Chapter 250: A Storm [5]
Damien didn’t have the patience to deal with Gage blocking his path. The only saving grace was that he had left his pistol in the carriage. A mistake he would never make again.
It had only left his side because he didn’t want to take it inside Eloise’s childhood home.
Fortunately, Damien didn’t need a weapon to fight.
"Gage, get the hell out of my way unless you want to die right now," Damien threatened Gage, willing to go to the end to move Gage.
Now wasn’t the time for anyone to be blocking paths.
His path.
"Lady Hawthorne asked that I remove you before you do anything reckless," Gage said, tightening his grip on Damien. He was not going to let Damien make a move he would surely regret once his anger settled.
Gage glanced back, hoping Camille had the sense to retreat, but she remained frozen, her eyes wide and locked on Damien as though paralysed by the sheer force of his fury.
When Gage turned back, Damien’s fist slammed into the side of his face. The brutal impact loosened Gage’s hold, and the sharp tang of blood filled his mouth.
Damien’s gaze snapped to Camille, focused on the matter at hand. "Say that again. What did you say about my father?" He asked, wanting her to say it with her chest again.
Camille was bold before when she thought she was safe.
Damien shoved Gage aside, and when Gage lunged to seize his arm again, Damien swung another punch. This time, Gage anticipated it, ducking just in time.
Gage moved quickly, wrapping his arms around Damien’s waist and pinning his arms. "Move!" he shouted at Camille.
Why was she still sitting there, waiting for death?
Gage knew he wouldn’t be able to hold Damien for long, so he needed Camille’s help to save her, yet she sat as though waiting for someone to carry her.
Damien fought against Gage’s grip and slowly managed to break free.
Camille jolted from her shock, realising Damien meant to hurt her for her words. Her legs trembled as she staggered up two steps, but a guttural groan echoed behind her. Too deep to be Damien’s.
She turned around to see what had occurred, and horror flooded her veins. Damien had broken free and was advancing, his body closing in on her.
"Damien," Camille whispered, just as his hand clamped around her throat. He didn’t spare her a moment to apologise once more.
Damien forced her over the railing, her feet dangling above the ground.
Camille clawed at his arm, desperate to anchor herself. "Damien, please don’t do this. I didn’t mean it. I only wanted to provoke you. Please," she begged, her voice cracking with terror.
Her thoughts screamed, ’I cannot die like this. My children!’
"You got the reaction you wanted. Didn’t you wish to put on a show for your servants?" Damien snapped, pressing her closer to the edge. "I told you to repeat what you said about my father, but this time, louder."
Camille gasped, her heart pounding as the rail beneath her seemed to vanish. One more push and she would plummet, or so she thought.
Tears streaked down her face. ’Damien, please think of my children. They’re too young to lose their mother. I was wrong to speak of your father. Please, I beg you."
Her perfect composure shattered, her beauty ruined by desperation to live. She clung to Damien, praying he would release and forgive her.
It was her brother she spoke of, so there was genuine regret.
"Kill you? This fall won’t kill you, but it will break you. Unless," Damien’s lips curled into a cruel smile. "I aim to let you land on your head."
Camille squeezed her eyes shut, praying he wouldn’t be so merciless, but this was Damien.
"I lost my father far too soon. It was agony to lose both parents at once and then be burdened with younger siblings to care for. And then you dared to mock it, to rile me up, all because you can’t have your way," Damien said, furious. His grip tightened around her throat.
"You used your own late brother’s death to wound his son. And you wonder why I am cutting you off. I should kill you. I am dangerously close to doing so."
Camille’s eyes flew open. "This isn’t you, Damien. We don’t do this to family. Please!"
Camille’s plea turned into a scream as she slipped further from his grasp, terror consuming her. She couldn’t tell which shove would be the fatal one.
Damien’s eyes held no warmth. He no longer looked at her as family, but as a stranger. A man who could kill her without remorse.
"Damien, please," Camille whispered one final plea.
Damien ignored it, bracing to throw her over the edge, until a small voice pierced the tension.
"Mother?"
Damien’s head snapped upward. At the top of the stairs stood his little cousin, tears glistening in the boy’s eyes. He understood enough to know what was about to happen.
Damien’s jaw clenched. He released Camille, pulling her back from the brink of death.
Camille collapsed, clutching her throat and gasping for air.
Damien turned away. He would not kill her before her child’s eyes. "If you ever stand before me again, I will kill you."
Camille’s children would not always be her salvation.
Camille lifted her head, trembling as she watched Damien descend the stairs with his guard trailing close. She had escaped death, but the memory would haunt her.
"Mother?" Her son cried.
Camille raised her hand for him to come towards her. "Thank you, my sweet boy. Come to me."
She embraced him tightly, knowing his presence had saved her from ruin.
Meanwhile, Damien strode out through the front doors. If he lingered, he might abandon his resolve and finish what he had started.
"Lord Hawthorne," Gage began, ready to apologise.
"Be silent before I leave you to crawl back to the estate. It is only because you spoke of my wife that I allow you to ride with me and that your jaw remains intact," Damien said, trying not to let his anger get the best of him. "Ready the carriage. We return to the estate."
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