Bound by Betrayal (The Mafia King Captive Bride)

Damien

The room is dark, with a smell of alcohol lingering in the air.

I sat on the ground with another bottle of alcohol and leaned my head against the wall.

It has been four good months that I haven’t seen Ashley. I have tried to reach her, to explain things but it was all a futile mission.

She doesn’t want to see me.

She had blocked me on all the social media platforms from reaching her.

Since her absence, life has been hard and bitter on my side. I had to give up her father’s company and resigned as the owner but still she doesn’t want me.

I know I wronged her but I am ready to fix things. To show her the sweet, jovial, and easy going side of me.

But I guess it is all too late now.

I pulled my hair and took another huge sip from the drink.

For the past few months, I have regretted the life I had lived.

How I had neglected her.

I blamed myself day and night for not being so serious in finding her then after that night.

I hated myself more…. More for the constant abuses, neglect, foul words and how badly I treated her in the past.

I do wish that time will go back so that I can fix everything.

I was so focused on my past, my quest for revenge that I didn’t know I was hurting someone dear to me….. that I was losing a precious gem.

A sudden knock at the door jolted me back to reality, but I ignored it. I had been locking myself inside here for months, drowning my sorrows in alcohol and isolating myself from everyone.

The knock came again, followed by the sound of my door being knocked out. Eros, Pasito, and Sebastian rushed inside, their faces filled with concern.

“Hey, buddy,” Eros said, flipping on the light switch. Their gazes widened as they took in the scene before them – empty bottles littered everywhere.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“Damien, are you trying to drink yourself to death?” Sebastian asked, his voice filled with worry.

I merely sighed and took another swig of my drink.

“Buddy,” Pasito called out, trying to reach me.

“She hates me,” I blurted out instead, laughing painfully, the words feeling like a fresh wound in my heart.

“I wronged her so much, I broke her…” I trailed off, taking a sip of my drink as I turned to face my friends. Their concerned expressions only added to my guilt.

“I’m sure she’ll still forgive you,” Pasito said, trying to lift my spirits, but I shook my head, my lips downturned in despair. “She’ll never accept me again.”

“You know I warned you about this,” Pasito said and I nodded, with a regretful sigh. “You sure did.”

“This is not the time for blame, we just need to find a way and reach, Ash.” Eros chimed in. “We are gradually losing Damien.”

“I love her, I always do.” My lips curled up sadly. But before I could take another swig of my drink, Sebastian snatched the bottle away. “Enough, brother!”

I snapped my head towards him, anger flashing in my eyes. “Give it back to me!” I demanded, but he shook his head firmly.

And dropped the bottle by his side. “Mrs. Catherina has gone to speak with her, I am sure she will still forgive you.”

The anger in my eyes vanished and confusion instantly appeared in them. “How did she know where she lives?”

After our last encounter, she had vanished into the thin air. I have tried within all my power but her location still remained untraceable.

We all turned to look at Sebastian, our faces mirroring each other’s confusion.

“I know,” he replied calmly, his words earning a collective gasp from us. I raised my eyebrows, seeking clarification. “You do?” I asked, wanting to confirm what I’d heard.

“Yes, we’ve been in touch since then,” he said, his hands coming to envelop mine in a gentle grasp as I surprisingly gaped at him.

I don’t know if to feel excited about the information or sad that he had known all these while and watched us search relentlessly.

“I didn’t want to tell you earlier because I thought she needed time to heal and process everything.” Sebastian said.

He was right, I realized, sighing heavily as I lowered my head in fear again.

“I am a monster! She can never forgive a monster.”

“Stop it, that night wasn’t entirely your fault, you were drunk,” Sebastian said, but I shook my head in disagreement. “It doesn’t justify the fact that I was a monster to her.” I released a deep breath and leaned my head back against the wall.

“So, what do we do? Damien is slowly losing himself,” Eros asked, placing a hand on top of my shoulder.

A sudden silence fell over as everyone turned to Sebastian, awaiting his response. He is the only one that knows her exact location. He sighed after a moment, then turned to look at us. “I’m planning on going to see her tomorrow. Maybe, if you’re ready, we can go together, Damien.”

Go with him to see her?

My heart raced instantly and opened my eyes immediately.

I can feel the excitement though I still feel scared.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course,” Sebastian replied, stretching out his hands to help me up. “Now, you need to get up, freshen up, eat, and…”

“And take a bath,” Pasito completed his sentence, grinning mischievously.

“You sure smell horrible,” Eros chimed in, chuckling, and the two of them burst out laughing.

I tried to join in, but somehow, the humor fell flat for me. My heart felt heavy, weighed down by my thoughts. The only thing in my mind is just her….. is just her.

When she left, she left with entirely everything in me; the zeal to live, and my happiness.

They helped me stand on my feet, but as soon as I was upright, I staggered backwards and fell to the ground.

My head hurts very well, and I can no longer feel my legs.

“Damien…!!” Sebastian’s nervous voice rang out, his concern etched in his tone, just before I lost consciousness.