Page 38
Story: The Day Love Died
What a great way to leave.
It was a routine procedure for a patient to be taken out of the hospital and put in a wheelchair. So, even though Lena could walk now, medical workers were wheeling her out.
Damien was already in his car in the driveway, resting against it and waiting for her to show up. He could tell that Kellen had taken his advice seriously and stayed the hell away from Lena. He relaxed a little because he knew there wouldn’t be any drama for a while.
When he finally saw Lena come out the door, he jumped up and reached her with a big leap. At that moment, he felt like a joyful mountain goat and begged that Ryan and Lola, who were all over Lena… didn’t think he was ridiculous. Lena leaned back and laughed as he placed his hand over her shoulders to lift her up and take her to the car.
“You know I can walk. Those strong drugs aren’t in my system right now, so I can’t spin out of control,” she remarked with a laugh.
“I know,” he said, but he still took her up in his arms. “Don’t look so angry. This is just a normal part of the process.”
Ryan and Lola followed Lena, who merely rolled her eyes. For some reason, they were once again in the middle of a furious quarrel. People who saw them would think they were meant to fight one another.
As Damien put on the seat belt, Lena, Ryan, and Lola said farewell. They all kissed Lena on the cheek, gave her advice that had previously been given many times, and made threats that showed how much they cared every time.
Ryan was going to head back to his hotel and get ready for his flight out of Velden. Back in South Hills, his house and company were waiting for him. “I know you’ve chosen to live in Velden, Lena, but I hope you’ll come to see me often. Will you?”
Lena’s face looked far away for a second before she blinked it away. “Someday I’ll.”
Ryan smiled for a moment since she didn’t dispute it.
“I’ll, too,” Lola said, glancing at her nails. “I’m really interested in seeing where Lena grew up and all that…”
Ryan puffed and looked blank. “Apparently, no one invited you, woman.”
Lola laughed. “Nobody owns South Hills. I can go to the city whenever I want. Now take me home. My place is at the intersection, just two blocks before your fancy, gold-plated hotel.”
Damien shook his head in fake anger, and Lena and he shared a funny glance. But it didn’t take long for them to start fighting with each other.
Lena answered firmly, “No, Dami, I’m not staying at your place.” “I can take care of myself just fine now. Dr. Robert wouldn’t have let me go home from the hospital otherwise.”
“With the warning that you’re going to take it easy for some days before they start with radiotherapy. The entire body of your tumor could not be removed in the surgery. Have you forgotten already?”
Lena huffed and poked the edge of the bandana that was tied around her head. “There’s only a little bit of the tumor left…”
“Which can be just as deadly as before if you give it time and keep being so damn stubborn!” Damien said angrily, but Lena turned away, and he pinched the tip of his nose as he saw her pout. “Okay,” he murmured after a time, getting back to his calm state. “I’ll take you to your apartment.”
He could tell that Lena was surprised that he was so easily swayed, but then she grinned at him because she knew she had won. If only she knew…
Lena’s eyebrows wrinkled in uncertainty. “Damien? Why are you back again?” she said, her voice trailing off as her eyes finally found the baggage he had brought with him.
Damien smiled and smirked as he moved by her and into the flat. “Since you wouldn’t stay at my place, I decided to stay at yours.”
Lena’s mouth dropped wide and stayed that way as she turned around to see Damien walking away from her house.
I can’t believe it!
Damien had just dropped her off and didn’t ask her to stay at his house again. He also carried her all the way up and didn’t let her go until she was comfortable sitting on the couch in her living room. Lena had to admit that it was strange that he departed without saying goodbye in the usual way when he would have informed her over and over how to take care of herself, about medicines, and how to phone him if anything went wrong. She should have understood that the man had a plan.
“Damien!” she yelled, not believing it. Her feet, which were tired, followed him. “I told you I’d be fine on my own. I’ll look out for myself.”
