“I love you too, so very much.”
He strokes my cheek with his thumb; his eyes welling up. “Why are you saying goodbye, then?” Oh, my angry, stubborn and lost man, only you can break and mend my heart like this . . . Haven’t I prepared him for our final goodbye from the moment I heard of my heart failure? I guess not good enough for either of us.
“Because goodbye is all there is left to say.”
He sighs. I sigh. I conclude we are too good at it.
“How many more goodbyes, Bria? We’ve said them over these seven years with words, and we said them with our actions. Shall we say them once more? Which one will it be this time? Say it with your heart, and I’ll find it in me to accept it. Say it and mean it, and only then will I let you go, even if it is for good this time if this is what you want, baby.”
Defeat surfaces from the deepest corners of my troubled soul. “You’re asking for the impossible. My heart can never say goodbye to you because I gave it to you a long time ago and never took nor wanted it back. No goodbye could ever silence the love I have for you, Damien. We can never say goodbye to each other because our hearts will never be in it.”
He takes in the sight of me, his jaw set in a hard line. “I understand if you need some time and space, and what I propose now is the final and only compromise I will make because I love you, live and die for you. If I have to bleed a little more because of your absence, so be it. I will endure it, but only if I know you’ll come back to me.”
I raise my hands in the air at his unflinching posture. “We are not negotiating here. Do you think this is a business deal you have to seal?”
“This is more. It’s the deal of our lives. I’ll let you go.” My relief is short-lived when he adds, “But if news of a plane crash supposedly involving you comes to my ears, I will tell everyone the truth, consequences be damned. I will rip apart your legacy piece by piece. Maybe I will sell our company. The possibilities are endless.”
Shock and horror flood me, and my voice cracks. “You wouldn’t dare! You wouldn’t do either of those things.”
“Test me and see what happens,” he challenges in an icy voice. “If I have nothing worth living for, what do I have to lose? The answer is nothing. Or you can choose my other offer. Hear the second one out before you decide.”
I wrap my hands around myself with his next words.
“I’ll give you three months, and during this time, I expect you to get the surgery done, do whatever is necessary to get better. Then come home to me, where you belong. If you are not here on the sixth of August, I will call a board meeting to resign and put the first plan in motion. No one will stand against me. I swear it.”
Fury bubbles up inside me at how committed he is, hating his cold shrewdness. “How dare you!” I cry out. “You threaten me without any options I would choose on my own.”
“But I fucking did. I’ve given you options.”
He has the audacity to appear surprised at my reaction.
“No, you self-centered asshole. You took the decision away from me! Either way, it is you who gains in the end.”
“I will win only if I have you back, Bria. Anything else is meaningless. Don’t you see, I can’t live without you? This stupid heart beats only for you.” He slams his palm on his heart to emphasize his words. “And I want you to live. I am fucking desperate, so don’t come on as the only one angry between us. If you are furious, then I am livid!” The vibe he emanates is clear with his fierce groan, flaring nostrils, and a fine line of sweat covering his forehead.
“I hate both of the options I gave you too because letting you leave this hotel room means I am powerless, and it makes me go berserk. I thrive on control, but I give it all to you to make you understand how deep my love runs for you. There is nothing I wouldn’t sacrifice to have you back. I trust you with my life. Please let me trust you with your life too.”
By the end of his speech, he shivers, and I purse my lips. Wouldn’t I have done the same in his place? I put a pair of heels on and pick up my suitcase.
“Nothing to say? Fine, have it your way. I will find out soon enough what you choose anyway.”
I tiptoe to him, half rise on my toes, and peck kisses on his clenched jaw and tied up lips. I inhale his unmistakable scent and close my eyes to memorize this moment when I hand him my heart once again. He returns neither my kiss nor my embrace. So damn stubborn!
“Please, Damien . . .” My voice breaks with a need I can’t decipher but hope he will.
He dips his head and whisper-threatens, making my blood rush to my heart. “When you come back because I can’t fucking imagine it any other way, I’ll make you mine in every way known to mankind. Prepare yourself. But if you don’t . . . I’ll haunt you through time and space.”
