The Maid's Deception-Chapter 68 - 67: The Edge of Confession
DAMIENβS POV
Damien woke at 6 AM to find Aria still sleeping, but there was something different about her even in sleep. A tension in her body. A tightness around her eyes that suggested nightmares. π³ππ²ππ πππ»πΌπ§π²π₯.πππ¦
She was preparing herself. Steeling herself for what she planned to do tonight.
He could feel it in every line of her body, every unconscious movement. The woman lying in his arms had made a decision. A final, desperate decision.
And he had today.....just today.....to give her one last chance to choose honesty over theft. To choose him over desperation.
He slipped out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake her yet, and went to his study to check the latest updates.
A text from the hospital: Patient Mei Chen stable overnight but continuing to decline. Current estimate: 8-12 hours remaining.
Another from Marcus Reynolds: Vitalis Radix treatment prepared and ready. Awaiting your authorization to begin protocol.
And finally, from his head of security: Surveillance confirms subject has been researching greenhouse access points and security protocols. High probability of attempt tonight.
Everything was converging. Tonight. It would all come to a head tonight.
Unless he could get her to confess first. Unless he could make her understand that she didnβt have to steal what he would freely give.
He returned to the bedroom to find her awake, staring at the ceiling with red-rimmed eyes.
"Good morning," he said softly, settling beside her on the bed.
"Morning." Her voice was hollow, distant.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Not really." She turned to look at him, and the devastation in her eyes made his chest ache. "Damien, I need to tell you something....."
"Not yet." He pulled her close, cutting off what might have been a confession. Because he didnβt want her to confess here, like this. He wanted.....needed.....her to ask for help. Not just admit her plans. "First, come with me. I want to show you something."
"Damien...."
"Please. Trust me. One more time.
ARIAβS POV
Aria let Damien lead her through the mansion, her mind screaming at her to just tell him. To confess everything. To ask for help like her mother had begged her to do.
But fear paralyzed her. What if he said no? What if knowing why she was really here made him hate her? What if she lost both her mother and him in one devastating blow?
They walked toward the eastern section of the estate, and her heart began to race when she realized where he was taking her.
The greenhouse. He was taking her to the greenhouse.
Why? What was he planning?
They reached the entrance and he used his key card to unlock it, then guided her inside. The morning light filtered through the glass beautifully, making the plants glow with an almost ethereal quality.
"Iβve been thinking," Damien said, leading her toward the separate section where the Vitalis Radix grew. "About what my mother would have wanted. About why she cultivated these plants in the first place."
He unlocked the inner door and they stepped into the climate-controlled space. The Vitalis Radix plants were thriving....more than sheβd seen before. Like someone had been carefully expanding the cultivation.
"She didnβt create all this just to preserve a rare species," Damien continued, his hand trailing over the silver-green leaves. "She created it to help people. To save lives. To make sure no one else had to watch someone they loved die from a preventable disease."
Ariaβs throat tightened, tears burning behind her eyes.
"And Iβve been....." He turned to face her, his expression intense. "Iβve been so protective of this place. So guarded about who has access. Because I was afraid. Afraid of losing the last piece of her. Afraid of it not being enough if I gave it away."
"Damien....."
"But thatβs not what she would have wanted." His hand cupped her face. "She would have wanted this to be used. To save people. To give families more time together."
He was giving her an opening. Another one. Practically begging her to ask.
"Sarah....." He paused, something flickering in his eyes. "If you ever needed anything.....anything at all.....I want you to know that you can ask me. Thereβs nothing I wouldnβt do for you. Nothing I wouldnβt give you. You just have to ask."
This was it. The moment. He was telling her.....practically screaming at her...to trust him. To ask for help.
The words were right there. My mother is dying. She needs this plant. Please help me.
But they wouldnβt come. Stuck in her throat like broken glass.
Because asking meant confessing. Meant revealing why she was really here. Meant watching his face change from love to betrayal. Meant losing him forever.
"I....." She tried. God, she tried. "I donβt know how to...."
"Just say it." His voice was gentle but firm. "Whatever it is youβre carrying. Whatever burden is destroying you. Just tell me. Let me help."
DAMIENβS POV
Damien watched Aria struggle, watched her mouth open and close, watched tears stream down her face as she fought with herself.
Ask me. Please. Just ask.
But she couldnβt. Even now, standing in front of the cure for her motherβs disease, with him practically offering it to her, she couldnβt bring herself to trust him enough.
The frustration was overwhelming. Heβd given her every opportunity. Every opening. Had all but told her he knew and was willing to help.
And she still chose silence.
"I canβt," she finally whispered, breaking his heart. "Iβm sorry. I want to tell you. I want to trust you. But I canβt."
"Why?" The word came out harsher than he intended. "What are you so afraid of?"
"Losing you!" The words burst out of her. "Iβm afraid of losing you! Of telling you the truth and watching you look at me with disgust instead of love. Of finally having something good and watching it get destroyed because Iβm a liar and a fraud and...."
He kissed her. Hard. Desperately. Cutting off her spiral of self-hatred.
"Youβre not a fraud," he said against her lips. "Youβre scared. Youβre desperate. Youβre human. And I....." He pulled back to look at her. "I need you to understand something. There is nothing you could tell me that would make me stop loving you. Nothing you could confess that would make me turn you away. Nothing."
"You donβt know that. You donβt know what I...."
"Then tell me." His hands framed her face, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Tell me what you think is so terrible. Tell me what youβre so afraid of. And let me prove to you that Iβm not going anywhere."
She opened her mouth, and for a moment, he thought she was going to do it. Thought she was finally going to confess.
But then she just shook her head, fresh tears falling. "I canβt. Not yet. Maybe.....maybe after....."
She couldnβt even finish the sentence. After she stole from him. After she betrayed him. After she disappeared.
The anger that flooded through him was sudden and overwhelming. Heβd tried. God, heβd tried everything. And she still chose deception over trust.
"Fine." His voice was cold now, the warmth gone. "Donβt tell me. Keep your secrets. But donβt expect me to keep pretending I donβt see whatβs happening. Donβt expect me to keep playing along with this charade."
"Damien, please....."
"No." He backed her against the glass wall of the greenhouse, his body caging hers. "You want to keep secrets? Fine. But Iβm done being patient. Done waiting. Done giving you space to make the right choice when you clearly have no intention of making it."
His mouth crashed down on hers, the kiss brutal, possessive. She kissed him back with equal desperation, her hands fisting in his shirt.
"I love you," she sobbed against his lips. "I love you so much. Iβm sorry I canβt.....Iβm sorry Iβm not brave enough....."
"Then let me make you brave." His hands went to her jeans, unbuttoning them roughly. "Let me fuck the fear out of you. Make you understand that nothing.....nothing....is worth keeping us apart."
