CHAPTER 7. Black Sheep of the family

"Ahh!!"

Gerald's screams echoed through the private room and the hallways as he placed the knife against his manhood and sliced through it.

His father could only watch with pity and shake his head.

He knew that his son's arrogance and selfishness would cost him something precious someday. 

"No!!"

He screamed again as he watched himself bleed.

Damien kept a blank, cold expression as he watched the gruesome sight.

He had seen worse, so he was not moved by Gerald's screams or pleas as he writhed in pain, cutting his manhood into bits.

Gerald could not be more regretful.

He wished he had never known Elena or had anything to do with her.

His brain shut down when the pain became unbearable, and he passed out from the pain.

"Clean up, Carlos, and make sure things are taken care of," Damien's stern voice ordered, and Carlos nodded.

"Yes, great general,"

He walked out of the room to his car, emotionless.

The rage in his heart seemed to melt away by the sight of Elena, who sat clueless in his car.

Her eyes widened as she watched him get into the car beside her, and her body still shook as she recalled the incident earlier.

She was afraid to face him as she thought of what her parents had done to him.

She opened her mouth to explain what had happened to Damien, but he placed his hands over her hands.

"It's okay," he said calmly.

"I-I'm s-sorry for how you were t-treated. It was my parents' plan. I didn't want any of it. I tried to stop them, but they locked me away. I'm so s-sorry"

His face barely hinted his expression but never squeezed her hands tenderly.

"It's okay. Everything is okay. I'm here now, "

She was surprised. 

"Thank you," she managed to mutter, and he smiled warmly at her.

Memories of their past relationship began to come back to her, making her emotional.

"How did you survive? I heard the hitman tell my parents that you were dead. How did you not die?'

He pressed his lip into a grim line as he recalled the incident.

"Someone saved me,"

Elena's eyes watered. She was grateful to the person who had rescued him. She pulled him into a surprising hug and pulled away.

Suddenly, her smile dropped.

"You never came back for me," she accused sadly. "What were you doing that you could not check up on me at least once or twice?"

Damien looked guilty. 

"I suffered a lot. Lily had moments of relapses because of her condition, and I did not have money to get her treatment on time. That is why it got this bad. We suffered so much "

Damien caressed her hair softly.

"I'm sorry, Lena. I'm here now. No one will bully you," he assured.

Damien concealed the information about him being the great general and his having so much wealth that could serve their generations and even fill the sea.

Elena did not know his true status. She felt he was still the man from the past years. 

She admitted that he had changed physically. He now had a strange aura of authority, and something about his composure was so powerful.

Peharps, he has been working out!

She wondered.

Suddenly, her phone beeped with a message, causing her to snap out of her thoughts.

'Tanya is getting engaged in a few weeks' time. We hope to see you at the family house to celebrate with us'

Her aunt had sent the message, and Elena could by all means sense the hint of mockery.

Bitterness and suffocation built in her heart as she read the message.

She could not believe that they had the gut to send her a message of her cousin's wedding when they had not cared about anything that had to do with her for the past years, especially when her parents' company had gone bankrupt.

Damien could sense the change in her composture as she looked at her phone, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Is everything alright?", he asked softly.

Angry tears rolled down her cheeks.

"No! How dare they invite me for Tanya's wedding. They didn't even care about my existence, but now they want to rub my cousin's wedding in my face."

"It will be fine, Elena. What do you plan to do now?"

She shook her head emphatically.

Everything will not be fine. She could not endure their taunting words and their mocking looks whenever they saw her. 

She wished to never see them again!

"I won't attend. I won't!

Damien traced his finger on her arms, calming her down.

"I think you should go,"

"No! I don't want to to"

"I'll come with you," he added, and she grew silent.

She sighed.

Having him there would make her feel comfortable and secured so she made up her mind since she would not be alone.

"Alright. I'll go if you will be going with me"

****

They both speed-walked into the hospital on their arrival to meet the specialists, still making research for the most possible solution for Lily's case.

Elena was surprised to see them there.

"We have sent out a notification in search for anyone with a similar bone marrow as Lily's, but it's proving quite difficult. Lily has a unique bone marrow," the head of the specialists stated.

"It's rare for people to find a match of bone marrow normally, but then with Lily's being a unique type, it is even harder."

Elena's eyes watered.

"We will keep trying, though. We won't fail", they assured Damien whose eyes were hard as he listened to them.

"Damien, our baby", she sobbed, but he held her hands passionately.

"She will be fine", he replied assuredly.

Elena was in tears, and she and Damien rushed into her ward.

Lily was awake, and she managed to smile faintly at them from under the numerous tubes attached to her.

Elena's heart broke at how pale and weak her daughter looked.

"Mummy, daddy," she exclaimed happily.

"Baby," Elena cried, placing a kiss on her forehead while Damien took her small hands in his softly.

"How are you'd feeling, baby?", she asked Lily who tried to smile and put up a strong facial expression.

"Lily is fine mummy", she replied slowly.

Damien felt a tug at his heart as he watched them talk. His family.

"Daddy?", she called, her hands slowly reaching out to him, and he took her frail and small hands in his.

Daddy, when are you and mummy going to get married?", she asked suddenly.

Elena choked on her saliva and coughed. They exchanged a quick glance in shock. They were certainly not expecting that question.

"Lily?"

She smiled at them painfully.

"Please get married, mummy and daddy. I want you to get married. I want to have my mummy and daddy at home when I return from school"

Elena and Damien had no response for her.

****

The day of the engagement.

"You look so beautiful," Tanya's mum gushed as her daughter walked out to the view of everyone.

"You're really the most beautiful woman in the room," her uncle stated, and she gave a bashful smile.

She received a lot of admiration and enjoyed basking into the moment.

She walked towards her husband when suddenly, a gasp escaped from the lips of other family members.

She turned to the door to see Elena walking into the hall.

Their faces turned red as they watched her walking.

"What is she doing here?"

"What the hell?"

"The black sheep of the family"

If their faces were horrible before, it turned darker and worse when they saw who walked in behind her.

It was Damien.

Elena's parents' faces turned red, like they were going to explode!

Damien was alive?!