My Peace Beyond His Regret

My Peace Beyond His Regret

Samuel Gray

5.0
Comment(s)
2.2K
View
10
Chapters

My boyfriend, Damien, chose a Vegas trip with his toxic best friend, Branden, over our relationship, ignoring my ultimatum that if he walked out, we were over. He walked. A week later, he was back, dangling a designer handbag as a peace offering. But while he was partying, I was in the ER with a severe, stress-induced anxiety attack. The final blow came when I saw Damien had 'liked' Branden' s social media post mocking my pain. He stood outside my apartment, laughing with Branden, calling me "dramatic" and "clingy," completely unaware I had already packed his entire life into boxes. "What... what is all this, Cecil?" he stammered, his face turning from shock to rage as he saw his belongings ready for the movers. "What have you done?" I looked him dead in the eye, my voice cold and steady. "We're over, Damien. So, are these boxes going to your place, or to Branden's?"

Chapter 1

My boyfriend, Damien, chose a Vegas trip with his toxic best friend, Branden, over our relationship, ignoring my ultimatum that if he walked out, we were over. He walked.

A week later, he was back, dangling a designer handbag as a peace offering. But while he was partying, I was in the ER with a severe, stress-induced anxiety attack.

The final blow came when I saw Damien had 'liked' Branden' s social media post mocking my pain.

He stood outside my apartment, laughing with Branden, calling me "dramatic" and "clingy," completely unaware I had already packed his entire life into boxes.

"What... what is all this, Cecil?" he stammered, his face turning from shock to rage as he saw his belongings ready for the movers. "What have you done?"

I looked him dead in the eye, my voice cold and steady. "We're over, Damien. So, are these boxes going to your place, or to Branden's?"

Chapter 1

My phone buzzed on the counter, a sound that used to bring a flutter to my chest. Now, it just felt like a dull thud against my eardrums. It was him, of course. Damien. Barely a week since he chose a Vegas trip with Branden over our relationship. Barely a week since I told him, if he walked out that door, we were over. He walked.

The message was simple, almost dismissive.

Damien: Hey, I' m back. Guess who' s got a surprise for you?

A surprise. I scoffed, a dry, humorless sound that scraped in my throat. He always thought he could fix things with a trinket, a grand gesture that cost money but not effort.

Another message popped up, an image this time. It was a picture of a sleek, black designer handbag, the exact one I' d admired in a shop window months ago. I remember pointing it out to him, hinting at it for my birthday, which he promptly forgot. He' d just laughed then, said it was too expensive. Now, it was his peace offering. A bribe.

My phone rang, a video call. I let it ring. He tried again. And again. Finally, a voicemail notification. I tapped it open, bracing myself for the inevitable.

"Cecil? Pick up the damn phone," Damien' s voice boomed, already laced with irritation. He sounded tired, maybe hungover, but definitely annoyed. "Where are you? I' ve been calling. Are you still being dramatic about that stupid trip?"

He sighed dramatically, a sound I knew too well. It was his way of implying I was the unreasonable one, the burden.

"Look, I got you something special," he continued, his voice shifting, trying for an affectionate tone that felt completely hollow. "That bag you wanted. The expensive one. See? I think about you. I' m waiting outside. Branden' s with me, we just landed. He' s going to drop me off. We were thinking of grabbing some food after I see you."

His voice cut out abruptly, followed by the click of the disconnect. He hadn't even bothered to properly end the message. Just hung up when he was done talking. Just like always.

I looked around the living room. Everything was neatly stacked: his collection of vintage vinyl, his oversized gaming chair, the stack of books he never read. All packed in boxes, labeled meticulously. My hands had moved with a methodical, almost surgical precision as I' d sorted through our shared life. Each item a tiny memory, now just an object to be relocated.

A strange calm settled over me. It wasn' t happiness, not exactly. It was more like the quiet after a storm, when the damage is done but the air feels clear, breathable again. I clicked back to his image, the designer bag. I took a screenshot.

Then, I opened my messaging app, found his contact, and sent him the screenshot. Below it, I typed a single, direct question.

Cecil: Do you really think this is what it takes?

I waited. No immediate reply. Of course not. He was probably still outside, expecting me to rush down, tearfully grateful for his grand gesture.

