"Sir, for the blood transfusion, please follow me," the nurse said, cutting through the tension as she turned to Jason.
"He won't be donating any blood for her."
Damian's voice came in immediately—cold, final.
"Inform her parents about the incident. Let them handle it."
A beat.
"I'm leaving."
And just like that, he turned and walked out.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
His mind wasn't quiet.
Can I trust Aaron?
Why would he lie?
What if… everything was real?
Nothing justified staying.
Nothing convinced him to go back.
He reached the car.
Just as he was about to open the door—
"Brother."
Jason grabbed his hand.
"For once… can we leave everything else behind and just help her?" Jason said, his voice tight.
"You love her. Think about it… all those moments. All those nights."
Damian let out a dry laugh.
"That's exactly what hurts the most, Jason," he said, turning to face him.
"All those moments… and she still dragged me into something I never wanted."
His voice hardened.
"I never wanted to become the right-hand man of Aureum. I did it because of her."
A pause.
"And now what?"
Jason swallowed.
"You need to hear her side first. I don't even understand everything going on, but… you have to trust her. At least give her that."
"Her side doesn't matter," Damian replied coldly.
"Not when there's already evidence."
"Brother!" Jason stepped closer.
"This is your woman. Don't do this."
His voice softened.
"Think about it… if it were you on that bed, do you think she would walk away? Do you think she'd ignore everything just to save herself?"
That one line—
Hit.
Damian looked away briefly.
A flicker.
Gone just as fast.
"Either way," he said flatly, "you are not donating any blood."
Jason frowned. "What?"
"Tell Fred to go to Waj's blood bank. Let them handle it."
"But you should at least be by her side—"
"I have better things to do, Jason."
That was it.
Final.
He opened the car door and got in.
Gone.
Jason stood there for a moment…
Then turned back toward the clinic.
Maya rushed up to him immediately.
"What is going on, Jason?" she demanded.
"Why is everyone hiding things from me? Fiancé? Ethan? Your mom? Families in power? What is actually happening?!"
Jason ran a hand through his hair.
"I'm just as confused as you are, Maya," he said honestly.
"All I know is… her parents got into debt, and she was forced to marry—"
He stopped.
"We'll talk about this later."
Maya scoffed.
"I knew it," she said, shaking her head.
"I was never really part of the Friend circle."
Her voice dropped slightly.
"She didn't even tell me."
A pause.
"When she wakes up… tell her I said she should get well soon."
And with that, she picked up her bag and walked out.
"Sir, I'll go get the blood," Fred said before leaving as well.
And just like that—
Jason was left behind.
With silence.
And a few security men.
The next day,
Janaya slowly opened her eyes.
Her body felt heavy… weak.
The first thing she saw was Jason, asleep beside her bed, his head resting close to her hand.
"Jason…" she called softly, trying to lift her hand to tap him.
"Jason…"
He stirred immediately and lifted his head.
"Janaya! You're awake," he said, relief washing over his face.
"What would you like to eat?"
"I'm fine, Jason…" she whispered, trying to sit up but wincing in pain.
"Where is Damian?"
Jason hesitated.
"He… had an emergency," he said. "He'll be here once he's done."
A lie.
"Oh…" she said quietly.
A pause.
"What happened?" she asked, trying to recall.
"I only remember… a girl in a red dress. Then everything went black."
Jason shook his head slightly.
"Let's not talk about that now. I'm just glad you're okay."
Janaya nodded slowly.
"I had a dream," she continued softly.
"Maya ended our friendship… over one secret, she kept saying she wasn't needed around me. That she wanted to leave."
A small, nervous smile.
"I hope it was just a dream."
Jason didn't smile back.
"It wasn't."
Janaya froze.
"She left," he said. "She even left the group chat."
Janaya's eyes widened.
"Why? What happened? What did you guys do?"
Jason exhaled.
"Janaya… you hid too much from everyone. Even from Damian."
A pause.
"He left too."
Her heart dropped.
"Damian left? How? Why? For what reason?" she asked, panic rising as she struggled to get off the bed.
"Don't act like you don't know."
The voice came from the door.
Cold.
Sharp.
Damian.
He had been there… listening.
"Damian…" she whispered, stepping toward him.
"What is going on?"
He didn't move.
"Your parents didn't relocate because of debt… did they?" he asked, his tone controlled.
"They told me they did," she replied quickly.
"When I was away for five days," he continued, "trying to fix your marriage situation… you went to see Ethan."
Janaya froze.
"Yes…" she admitted, tears already forming.
"I was worried about you—"
"No." Damian cut in.
"You went because your father told you to."
His eyes locked on hers.
"You knew about your parents. You knew everything."
Janaya shook her head.
"No, Damian, please—"
"Your plan was to marry him… then divorce him later while staying with me?" he continued, his voice rising.
"And you thought I wouldn't find out?"
"Janaya…" Jason muttered in shock.
"No!" she cried, rushing toward Damian.
"I didn't agree to that. I went to bargain with him. I didn't want to hurt you!"
Damian's expression didn't change.
"Then what about the sleepover?" he asked quietly, leaning closer.
"Was that part of your negotiation?"
He pulled her hands off him.
Her breath caught.
"You thought one night with Ethan would make him cancel the marriage?" Damian snapped.
"Or did you think it would make him still help your parents?"
"You… you slept with him?" Jason asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Babe…" Janaya dropped to her knees, shaking.
"I just wanted everything to stop. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
Damian ran his hand through his hair, frustration written all over him.
"How many more things do I need to find out?" he muttered.
"They couldn't beat me… so they used you?"
His voice cracked slightly.
"The one person I trusted the most…"
A pause.
"How, Janaya?"
Tears streamed down her face.
"Damian please… I never loved Ethan. I was never going to marry him—"
"But you still slept with him," Damian cut in, his voice now dangerously calm.
"While I was out there fixing the mess your family created."
Silence.
Heavy.
Final.
Damian stepped back.
"Well… Janaya," he said, his tone distant now, almost empty.
"Let's just end it here."
Her head snapped up.
"I don't know how many more secrets you're hiding… and I don't want to find out the hard way."
He turned.
And walked out.
"Damian—!" she cried, but her voice broke before it could reach him.
Jason hesitated… then followed.
Leaving her there.
Alone.
On her knees.
Crying.