CHAPTER 61
Her heart felt like it had been gripped in a vice, her breath caught in her throat as she witnessed the scene before her. Shock coursed through her veins, followed swiftly by a tidal wave of emotions that threatened to engulf her.
First came disbelief, a desperate hope that what she was seeing was just a figment of her imagination, a cruel trick of the mind. But as she watched Kaelith and Anna locked in an embrace, their lips pressed together in a kiss, reality crashed down upon her like a ton of bricks.
Betrayal cut deep, slicing through her already wounded heart with merciless precision.
She felt as though she had been punched in the gut, the pain radiating from the pit of her stomach to every corner of her being.
How could he? After everything they had been through, after all the pain he had caused her, how could he simply do this so effortlessly?
Anger bubbled to the surface, hot and searing, fueling the fire of her anguish. Anger at Kaelith for betraying her trust, for making a mockery of her emotions.
But beneath the anger lurked a deep sadness, a sorrow so deep it threatened to swallow her whole.
Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as she struggled to comprehend the enormity of what she had just witnessed.
Was she nothing but a lie? Had she been nothing more than a pawn in his twisted game of deceit?
A sense of numbness washed over her, a numbness born of overwhelming grief and despair.
She felt as though she were drowning in a sea of pain, the weight of her emotions dragging her down into the depths of darkness.
The world around her seemed to blur and fade, leaving her alone in her anguish, isolated and adrift.
Trembling, she pushed herself off the wall with unsteady breaths and turned around unable to keep herself calm and was about to run when her body slammed into the table knocking over the glass vase as it crashed onto the ground.
The loud voice echoed and she stilled. “Amara?”
She heard Anna’s startled voice. Amara swallowed wiping harshly at her tears, her face red as she turned around with a smile on her face.
“Anna.” Amara acknowledged with a small nod. Her eyes were red yet she tried not to look at Kaelith. Anna was still clinging to him and the low-cut dress was exposing her chest, the short dress barely keeping her body hidden. Her neck and cheeks flushed, and a victorious smile on her red lips.
Kaelith blinked. Once. Twice. And when his vision focused on Amara, he mumbled hazily.
“Amara?” His voice was low and raspy, and now that Amara observed, he looked intoxicated. He looked beside him and blinked, his haziness clearing as the features of the woman beside him started morphing into Anna.
He rubbed his temples and pushed Anna away.
“What the fuck?” he growled. His hair was disheveled and the buttons of his shirt were torn out.
Anna’s eyes widened before she maintained her cool and stepped to him as he slapped her hand away.
“Stay the fuck away!” he took out his gun and pointed at her. Anna’s eyes widened along with Amara, who stood confused and shivering. “What did you give me?”
“Baby, it was not me… someone… drugged you. Trust me, I’d never do that to you.” Anna panicked, her face pale.
“Get out.” He seethed through his clenched teeth bobbing his gun to the door. She swallowed. Looking between Amara and Kaelith and then she sprinted away wiping her cheeks. Amara would’ve felt bad if she was not struggling with her own pain.
She swallowed hard watching as Kaelith stumbled on his feet and swayed before Amara instinctively stepped to catch him.
Before she knew it, she was letting him lean his body on her.
“Ugh! Fuck! My head’s throbbing.” Kaelith grumbled as the gun slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a thud.
Amara winced at the weight of his body, he was taller and heavier than her, and with his intoxication, she couldn’t handle him.
“I… I’ll call someone, wait- ah!” she yelped as he fell on top of her and both of them went stumbling over the couch, Amara breathed heavily as she tried to push him away to no avail.
“Don’t. Don’t leave me, please. Stay with me.” His strong hold on her was unforgiving as he embedded his face into her neck and inhaled deeply.
Amara gulped contemplating what she should do. Kaelith did not seem like he’d budge even if she used all her strength. Sighing, she waited for him to turn so that she could escape. But as she waited, she heard his light snores.
Amara stayed like this, under him for several minutes. slowly, she felt exhaustion taking over her and her lids started getting heavy. Before she even realized, she was already drifting off to the slumber.
******
The morning came with the chirping of birds. Kaelith groaned as he turned over. His head was throbbing.
with difficulty, he opened his eyes. The sharp sun rays fell upon his face.
It took him a while to recognize the area.
He recalled the last night's events. Anna.
Cursing under his breath, he was about to get up when he felt the weight on his chest. His brows narrowed as his eyes landed on the woman lying on his chest. Guilt tripped him as he slowly pushed the hair back from her face and looked at her. She looked so serene sleeping.
Only if he could give her this peace for a lifetime.
A lump of saliva formed in his throat. His jaw clenched.
He shouldn't have gone to the club, but if t wasn't for the information, he would've killed Anna.
The bitch just ruined everything. He let Amara sleep on his chest, her deep breaths keeping him sane and her small hands clutching his shirt.
He smiled. The things he'd do to this woman.
"What, what?!" Lorcan's voice crackled with anger on the other end. "Is that all you have to say after last night? You shot Giovani in the ass, you bastard!"
"I was drugged," Kaelith retorted, his patience wearing thin as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"That doesn't excuse this," Lorcan snapped back. "I haven't slept a wink, and you're telling me you were drugged? You would've shot me, but not Giovani. He's my father-in-law!"
"I was drugged, damn it!" Kaelith's grip on the phone tightened, his frustration boiling over. "Find the person who drugged me. I'll kill him."
"It was Anna," Lorcan muttered, his voice tinged with grim certainty. "Checked the footage three times. But remember, you can't touch her."
Kaelith's jaw clenched at the mention of her name. Anna was Francis Donovan's niece, a fact that only complicated matters further.
"How long do we have?" Kaelith demanded, his mind racing as he considered their next move.
"Till tomorrow," Lorcan replied tersely. "Orion will hand you the files, and then you can take down Francis. But there's a problem. He's tied to someone in your family."
"Rafael?" Kaelith questioned sharply, his thoughts immediately turning to his brother.
"Not sure. But be cautious. And keep an eye on Abigail too. Last night she was with Rafael."
Kaelith cursed under his breath, the weight of the situation pressing down on him like a heavy burden.
"What about the footage?" he inquired, desperate for any advantage they could gain in their ongoing fight against Francis Donovan.
"Working on it. I'll send it to you this week," Lorcan assured him.
"I'll take Amara with me then," Kaelith declared, his resolve firm as he vowed to protect her at all costs.
"You should." Lorcan replied before ending the call.
Kaelith stood in silence for a moment, his mind whirling with thoughts of the dangerous game they were playing.
With a heavy sigh, he pocketed his phone and turned back to where Amara lay sleeping peacefully, her presence a beacon of light in the darkness that surrounded him.
As he watched over her, a fierce possessiveness burned in his heart—to keep her safe, no matter the cost.
Francis had always been his competitor, in business and the underworld. Kaelith would’ve left him alone if it wasn’ t for his involvement in trafficking. Kaelith smirked. The bastard would be gone before tomorrow night.
The only reason he agreed to marriage with Anna was to get files on Donovon, and now that he would get them tomorrow, he’d kill him.
His eyes moved to Amara who was still sleeping on the couch and his heart flipped.
Unknowingly he hurt her beyond the apology.
He sighed. He’d clear the misunderstandings between them.
This past week was agonizing without her, and to add salt to his wounds, she changed rooms. He missed having her on his bed.
To play with her hair, see her smile, and trace patterns on her soft skin.
Unconsciously, he leaned in, brushing his thumb over her lips. Amara stirred, her eyelids fluttering open groggily to the soft light filtering through the curtains.
"Good morning," he muttered, his thumb still lingering on her lips.