Damien put his bag next to the couch and turned to gaze at her with anger. “I know, but I don’t want to take a chance. The last time I left for a few days, you almost died in a hospital.” He paused and took a long breath as if to shake off the awful memory, and then his face brightened up with the following words. “So I made the decision to take care of your health myself.”
Lena said, “So you’re saying you’re my nurse now?” Damien’s kind demeanor struck her heart, just like it usually did.
“That’s right,” he said with a grin. “Now, let’s make you some chicken broth.”
Kellen couldn’t help but yell in anger, “What do you mean you sent the divorce papers to my lawyer? How could you do that without asking me?”
In front of him, his mother trembled with intense sobbing. But he was over it and knew how to keep his rage in check. He couldn’t hang on because he was afraid he would lose his mind if he did. The earth beneath his feet was swiftly sliding away.
“Lena gave them to me at the engagement party before she left. I…,” Celeste said, breathing through her mouth and felt very powerless. “I didn’t know the truth yet, and neither did you. So I called your manager and had the papers sent right away.”
“God damn it!” Kellen growled, cutting in. He didn’t want to hear anymore, so he turned around and stormed out of the room.
This was awful. He was in hell, and it appeared like the devil was punishing him in the ways that he thought were best. He was stuck in a maze that he couldn’t get out of, and every bad thing he had done in the past was coming back to hit him in the a*s.
He didn’t stop until he was outside, beneath the broad sky. He fell down on a bench beside the sidewalk, his pulse racing as shackles tightened around it. He clenched his eyes tightly as he realized that there was only one path anymore, and that way could never be without Lena.
“Yes, that’s why I left Velden,” Damien responded, peeling carrots and chopping them into two-inch pieces. “And it worked. Red Cult has agreed to give us the fabrics, but we still need to make the final deal. I needed to talk to you about my plan first, and we need to hire people who know how to design and tailor clothes.”
Lena grinned from the kitchen table as she watched him work like an expert at her kitchen counter. “You didn’t have to wait. You could have finished everything right then and there.”
He put a tiny whole chicken, chicken neck, carrots, stalk celery, onion, and parsley in a sauce pot. “I wanted to. You’re my partner, Lena, and I value what you think about my choices.”
Of course, he made her feel wanted again, just as he usually does… and from the first time, she opened her eyes and saw him.
“Where did you learn to cook like this?” After a long, comfortable pause, she said, pleased with how well he cooked as if he had created cooking himself.
“From my mother,” he said, turning to offer her a sheepish look after adding enough water to cover the chicken and setting the pot on the heat. “She’s a one-of-a-kind parent, I swear. When we were kids, she used to say, ‘If women don’t become like men and men don’t like women, and both like each other, then the world can never be a happy and peaceful place.’ She taught my older sister Karate so she wouldn’t become a damsel, and she taught me how to cook so I could always take care of my better half.” He scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
Lena was amazed in the best way possible. She smiled widely, showing that she was impressed. “I swear I love your mother already, Damien, even though I haven’t met her yet.”
Damien smiled. “I’ll bet my last penny that she would love you too.”
He turned his attention to the soup, which was now boiling and started to skim the foam from the top. He also talked about the recipe and what he was doing to make the broth taste great. Lena paid close attention and decided right away that she would make the soup for all the sick and malnourished youngsters they had brought to Gwen’s when she got better.
She thought about Gwen’s and remembered that there was going to be a brunch there shortly. She had intended to bake pies for it and then help the sisters with other things, but now she felt it might be a bit hard to do all of that. Damien, who had taken it upon himself to be her nurse and cook, and the cleaning was going to be a big problem.
She was trying to figure out how to make the obstacle less hard without damaging it when her phone rang.
Damien remarked, “I bet it’s Lola,” looking over his shoulder. He laughed. “She might be calling to tell you that she killed Ryan with that stupid pocket knife she always has with her.”
Yes, that was a stretch. But Lena knew she wouldn’t be too astonished if it did happen.
But it turned out that the call came from a number she didn’t know. And when she picked it up, the other side was completely quiet.
“Hello?” she said again, but there was still no answer. “Who’s there?”
