There was a short pause before Regina let out a cold laugh. “Your son? Try saying that when everyone actually knows the truth. You haven’t even told Clara. When are you planning to? She loves you—don’t you think she deserves to know?”
“I’m not telling her,” Damien replied quietly but firmly. “Not now. Not ever. And I’d appreciate it if you kept quiet too. If she discovers this, everything we’ve built will fall apart.”
“Everything you’ve built, you mean,” Regina corrected dryly.
“You know we need her,” Damien said, his voice sharpening. “Her reputation, her connections—she’s one of the most respected anchors in the network. Our business benefits from that. That’s the only reason I married her.”
The hallway seemed to spin. My fingers went numb as I held onto the wall.
Damien continued, his tone disturbingly casual. “Besides, she’s not innocent either. She hid her background. She’s terrified that the truth about her family will destroy her career. That’s why I can keep her under control. She won’t leave, even if she learns everything… because she knows I can ruin her.”
A faint ringing filled my ears, drowning out everything else.
I wanted to step out, confront him, demand answers—but my voice refused to come. I stood there silently, listening as the man I loved destroyed every illusion I had about our marriage.
The life I thought we had—our anniversaries, our laughter, the quiet moments I believed were filled with love—crumbled one piece at a time.
And as I slowly stepped back, a painful realization settled in.
I didn’t know Damien at all.
Or maybe… I didn’t know myself anymore either—because I had also hidden the truth about who I was, just so his family would finally accept me.
I still remember the first time I met Damien.
I was twenty-three then—new to the newsroom, nervous but determined, eager to prove that I deserved to be there. One afternoon, my producer handed me an assignment that immediately made my pulse quicken.
“Try to get an interview with Damien Caldwell,” he said. “Youngest coffee-chain mogul in the country. If you land this, it’ll be big.”