Page 69 of Claim

Slowly I step between Harold and Damon, drawing Harold’s focus back to me. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I can see how much you loved her and miss her. But you must realize this isn’t how to remember her.”

“Anything is better than forgetting.” He scrubbed a hand down his face, resignation etched all over it. “That’s what he wants to do. He wants to forget she ever existed.”

Damon remained quiet, stoically standing behind me. Why wouldn’t he defend himself? He told me about the regret he carried. He mourned her too.

Why wouldn’t he tell Harold that he blamed himself for the choice Maria made with her life?

Tears burned the back of my throat as I realized Damon believed he deserved Harold’s wrath and the humiliation of this confrontation in front of everyone.

Oh. No. He would not carry that on his shoulders.

The hell with that bullshit.

If he wouldn’t defend himself, I’d do it.

“Why do you keep blaming Damon for her death? As I understand it, she took her own life. It’s tragic, but it’s not—”

“It was murder,” Harold shouted, cutting me off. “Maybe once he takes his second victim, people will finally accept the truth about him.”

I’d had enough of this. Harold’s pain had destroyed his ability to think straight, and now, the entire ballroom seemed invested in this interaction involving the three of us.

Plus, the anger radiating through the glares Father directed in our direction meant I only garnered a few more minutes before he interjected himself in this situation.

“Enough with this tirade.” I gestured to the exit. “You’ve said your peace and caused an unnecessary scene. It’s time for you to leave.”

“My sister loved him until the end. Don’t follow in her footsteps.” He shook his head and strode in the direction of the doors.

The room remained silent for a few seconds. Then the roar returned to its previous state.

I turned my head to ask Damon if he was ready to leave, but he wasn’t behind me.

Where had he gone?

Lucian and Elaine approached me.

Lucian offered me his free elbow and said, “Have you finally come to your senses and realized someone like him isn’t good for you?”

“Is there anyone good enough for her?” Elaine asked him as she tucked a stray blonde hair behind her ear.

Lucian shot her a sideways glare and then focused back on me. “I don’t want Sophia involved in the shit that haunts him.”

“We have just as many ghosts in our closets,” I interjected and then added. “Cleansing our family would require an exorcism.”

“You don’t need to add Pierce’s issues onto your shoulders. Don’t you think you have enough to handle, considering the shit you’re wading through with the designer? Something that I’ll remind you started because of Pierce’s interference.”

“Didn’t Damon prove that I mean something to him tonight?” I asked.

“It will take more to impress me than nearly causing a brawl in the middle of a ballroom out of jealousy.”

I rolled my eyes. “You said he wasn’t the type for grand gestures. He proved you wrong. There is more to us than jealousy.”

Lucian clenched his jaw, and at that exact moment, Elaine lifted her face, gave him a pointed stare, and said, “Tell her what you told me. Then she will understand your reservation about her relationship.”

“If she listened to anything I said, none of this would have happened in the first place.”

“Listening to you and having you make my choices for me are two different things. It’s my life.” I resisted the urge to stomp on his foot for being an overbearing ass. “Just spill it, and we can move on.”

Lucian shifted his annoyed attention from Elaine to me. “The timeline of events that led up to his sub’s death doesn’t add up. The way Maria’s brother described her and what Pierce knew about her made it seem as if they were talking about two different people. That is why Pierce blames himself. It is a mystery he will never stop wanting to solve. Are you sure you want to live with that hanging over your head?”

---