CHAPTER 76: 76 - MANIPULATE HIM

76

~Belinda’s POV

"Damon... I swear I didn’t know the ring was on the floor," I said quickly, my voice low, almost shaky.

He looked up at me, eyes unreadable for a second. Then he slipped the ring onto my finger and nodded.

"It’s fine, Belinda," he said simply. "You don’t need to explain."

I took a small step forward. "No, please. I really didn’t know. I thought she had taken it and..."

He cut me off gently. "I understand. It’s okay."

The way he said it made it feel like it really was okay. His voice wasn’t angry. It was calm. Soft, even.

"I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions so fast," I said again, hoping he’d see how honest I was being.

He gave me a small smile. It wasn’t a full smile, but it was enough to make my stomach flip.

"Apology accepted," he said. Then, like it didn’t mean anything, he added, "I have to go now. Take care."

And just like that, he turned and left.

The door clicked shut behind him, and I just stood there in silence.

Then slowly, a smile crept onto my face. He wasn’t mad. He accepted my apology. He smiled at me. That had to mean something, right?

I sat on the edge of my bed and let out a deep breath.

"Why aren’t my plans working?" I whispered to myself.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t tried. I did everything I could think of to get closer to the triplets. I wore the best clothes, acted sweet, and made sure I was always around them. I even tried to make Lisa look bad in front of them. Still, they were always distant. I leaned back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Maybe I was going about it the wrong way. Maybe I had to be smarter. Maybe I had to stop trying so hard and let him come to me.

"Why are my plans not working?!" I shouted to no one.

I started pacing the room, then grabbed the nearest thing on my table, a perfume bottle, and threw it against the wall. It shattered instantly, the sharp scent of roses filling the air.

"I did everything right!" I yelled. "I was sweet. I was gentle. I apologized like some saint!"

I swept everything off my dressing table with my arm, makeup, jewelry, a framed photo of me and Damon from some banquet long ago. Everything crashed to the floor.

"I even said sorry!" I screamed, tears of rage burning in my eyes. "Why is he still treating me like I’m nothing?!"

I kicked my chair over and then ripped my pillow off the bed, hitting it against the wall, over and over.

Then I stopped.

Panting hard, I looked around the room, completely trashed. It looked like a hurricane had passed through. Glass was everywhere. Clothes scattered. My heart was pounding in my chest, loud and angry.

I stared at the mess, trembling.

And then suddenly, I started crying.

Big, ugly sobs that came out of nowhere. I sank to the floor, covering my face. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. Damon was supposed to be mine. This was supposed to be easy.

Minutes passed.

Finally, I wiped my face roughly. "Get up," I told myself. "You’re not weak. You’re Belinda, for Goddess’s sake."

I forced myself to stand. I started cleaning. One by one, I picked up the pieces. I wiped the floor, folded my clothes, and fixed my bed. It took almost an hour, but I needed it. I needed something to do. Something to control.

When I was done, I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were puffy, but I forced a smile.

"I’ll go see the triplets," I whispered. "They always make me feel better."

I grabbed my robe and left the room quietly.

The hallway was calm. Sunlight filtered in through the tall windows, casting golden rays along the floor. I took a deep breath.

That’s when I saw him.

Damon.

Walking down the corridor, hands in his pocket, face unreadable. I blinked.

"Damon?" I called out.

He didn’t turn.

"Damon!" I said louder, walking faster.

Still nothing.

I frowned, confused. He was walking straight ahead, towards the east wing. My brows furrowed. That wing didn’t have much... except...

My heart dropped.

No. He wouldn’t.

I started walking faster, keeping a safe distance behind him.

He stopped at one of the doors... Lisa’s door.

I ducked behind a pillar, peeking out.

He knocked once, looked around briefly, and then walked inside.

My mouth fell open.

No. No. No!

I stood frozen for a few seconds, disbelief washing over me like a wave.

Then the anger hit.

I spun on my heel and stormed down the hallway, heading to the west wing. My fists were clenched so tight, my nails dug into my palms.

I found Kael and Rowan standing by the training grounds’ window, talking quietly. They both looked up as I marched toward them.

"Hey, Bel..."

"Do you know where Damon is?" I snapped.

Kael blinked. "Uh... no? Why?"

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "He didn’t say anything to us."

I gave a bitter laugh. "Of course he didn’t."

They exchanged confused glances.

"Well?" I asked again, voice rising. "Are you sure you don’t know where he is?"

"We told you," Kael said slowly, "we haven’t seen him since this morning."

I scoffed, folding my arms tightly. "Really? Then you’ll be shocked to know he’s in lisa’s room."

Their eyes widened instantly.

"What?" Rowan said.

"You’re joking," Kael added, stepping forward.

"I wish I was!" I shouted, pointing toward the corridor. "He just walked right in! Like he belonged there!"

Rowan’s face hardened. "Why would he go there?"

Kael looked equally stunned. "That doesn’t make sense..."

"Oh, but it does!" I said bitterly. "He’s always been soft with her! Always!"

Rowan frowned. "But that’s not like Damon. He wouldn’t..."

"Are you defending him now?!" I cut him off.

"No! I’m just saying it doesn’t add up," Rowan replied, his tone calm.

Kael crossed his arms. "Maybe he’s interrogating her. Damon doesn’t do random visits."

"He smiled at her this morning," I said sharply. "I saw it. That wasn’t an interrogation look."

Rowan looked uncomfortable now. "Maybe she’s trying to manipulate him..."

"Oh, please!" I hissed. "That weak little girl can barely speak without trembling."

They both fell silent.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself from screaming again. "I need to know what he’s doing there."