Page 43 of Sticks & Serpents

The click at the end of his sentence echoed ominously in my ears as he hung up on me, leaving me reeling in silence.

I stood frozen for a moment, breath short and shallow, every muscle in my body tense with dread. A formal dinner at the Sinclaire estate meant I’d be forced into close proximity with Damien—an idea that sent a chill racing down my spine and made my stomach churn.

The thought of facing him again twisted like a knife in my gut. Could I really do this? My father’s insistence crushed any sense of agency I had left; he didn’t care about how much Damien haunted my thoughts or how deeply he had scarred me.

Panic clawed at my insides as I paced back and forth in my room.“Act like an adult,”I repeated under my breath like some kind of mantra to ward off the chaos threatening to consume me.

But inside, I felt anything but mature—I felt trapped, thrown into a situation where danger lurked just beneath the surface of polite smiles and empty conversation. How could I pretend everything was fine when it was anything but?

I dropped my phone onto the bed, its screen flickering as it landed facedown on the quilt. I stared at the ceiling, trying to find a way to breathe through the weight pressing down on my chest. This couldn’t be happening.

Just hours earlier, I had barely escaped Damien's grasp—his presence still clung to me like smoke. The way he cornered me outside that rink, his eyes blazing with that familiar mix of desire and danger, made my pulse race. Now, I was being forced into his home, into a world where everything felt unpredictable and chaotic.

My thoughts spun wildly, each one colliding with the next like a car crash in slow motion. How could my father think this was a good idea? Didn’t he see what Damien had done? The way he’d bulldozed his way back into my life without so much as a warning? The thought of stepping into that grand house again made bile rise in my throat.

The Sinclaire estate was more than just a house; it was a reminder of everything I wanted to forget. Each room held echoes of laughter and love twisted into something dark and suffocating. Memories danced in the corners of my mind, taunting me with flashes of who I used to be before Damien turned everything upside down.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the memories—the intimate dinners we shared that felt like they belonged to someone else now, where every secret shared tasted bittersweet in retrospect.

“You can’t keep running from him,”I muttered under my breath. But deep down, I knew it wasn’t just about running anymore; it was about facing him again when every fiber of my being screamed for escape.

The silence in my room felt heavy as if the walls themselves were closing in on me. What would happen at dinner? Would he corner me again? Would those stormy blue eyes lock onto mine and ignite that old spark all over again? The very idea sent a shiver racing down my spine.

I took a deep breath and pushed myself off the bed, pacing back and forth like a caged animal trying to find an exit that didn’t exist. Every step echoed the turmoil inside me—a battle between fear and an unexplainable draw toward him I couldn’t shake off.

This wasn’t just about dinner; it was about survival. And right now? My instincts told me I might not survive this encounter intact.

I pressed my palms against the cool surface of my desk, trying to ground myself as my breathing turned uneven. The weight of what was coming crashed down on me like a tidal wave. I knew exactly how this would go.

Damien would corner me. He’d find a way to slip past my defenses, breaking through the carefully constructed walls I’d built around myself. He always had a way of making me feel small, vulnerable, and exposed, especially in his world—his territory—where everything felt heightened and chaotic.

My heart raced as I imagined the ornate rooms of the Sinclaire estate—the grand staircase, the polished floors, and the walls lined with trophies that celebrated a legacy I was all too familiar with. It wouldn’t take long before he zeroed in on me, using that dark charm that had once captivated me and twisted into something dangerous.

“You have to stop this,”I whispered to myself.“You can’t let him back in.”But each time I thought I could cut him out completely, I felt the pull growing stronger—like a magnet drawing me back into his orbit.

This dinner would be a test—a test of strength against someone who thrived on weakness.

I needed to prepare for battle. This wasn’t just about facing Damien; it was about reclaiming control over my life before he could push me until I cracked under pressure. Before I slipped back into his grasp where everything felt like chaos again.

I grabbed my phone again and stared at it as if it held answers—some magic solution that could cut him out completely from my life. But there were no easy answers here; only hard choices ahead of me—and fear clawing at my insides every time I thought about seeing him again in that house.

Determination surged within me like an electric current; I couldn’t let myself be drawn back into his world. Not again.

I opened my phone and pulled up Damien’s number, my heart pounding as I stared at the screen. My fingers hovered over his name, trembling slightly. It felt like a lifeline, yet it also threatened to pull me deeper into a whirlpool of destruction.

I could block him. I could text him and tell him it was over. Just like that. End this madness before it spiraled further out of control. I had thought about it countless times since I had kissed him—thought about how easy it would be to cut the connection entirely and escape the tumultuous storm he brought with him.

But instead, I just stared at his name, the letters bold against the bright background of my screen. My breath hitched in my throat, caught between a need for closure and an undeniable desire for him to remain right where he was.

Because the truth was, I didn’t want him to disappear.

The thrill of his presence lingered in my veins like a drug, intoxicating and dangerous. Every time he walked into a room, everything else faded away; all that remained was that piercing gaze that seemed to strip away my defenses piece by piece.

I wanted to forget all the pain he had caused me—the way he could switch from charming to violent in an instant. But here I was, battling with the longing that twisted inside me like a wild vine wrapping around my heart.

Why couldn’t he just stop making me want him?

The thought pounded in my mind like a drumbeat—relentless and chaotic. How could someone who’d hurt me so deeply still hold such power over my emotions? The conflicting feelings churned within me, swirling together until I felt dizzy.

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