and leaned back in his chair, appearing unusually comfortable.
I clenched my jaw. Was he playing games or what? Instead of giving a straightforward answer, he just danced around the question.
“What if I tell you that I have a lot of things I want from you?” For some inexplicable reason, my heart raced, and I found myself momentarily speechless. I bit my tongue.
“If it’s about our child, you already know my answer. You’ll never take them away from
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me-
“I don’t just need the from you. What if I say I want you too? What will
you do?”
I fell silent again after what he said. I bit my l*p and moistened it as it suddenly felt dry. I saw how his gaze dropped to my l*ps. His eyes darkened, and his jaw moved.
“Me? And what would you do to me? Abuse me again?”
“I never abused you when we were together, Serena-”
“Not physically, but you’re torturing me mentally”
I couldn’t help but close my eyes as my voice slightly raised. But can you blame me if the bitterness and pain are still here even after several years?
“You know your family is not on my side. You’re well aware that behind your back, they’ve done things to me. Yet, what did you do? Did you defend me? Did you try to confront them for me? I mean, yes, I get it. they re your family, they’re more important than me, and they’re the ones who raised you. But if you knew it was wrong, what did you do? Didn’t you just stay silent?
He fell silent there and didn’t respond immediately. I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms, waiting to see how he would explain himself.
But in the end. I just smiled because I knew the answer in his silence.
I took a seat and took a deep breath. I quickly organized all my belongings. It felt like nothing would come out of this conversation. Why did I even call him? I, too, was confused about my own actions.
“Im leaving.”
I packed my things, slung my designer bag over my shoulder, and was about to stand up when I was surprised as he placed his hand on mine.
“Please, stay.”
I paused when I heard the pleading tone in his voice. As I lowered my gaze to his eyes. realizing I was already standing and he remained seated, I noticed the sincerity in
them
“Let me explain myself.” he added.
Silence dominated our table, and all I could hear were the muttled voices coming from
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other customers in the restaurant. I bit my tongue, carefully weighing my decision. However, when he suddenly brushed the back of my hand with his thumb, I realized I had unconsciously sat back down.
“Fine, but I’ll give you a few minutes to explain. Remember that my time here is limited.”
I crossed my arms and signaled for him to begin. His jaw moved, and his eyes remained. fixed intently on me.
“I was scared, and I admit that.”
He furrowed his brow, and his eyebrows met, as if he
saying, “I don’t know why I can’t turn my back on my fully accept what he was
I chose them over you,
and only now have I realized that…I’ve been following the wrong path.”
He ran his tongue over his l*ps, and I couldn’t help but look at it. Something inside me suddenly felt a strange emotion, but I couldn’t explain what it was.
“I know it’s hard for you to believe and trust again, but this is all I can say…
“That I’m also going through a tough time. That it’s not just you who struggled in this situation. When you disappeared and took our children, I honestly didn’t know how to feel. Should I be happy because you managed to take our children away from my family? Or should I be sad because you’re far away from me?”
He tapped his fingers on the table, and I suddenly remembered what that gesture meant when he did it.
He’s nervous.
“But in the end, I just accepted it and prayed that you were safe. I even hired a private. investigator just so I could at least know where you were, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find out. I spent five years overthinking, only to be surprised that you’re in the hands of my rival when it comes to achieving the highest rank in the world for being the most influential?”
He leaned back in his chair and averted his gaze, as if signaling that his explanation would end here. It was evident that there were still things he wanted to say, but I could see him restraining himself.
I couldn’t gauge myself. Based on his tone and manner of explanation, it was clear het was sincere, but why now and why so late? Why is it so difficult for me to see the trust I once gave him?
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I struggled so much that this was the only question I asked him.
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“So, the reason you want me to come back to you is to fix everything that up?”
you messed
He didn’t answer. Silence dominated between us. I waited, of course, but minutes. passed, and his gaze remained distant.
I couldn’t figure out his true intention. I took a deep breath and stood up. I was ready to leave when he finally spoke.
“Even if I say yes, I know you won’t believe me. You’ll just doubt everything I say again.”
This time, he looked me in the eyes. He slowly stood up, placing his hands in hist pockets, evidently ready to leave.
“Is that all you want to talk about? And I know you don’t want to prolong the conversation, so I’ll go ahead. The decision is yours on what you want to believe in my words.”
And he turned his back on me. As I looked at his back, for some unknown reason, everything around him suddenly disappeared, and he was the only thing I could see. My heartbeat quickened as Damon gradually blurred and seemed to be shrinking in my vision, as if… we won’t see each other again.
“Wait!”
He paused in his walk but didn’t turn to look at me. I took a step towards him and stared at him intently. Fortunately, he wasn’t too far away, and we were still in a private part of the restaurant. I can’t afford for anyone who knows me to see us together!
“To be honest, I’m not really withholding our children from you because you still have rights, but… if you truly want to see them and want to make amends…”
I cursed in my thoughts. I closed my eyes tightly and pondered what to say several times. But in the end, these words came out on their own.
“You have to prove to me that your intentions are genuine and that your family is not involved in this. And when you’ve made amends enough, then, you can meet our children.”
I was surprised when he suddenly placed his hand on my shoulder, and before I could react, he pulled me towards him. In an instant, I realized he had me in a tight embrace. I blinked a few times, still digesting the events.
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“You’ll see,
them too.”
Serena, I’ll do everything to make it up to you and our children so I can see
His voice was gentle and whispering, as if he was overly delighted with what he heard.
I didn’t know how many minutes he held me. I could feel the warmth of his b*dy even though there was fabric between us. Even though I knew this was just a brief moment, when he finally let go, it felt like I was left wanting more.
“You won’t regret giving me another chance, Serena.”
After that, we went our separate ways. I made sure he wouldn’t be seen by my security. I briefly passed by my company, checked the status, and shortly after, I went home.
The entire day, my mind was consumed with the moment of our conversation with Damon.
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