Page 88 of Wild Tangled Hearts

Damien helps me retrieve my bra and panties, and when we’re dressed, he brushes his lips against my forehead. “I’ll drive you home.”

How can this dark, brooding man be so gentle and sweet? I hate leaving him. Especially when I feel entirely unraveled.

Because every look he gives me, every touch — it’s too real, too genuine, and a nagging voice in my head warns,too damn good to be true.

And riding back to my place, clutching onto his muscular frame, my head swims with all the possibilities of what a future with him could look like.

Outside my home, his lips linger on mine before he gives me one of his cocky grins and tells me, “Goodnight, beautiful.”

“Night,” I say with a sigh as I watch him ride away, the muffled sound of his motorcycle's engine growing fainter as it disappears around the corner.

My heart is flayed, fully open, and I know he already has the power to destroy it.

But as I open my front door, my vulnerability truly sets in.

The unsettling feeling that something is wrong strikes me even before I look at the chaos that has enveloped my home.

“Oh my god,” I gasp, dropping my purse and stumbling back when I see the broken picture frames that litter the floor, my grandmother's cherished vase shattered, and the clothes strewn about in a chaotic mess.

But before I can cry out, a large, gloved hand covers my mouth, and I'm forcefully pulled back against a foul-smelling body.

"Scream, and I'll cut you," a raspy voice growls menacingly into my ear. "I've got a message for your boyfriend. Tell him that payback's a bitch, and this is only the beginning."

With a forceful shove, the man propels me to the ground, and by the time I regain my balance, he's gone.

Panic sets in, and I don't think; I just run. I can't even remember if I shut the door behind me as I dart out of my house, and it's only when I spot the headlights that I realize I'm in the middle of the road. Brakes screech and a silver car comes perilously close to hitting me. As the driver gets out, his curses fill the air, but I'm frozen.

"Bella. What the hell?" The voice is familiar.

"Sebastian," I say, trembling.

“What’s happened?”

"A man..." Words won’t form in my throat.

"Who?" Sebastian takes my hands, his dark, piercing eyes searching mine.

"Someone was in my house. He...he threatened..." My voice cracks with every syllable.

Sebastian guides me to the passenger side of his car. "Sit here, and I'll call the police."

My entire body trembles now, and I remain seated, minutes ticking by, hating how my body betrays me. Cold. Paralyzed. Shaking.

"They're on their way," Sebastian says, kneeling beside the open door and holding my hand. "Is there anyone you need to call?"

Damien.I need to tell him what happened.

“Bella?” Concern is etched deeply across Sebastian's handsome face, visible in the furrowed lines on his forehead and the tightness around his mouth.

I reach for his phone, my trembling fingers hovering over the screen. The decision weighs heavily on my heart. With all his unpredictability and intensity, Damien has been a force of nature in my life, leaving an indelible mark on my heart and soul. I know I need to tell him, but I fear his reaction. A palpable sense of trepidation washes over me like a cold, unrelenting wave.

Reader’s Choice:

What should Bella do next?

CallDamienand tell him what happened. Turn to this page.

HaveSebastianstay until the police arrive and figure out what to do. Turn to this page.

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