She would marry someone else one day.
Not because she stopped loving Damien.
Because the person who tore them apart was already inside.
Waiting.
Watching.
Planning playing the long time to outsmaart everyone.
And neither of them saw it coming.
The one hundred fifty-first week, the chasms grew wider.
Damien and Christabel were falling apart.
And the person who would tear them apart finally made their move.
The first sign was small.
A text message.
Not to Damien. To Christabel.
From a number she didn't recognize.
"I know what he did. I know what you did. I have proof."
She stared at the screen.
Her hands were shaking.
Damien was in the shower.
She deleted the message.
She shouldn't have.
But she did.
---
The second sign was an email.
Not to Christabel. To Damien.
From a burner account.
"Your wife is lying to you. Ask her about the text."
Damien read the message.
His face was calm.
But his hands were shaking.
He walked to the living room.
Christabel was sitting on the couch.
"Did you get a text yesterday?"
Her face went pale.
"How did you know?"
"Someone told me."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"What did the text say?"
She was quiet for a moment.
"It said someone had proof."
"Proof of what?"
"I don't know."
"You deleted it."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I was scared."
"Of what?"
"Of you."
---
The words hung in the air.
Damien stared at her.
"You were scared of me?"
"I was scared of what you would do."
"I would never hurt you."
"You shot a man for touching my arm."
"That was different."
"Was it?"
He was quiet.
"I don't know anymore."
---
That afternoon, Marcus Webb came for another session.
Not at the penthouse.
At the building.
In the small room.
Damien was silent.
Christabel was crying.
Marcus watched them.
"You're not talking."
"There's nothing to say."
"There's everything to say."
Damien stood.
"I'm leaving."
"Sit down."
"I'm leaving."
Marcus stood.
"If you leave now, you're giving up."
"I'm not giving up."
"Then sit down."
Damien sat.
---
Marcus looked at Christabel.
"The text. Who sent it?"
"I don't know."
"Did you respond?"
"No."
"Did you tell Damien?"
"No."
"Why not?"
She was quiet for a moment.
"Because I was afraid."
"Of what?"
"Of him. Of us. Of what would happen."
Marcus nodded.
"That's honest."
"It's cowardly."
"It's human."
---
Damien spoke.
"I shot a man. I threatened his family. I made him disappear. I am not human."
"You are human."
"I am a monster."
"You are a man who made hard choices, the hardest choices require the strongest will,you had the strongest will to do what necessary to avoid future problems"
"Bad choices."
"Choices."
He looked at Marcus.
"What's the difference?"
"The intention behind the actions is the difference"
That night, Christabel put Lena to bed.
Not Damien. Her.
Lena was full of questions.
"Mama, why is Papa angry?"
"Because someone is trying to hurt our family."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"Are you scared?"
Christabel was quiet for a moment.
"Yes."
"Me too."
She held her daughter tighter.
"We're going to be okay."
"Promise?"
Christabel kissed her forehead.
"Promise."
---
Damien appeared in the doorway.
"She's asleep?"
"Yeah i hope she never has to go through what we go through,i want her to keep her innocence"
"Same here we might raise her in ghana train her so she has experience and becomes matured so as not to become another spoilted kid"
"Yeah you right"
He walked to her.
Took her hand.
"Now We need to find out who sent the text."
"I know."
"We need to find out who sent the email."
"I know."
"We need to find out who's trying to destroy us,blackmail among others"
She looked at him.
"I know."
First Line of Chapter 196 (Teaser):
"The one hundred fifty-second week, Damien and Christabel discovered the truth. The person trying to destroy them wasn't an enemy. It was a friend. Someone they trusted. Someone they loved. Someone who had been waiting for years."