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Chapter 54 Two Lives, Twice Entwined
“Everything.” Damien had said.
That single word echoed in my mind as we moved through the party. His hand rested lightly on the small of my back, guiding me past clusters of wealthy, powerful people who seemed suddenly less intimidating than the man beside me.
Before we could rejoin the main celebration, Damien leaned close to my ear. “Would you like to get some air? There’s a private terrace just through those doors.”
I nodded, grateful for the suggestion. My head was spinning with questions, and I needed space to process everything I’d learned tonight.
The terrace was a stunning oasis overlooking the city skyline. Potted trees strung with tiny lights created a fairytale atmosphere, and the distant city sounds were nothing more than a gentle hum from this height. We were completely alone.
“It’s beautiful out here,” I said, walking toward the railing. The night air was cool against my skin, a welcome relief after the warmth of the crowded ballroom.
Damien moved to stand beside me, his shoulder almost touching mine. “I thought you. might appreciate a moment away from the spectacle.”
I turned to face him. “Shouldn’t you be attending to your other guests? It’s your mother’s birthday party, after all.”
“My mother has plenty of attendants tonight,” he replied, his eyes never leaving mine. “And I’m exactly where I need to be.”
The intensity in his gaze made me catch my breath. We stood in silence for a moment, both of us seeming to search for the right words.
“I- we both started simultaneously, then stopped.
“You first,” I said with a nervous laugh.
Damien smiled, but I could see tension in the set of his shoulders. Whatever he wanted to say, it wasn’t coming easily.
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I took a deep breath and asked the question that had been burning inside me since our conversation in the lounge. “Did you know me? Before all this, I mean. Is that why you’ve been helping me?”
His expression shifted, becoming more serious. “Yes.”
That single word confirmation sent a jolt through me. I’d suspected it, but hearing him admit it was something else entirely.
“From where?” I pressed. “When?”
Damien moved to a nearby bench and gestured for me to join him. When I sat down, he turned to face me directly.
“We met many years ago,” he began, his voice low and measured. “In Xu Town. You were very young–probably around eight or nine years old.”
I frowned, searching my memories. Xu Town was where my grandmother had lived. I’d spent summers there as a child, but I had no recollection of meeting anyone like
Damien.
“I don’t remember,” I admitted.
“You wouldn’t,” he replied. “We never formally met. But our paths crossed twice–and both times, you saved my life.”
My eyes widened. “What? That’s impossible. I would remember something like that.”
“The first time,” he continued, “I was involved in a fight. A bad one. I was a rebellious teenager staying with my grandfather at the military compound near your grandmother’s neighborhood. Some local boys had challenged me, and things escalated quickly.”
A flicker of memory stirred–a distant shout, the sound of breaking glass, the copper smell of blood on hot pavement.
“I was beaten badly, Damien said, his expression distant as he recalled the event. “Stabbed with a broken bottle. They left me bleeding in an alley. I was losing consciousness when a little girl found me–you. Instead of running away, you ran straight to a nearby police station and led them back to me.”
The memory suddenly crystallized. I had been walking home from the corner store. with popsicles for my grandmother and myself when I heard the commotion. I’d
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peeked into the alley and seen a teenage boy lying still, blood pooling around him. My grandmother had always taught me to find a police officer if someone was hurt, so that’s what I did.
“I remember the fight,” I said slowly. “But I never knew what happened to that boy afterward. The police told me to go home.”
Damien nodded. “By the time I recovered enough to look for you, you had already gone back to the city. My grandfather tried to find
little girl who’d saved me–but
all we knew was that you were visiting a relative for the summer.”
I stared at him, trying to reconcile the bleeding teenager from my childhood memory. with the powerful man sitting beside me now.
“And the second time?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Two years later,” he said. “I was swimming in the river that ran behind your grandmother’s property. I got a leg cramp and couldn’t stay afloat. I was going under when someone threw me a tree root to grab onto.”
This memory was clearer. I had been reading by the river–my special spot where no one bothered me–when I heard splashing and calls for help.
“That was you,” I whispered. “I remember… there were military people who came to grandmother’s house afterward, but I hid in my room. I was too shy to talk to them.”
“Yes,” Damien confirmed. “That was my grandfather and his men. They wanted to thank you properly, but no one could find you:
He rolled up his sleeve slightly, revealing a faint scar that ran along his forearm. “From the broken bottle,” he explained. “A permanent reminder of the first time you saved
me.”
I reached out without thinking, my fingers hovering over the mark before I caught myself and pulled back. “I had no idea.”
“How could you?” he asked gently. “You were a child who did two extraordinarily brave things and then vanished from my life. But I never forgot you.”
My mind was reeling. This connection between us went back decades–a thread I never knew existed, weaving through the tapestry of my life.
“So when you saw me at the hotel that day… I began.
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“I recognized you immediately, he confirmed. “Your eyes–they’re exactly the same. Even as a child, you had eyes that saw right through pretense.
My heart was pounding now. This explained so much–his immediate interest in me, his willingness to help, the strange feeling of familiarity I’d experienced in his
presence.
“Is that why you’ve been helping me? Out of some sense of…obligation?” The thought was surprisingly painful.
Damien shook his head firmly. “Not obligation, Hazel. Admiration. Even as a child, your had more courage and compassion than most adults I knew. When I saw you again, those same qualities were still there–even after everything you’d been through.”
I stood up and moved back to the railing, needing space to process this revelation. The city lights blurred as tears threatened to form in my eyes. All this time, I’d thought my connection with Damien had started the day Julian betrayed me. Now I discovered our lives had been intertwined long before that.
“So let me understand this,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I saved your life twice as a child, and now, twenty years later, you’ve been…what? Watching over me? Waiting for a chance to return the favor?”
I turned to face him, my mind grappling with implications that both thrilled and terrified me. “Does this mean you’ve been watching me all these years? Then why
didn’t you-
didn’t you….
The question hung between us, incomplete but understood: Why didn’t you approach me sooner? Why wait until my life was falling apart?
Damien stood and walked toward me, his expression more vulnerable than I’d ever seen it. I held my breath, waiting for his answer.
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