It was a routine procedure for a patient to be taken out of the hospital and put in a wheelchair. So, even though Lena could walk now, medical workers were wheeling her out.
Damien was already in his car in the driveway, resting against it and waiting for her to show up. He could tell that Kellen had taken his advice seriously and stayed the hell away from Lena. He relaxed a little because he knew there wouldn’t be any drama for a while.
When he finally saw Lena come out the door, he jumped up and reached her with a big leap. At that moment, he felt like a joyful mountain goat and begged that Ryan and Lola, who were all over Lena… didn’t think he was ridiculous. Lena leaned back and laughed as he placed his hand over her shoulders to lift her up and take her to the car.
“You know I can walk. Those strong drugs aren’t in my system right now, so I can’t spin out of control,” she remarked with a laugh.
“I know,” he said, but he still took her up in his arms. “Don’t look so angry. This is just a normal part of the process.”
Ryan and Lola followed Lena, who merely rolled her eyes. For some reason, they were once again in the middle of a furious quarrel. People who saw them would think they were meant to fight one another.
As Damien put on the seat belt, Lena, Ryan, and Lola said farewell. They all kissed Lena on the cheek, gave her advice that had previously been given many times, and made threats that showed how much they cared every time.
Ryan was going to head back to his hotel and get ready for his flight out of Velden. Back in South Hills, his house and company were waiting for him. “I know you’ve chosen to live in Velden, Lena, but I hope you’ll come to see me often. Will you?”
Lena’s face looked far away for a second before she blinked it away. “Someday I’ll.”
Ryan smiled for a moment since she didn’t dispute it.
“I’ll, too,” Lola said, glancing at her nails. “I’m really interested in seeing where Lena grew up and all that…”
Ryan puffed and looked blank. “Apparently, no one invited you, woman.”
Lola laughed. “Nobody owns South Hills. I can go to the city whenever I want. Now take me home. My place is at the intersection, just two blocks before your fancy, gold-plated hotel.”
Damien shook his head in fake anger, and Lena and he shared a funny glance. But it didn’t take long for them to start fighting with each other.
Lena answered firmly, “No, Dami, I’m not staying at your place.” “I can take care of myself just fine now. Dr. Robert wouldn’t have let me go home from the hospital otherwise.”
“With the warning that you’re going to take it easy for some days before they start with radiotherapy. The entire body of your tumor could not be removed in the surgery. Have you forgotten already?”
Lena huffed and poked the edge of the bandana that was tied around her head. “There’s only a little bit of the tumor left…”
“Which can be just as deadly as before if you give it time and keep being so damn stubborn!” Damien said angrily, but Lena turned away, and he pinched the tip of his nose as he saw her pout. “Okay,” he murmured after a time, getting back to his calm state. “I’ll take you to your apartment.”
He could tell that Lena was surprised that he was so easily swayed, but then she grinned at him because she knew she had won. If only she knew…
Lena’s eyebrows wrinkled in uncertainty. “Damien? Why are you back again?” she said, her voice trailing off as her eyes finally found the baggage he had brought with him.
Damien smiled and smirked as he moved by her and into the flat. “Since you wouldn’t stay at my place, I decided to stay at yours.”
Lena’s mouth dropped wide and stayed that way as she turned around to see Damien walking away from her house.
I can’t believe it!
Damien had just dropped her off and didn’t ask her to stay at his house again. He also carried her all the way up and didn’t let her go until she was comfortable sitting on the couch in her living room. Lena had to admit that it was strange that he departed without saying goodbye in the usual way when he would have informed her over and over how to take care of herself, about medicines, and how to phone him if anything went wrong. She should have understood that the man had a plan.
“Damien!” she yelled, not believing it. Her feet, which were tired, followed him. “I told you I’d be fine on my own. I’ll look out for myself.”
Damien put his bag next to the couch and turned to gaze at her with anger. “I know, but I don’t want to take a chance. The last time I left for a few days, you almost died in a hospital.” He paused and took a long breath as if to shake off the awful memory, and then his face brightened up with the following words. “So I made the decision to take care of your health myself.”