Cecil: Damien, we' re over. I sent it. Just for good measure.

Still nothing. Good. Let him stew. I walked over to the stack of boxes, pulling out a roll of packing tape. There were still a few things in the bedroom. I needed to finish before the movers arrived tomorrow.

The last sliver of sunlight dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of bruised purple and orange. The soft glow of the apartment lights flickered on, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air. The silence was profound, only broken by the rhythmic tearing of tape.

Then, I heard it. A car door slamming. Laughter, loud and boisterous, floating up from the street below. Two familiar voices. One, deep and resonant – Damien. The other, sharp and grating – Branden. It wasn' t a gentle drop-off. It was a celebratory arrival.

"Dude, you actually got her that bag?" Branden' s voice carried clearly, laced with a familiar mockery. "She' s going to melt. You always know how to reel her back in, don' t you?"

I heard Damien chuckle, a sound that used to warm me but now just grated. "She' ll be fine. Just a little dramatic. She gets like that. Needs a little attention."

I peeked through the blinds. They were standing by the curb, Branden slinging an arm around Damien' s shoulder, pulling him into a side-hug. Damien leaned into it, his head tilted back in laughter. They looked like two frat boys who' d just escaped a boring lecture.

"Just don' t let her go all clingy on you again, man," Branden said, his voice dropping conspiratorially, but still loud enough to echo. "You know how she gets. Always trying to control your life. We had a killer time, didn' t we?"

Damien pulled away, shaking his head. He gave Branden a playful shove. "Hey, she' s not that bad. Just needs to learn to relax. You know, give me some space." He winked at Branden.

They were doing that thing again, that casual, intimate banter, leaning into each other, almost touching. They were practically flirting. It was a familiar dance, one I' d watched countless times, always with a knot of dread tightening in my stomach. In the past, I would have shrunk back, stung, wondering what was wrong with me that I couldn't command that kind of easy affection from Damien. I would have tried harder to be "less clingy," to give him "more space."

But not tonight. Tonight was different.

A small, almost imperceptible sound escaped my lips-a tiny cough, a clearing of my throat. It was enough.

"Damien?" I called out, my voice steady, cutting through their easy laughter. "Did you get my messages?"

They froze. Their heads whipped up, eyes scanning the windows of our apartment. They hadn't even realized I was home, much less watching them.

Damien' s smile faltered, replaced by a look of bewildered surprise. Then, his eyes landed on the neatly stacked boxes by the living room window. His jaw dropped. His face, usually so expressive, went completely blank, then slowly flushed an angry red.

He pointed a shaky finger at the boxes. "What... what is all this, Cecil?" His voice was a harsh whisper, filled with disbelief. "What have you done?"

He pushed past Branden, practically ran to the apartment door, fumbling with his keys. I didn' t move from the window. I watched him storm in, his eyes darting around the organized chaos of his packed belongings.

He strode into the kitchen, his gaze sweeping over the sparkling clean countertops, the empty drying rack. "Where' s dinner?" he demanded, his voice rising. "I told you I' d be back tonight."

He yanked open the fridge door. It was almost empty, save for a carton of milk and some leftover takeout from my dinner last night. "Cecil, what the hell is going on?" he practically roared.

"She' s probably just still mad about Vegas, man," Branden said, sauntering in behind Damien, a forced, placating smile on his face. He held up the designer bag like a peace offering. "Look, honey, he bought you the bag! He was just telling me on the way over how much he missed you, how he was planning to make it up to you." Branden turned to Damien, nudging him. "You know, that whole speech you gave me about Cecil being the only one for you, the one you were going to marry? Tell her, man."

I watched their little performance, a grim smile playing on my lips. Branden, always the puppet master, always pulling Damien' s strings. Damien, always so easily manipulated, always needing someone to validate his actions. It was pathetic. It was a farce. And once, I' d been caught in the middle of it.

I dropped the roll of packing tape onto the floor with a sharp clatter. The sound cut through the tense silence.

