people he loved above everything else deceived him, and then one of them died before he could get closure.
Chapter Thirty-One
Damon disappears without a word. I text and call, but he doesn’t answer.
Days later, Rose calls.
“Katarina, where is my son? I haven’t heard from him. His housekeeper says he hasn’t been home since Wednesday morning.”
My heart falls to the pit of my stomach. “I don’t know, Rose. Damon and I aren’t together. We had dinner Wednesday, and he left abruptly. I haven’t seen him since.”
“I know you had a little disagreement, but I didn’t think it was something that would break you up. What happened?”
I only give her the information about what happened at Ahz. If Damon wants his mom to know the rest, he needs to tell her himself.
“I’ll help you find him.”
“Thank you.” She already sounds like the worry aged her. “I’ve lost one son, and I can’t lose another.”
I’m frozen with fear because I know what Damon looked like when he left the restaurant. He was a broken man.
I grab my purse and keys and run for the door.
My first stop is his house. I key in the code to the gate and thank God he put his house key on the ring.
I move through the house, calling his name, but he’s not there.
My clothes are strewn across his bed, making it clear he slept with them. It breaks my heart to know how much he’s hurting.
My next stop is Noble Enterprises. As soon as I enter the garage, I know he isn’t here because the Mustang is missing.
Entering Ahz, I scour the garage, but he’s not there either. I check the local hospitals and call the police to make sure he hasn’t been detained. No one has heard from him or seen him.
I drive to Griffith Park Observatory because he said he goes there to think, but I don’t find him.
I sit in the driver’s seat and think about where he’d go to feel connected or safe? It hits me, and I can’t drive fast enough.
I make it to Brentwood in record time and find his childhood home. His car is nowhere in sight, but somehow, I know he’s here. I can feel him.
I park the Charger and run to the backyard. If he isn’t here, I don’t know what I will do. The rope ladder swings in the breeze. With trepidation, I take one rung at a time.
At the top, I peek over the edge and see him curled up on his side. He hasn’t shaved in days. He’s in the same suit he wore when I saw him at Ahz, but despite being in disarray, he’s still an exquisite man.
“Damon, I’m here. I’m here, baby.” I lie down and spoon him. “Turn over and let me look at you.”
“Oh, Katarina, are you here?”
“I’m here.”
He turns and stares at me.
“I can’t do this without you. My life is nothing unless you’re in it.”
I sit up and guide his head into my lap while I run my fingers through his hair. I cradle him for over an hour.
How can I not love this man?
Looking up toward the sky to pray, I see another set of initials carved into the ceiling. The letters are mine and encased in a heart.
“Let’s go home, honey. We can clean you up, and I’ll make dinner. If you want, we’ll snuggle on the couch.”
I get him down the ladder and into the Charger.
The closer we get to his house, the more alive he becomes. As soon as we are inside, I take him upstairs, start the shower, and text his mother to tell her he’s safe.
With the jets set, I turn my attention to caring for him.
“Katarina, you don’t have to do this. I can get myself in the shower. I’m okay now.” He shrugs out of his jacket and takes off his shirt. He’s thinner—almost frail looking. “Thank you for coming. It’s good to know you still care.”
“I’m here because I love you, and I want to take care of you. Now, let’s get you in the shower.”
Finding a plastic bag under the sink, I wrap my cast and climb in behind him. For the next fifteen minutes, I make sure Damon is clean from head to toe.
Once out of the shower, I dry him and dress him in sweatpants and a T-shirt and tuck into his bed.
“I’ll be right back. I’m just getting you dinner.”
With a glass of water in one hand and a bowl of spaghetti in the other,