Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
"So..." It had been minutes since Diana had arrived at his office, and Damen had given her as much time as he could to settle down, having seen the wan expression on her face.
"I know you're not surprised that I've come," Diana blurted out.
"Your security saw it fit to inform me as soon as you booked your flight, yes."
"And because I've come here instead of your home..."
"It's something you'd rather Mairi doesn't know about."
Diana gave him a small nod.
"You know you can tell me anything," Damen said gently.
"I know." Her voice was subdued. "It's just hard."
And so it was, Damen thought, seeing the way his sister had started wringing her hands on her lap. It wasn't like Diana at all to show her anxiety; with a mother like Esther, who delighted in exploiting people's weaknesses, both of them had learned early on to use their composure as a shield.
Gazing at her contemplatively, he decided it was time to give Diana a little nudge, just to see if it would be enough to have her open up. "How are your studies?"
When he saw Diana visibly relax at his words, he knew that he had done the right thing, just as he knew that school was not why she had come running home.
"I'm doing a lot better than I personally expected," Diana admitted. "Better than anyone would probably expect, considering my reasons for going there."
"You went there because it was what you felt you needed to do." Damen's voice was firm. "I see nothing wrong with that."
Diana wrinkled her nose, thinking she should've expected it of Damen to not see how eccentric her choices had been. "Honestly, I'm just glad you didn't laugh at me when I told you a Netflix show gave me purpose. Not all big brothers would have been open-minded as you."
"That's because not all little sisters are saints like mine." The words would've normally made her laugh, but instead a stricken look crossed her face.
"I'm not..." Her voice faltered. "I'm not a saint."
"Diana..." He stopped speaking when she shook her head, and when he noticed how her fingers had started digging into her palms, his chest clenched with the urge to protect her. She was and would always be his little sister, and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her.
"Talk to me."
"I don't know how to start."
"Then...is it about de Graaf?"
Her head shot up.
"You didn't think I wouldn't have my people check him out, did you?"
Her heart slammed against her chest. "A-And?"
Diana's tone perplexed him. "He checked out, of course." But far from assuring her, the words seemed to make her uneasy. It was almost as if she was expecting him to forbid her from seeing the man, which of course didn't make any sense at all.
"What's wrong?" Damen asked bluntly. He didn't think he couldn't have chosen any better than Matthijs de Graaf. The man was worth hundreds of millions, a Nobel Prize winner, and the decent sort all around. The only thing the professor had against him was the fact that de Graaf had yet to break things off with his long-term mistress. But since Damen's sources had ascertained it had been months since the professor had sex with the other woman, Damen was willing to overlook it...for now.
"I think...I'm in love with him."
"I suspected as much." But when this didn't ease her tension, he asked, "Are you worried that you can't make him love you back? Is that what this whole thing's about?" Diana slowly shook her head, and his puzzlement grew. "You need to be more specific if you want me to help—-"
Taking a deep breath, she cut him off, saying in a rush, "I came here because I thought I needed to let you know that by loving him...if you c-can't accept him...I can't leave him...I might have to say g-goodbye—-" Her voice broke.
Damen stiffened. "What the hell are you saying?"
"D-Damen." And her voice caught once more.
"Diana, dammit, you're worrying me—-"
"He has HIV."
Damen went white.
And suddenly, she could no longer stop talking, the words tumbling out one after another even as her tears started to fall. Crying was all she seemed to do lately, but even as she hated herself for it, she just couldn't stop.
I didn't know at the start, and he kept trying to push me away because of it.
He's never touched me, and I wondered about it before, but now I know why.
I don't want to put any of you at risk, and that's why I wanted to tell you first.
Because I know you can make the tough decisions.
Tell me to stay away so that Mairi and Nala are safe.
Diana's words hit him like one blow after another, and all he could do was take every fucking thing in numb silence. A part of him was still in denial, wanting to rage against the fates. He was sorry - of course he was damn sorry that life had turned out the way it had for de Graaf, but couldn't any other woman fall in love with him? Couldn't it be anyone else but Diana?