"We' re over, Damien," I stated again, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. I walked towards them, stopping just a few feet away. My gaze flickered from Damien' s stunned face to Branden' s smug one. "There' s no 'making it up to me.' There' s no 'reeling me back in.' " I punctuated my words with a slow, deliberate wave of my hand, encompassing the boxes, the empty fridge, the emotional void between us. "And there' s certainly no 'marriage.' "

I looked at Damien, my eyes holding his. "So, these boxes," I said, gesturing towards his packed life. "Are you sending them to your place, or to Branden' s?"

Continue Reading

Other books by Samuel Gray

More

You'll also like

HIS DOE, HIS DAMNATION(An Erotic Billionaire Romance)

HIS DOE, HIS DAMNATION(An Erotic Billionaire Romance)

Viviene
4.9

Trigger/Content Warning: This story contains mature themes and explicit content intended for adult audiences(18+). Reader discretion is advised. It includes elements such as BDSM dynamics, explicit sexual content, toxic family relationships, occasional violence and strong language. This is not a fluffy romance. It is intense, raw and messy, and explores the darker side of desire. ***** "Take off your dress, Meadow." "Why?" "Because your ex is watching," he said, leaning back into his seat. "And I want him to see what he lost." ••••*••••*••••* Meadow Russell was supposed to get married to the love of her life in Vegas. Instead, she walked in on her twin sister riding her fiance. One drink at the bar turned to ten. One drunken mistake turned into reality. And one stranger's offer turned into a contract that she signed with shaking hands and a diamond ring. Alaric Ashford is the devil in a tailored Tom Ford suit. Billionaire CEO, brutal, possessive. A man born into an empire of blood and steel. He also suffers from a neurological condition-he can't feel. Not objects, not pain, not even human touch. Until Meadow touches him, and he feels everything. And now he owns her. On paper and in his bed. She wants him to ruin her. Take what no one else could have. He wants control, obedience... revenge. But what starts as a transaction slowly turns into something Meadow never saw coming. Obsession, secrets that were never meant to surface, and a pain from the past that threatens to break everything. Alaric doesn't share what's his. Not his company. Not his wife. And definitely not his vengeance.

Too Late: The Spare Daughter Escapes Him

Too Late: The Spare Daughter Escapes Him

SHANA GRAY
4.3

I died on a Tuesday. It wasn't a quick death. It was slow, cold, and meticulously planned by the man who called himself my father. I was twenty years old. He needed my kidney to save my sister. The spare part for the golden child. I remember the blinding lights of the operating theater, the sterile smell of betrayal, and the phantom pain of a surgeon's scalpel carving into my flesh while my screams echoed unheard. I remember looking through the observation glass and seeing him-my father, Giovanni Vitiello, the Don of the Chicago Outfit-watching me die with the same detached expression he used when signing a death warrant. He chose her. He always chose her. And then, I woke up. Not in heaven. Not in hell. But in my own bed, a year before my scheduled execution. My body was whole, unscarred. The timeline had reset, a glitch in the cruel matrix of my existence, giving me a second chance I never asked for. This time, when my father handed me a one-way ticket to London-an exile disguised as a severance package-I didn't cry. I didn't beg. My heart, once a bleeding wound, was now a block of ice. He didn't know he was talking to a ghost. He didn't know I had already lived through his ultimate betrayal. He also didn't know that six months ago, during the city's brutal territory wars, I was the one who saved his most valuable asset. In a secret safe house, I stitched up the wounds of a blinded soldier, a man whose life hung by a thread. He never saw my face. He only knew my voice, the scent of vanilla, and the steady touch of my hands. He called me Sette. Seven. For the seven stitches I put in his shoulder. That man was Dante Moretti. The Ruthless Capo. The man my sister, Isabella, is now set to marry. She stole my story. She claimed my actions, my voice, my scent. And Dante, the man who could spot a lie from a mile away, believed the beautiful deception because he wanted it to be true. He wanted the golden girl to be his savior, not the invisible sister who was only ever good for her spare parts. So I took the ticket. In my past life, I fought them, and they silenced me on an operating table. This time, I will let them have their perfect, gilded lie. I will go to London. I will disappear. I will let Seraphina Vitiello die on that plane. But I will not be a victim. This time, I will not be the lamb led to slaughter. This time, from the shadows of my exile, I will be the one holding the match. And I will wait, with the patience of the dead, to watch their entire world burn. Because a ghost has nothing to lose, and a queen of ashes has an empire to gain.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book