Page 159 of The Devil's Fire

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Althaia

I jolted up in a sitting position and looked at Damiano with wide eyes as fear and panic took over my body.

“Breathe, Althaia.” Damiano reminded me as he held me, and I drew in a shaky breath.

“She’s home early, and–and you’re here!” I suddenly realized, now feeling the blood drain from my face.

“I need you to calm down, baby.” Damiano placed his hands on my cheeks, and I immediately clung onto his arms as I felt myself panicking like the day before she left. “Slow down… breathe… that’s it…” He guided, and I closed my eyes and focused on steadying my breathing to calm down my hammering heart.

I kept listening to his soothing voice, focusing on the way his thumbs were lightly caressing my cheeks and slowly calming me down.

“I’m okay.” I let out a breath and opened my eyes again. “She’s going to freak out if she sees you here. How am I supposed to sneak you out when you’re a giant?!”

“She already saw me.” Damiano informed me and didn’t look concerned at all.

“Huh? She… what?”

“Your mother came in to see if you were here. I told her to be quiet so you could sleep.”

“She saw you, and you told her to be quiet.” I stated slowly as I registered his words in my mind.

At this point, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. My mother saw me in bed with the man she despised. And it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out what we have been doing since we were both naked under the blanket.

“God, why?” I groaned. I was fucking mortified.

I headed to the bathroom, thinking it was time to face her and get it over with, like ripping off a band-aid on a hairy spot.

“Damiano!” I hissed at him when I saw my reflection. He just crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, looking at me with a smirk.

“Yes, baby?”

“You can’t keep doing this!” I gestured to my neck and chest. They were once again covered in red marks.

“Since you don’t want to wear a ring yet, I have to be creative.” He shrugged and looked at my neck and chest with a satisfied look. “Looks fucking good on you.”

“I can’t deal with you right now.” I huffed and stepped into the shower, a light chuckle escaping his lips as he joined me.

I had Damiano stay in the room as I made my way downstairs to talk to my mother. He wasn’t pleased, insisting on being with me in case something happened. I had to explain that his presence would only add to my stress, and I wanted to have a calm conversation.

I felt my nerves building up rapidly, reminding myself to take deep breaths to prevent feeling sick. I had also chosen to wear a turtleneck to conceal the embarrassing red marks. While she had already seen me in bed with him and knew what we had been doing, it didn't mean I had to flaunt it.

Quietly, I made my way to the kitchen in search of her, but it was empty. The freshly brewed coffee suggested she had been there recently.

I continued to the living room and spotted her sitting on the couch, cradling a mug of coffee while her gaze remained fixed on the unlit fireplace. Taking a seat on the opposite couch, I waited for her to say something.

Silence hung in the air, broken only by the sound of her sipping coffee. My stomach churned with unease as we continued to sit in wordless tension.

“How come you’re back so soon?” I asked quietly. I couldn’t sit in this tense silence anymore and had to say something.

Finally, my mother looked at me, still expressionless, but her eyes were less cold than before she left for her vacation.

“You brought him into my house.” She stated calmly, and I stopped breathing again. “How long has he been here?”

“He came the day you left.”

“Why?”

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