I unpeel myself from him, and when I reach the door, he adds, “Bria, this is not over, do you hear me? We’ll never be over as long as we both breathe. I trust you to bring my life back.”
BRIA
I shut the door behind me and force my legs to move as I confess to the silent floor, “I love you with all of me, Damien, but it is too late for us.”
His words still echo in my head. But is it too late?
Can I still be healed?
I know the answer, and I shake off my wayward thoughts. As I step into the elevator, my heart sinks all over again. I rest my head on my stretched arm. Here I am, leaving the love of my life, the only man I have ever loved, behind in a hotel room—the resemblance to what happened seven years ago uncanny. I should steer clear of hotel rooms from now on, I think, trying to elevate my bleak mood.
The middle-aged driver in a black suit and white shirt greets and informs me Mr. Hope awaits me. He pulls the door of the black car open and carries my luggage to the back of the car. Before I climb in, I make the mistake of looking up at the hotel windows for the room I shared with Damien last night.
He stares at me, his deep eyes piercing my soul. For a moment, his gaze traps me. We understand each other without words and have a whole conversation like this. I say he is absurd to demand the impossible of me, and he retorts it is my choice, “I let you have your way, aren’t you happy I am so selfless?” We are in a staring contest that breaks when I read his posture—Bring my heart back, Bria.
A clearing throat shifts my attention from Damien to the driver gesturing for me to climb in. I take another glance, and the plea in his eyes is unmistakable, a plea to come back to him.
I pull my hair into a loose bun, slide a pair of black sunglasses over my nose and climb into the back as the engine purrs to life. On the drive to the airport, my heart keeps fighting with my brain, a never-ending battle between love and reason. It tires me out.
Already, I miss him. I don’t know what to do anymore, what is right anymore. My thoughts tug at me, even when we reach our destination. To my utter surprise, Quinn stands between two private jets. I approach him, and he pulls me into a bear hug.
“Why are you waiting outside?”
“Because this is my final attempt to save you.”
I groan. It seems the men in my life are this thick-headed.
“Let me guess. You’ll give me two options, right?” My hands cross in front of me, and irony drips from my tongue with every syllable.
“That boy of yours earned a scrap of my respect.”
My mouth drops open. “How? What are you talking about?”
“Bria, live as long as I have, and you may develop insights on things outside yourself. He didn’t disappoint this time, although I would have preferred he stopped you from leaving. I guess he is powerless when it comes to you too. Now indulge me and let me hear about the deal he made with you.”
“You mean the threat.”
I tap my lower lip with my finger as he smiles. “I like his way of handling things. I should consider doing business with such a skilled young man.”
“Don’t take his side, Dad. It’s not right, so we’re clear.” I put my hand on my heart in a faux offense, a
nd his smile widens.
“But back to our unfinished business, sweetie. Two jets are prepared to take off. The one on the left will take you to the remote island in the Pacific, where you can spend the time you have left to live the way you planned. The one on the right will take us both to Tokyo.”
“Wait. What?”
This is new information, and my head spins. What the hell happened in only a few hours because my world spirals out of my control?
“Always so impatient, Bria! I was getting there. You didn’t think I would stand around with crossed arms and wait for your final day now, did you? What did I teach you? You don’t give up the goal because obstacles arise. You develop another strategy. For every plan A that fails, there is a plan B you have to concoct. I have been searching for a cardiologist who could perform the surgery you need to keep you alive. I found him, and he assured me he could fix the damage, in theory, and if no complications arise.”
I am dumbfounded, and my head snaps to him. “But how? Plus, the risks . . .”
“I gave him all the information he asked for, your files and ECGs, even a sample of your cells. Everything from the beginning until now, and he seemed excited about the prospect. Sweetie, there is always a risk, but he developed a new technique with survivable chances. This is what we have waited for.” My heart whispers in my chest, Let’s do this. We’ve got nothing more to lose anyway. All these years I have spent without hope and now this . . . His familiar warm voice pulls me back to here and now.
