A Cut so Deep - Dani Rene Page 0,100

Creed for being a murderer. He hated me because I thought the worst of him. But there was nothing else that made sense. I didn’t see him do it, but deep down, I wonder if he ever did try to stop her.”

“So, you still don’t know what happened for sure? Like if Creed did it on purpose,” Nesrin whispers, shock still ringing in her voice.

Shaking my head, I can’t help but sigh. “I don’t know if Creed led her down that path on purpose, no, or if she just veered off our normal route through the forest, but before the scream, I didn’t hear him shout to her. Voices carry in those woods, and I have a feeling he just let her go.”

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything at all. It’s over, we’re here, and I want you to focus on us. On your studies and on your new life.” I pull her into my arms, and thank god, she’s here because I could never be without her.

Even though we have had our challenges, I’m thankful she chose me. Each time I wake up, looking at her, I know I’ve done something right in my life.

“I love you so much, Damien,” Nesrin whispers into my shirt, and I can’t help the smile that graces my lips.

“I love you too, wild rose,” I admit the truth. I tried to fight it, tried to steer clear of her, but each time I saw her, I was drawn in. I had no choice in the matter. She was always going to be mine.

Epilogue

Nesrin

Six Months Later

Summer in London is not always consistent, but today is a beautiful sunny day. My dress swishes around my thighs, as I make my way through the throng of tourists that fill the sidewalk.

When I chose Damien over everything else, leaving it all behind, I knew I had to make a life that I wanted, instead of what my mother had dictated to me.

We shocked everyone in Thorne Haven when we walked out of the manor and didn’t turn around. My therapist tells me I’ll be okay if I focus on talking about my feelings, rather than bottling them up. I’ve been seeing her twice a week, and each time I come out of her office, I do feel stronger.

I haven’t reached for a blade in so long, and I’m proud of myself. Damien’s smile when we talk about my emotions, about my fears and dreams, makes it easier to focus on the good times and work through the bad.

It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. Hurting myself was not the way to deal with my heartache. I know that now. And I finally feel like me.

After the first month of us being here, Bradford Thorne flew out to London to see his son. That’s when the offer came. When he finally relented and admitted the truth.

Marcia, who I grew up knowing as my mother, but was actually my aunt, knew about her sister marrying a Haven. She learned about the wealth Mallory had found herself living with, and she wanted it all to herself.

I recall the conversation with such clarity, it’s as if it happened just yesterday.

“She was always jealous of her sister,” Bradford tells Damien and me, as we sit in our living room in our North London apartment. His hands tremble as he holds onto the tumbler. He came to us because he’s sick, and he wanted his eldest son to step up to the head of the table. Damien will run Thorne Corporation alongside Cassian and Finn. All three brothers will be in charge of their own departments. Damien as CEO, Cassian as COO, and Finn as the CFO.

“But I don’t understand why she would marry you and want me to be with Creed,” I tell him. It’s one of the things that never made sense, but after her last conversation with me, I realized I never wanted to be near her again.

“My wife is a complicated woman. Even though she was jealous, deep down, she wanted the best for you.” He regards me with an earnest stare. “She just didn’t know how else to keep you in town, and…” His words falter for a moment, as he regards his son. “We didn’t expect you’d fall in love with Damien.”

I nod slowly, my gaze sweeping across the room to the man I love. His blue eyes hold me hostage, and the affection I find there leaves me breathless.

The cocky