But there was something in his tone—part teasing, part intrigued—that kept me from giving up. I approached him again. And again. I kept trying, refusing to let the opportunity slip away. Eventually, he relented.
The interview turned into conversations. Conversations became coffee. Coffee turned into late-night dinners. Before I knew it, laughter became familiar, and his presence became something I looked forward to every day.
Somewhere along the way, admiration turned into something deeper.
I fell in love with him.
So when he asked me to be with him, it felt unreal—like something out of a dream. Me, a girl from a small, forgotten town, someone who had spent her life hiding the truth about her family… loved by a man like Damien Caldwell.
But not everyone welcomed me.
Regina Caldwell—Damien’s mother—never hid her disapproval. She made it clear from the beginning.
“You don’t belong with him,” she told me once, her voice polite but edged with contempt. “This world isn’t meant for someone like you.”
She even offered me money to walk away. A generous amount—enough to change my life. But I refused. I couldn’t let her take him away from me.
So I made the worst decision of my life.
I lied.