I DUMPED MY FIANCE FOR HIS BILLONIA FRIEND

Chapter 26:

The next morning, the tension in the apartment was unbearable. Amara could still feel the heat from the previous night’s confession between her and Damien, but reality had a way of crashing in,especially when Kieran was involved.

Kieran hadn’t spoken to her since the limousine ride. His absence was deafening, but the messages on her phone told the story clearly: a flurry of texts that she didn’t dare open. She knew reading them would only make her heart sink, and yet, curiosity gnawed at her.

Before she could decide, her phone buzzed with a call from Damien.

“Amara,” he said, his voice low but urgent. “We need to meet. Now.”

“Where?” she asked, trying to keep her composure.

“Café Monet. Thirty minutes.”

Amara nodded, already slipping into her coat and grabbing her bag. She couldn’t explain the flutter in her chest,the mix of fear and excitement whenever Damien’s name crossed her lips.

When she arrived at the café, Damien was already there, seated at a corner table. His expression was serious, and his fingers tapped nervously on the tabletop.

“Kieran knows,” Damien said without preamble, his eyes locking onto hers.

Amara froze. “He… he does?”

Damien nodded slowly. “Yes. And he’s furious. I tried to reason with him, but… you know Kieran. When he wants something, he doesn’t let go easily.”

Amara swallowed hard. She had known this would be messy, but hearing it confirmed made her chest tighten. “I didn’t mean for it to happen this way,” she whispered.

“I know,” Damien said, reaching across the table to take her hand. “But you need to be prepared. He won’t let this go quietly. He might try to manipulate the situation, or worse… confront you directly.”

Amara’s mind raced. She had always imagined heartbreak, betrayal, even awkward confrontations,but facing Kieran’s wrath was something entirely different. He had always been possessive, and she knew his pride wouldn’t allow him to step aside gracefully.

Before she could respond, a shadow fell across the table. Kieran stood there, tall and imposing, his jaw clenched. “Amara,” he said, his voice ice-cold. “We need to talk. Now.”

Amara looked at Damien, who gave her a subtle nod an unspoken message: stand your ground.

“Kieran,” she said, her voice steady despite the storm inside her. “We’ve already had our talk. What more is there to say?”

Kieran’s eyes flicked to Damien, and a spark of recognition or perhaps irritation,passed between them. “There’s plenty to say,” he said sharply. “This isn’t just about you. Damien… you think you can just waltz in and take what’s mine?”

Damien’s jaw tightened, but he remained calm. “Amara isn’t yours to claim. She’s her own person. And she made her choice.”

Kieran’s face darkened. “Choice? This isn’t over, Amara. Not by a long shot. You may have chosen him, but you’ll regret this.”

Amara met his gaze, unflinching. “Maybe I will. But maybe I won’t. I can’t control your feelings, Kieran, and I won’t let your anger control mine.”

The tension was palpable. The café seemed to shrink around the three of them, each heartbeat echoing like a drum in Amara’s chest. She knew this confrontation was only the beginning.

As Kieran stormed out, leaving a trail of whispered stares and curious glances, Damien squeezed her hand. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

Amara took a deep breath, letting the adrenaline settle. “I will be,” she said. “As long as you’re here.”

Damien smiled faintly, his eyes darkening with intensity. “Then we face whatever comes together.”

And in that moment, Amara realized that love,even messy, complicated, dangerous love,was worth every risk.

leaving only the electric pull between them.

“Kieran was… he was my past,” she whispered, almost to herself. “But you… you feel like my future.”

Damien’s hand found hers again, this time holding it firmly, as if anchoring them both to the truth that had been growing between them in secret.

“Then let’s stop pretending,” Damien said. “We don’t have to hide anymore. Not from the world, and not from ourselves.”

Amara’s lips curved into a small, nervous smile. “I… I’ve been waiting for someone to say that.”

And in that quiet corner, under the city lights, a new chapter of their lives began one neither of them could have predicted, but both were willing to embrace, no matter the cost.