Damien’s pov
I could barely breathe.
Everyone was staring at me.
Whispering…pointing.
“That’s Damien Blackwell. He was married to her.”
”I heard he treated her terribly.”
”Serves him right.
Look at her now.”
I wanted to disappear into the floor.
Mother was having a complete meltdown at our table.
And me?
I just stood there watching Elena dance with Caleb Harding like she wasn’t a married woman.
“Damien.” I felt a hand on my shoulder.
Victoria.
“We need to talk. Now.”
”Not now.”
”Yes now.” She dragged me into an empty hallway.
“Do you understand what just happened? Do you know who your wife really is?”
”Was.
She’s not my wife anymore.”
”She’s Elena Sterling!
The Sterling heiress!
Her family is worth billions, Damien.
BILLIONS.
And you treated her like a servant.”
Each word was a knife.
“I. Didn’t. Know.” My tone was clipped.
“That’s not an excuse!” Victoria was almost hysterical.
“This is bad, this is really really bad.”
”What are you talking about?”
She laughed.
The sound was broken.
“You’re so clueless. Sterling Global controls half our suppliers. They can destroy us with one phone call, and judging by that speech that’s exactly what Elena intends to do.”
My blood went cold.
“She wouldn’t.”
”Damien you ignored her for three years, your mother abused her and your little brat of a sister constantly mocked her.
Why wouldn’t she destroy us?”
Because she’s Elena.
Because she’s kind and gentle and forgiving.
Except that Elena was gone.
This new Elena looked like she had ice in her veins.
“I need to talk to her,” I said.
“I need to explain.”
”Explain what?
That you’re sorry?
That you didn’t know she was rich so that makes it better?” Victoria shook her head.
“You can’t fix this. None of us can.”
”There has to be a way.”
”There isn’t.” Victoria’s voice dropped.
“And there are things you don’t know. Things I did, things I can’t even tell you.”
I could barely register what she was saying as I pulled out my phone and did something I should have done hours ago.
I googled Elena Sterling.
Page after page of results.
Photos of a young Elena at charity events, at her father’s funeral, at business conferences.
And there buried in an old article from three years ago I found it.
“Sterling heiress Elena Sterling takes a break from company responsibilities. Family sources say she’s pursuing personal interests.”
Personal interests.
Meaning me.
She’d left her entire world for me.
And I’d given her nothing in return.
My phone rang.
My business partner, Michael.
“Damien what the hell is going on? I’m seeing photos of you at some gala with Elena Sterling?”
”I can explain.”
”Elena Sterling was your wife?
The woman you said did nothing all day?
The one you complained about constantly?”
”Michael…”
”Do you know what this means for us?
Sterling Global is one of the biggest players in our industry.
If they decide to blacklist us because you made their CEO angry we’re done.
DONE.”
”That won’t happen.”
”It’s already happening!
I just got three cancellation notices from suppliers.
All owned by Sterling subsidiaries.” Michael’s voice was panicked.
“Fix this Damien. I don’t care how. Beg, grovel. Whatever…. But fix this before we lose everything.”
He hung up.
I stood in the empty hallway.
My entire life crumbling around me.
Through the doorway I could see Elena laughing at something Caleb said.
She looked so happy.
So far beyond my reach.
“Damien?” Mother appeared.
Mascara running down her face.
“We need to leave. Now! Before anyone else recognizes us.”
”No.”
”What?”
”I’m not leaving.
I need to talk to her.”
”Are you insane?
She’ll destroy us!”
”She is already destroying us.
I have to try to…” To what?
Apologize?
Explain?
“She won’t talk to you,” my sister said, appearing behind Mother.
“Her security already threatened to remove us if we approached her.”
”I don’t care.”
I pushed past them heading back into the ballroom, heading toward Elena.
I had no plan, no idea what to say.
But I had to try.
I was halfway across the room when two large security guards stepped in front of me.
“Sir Miss Sterling has requested you maintain your distance.”
”I just need to talk to her.
Five minutes.”
”Miss Sterling was very clear. The source of this chapter is g.com.
You’re not to approach her.” The guard’s hand moved to my arm.
“Please return to your table sir.”
Everyone was watching me.
Blackwell gets blocked from talking to his ex wife.
Elena stood across the room with Caleb’s arm around her waist, looking directly at me.
There was still nothing in her eyes.
No anger, no satisfaction.
Just nothing.
Like I was already dead to her.
The guard’s grip tightened on my arm.
“Sir. Please.”
I let them escort me back to my table, humiliation burning through me.
“We’re leaving,” Mother said.
“Right now. I won’t continue to be embarrassed like this.”
For once I didn’t argue.
We left through a side exit, avoiding the main entrance where cameras waited and got into the limo like criminals.
The drive home was silent except for Jessica’s crying.
My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing with messages, emails and calls.
Everyone wanted to know about Elena.
Everyone was talking about us, about what I’d done.
About how I’d treated her.
I opened social media.
Big mistake.
Photos of Elena everywhere and photos of our old wedding someone dug up.
Elena in a simple dress smiling at a camera.
Me standing beside her barely looking at her.
The comments were brutal.
“He had a literal billionaire and treated her like trash.”
”She’s so much better off.
Look at her now!”
”Caleb Harding is a lucky man.”
That last comment made me want to throw my phone out the window.
“Damien?” Mother’s voice was small.
Scared.
“What are we going to do?”
”I don’t know.”
”She’s going to ruin us, isn’t she?”
I thought about Elena’s speech.
About the way she’d looked at me with nothing in her eyes.
About her words.
Sterling Global has very high standards.
“Yeah,” I said quietly.
“She probably is.”
And I couldn’t even blame her.
Because I deserved it.
Every bit of it.