Chapter 7
932 Words
Sera’s POV:
The first thing I felt was heat. It wrapped me up, like a heavy blanket. My eyes moved, but I couldn't see clearly. The room was spinning.
Where was I?
I tried to sit up. A sharp pain hit my head, and I fell back down, gasping. Then I heard voices close by, not loud, but serious.
“…not just lack of water. The results show drugs.”
My heart stopped beating for a second. I tried to listen harder.
Damien.
That was Damien's voice, rough with pure anger.
“How did someone poison her here? In my house?” he shouted
“We are checking everyone,” Luca said. “They didn't want her dead fast. Just weak. To make her easy to move or… kill later.”
A cold sickness ran through me. What did he mean kill later? My fingers moved on the sheets. I tried to yell, but my throat was dry, and no sound came out.
Damien spoke again, quieter… but much scarier.
“I will tear that person apart with my hands.”
It wasn't a yell. It was a promise.
The voices came closer. I heard footsteps. I shut my eyes fast, pretending to still be asleep.
“She needs food,” the doctor said. “She won’t get strong without it. Someone must be here when she wakes up.”
“I am not leaving her,” Damien answered instantly.
Something in his voice made my heart shake. It wasn't anger. It was… fear.
The doctor and Luca left. The door closed softly.
Everywhere went silent.. then..,
“Open your eyes, Sera,” Damien said quietly.
I waited a moment, then opened them. His face was right above mine, every line full of worry. He let out a breath like he had been holding it for hours.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Like I fell off a building,” I whispered.
His jaw went tight. “You were poisoned.”
The words were heavy between us. I tried to sit up again. I felt dizzy fast. Damien's hand shot out and held my back, keeping me up.
“Slowly,” he mumbled. “If you pass out again, I will lose my mind.”
I stared at him. Lose his mind? Why did he talk like he cared if I lived or died?He reached for a tray. When I saw the bowl in his hand, fear hit me again.
“No.” I shook my head weakly. “I won’t eat anything here.”
Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Sera..”
“What if they poisoned the food?” I whispered. “I am not stupid.”
His voice dropped, quiet and deadly calm.
“If someone tries again, they will have to hit me first.”
He took the bowl and took a few spoons from the food then looked at me reassuringly.
“That doesn’t make me trust you,” I breathed.
Something sharp crossed his face, he looked hurt, almost like he was in pain.
He leaned in close, holding the spoon steady.
“You don’t need to trust me,” he said. “You just need to stay alive.”
I clenched my teeth. “I said no.”
The spoon stopped. The air felt thick. Then Damien’s hand wrapped around my wrist, firm but not hurting and moved it toward the bowl.
“You are eating,” he said quietly. “Even if I have to put it in your mouth myself.”
His voice wasn’t a threat. It was scared.My breath shook as he lifted the spoon. My heart hammered. But a deeper fear whispered:
What if I collapse again? What if I die? Damien watched my face closely.
“Please,” he said softly.
That one word destroyed my fight. I opened my mouth. He fed me slowly, watching every single swallow. When I coughed, his eyes went wide with panic, like I was dying right there.
Halfway through, I whispered, “You said… you won’t lose me again. Why?”
He froze and let out a painful breath. His hand lowered, the spoon resting in the bowl.
“That is… a story you will hate me for,” he said after a long time. “And you are too weak to hear it now.”
I frowned. “I don’t understand.”
He looked away, Damien, the man who never showed fear was refusing to meet my eyes.
“I looked for you for twelve years,” he mumbled. “And the second I finally got you back… someone tries to take you again.”
His voice broke on the last word. My heart twisted hard. Before I could ask anything, quiet voices sounded outside the door again. Damien turned, listening. His body tensed, instantly ready for a fight.
“I won’t let them near you,” he whispered… meaning the poisoner.
He stood up to leave, taking the tray. His hand stopped on the doorknob. Without turning, he said:
“You are safe with me, Sera. Even if you don’t believe it yet.”
The door opened, but before he stepped out, I heard him speak to someone in the hall. This time, his tone completely changed, soft, like a wound.
“I already lost her once,” Damien whispered. “I won’t survive it again.”
The footsteps faded and the door clicked shut. And I lay there with a pounding heart, full of fear… but even more full of questions I was afraid to know the answers to.
- Writer