“You’re my daughter. Maybe not blood-related, but it is the same to me. I ask for your trust. We’re a team, remember? We fight for each other when we don’t have the power to fight for ourselves anymore.” He squeezes my shoulder. “Choose to fight.”
Here I am, split between two roads and considering the biggest decision of my life so far. Each possibility is life-altering, and I’m scared out of my mind. I stare from one jet to the other, torn equally between past and future, my mind and my heart, and always Damien.
“Time to choose, Bria. Island or Tokyo?”
in
Healing Love: Forever Us Book 2
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Endless Love: Forever Us Book 3
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I would like to start by thanking my family for their support and unconditional love.
To my other half – you lift me up, every hour of every day. Thank you for being there for me, loving me, giving my soulmate a face and two arms in which I feel at home. I would not be the woman I am today without you at my side. I love you, deeply, madly, and my heart is yours. I treasure our love and getting older with you is a privilege. I will be eternally grateful for—with no false modesty—you are the best man I could have ever wished for.
To my dad – thank you for being the best dad possible. You gave me wings to fly, empowered me to go and chase after whatever I wished for with resolve and courage, and offered me the strength to feel there’s nothing I couldn’t achieve if I wanted it. Thank you for raising both a warrior and dreamer, and for believing in me. I love you.
To my mom and best friend – thank you, my beautiful, crazy, and brilliant mom for being you. There is no one with whom I laugh louder and more full-hearted than with you. I love our talks and how passionate you are about your mother-friend role. It is a blessing to be your daughter, and I love every minute of it. I love you tremendously.
To my brother – you are a part of me, and I could never imagine life without you. I love you. I am glad you grew up before you gave me a heart attack. I could never say growing up with you gave me a dull moment. Thank you for making me an aunt and giving me another piece of you to love!
To my future readers – please believe me when I say, I will be grateful for every single one of you, and with every new reader, my heart will expand.
To Linda from Foreword PR & Marketing, your guidance and your help mean everything to me. Thank you for accompanying me on my author journey. You are the best!
To Missy Borucki, thank you! You helped me out with my books when I needed the most. I wouldn’t want to miss having you on my writing journey. You are not only a wonderful person, but also a wonderful editor I am truly fortunate to have met. you.
To Laura from Spellbinding Design – thank you for the beautiful cover. I love it, can’t wait to brainstorm for all the other covers as well.
To me, for the courage to pursue my writing dream and publish my first story. It has been both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. Still, there is nothing I would love to do more than writing and sharing my stories with you.
I hope this list will grow with every new release.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
With love and gratefulness,
Bianca Borell
Beautiful reader,
I wish to express my gratitude to you for purchasing and reading Shattered Love, the first book in the Forever Us trilogy. I hope you found at least a phrase, a dialogue, a scene, or a chapter memorable enough to say this story was worth the read.
It humbles me to know you gave it a chance. From now on, we share something more than a love for books.
The story of Bria and Damien continues in Healing Love.
Live a life of love, starting with yourself.
Yours sincerely,
Bianca Borell
One who has always been in love with the magic words can create on a blank sheet.
P.S. If you’ve liked this book, please tell a friend and maybe even share your thoughts about Shattered Love online. I’d love it if you’d write a quick review on the vendor page from where you purchased it.
Thank you for your support.
Bianca Borell is an emerging romance author, equity advocate, and student of life on a mission to awaken emotions in the hearts of her readers through the power of the written word. From an early age, she had a deep affinity for words which quickly became her life’s purpose. Her debut novel is a contemporary romance entitled Shattered Love, which is Book 1 in the Forever Us series.
While she currently resides in Germany, Bianca considers herself to be a citizen of the world. When she doesn’t have a pen or book in hand, she’s an avid adventurer with an unquenchable wanderlust.
To find out more about Bianca Borell, both personally and creatively, feel free to visit her official website at www.biancaborell.com.
Shattered Love : A Billionaire Romance (Forever Us Book 1) Page 23