Chapter 5

Damien’s POV

I stood nodding to the music that blared through the speakers. I was having a blast and after all the naughty things my friends had made me do, I thought it was only proper for me to take a break from the activities of the night.

The surprise my friends had said they had for me were strippers who had made me do some of the naughtiest things in my life, I still smiled at the memory of all the things we did.

“Here you go,” Jason said when he got to me and handed me the bottle of beer.

“Thanks, man,” I said and twisted off the cap, gulping down a generous amount of the liquid.

Jason stared at me for a while and shook his head.

“What is it, man? Talk to me,” I demanded, knowing my friend so well. He only shook his head when he had something he wanted to say but couldn’t voice out.

“It’s just the wedding. I don’t know if you are rushing it because of your father’s will or because you are trying to cover up for something. Is Anita pregnant?” he asked.

I chuckled lightly at the thought of Anita being pregnant. The girl was smart and wouldn’t fall pregnant for me in just a couple of weeks, but then, it wasn’t going to matter since we were getting married already.

“Why do you think so?” I asked, looking at my friend.

“Come on, I am your lawyer and I know so much about your family and your love life. It just feels so insane that you would be getting married to Anita this quickly. It’s barely been four months since you guys got in a relationship. And I know you so well to know that you haven’t gotten over Joan, so tell me the truth. Why are you getting married to Anita so soon?” Jason demanded, his tone authoritative and clear.

I let out a breath and told him the truth. He was my lawyer after all and had my back in all things. He was the best person for me to confide in.

***

Anita’s POV

As soon as Stella suggested that I talk to Damien and clear the air, the fear I had in me Vanished. I was curious to know what he felt about his relationship with his ex.

I stormed out of the room and walked towards the hall where I knew his bachelor’s party would be held. I had seen the preparations going on at the hall earlier in the day and from the bright lights and people milling about, I knew it had to be the venue.

The moment I entered the hall, my ears were blasted with loud music. It was as if the DJ was trying unsuccessfully to bring down the building with the sound of his music. The entire place felt and looked like a night club and I had the feeling this was what the guys had aimed for.

Scanning my eyes through the dimly lit room, I didn’t see any signs of Damien. Wasn’t he supposed to be the center of attention since the party was being held in his honor?

I was still standing, looking confused when I caught sight of Dennis, one of his best friends, dancing among some scantily clad women. They had to be strippers and my mind conjured up images of what they must have made Damien do with the woman earlier. I marched to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Where is Damien?” I demanded as soon as I had his attention.

“Uhmm.” Dennis looked around confused. “I don’t know.” He shrugged and returned his attention to the women who were dancing before him.

Exasperated, I walked away from him and began to search for Damien on my own. I didn’t know where I was going to find him, but I knew that if I didn’t find Damien and speak to him, I wasn’t going to feel at peace.

Finally, I turned around a corner and found Damien and his friend, Jason, at the top of a balcony that looked down to the party going on beneath them. I guess that was the VIP section and I should have looked for him there first.

Letting out a breath, I took the stairs until I arrived at the top and I was just about to announce my presence to the men when I caught a piece of their conversation and froze in place.

“…I never stopped loving Joan. I am still in love with her, but I can’t get married to her because my dad doesn’t approve of her and all. But then, I need to get married to secure my inheritance from my dad and that is where Anita comes in. I may not love her, but she is serving my purpose perfectly,” Damien said.

“But you need to let her know…” Jason was saying when I turned around and walked away from Damien.

At this moment, all that I wanted to do was to get away, far away from this man who had just confessed to never loving me.

Like someone who was under a spell, I stepped out of the hall and walked away from the blaring music and the demon that was Damien. The fact that he had confessed to my greatest fear hurt me so much that I didn’t know what to do.

Finally, I found an empty bench just in front of the cottage where my bachelorette party was being held and sat. There, the tears that I had been holding since I got the terrible news streamed down my cheeks.

My body was wrenched with nerve-wracking sobs as I cried my eyes out, hoping for someone to tell me that all of this was a bad dream. I mean, it was already said that meeting with the groom a day before the wedding was a bad omen and now, I have gone on to confirm my greatest fear.

I didn’t know for how long I was crying, but my sister’s concerned voice bellowed beside me.

“What the heck is going on? Why are you crying?” she asked as she sat beside me, her warm arm wrapping my shoulder.

“He is still in love with her. I am nothing but a substitute for his ex since his father isn’t going to support a marriage between him and her,” I cried into my sister’s shoulder.

I felt my sister go rigid with pain on hearing what I had uncovered at the bachelor’s party.

“What are you going to do now?” she asked after a long silence.

To be honest, I didn’t know what to do, but only one thing rang clear in my head.

To run away.