“Because I didn’t want you to get mad at him.”
“Really, Nora?”
Okay, I do realize it is way too late now. Damian is obviously furious and mad at me, also. I sigh, trying to find my words.
“Damian, I need to solve things with my brother. Yes, Alec hates me, and he tried to kill me. But that’s my problem, okay? I need to talk to him and solve things with him. I can’t do that if you kill him first!”
“I want to kill him, Nora!” He yells. “I don’t give a damn about him being your brother! I’ll slaughter anyone who touches you, and he fucking tried to kill you! You would be dead if it wasn’t for Tonia and Boyan! You lost your voice, and you were in a coma for days! How do you think I felt after I finally found you, and yet I had to watch you while you were unconscious in a hospital bed day after day!”
“I am mad, too! How do you think I feel after my own brother tried to strangle me? Damian, for the last ten years, there wasn’t a single day Alec was nice to me! He was the worst, but he is still my only blood relative left, and I need to know why he is like this! I’m not protecting him; I just want to face him myself! Damian, I need you to let me do this!”
He stays silent, and I can tell he is seriously thinking right now. Gosh, why do we always end up yelling somehow? I’m even more exhausted now. And in front of Liam and Tonia, too, though they both seem concerned.
I get up and grab Damian’s arm. He ignores me, but I still hold his hand and look at him.
“Damian, please. Alec’s attitude changed after my parents’ death, and I need to know why. He is the only one that can help me know why my birth was kept a secret. After I talk things through with him, I promise he will be out of my life.”
He stays silent for a while, then turns to me, with his ice-cold eyes.
“That’s why you didn’t want me to hurt him.”
“Yes. You promised me, Damian.”
“That was before I knew he tried to kill you!”
“Damian!”
He can’t go back on his promise now! We both glare at each other for a long time. I’m not going to let him touch Alec. Then, I see his eyes shift slightly, and he points at my scar.
“Is he the one who did this?”
“What? No, Alec has nothing to do with my scar, I swear.”
I’m telling the truth this time, and I really hope he will believe me. He keeps staring at my scar, and I hate it. He usually ignores it, so why is he curious about it now? I tighten my grip on his hand, seeing how conflicted he is. Can’t he stay here with me? I just want to go to bed, sleep in his embrace, and forget about all this for a few hours. But the anger in his eyes is not reducing in the slightest. I bite my lip.
“Damian, please. You promised me you won’t hurt him.”
He looks at me again, and all of a sudden, leans in to kiss my forehead, before storming out. I stay there, completely blank. Where did he go now? I turn to the others, but a long silence follows for a while.
“Don’t worry,” says Liam, “my brother never breaks a promise.”
I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Damian looked really, really angry. What do I do? I turn to Tonia, worried. What if he really kills Alec? I need him to talk! After staring for a while, she rolls her eyes and takes out her phone.
“All right, I’ll call Neal. But I can’t guarantee the Boss will listen, Nora.”
I nod, biting my lip anxiously. It’s better than doing nothing... I haven’t met Neal yet, but seeing how mad he wasjust now, I doubt even Nathaniel will be able to stop him if he really decided to kill Alec. I just need to talk to my brother. Why do I have to worry that Damian will actually slice him or something?
Tonia exits the room to call her brother, and I sit back on the bed, exhausted by all this tension. Liam comes to sit with me, pushing the tray towards me so I can finish eating.
“Your brother is a real piece of shit.”
“He wasn’t always like that... When we were kids, he was nice to me. My mother never really liked me, but Alec and my dad did. He changed when she died.”
“Do you have any idea why?”
I shake my head and finish eating my pasta while thinking. Why, indeed? How did my brother come to hate me overnight?
“He said something like it’s my fault we are orphans.”
