THE KISS OF BETRAYAL
"Clarissa? What are you…" Damien's voice trembled, caught between confusion and hope. But his words died the moment Clarissa's lips crashed into his.
The kiss wasn't gentle. It wasn't innocent.
It was sexy.
Her mouth moved against his like she was starving for him, like she needed him more than air. Her hands clutched his shirt, dragging him closer. For a second, Damien forgot everything—forgot the party, the humiliation, the weight of the Langfords pressing down on his shoulders. Her warmth wrapped around him like a lie he desperately wanted to believe.
His arms pulled her in without thinking. Her scent clouded his mind. His fingers roamed the shape of her body, once so familiar, now feeling like a stranger's. He breathed her in like she was his oxygen.
Then came the light.
The room lit up all at once. The warmth in his chest shattered into panic. Damien froze.
Slowly, he turned toward the doorway.
And there she stood.
Clarissa.
The real one.
Not in his arms.
Not the woman he had just kissed.
Behind her stood Miranda, Evelyn, Knox, Mr. Williams. Even Ryder.
Damien's blood turned cold.
If Clarissa wasn't the one he was kissing, then who??
He looked down, horror crawling through every inch of him.
Natalie!!
Tears glistened on her face. Her lower lip trembled, eyes wide with fear.
Then she slapped him. Hard. His head snapped sideways. His soul cracked.
"Clarissa! He did it again!" Natalie's voice broke as she stumbled toward her sister. "He tried to force himself on me!"
"No," Damien gasped, staggering back. "No, that's not what happened. Clarissa, please. You have to believe me. She kissed me. She was the one who—"
A fist cut his words short.
Mr. Williams' knuckles slammed into Damien's jaw. The impact sent him sprawling to the floor. Blood pooled in the corner of his mouth. His vision blurred, heart pounding in terror and disbelief.
"You sick bastard," Mr. Williams hissed. "You dare assault her again under my roof?"
Knox's fists shook, but Mr. Williams stopped him with a glare.
"I went against everything to honor my father's deal with you. I let you stay married to Clarissa. This is how you repay us? With this filth?"
Ryder sneered. "He's even lower than I thought. Just a pathetic little parasite."
"Thank God," Miranda gasped, as if relieved. "Now the whole world can see what a monster he truly is."
"He's not just trash," Evelyn added with venom. "He's dangerous. First humiliating us at the party, now this? He should be locked up like the animal he is."
Their voices were daggers, one after the other. The room buzzed with condemnation, a rising storm of cruelty. But Damien couldn't hear them anymore.
He was staring at Clarissa.
She hadn't moved.
She hadn't said a word.
He dragged himself to his knees, his face bloody, his eyes locked on hers. "Say something," he whispered. "Clarissa, please. You know me. You know I'd never do this."
"What do you expect her to say?" Natalie snapped. "You're disgusting. And you're getting a divorce. Tonight."
Damien didn't look at Natalie. His voice cracked. "Clarissa… I'm talking to you. Please. Don't let this lie win."
Clarissa's lips twitched into something almost cruel. Her voice came, soft and sharp. "Everyone saw it, Damien. You forced yourself on my sister. You crossed a line there's no coming back from."
Her words broke him.
Each syllable felt like another stab. Another betrayal.
"I think it's time we end this marriage. You're not the man I thought you were," she said with ice in her voice.
Damien's breath came ragged. His chest heaved like something inside him had been ripped apart.
"You can't mean that," he said, almost pleading. "You know what happened. You saw the truth."
Ryder stepped forward, voice thick with contempt. "She already said it, loser. You're done. She's divorcing you."
Clarissa looked at her father. "I'm done being made a fool. Let's finalize the divorce."
Silence rang louder than shouting.
Damien stood there, bloodied, humiliated, betrayed.
Then he laughed. It wasn't joyful. It was bitter. It was hollow.
"I see it now," he whispered. "This was your plan from the beginning. Humiliate me at the party. Lure me into this trap with Natalie. You were never going to forgive me. You wanted me ruined."
"How dare you," Miranda spat. "How dare you accuse my daughter? You think someone like you deserves her? You're nothing. A ghost we let sleep in our home."
Damien turned to her, his voice calm and cutting. "Nothing? That's rich, coming from the woman who was begging me to marry her daughter. Back when Clarissa was in a wheelchair. Back when no man wanted her."
Gasps broke the silence like thunderclaps.
Clarissa flinched. Miranda's face turned a shade paler. Evelyn's smirk faded.
Damien kept going, his voice no longer trembling. It was steady now. Fueled by pain.
"She couldn't walk three years ago. No one dared touch her. And I stepped in. Not for love. For survival. I needed money to treat my dying mother. You made promises after your father died. But you didn't pay. You gave me nothing. Not a cent."
He looked around at their faces—faces that once looked down on him.
"But I stayed. I cleaned for her. Cooked for her. Protected her. I gave her everything I had."
He stepped forward, his words punching through the silence.
"When she needed a kidney, I didn't hesitate. I gave her mine. My blood. My body. My life."
No one spoke.
Clarissa's lip quivered. Evelyn shifted, suddenly unsure. Knox looked down.
Mr. Williams broke the silence. "You should be grateful we even let you stay this long."
Damien's face hardened. "Grateful?"
He took a breath, deep and cold.
"You want this marriage over? Fine."
He looked Clarissa in the eyes, voice sharp as glass.
"But I want my $15 million. As agreed. And one more thing."
He touched his chest.
"I want my kidney back. You don't get to keep a piece of me. Not after this. Give it back. And we're even."
Clarissa's face lost all color. Her jaw dropped, but nothing came out. Her heart visibly sank.
And without another word, Damien turned and walked away. Each step felt heavy, but his back remained straight.
This time, he wasn't leaving broken.
He was walking away with nothing left to lose.