Dominated

Chapter 19

It was quiet in the car as Damien drove Amelia home. He was lost in his thoughts while she watched the scenery blur outside her window. The silence was unbearable, but she didn't try to fill it, not even when he pulled up to her apartment complex.

Before the car could come to a full stop, Amelia unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed the door handle. Once Damien had parked, she immediately exited and closed the door behind her. She was walking to the entrance when she heard him call out to her.

"Amelia," he said, jogging toward her. "Wait, love."

When he caught up to her, he gathered her in his arms and surprised her by pressing his lips against hers, kissing her fervently. She didn't know how to respond initially, but she sensed that he needed this, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and drove her hands through his curls, pulling him closer.

Time stood completely still as they shared this moment. He didn't want to part, but he had to in order to catch his breath. With reluctance, he broke away and then asked, "Can I walk you inside?"

"Yes, please," she responded.

Smiling, he placed a hand on the small of her back and walked her to the door. "About Zoey—"

"It's okay," she cut in as they entered the vestibule. "You should call her to make sure she's okay."

"You think so?" he asked, frowning.

She nodded. "I won't try to pretend to understand your family dynamic, but I can tell that you care about her. At least reach out."

"I'm sorry for introducing you to my sister without checking in with you first," he said, sighing.

She laughed as they walked through the building lobby and to the elevator. "Then I have to apologize for introducing you to my mom."

"It was fun playing the boyfriend," he said, smirking. His smile faltered when they stepped onto the elevator together. "I was thinking — maybe I can go with you next weekend to see your family."

"You'd come with me?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I know what it's like to have parents who don't protect you, but I also know what it's like to love them."

She gazed up at him with furrowed brows and tried to read the expression on his face, but he was difficult to interpret. "How?"

He looked at the closing elevator doors and sighed. He didn't want to divulge personal information, but it was only fair to share intimate details of his life when she had opened up to him. He couldn't leave her hanging, so he reluctantly answered.

"Zoey's dad — Bryson — married my mom when I was ten," he explained. "He presented himself as a doting husband and father, but behind closed doors, he was an abusive alcoholic who used me as a punching bag when he drank. One day, he hit me so hard that I lost consciousness. When I woke up, my mom was leaning over the tub, washing away the blood in my eyes. Bryson got comfortable with hurting me in front of her after that, and she never did anything to stop him."

Amelia dropped her mouth and covered it, suppressing a whimper. Then she hugged his arm, offering her comfort as he continued to stare blankly at the doors. When they opened, he wrapped her in his arm and stepped off, steering her in the direction of her unit.

"I'm really sorry," she whispered dejectedly. "That must have been so horrifying for you to experience as a child."

"I'm okay now, sweet girl," he assured her, lifting the corners of his lips.

"Has he ever hurt Zoey?"

He shook his head. "Not to my knowledge. The day she was born was the happiest day of his life. I could tell because he didn't take a single sip of alcohol or raise a hand to me."

She paused in the hallway to embrace him and squeezed his body as tightly as she could. "What about your mom? Do you still talk to her?"

"I did until she died of cancer a few years ago," he told her. He buried his nose into her hair and inhaled deeply, but his breath wavered as he released it.

"I'm so sorry for your loss."

"I appreciate that," he said, smiling. He forced himself to separate from her and continued walking her down the hall.

Once they'd reached her door, she unlocked it and then entered the unit. Damien followed her inside, but he remained by the door as she removed her coat and shoes.

"Can I ask you something?" she questioned him.

He nodded. "Of course."

"How did you look past your mom's participation in the abuse?"

"I didn't," he answered. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his pants and looked down at the floor. "I used to be angry at her, but now I understand why she never intervened. For ten years, she worked tirelessly to make ends meet until Bryson came along and took on her financial burdens. She thought that she needed him to survive, and speaking against him jeopardized our new lifestyle."

She moved to the couch and sank into the cushion, deeply sighing. "I guess when you're financially dependent on your spouse, you become vulnerable to manipulation."

"Absolutely," he said as he joined her on the couch. "Our mothers aren't excused from their failures in parenting, but we have to understand that they were victims too."

"Do you think your life would've been different if Calvin had raised you instead?"

Damien was quiet as he pondered the question. After a few long seconds had passed, he finally said, "I don't think so."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Wes' mom doesn't like me very much," he answered.

"But Harper loves everyone."

"Unless you're Calvin's illegitimate son," he said. When he looked at her, she was staring back at him with wide and curious eyes, awaiting an explanation.

"Calvin was still in law school when my mom got pregnant," he told Amelia. "He wanted to marry her, but she declined his proposal. Six months into the pregnancy, she disappeared. She raised me to believe that my father abandoned us. A few years ago, Calvin showed up to my mom's funeral with a letter she'd written to him on her deathbed. She apologized for leaving, but the damage was done. She'd taken away years that Calvin and I could've had together."

"We tried to make up for lost time," he continued to say. "But Harper didn't like that he was spending so much time with me and not enough with her. Wes was indifferent, but there was too much tension between me and Harper, so I stopped coming around for a while. Calvin didn't take it too well. He filed for divorce."

Her jaw fell. She couldn't tell if she was shocked by the turn of events or impressed by Calvin's extreme measure. "He must really love you."

"He does," Damien agreed. "That's why I let Evelyn convince me to reconnect with him. Calvin and I are closer than ever, but I can tell that Wes feels some animosity toward me for breaking up his family."

"I'm sure he doesn't feel that way," she said.

He smiled, but Amelia could see that it was filled with sorrow. "If he didn't before then he definitely does now."

"What are you talking about?"

"My brother admitted his feelings for you," he replied. "He must have felt betrayed when he found you in my house. Maybe even more than when I tore his family apart."

She snorted at the idea. "All that he admitted to was being a coward. He doesn't feel anything toward me."

"You could be right," he said, smirking. "How about we confirm that over dinner tomorrow?"

She raised a brow at him and hummed. "What's your game?"

"I'd just like to see for myself that my brother isn't madly in love with my little pet," he said nonchalantly.

Amelia felt uneasy about the suggestion, but she couldn't deny herself the pleasure of proving him wrong, so she nodded and then said, "Fine, I'll come."