Sneezing, I wiped my tears and rushed back to Damien’s office.


    Why didn’t he tell my father the truth? Did he know who published those articles online?


    Damien I know won’t let anything slide under his nose no matter how small it is.


    So with determination, I pushed the door wide open with force and walked into the room. Damien sat across his desk, engrossed in a phone call. Pausing, he raised his brow at me, seemingly surprised by my sudden entrance.


    “I need an exnation,” I eximed,pletely ignoring the phone pressed against his ear. At that moment, I must have appeared like aplete wreck, my disheveled appearance matching the chaos of my emotions.


    Ignoring my presence, Damien abruptly ended the call and carelessly tossed his phone onto the desk. Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes as if trying to shut out the world. Frustration boiling inside me, I raised my voice. “Damien, I am talking to you!” I eximed, my voice filled with exasperation.


    “Why didn’t you tell my father the truth?” I shrieked, my voice filled with a mix of anger and desperation. The skin between Damien’s eyebrows furrowed, forming a deep frown, as he slowly opened his eyes. With a hint of annoyance in his voice, he replied, “You know what I hate most is… shouting.”


    “Then talk to me, tell me the truth,” I pleaded, my voice trembling with emotion as tears welled up in my eyes. Damien gave me a puzzled look, his expression reflecting a mix of concern before he quickly looked away.


    Gulping hard, I cleared my throat, blinking back the tears as I asked with a slight tremor in my voice, a bit scared to hear the truth. “Aboutst night…”


    “What aboutst night?” Damien turned to face me, his expression devoid of any emotion as he asked, his voice matching the nkness on his face.


    Curling my fists by my side to hide my nervousness, I continued, my voice trembling slightly, “You know who made those announcements, right? So why didn’t you tell my father the truth?”


    “Hmmm?”


    Snarling, I red at him, frustration seeping into my voice. “Stop ying dumb with me, Damien!” I paused, taking a deep breath as I fought back the tears. “We had a good timest night, you know, lovemaking… Everything proves it,” I said, my voice filled with a mix of frustration and curiosity.


    Rubbing his jaw, he nced at me, his face remaining nk and cold. “Do I need any reason to have a good time with my wife?” he stressed, emphasizing thest word, sending a shocking wave down my spine.


    Comport yourself, Ashley!


    Don’t let his charms get to you.


    “I know you’re hiding something, Damien. Who hacked my ount? Who made those announcements?” I shook my head, tears rolling down my cheeks. “And the threats… Why would you threaten my father? You know he’s been through a lottely.”


    “And thispany….


    “Was his,” hepleted my statement, causing me to trail off. “But it’s mine now,” he shed me a dreadful smirk.


    “Dam…. Damien,”


    Sighing, he quickly pulled his gaze away from me, irritation evident in his actions. “I’m not in the mood for this right now. My mind is upied,” he said, reaching for his cigarette.


    “All I need is some exnation,” I sniffed, noticing his fists curled into tight balls.


    “Must you all add to my anger this morning?” he snapped, his teeth clenched. “Go to your office,” he added with frustration in his voice.


    Really, office?


    Does this seem like nothing to him? My father is out there hating me because he thinks that I published those stuff online.


    My father hates me! My presence irritates him. And here my so-called husband wants me to go to the office, working for the exactpany that my father was threatened with and being banned from entering?!


    “Office? When my father is out there thinking that I made those announcements online?” I eximed, my voice filled with anger and worry.


    “We will discuss this some other time,” he muttered with a sigh. “This is a working ce and I need to clear my head,” he added, earning a re from my tearful eyes,


    “I need some exnation! I need to clear my head! I can’t just act like nothing happened!” I yelled, anger evident in my voice. “I need my father back,” I pleaded, my voice filled with longing and desperation.


    “The same man that handed you over to the enemy,” he snarled, mocking, but I instantly shot him a warning re. “He is still my father… I love him,” I choked, my throat burning, tears streaming down my cheeks.


    Damien gave me a long look, my words taking him by surprise. Composing himself, he let out a dry chuckle. “Sometimes I do wonder if this family of yours loves you the same way,” he said, his tone filled with doubt.


    “Get my family off your lips! You know nothing about them,” Ished out, surprising both him and myself. Sniffing, I coughed slightly to ease the tension in the room. “All I need is an exnation of what happened here, why the threats? And who made those announcements? Why is that too hard for you?” I quietly pleaded. But instead of responding, he shot me a cold nce, intensifying the silence in the room.


    “Go to your office,” he instantly dismissed me with a wave. “Michael will bring you some documents, go through them, and make some corrections.”


    “Damien,” I shake my head in disbelief.


    “That’s all… Leave,” he turned to face hisputer, totally ignoring my presence and, of course, my questions. It was frustrating to be brushed off like that.


    I am his wife, right? Even if he doesn’t acknowledge me,st night and this morning say a lot.


    He should stop treating me like trash like I’m worth nothing.


    This is my image and the rtionship with someone I value so much that is being dragged through the mud.


    What if I tell my father the truth? Will he believe me when I have no solid evidence on who published those? I don’t think so.


    Using the back of my palm, I wiped my tears as I stared at the man I called my husband, tapping away on his keyboard. Swallowing hard, I turned to leave when suddenly my gaze fell on the car keys on top of his desk.


    I stared at it for a long time… I think I need to clear my head. Without much thinking, I quickly grabbed the keys, drawing Damien’s attention.


    “Ashley what the fuck…..


    He had barely finished speaking when I immediately rushed out of the office and down to the parking spot. My eyes were red, clearly showing that I had been crying. I could hear murmurs from the other staff as I made my way down from the top floor of the building to the exit.


    Reaching the parking spot, I sniffed hard, taking in a deep breath. Thank goodness, I spotted his car immediately.


    Hopping in, I ignited the engine and drove out of the premises. I know my head will be blown off once I return, but right now I don’t care.


    I need to clear my head and think of what to do next. How to get my rtionship with my father back?


    As I drove aimlessly with no destination in mind, my phone started buzzing on the cup holder. My eyelids grew weaker as tears involuntarily streamed down my face. My heart shattered with each passing minute, yet I couldn’t find the strength to pick up the phone.


    The phone kept ringing and with a sigh, I continued driving and stretched my hand to pick up the phone from the cup holder. Without bothering to check the caller ID, I pressed the phone against my ear with my free hand.


    “Yes,” I weakly muttered, but the voice I heard from the other end quickly made me m my foot on the brake immediately.


    “Mason,” I stammered, unsure of the voice I heard on the other end.


    “Starting to Prestige Medical Center,” he sounded urgent.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Hmmm…..


    Wait, Prestige Medical Center… isn’t that his hospital? I questioned, puzzled as to why I should go there.


    It was as if he read my mind because his next words hit me like a punch, the blood draining from my face. “Your father had a heart attack,”