Allison crumpled to the floor and clutched the hem of his pants, pouring every ounce of desperation into her plea.
"I'll leave tonight," she gasped. "I swear I'll never bother you or Bella again. I've paid back everything I owed you. Just... please, just one last thing. Can you give me my mother's pendant back?"
She pushed herself up and reached for her clothes, but Damian lunged forward, seized her wrist, and roared, "You're not going anywhere! Allison, you saved my life back then, so your life belongs to me now."
Right then, Allison wished with every fiber of her being that she had never laid eyes on him.
A storm of rage crashed through her chest, and the words finally tore out of her throat. "I wish I had never met you! I wish I had never saved you!"
Damian's face froze solid. A single glint of tears flashed at the corner of his eye before he ground his teeth and spat, "Allison, you finally told the truth. That k********g years ago—wasn't it all your little scheme? Bella told me everything. You purposely got friendly with those street thugs, had them grab me, then swooped in to play the hero and take my place as the hostage. You really thought that would make me fall for you? That it would lock you in as my wife? You were dead wrong, Allison."
His eyes looked at her like she was already a corpse.
"I shipped you off to that finishing school because I couldn't stand the sight of your hypocritical mask anymore. I figured a few years would teach you some humility, but you're still just as revolting as ever. You owe me way too much, and you'll never be able to pay it back."
"No... that's not true... that's not what happened..." Allison shook her head desperately.
The memories of that day flooded back in a blur.
Damian had been kidn*pped, and Bella was the one who came running with the news. Bella was the one who suggested she step in and take his place as the hostage so he would stay safe.
She had endured hell for him—tied to a chair for days, humiliated beyond words, soiling herself because they wouldn't even let her up, not a single bite of food passing her lips.
'What the hell was he talking about? How could I have planned the whole thing?'
"Damian, listen to me, it wasn't like that at all. It was Bella, she..."
"Enough!" Damian's eyes burned red. He shoved her down onto the bed with his full weight looming over her.
"Don't bother explaining. Not a single word out of your mouth means anything to me anymore."
Allison thrashed beneath him and sank her teeth hard into his arm. The taste of blood filled her mouth.
That only made him snap. He raised his hand and slapped her across the face with brutal force.
Allison's head snapped to the side. Every last scrap of fight drained out of her body. She could only lie there and take whatever pain he decided to give.
When it was finally over, her lips trembled, and tears clung to her lashes as she whispered, "My... pendant... please... give it back to me..."
"The pendant, huh?" Damian stood, pulled his clothes back on, and stepped off the bed. He tilted his head with a smile that looked anything but kind—cold, vicious, and razor-sharp.
"Is this what you're after?" He lifted the pendant from around his own neck, held it high so the light caught it, then lowered it toward her open palm.
Just as her fingertips were about to brush the pendant, Damian hurled it to the floor with all his strength. The pendant shattered into a thousand glittering pieces.
"No... no..."
Allison lay on the bed, stretching out a shaking hand. A fresh wave of agony ripped through her body, so fierce she couldn't even form a full sentence.
"You wanted the pendant," he said flatly. "There. I gave it to you."
Damian turned and walked out without another glance.
Allison dragged herself off the bed with the last of her strength. On her hands and knees, she crawled across the floor, fingers scraping at the tiny shards, trying desperately to piece them back together. No matter how she tried, the pendant stayed broken.
Tears rolled down her cheeks and splashed onto the cold tiles.
The faint spark of light that had still flickered in her eyes finally went out for good.
Then everything went black, and she collapsed, unconscious.
Aksara