CHAPTER 9
Taken Flight At Dawn
Damien
The world felt blurry and dim as I stirred slowly. I winced as a dull pounding filled my head, the hangover from the night before hitting me raw and hard.
My throat was dry, my body heavy, and my thoughts clouded by an uncomfortable mix of grogginess and unease.
Something was missing, though I couldn't put my finger on it. It gnawed at the edges of my mind, a faint echo of something important. What was it?
I eased up from my lying position slowly, and I squinted, trying to adjust my eyes to the light in the room.
My memories were fragmented, and all I could remember were bits and pieces.
A flash of Lily's face. Elena's voice. And then... nothing.
What had I been up to last night? I shook my head, forcing myself to my feet. I nearly stumbled, my hands gripped the edge of the bed with a death grip.
I sat for a long moment before I could trust my legs to move. I headed to the bathroom.
In the bathroom, the cool spray of the shower did little to clear my thoughts. As the water flowed over my skin, I leaned forward, resting my head against the tiled wall.
Elena…
Her name surfaced in my head as I slowly started recalling bits and pieces of our encounter at the restaurant yesterday.
A pang of guilt followed. She'd looked so upset yesterday, but I had been too caught up in my own frustration to care. I clenched my jaw, wondering why I'd feel guilty.
Why do you even care? I scolded myself.
I'd behaved that way, because of me. I had my own reputation to uphold. Any little sign of favoritism, even perceived, could unravel the carefully maintained control I held over those around me.
Let alone if word got out that I'd hired a friend of my wife. However my reputation was for being impartial, It would leave a mark. And that, I didn't want.
But still... I couldn't shake the image of her face, the subtle hurt she hadn't bothered to hide.
I sighed, running a hand over my face. I had been harsh. Perhaps too harsh. My attempt to keep boundaries clear might have gone too far. But it wasn't like I could go back now.
Half a million dollars, I thought, shaking my head. It's not like I'd left her friend destitute. I'd put word out, I decided. If she continued searching for a job, I'd ensure she got one.
That was enough.
Within minutes I'd gotten dressed, the smooth fabric of the Italian suit fitted on me like a glove.
When I walked out of the room the first thing that caught my eye were the sharp streaks on the wall.
A vague memory tugged at me, but I couldn't piece it together. Whatever had happened last night, it had left marks—not just on the walls, but in my mind.
Why can't I remember? I frowned, staring at the wall. Had I done this? I wondered, glancing at the hallway. It seemed likely, Elena wouldn't do this.
I forced myself to move on, waving for one of the maids to call the painters. The sooner those streaks disappeared, the better.
Downstairs, the scent of coffee drifted faintly through the air. For a moment, I considered heading to the kitchen to see if Elena was there with Lily. She was probably making breakfast for her daughter.
But I dismissed the idea as quickly as it came.
What's the point? I told myself. I wasn't ready to face Elena. Seeing her now, after everything, would only bring up conversations I didn't want to deal with.
Instead, I stepped outside, seeking clarity in the cool morning air. That was when I saw it—one of my cars pulling into the driveway.
My brows furrowed. Where was the driver coming back from?
I marched toward the vehicle, irritation bubbling to the surface. The driver climbed out slowly, his posture hesitant.
"Hmph!" I snorted, staring coldly at the driver. "Where did you take the car?" I demanded, my voice cold and sharp.
"Sir, I…" The driver's voice wavered as he avoided my gaze. "I took Miss Elena and Lily to the clinic early this morning."
"What!" I froze. The words didn't register at first, as if my mind refused to process them. "What?" I repeated, my mind struggling to keep up.
"I waited for hours," the driver continued, his voice trembling, "but they never came out. When I went in to check…" He hesitated, his hands fidgeting nervously.
"Speak," I snapped, my patience wearing thin.
"I found out they weren't there." His words hit me like a punch to the gut. "They left, sir. I don't know where they went."
A deafening silence followed, broken only by the sound of my own heartbeat thundering in my ears.
They left?
The driver's words echoed in my mind unceasingly. Elena had taken Lily and vanished.
For a moment, I couldn't move. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, my jaw tightening as a swirl of thoughts and questions raged within me.
How dare she? How could she just leave without a word?
"What hospital did you take her to?" I glanced at the time, it was already 9 am.
"St. George's," the driver stuttered as he mentioned the name of a nearby hospital.
"Her daughter was asleep all the way, she said she was running a temperature," the driver added uneasily, noticing my silence.
"Hmmm," the driver's words gave me pause and I contemplated his words but I still couldn't erase the uneasy feeling I felt.
Why did she leave? What could have driven her to this?
The image of Lily's face flashed in my mind, followed by the faint memory of Elena's voice, pleading, angry, hurt. And then there was the streaks on the wall, the nagging sense of something forgotten.
Did I do something?
The thought sent a cold chill down my spine.
This was bad. Really really bad.