Page 69 of My Ruthless Husband

Something about her tall frame seems familiar. Heaviness grows and tightens my chest. He isn’t looking at the woman but there’s a slight tilt of his head that shows he’s listening to whatever she’s saying.

The lady in front of me who was obscuring my view walks away and that’s when I get to see her face entirely.

Gianna.

The sight shakes me and every bit of composure I had managed to maintain throughout the night. It slices open the old wound that took forever to heal.

In a blink of an eye, I transform into a vulnerable twenty-year-old girl who had her very first heartbreak. The grand ballroom fades into obscurity, and I find myself transported to a different place, a different era.

The woman beside Damian becomes a haunting reminder of a time I felt so lonely, humiliated and broken.

I feel my composure slipping away, my façade of strength crumbling. The present loses its grip, and I am left exposed and stripped bare.

“Ma’am?” It is Hal’s voice that pulls me out of my shock. He must have noticed something in my expression that makes him alert. “What’s wrong?” he asks sharply.

“I-I... It’s...”

“Ma’am?” Hal persists, his concern palpable as I stammer and falter in my attempt to explain. “I’ll get Mr. Montgomery.”

“No!” I choke, trembling as I hug my middle. My eyes involuntarily drift back to Damian and jerk when our gazes collide.

Swallowing thickly, I add frantically, “He’s busy. Can you please take me home?”

When my eyes dart toward Damian again, I find him striding purposefully in my direction.

Without thinking, I turn and flee, my steps carrying me away from the room full of people.

I hear Damian’s voice calling my name, mingling with Hal’s urgent shouts. But I don’t stop.

I run faster, leaving behind the man who not only torments me in my present but also haunts my past.

Chapter Nineteen

Past

What is love?

I never knew it. Just read about it, heard about it and watched it unfold on the silver screen. They depict love as this all-consuming force, something that can turn your world upside down and make your heart race at the mere thought of someone.

I’ve often wondered if love is just a chemical reaction in the brain, a concoction of hormones and neurotransmitters that make us feel giddy and euphoric.

I still don’t know what love is exactly. All I know is that my heart skips a beat whenever Damian’s name pops up on my phone. My stomach flutters when his hand grazes mine unintentionally. And how my mind races whenever we are apart, longing for his presence.

It’s in the way my heart plummets when I see the crease of worry on his forehead. His emotions are tied to mine. When he’s upset, I feel it too, like his pain seeps into my soul. The worry on his face feels like a weight on my heart, and his stress steals mypeace. I can’t help but ache with him, even when I know I can’t take his burden away.

And when he gives me his rare small smiles? It warms my soul. I feel like I conquered the whole world. Instances like when our fingers brush against each other as we reach for the same cup of coffee, or just simply talking while sharing meals are the moments I treasure.

It’s in the smallest moments, the brief touches, the lingering glances, and even the sound of his frustrated sighs that I find the purest happiness.

If this is love, then yes, I am profoundly, intensely, and irrevocably in love with Damian Montgomery.

If hanging on to his every word while he talks is love, then yes, I am in love with him.

If learning to cook his favorite food is love, then yes, I am in love with him.

If surfing the internet for hours to collect bad jokes just to make him smile is love, then yes, I am in love with him.

If this constant ache in my chest, this bittersweet longing is love, then yes, I am hopelessly, unconditionally, and undeniably in love with him.

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