Lena said, “So you’re saying you’re my nurse now?” Damien’s kind demeanor struck her heart, just like it usually did.
“That’s right,” he said with a grin. “Now, let’s make you some chicken broth.”
Kellen couldn’t help but yell in anger, “What do you mean you sent the divorce papers to my lawyer? How could you do that without asking me?”
In front of him, his mother trembled with intense sobbing. But he was over it and knew how to keep his rage in check. He couldn’t hang on because he was afraid he would lose his mind if he did. The earth beneath his feet was swiftly sliding away.
“Lena gave them to me at the engagement party before she left. I…,” Celeste said, breathing through her mouth and felt very powerless. “I didn’t know the truth yet, and neither did you. So I called your manager and had the papers sent right away.”
“God damn it!” Kellen growled, cutting in. He didn’t want to hear anymore, so he turned around and stormed out of the room.
This was awful. He was in hell, and it appeared like the devil was punishing him in the ways that he thought were best. He was stuck in a maze that he couldn’t get out of, and every bad thing he had done in the past was coming back to hit him in the a*s.
He didn’t stop until he was outside, beneath the broad sky. He fell down on a bench beside the sidewalk, his pulse racing as shackles tightened around it. He clenched his eyes tightly as he realized that there was only one path anymore, and that way could never be without Lena.
“Yes, that’s why I left Velden,” Damien responded, peeling carrots and chopping them into two-inch pieces. “And it worked. Red Cult has agreed to give us the fabrics, but we still need to make the final deal. I needed to talk to you about my plan first, and we need to hire people who know how to design and tailor clothes.”
Lena grinned from the kitchen table as she watched him work like an expert at her kitchen counter. “You didn’t have to wait. You could have finished everything right then and there.”
He put a tiny whole chicken, chicken neck, carrots, stalk celery, onion, and parsley in a sauce pot. “I wanted to. You’re my partner, Lena, and I value what you think about my choices.”
Of course, he made her feel wanted again, just as he usually does… and from the first time, she opened her eyes and saw him.
“Where did you learn to cook like this?” After a long, comfortable pause, she said, pleased with how well he cooked as if he had created cooking himself.
“From my mother,” he said, turning to offer her a sheepish look after adding enough water to cover the chicken and setting the pot on the heat. “She’s a one-of-a-kind parent, I swear. When we were kids, she used to say, ‘If women don’t become like men and men don’t like women, and both like each other, then the world can never be a happy and peaceful place.’ She taught my older sister Karate so she wouldn’t become a damsel, and she taught me how to cook so I could always take care of my better half.” He scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
Lena was amazed in the best way possible. She smiled widely, showing that she was impressed. “I swear I love your mother already, Damien, even though I haven’t met her yet.”
Damien smiled. “I’ll bet my last penny that she would love you too.”
He turned his attention to the soup, which was now boiling and started to skim the foam from the top. He also talked about the recipe and what he was doing to make the broth taste great. Lena paid close attention and decided right away that she would make the soup for all the sick and malnourished youngsters they had brought to Gwen’s when she got better.
She thought about Gwen’s and remembered that there was going to be a brunch there shortly. She had intended to bake pies for it and then help the sisters with other things, but now she felt it might be a bit hard to do all of that. Damien, who had taken it upon himself to be her nurse and cook, and the cleaning was going to be a big problem.
She was trying to figure out how to make the obstacle less hard without damaging it when her phone rang.
Damien remarked, “I bet it’s Lola,” looking over his shoulder. He laughed. “She might be calling to tell you that she killed Ryan with that stupid pocket knife she always has with her.”
Yes, that was a stretch. But Lena knew she wouldn’t be too astonished if it did happen.
But it turned out that the call came from a number she didn’t know. And when she picked it up, the other side was completely quiet.
“Hello?” she said again, but there was still no answer. “Who’s there?”
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