Chapter 118: Chapter 118

“I’ll leave you two lovebirds since I’m the only one here. Goodnight, Maddie, and thanks for Dinner.”

Looking up at Alvarez with a broad smile, Madison replied, “Goodnight, Alvarez. Have a nice rest.”

“Sure.” He responded, and shaking hands with Damien too while she watched, he bade his goodbyes and then left the dining room.

Soon it was just her and Damien at the table, and drinking a huge gulp of wine, Madison turned to face him, a smile still plastered atop her lips. She caught him staring at her as usual, his fork in his mouth, as he chewed the steak on his plate.

His eyes were filled with something warm, something that made her heart flutter inside her ribcage, and she blushed furiously at his blatant stare. He swallowed whatever food had remained on his plate before he leaned back in his chair, and sipping from his beer, he just dropped his cutlery and continued to stare at her.

Trying to diffuse the tension between them, she asked with a chuckle, “What’s on your mind, Damien?”

At first, it looked like he wasn’t going to say anything, but finally, he gave a soft chuckle, his gaze still fixated on her, before answering, “What do you mean?”

His words sounded slurred, and Madison knew that it was because of the beer he’d been drinking ever since.

A frown tugged onto Madison’s lips, but not because of what he’d asked. She couldn’t figure out why he would be so drunk or even request beer with his meal.

They’d had dinner with his family and Alvarez, for goodness sake, and even when he’d asked for the alcoholic drink, she’d tried to object to giving him his request, but he’d maintained his stance. She’d had no other option but to give him the beer bottle, and now she was sorely regretting that decision.

Coughing slightly and wiping her lips with the napkin, Madison took another small sip from her wine glass before setting it down and crossing her arms over the top of the table.

“Damien, I know there’s an internal conflict in your mind. You know I can read you, right? And now, I know that something is bothering you. Is there something on your mind? Talk to me. I’ll listen.” She repeated herself, more gently this time, but her tone serious.

Her brown eyes studied his blue ones, watching how his tongue darted out to wet his lips every few seconds before returning to his plate again.

Madison knew what this could be, but she kept mute, wanting him to say something first. Finally, he spoke, quiet and hoarse, “I’ve been thinking about the case with Katherine.”

“And?” Madison asked sharply, her intuition correct, and she gritted her jaw at the same time.

Ever since Mr Paul and Mr Rudiger left the mansion today, she’d noticed a significant change in Damien.

Coupled with the fact that Katherine was still looking at a much lighter sentence due to her sickness, she knew that Damien wasn’t happy about that, likewise herself.

But then… Katherine was sick. Brain Cancer and a tumor was eating her out.

Lord knows what the young lady was going through. Even though Madison harbored a deep hatred for her, there was still this nagging feeling that whatever Katherine was going through was karma and added payback for everything she’d done.

“I… I don’t know, but I just can’t let go with not pressing heavy charges. Mr Paul still tried to advice me into not pressing, do you know?”

“Huh? The conversation between you both, didn’t it end when he left the mansion?”

“No! He called later on. He even said Mr Scott is offering money too. He doesn’t want her not to serve her prison punishment. He just wants the sentence to be reduced. Talks about how he wants to spend some time with his daughter and…” Damien broke off, a hiss escaping his lips, and Madison just stretched her hand towards his squeezing gently.

“Damien…” She called out, and he looked at her with confused eyes, “You won’t take Mr Paul’s advice, right? You don’t want to do such a thing. You don’t want to let her off easily, right?”

“No! I want to make her pay! Hell, I want her to rot in jail for doing those things to you! I don’t want the money they’re offering. It’s useless to me. I want…”

“Damien…” Madison called out, cutting his angry outburst and continued, “I know how you feel and how terrible of a person she was, but ever since I heard the news about her illness, I’ve been thinking too, you know. If she truly has cancer like the claims, I think she’s already suffering much more. You know she might not survive it, and her days are numbered. What good will doing any of this do? If you press heavy charges and deprive her of spending her last days with her family, then what good is it? I also want her to suffer and pay for all she did to us, but then she can have a second chance. You nearly died, but you didn’t. You got a second chance too.”

Sighing loudly, Damien slumped back against his seat, his elbows coming to rest on the table and his hands hanging loosely between them, he just looked at her tiredly.

After several moments of silence, she finally spoke up again, her question still lingering in the air, “I know you want justice. I wish there were somehow else we could take care of this, but….” Madison trailed off, unable to find the words to describe what they both felt deep down.

“I just don’t care, Maddie, and it baffles me. It’s like we’re just saying two opposite things, you know. I thirst for revenge, but you want us to forgive her? I mean, after all, she did to you? Wow, Madison.”

“I just…” Madison started to say, but Damien interrupted yet again.

“This thirst for vengeance keeps radiating off me in waves. I want to ensure everyone knows what happens to people who hurt those we love. How dare she try to get away with things like that, and especially how dare she put innocent people in harm's way? She deserves worse, and as I told you, I won’t stop till I get to the root of this. I will…” Damien stopped, his breath catching in his throat.

Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, Madison reached across the table and grasped hold of his hands once more. Her thumbs rubbed circles around his knuckles softly.

After inhaling shakily, Damien spoke again, voice raw, thick, and laced with sorrow, “How… How can I sleep tonight knowing that Katherine might get away with this? How am I supposed to stop myself from punishing her? I… She did things to you, Maddie. She almost killed me, you! What if she’d done that? What if you had died? What if I’d arrived at that beach later on?”

“But you did arrive on time. I’m alive and well, and so are you. We’re both healing from our bruises, and we’ll be fine. I wanted her to get punished too, but I’ve been thinking Damien, and honestly, I just want to let go of everything already. Let go of her, forget all about her existence and focus on us. It isn’t fair that we don’t get to decide her punishment, but then it’s for the best.”

“It baffles me that I even had anything to do with her. To think that I even made her humiliate you and… Fuck!”

Madison squeezed his hands tighter as tears began to form in her eyes, “It’s okay, Damien. I’m trying to forget about all those uncouth memories, and you should too. I mean, we’re healing and getting better. This is like a dream come true. There is no point in bringing her to justice when she’s already suffering. The guilt will eat at her every day, and she will suffer at the cold hands of death. That’s okay now, or don’t you think?”

“Oh Maddie… I…”

“Let’s not dwell on her anymore, okay.”

“It’s not easy, Maddie… I… I..” Damien muttered as he pulled his hand free from hers. Cupping her face in his hands, he brought her close.

A watery smile curved his lips as he leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers briefly and pulling away quickly afterwards.

“Okay.”

“Are you sure?” Madison asked, her eyes staring intently into his, and he just nodded.

Pulling himself to the edge of his seat, Damien slowly rose from the chair and, squeezing her palms one final time; he then turned to exit the room.

Leaving a confused and very touched Madison sitting alone at the table, she stared at his retreating figure, a whimper escaping her lips.

A tear rolled down her cheeks as she pondered on the heavy sacrifice she’d just made. Deciding to forgive Katherine was hard, but it was for the best.

She was tired of holding grudges, and she just wanted to let go.

She wanted to be free!