Damon's POV
I pushed through the reporters blocking the Arden mansion gates.
"Mr. Hale! Are you here to propose to Valeria?"
"Did you always know her true identity?"
"How does it feel knowing she's free now?"
I ignored them all. The security guard recognized me and opened the gate immediately.
Marina Arden herself met me at the front door.
"Damon." She smiled warmly. "I wondered when you'd come."
"Is she okay?" I asked.
"Physically, yes. Emotionally?" Marina's smile faded. "She's hurt. Confused. Angry. Everything at once."
"Where is she?"
"The garden. She's been sitting there for hours." Marina touched my arm. "Be gentle. She's not the same girl you knew."
I found Valeria sitting on a stone bench under a cherry tree. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders. She stared at nothing.
"Val?"
She jumped. Turned. Her eyes widened. "Damon?"
"Hey." I sat beside her, keeping some distance. "Your mom said I could come back here."
"I haven't seen you in two years." Her voice cracked. "Why now?"
"Because you needed space before. But now..." I looked at her carefully. "Now I think you need a friend."
She laughed, but it sounded broken. "A friend. Right. That's all anyone ever wanted to be."
"That's not fair."
"Fair?" She stood up suddenly. "You want to talk about fair? I gave Kane everything. I loved him. I believed in him. And he threw me away like garbage!"
"I know."
"You don't know!" Tears filled her eyes. "You weren't there when he called me useless. You didn't hear him laugh while I packed my things. You didn't see Sarah smirking in the background!"
I stood too. "You're right. I wasn't there. But I wanted to be."
"Then where were you?" She shoved my chest. "Where were you when I was crying myself to sleep every night? Where were you when he came home smelling like her perfume? Where were you, Damon?"
"Waiting." I grabbed her hands gently. "I was waiting for you to call me. To ask for help. To remember that you had people who actually cared."
She tried to pull away. I held on.
"Your brother called me last month," I said quietly. "Lucien told me everything. How Kane treated you. How you worked three jobs to support his business. How you ate crackers for dinner so he could have steak."
Valeria's face went pale. "Lucien had no right—"
"He had every right. He's your brother. He loves you." I stepped closer. "And I love you too. I always have."
She froze. "Don't."
"Don't what? Tell the truth?" I touched her face softly. "I've loved you since we were twelve years old. Since you punched Tommy Chen for making fun of my glasses. Since you snuck into my hospital room when I had appendicitis. Since forever, Val."
"You never said anything." Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Because you loved him. And I respected that." I wiped a tear from her cheek. "But respect doesn't mean I stopped caring. It doesn't mean I stopped checking on you from far away. Making sure you were safe."
"You were watching me?"
"Not creepy watching. Just... making sure." I smiled sadly. "Like when your car broke down last winter. Who do you think paid for the repairs anonymously?"
Her eyes went wide. "That was you?"
"And the scholarship that mysteriously appeared for your night classes. And the gift cards that kept showing up in your mailbox." I shrugged. "I couldn't help directly. But I could do small things."
"Damon..." She looked down at our joined hands.
"I'm not asking you to love me back," I said quickly. "I'm not asking for anything. I just need you to know that you were never alone. Even when you felt like you were."
"Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because now you need to hear it." I squeezed her hands. "Kane made you believe you were worthless. But you're not. You never were. You're smart. Strong. Kind. Beautiful inside and out."
"Stop." She pulled away and covered her face. "Please stop."
"Why?"
"Because I don't deserve it!" She sobbed. "I was so stupid! I ignored my family. I ignored you. I threw away everything for a man who didn't even like me!"
"That doesn't make you stupid. It makes you human." I pulled her into a hug. She fought for a second, then collapsed against my chest, crying hard. "Love makes people do crazy things. Believe me, I know."
She cried for a long time. I just held her and let her get it all out.
Finally, she pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I look terrible."
"You look perfect."
She almost smiled. Almost.
"I don't know what to do now," she admitted. "Everyone's staring at me. Judging me. Talking about me."
"Let them talk. You're an Arden. They can't touch you."
"But Kane—"
"Kane is finished. Lucien made sure of that."
Her phone buzzed. She checked it and her face went white.
"What's wrong?"
She showed me the screen.
A video. Kane kneeling in that warehouse. Begging someone off camera. Then a photo of Sarah tied to a chair, bleeding.
Below it: Come to the Grand Gala tomorrow night. Come alone. Or people die.
My blood went cold. "Who sent this?"
"Unknown number." Her hands shook. "Damon, what if they hurt someone because of me?"
"They won't. I won't let them." I took the phone and forwarded the message to myself. "I'm calling Lucien right now."
"No!" She grabbed my arm. "The message says come alone."
"Val, this is a trap."
"I know. But what if it's real? What if they really will hurt people?" She looked terrified. "I can't let someone die because of my mess."
"This isn't your mess. This is Kane's. And whoever else is involved."
"But they want me." She took a shaky breath. "The message came to my phone. They know who I am now."
Before I could answer, her phone rang.
Unknown number again.
She answered on speaker. "Hello?"
"Valeria Arden." A man's voice. Rough and mean. "Smart girl. You saw our message."
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"What I want is simple. Money. Lots of it. Your family has plenty." He laughed. "Come to the gala tomorrow. Bring ten million dollars in cash. No police. No bodyguards. Just you."
"And if I don't?"
"Then we start killing people. Starting with pretty little Sarah. Then Kane. Then maybe we branch out. Your friend Sienna has a nice apartment. Very easy to break into."
Valeria's face went chalk white.
"Don't hurt them," she whispered. "Please."
"Then do what we say. Tomorrow night. Ten million. Come alone." He paused. "Oh, and Damon Hale? We know you're listening. If you try to be a hero, people die. Understand?"
The line went dead.
Valeria stared at me, tears streaming down her face.
"They know you're here," she breathed. "They're watching us right now."
I looked around the garden. Trees. Shadows. A hundred places to hide.
Someone was out there. Watching. Waiting.
And they wanted Valeria to walk into a trap alone.