Chapter 13 Past Demons
Jamal’s laughter echoed as he ran toward Damian, his little legs moving as fast as they could carry him.
“Uncle Damian!” he called out, his voice filled. with joy that made the tension in the air feel momentarily lighter. Damian crouched just in time to catch him, lifting Jamal effortlessly, ruffling his curly hair with a playful smile.
“There’s my Superman!” Damian grinned, holding the boy close. “How was the party, champ?”
Jamal beamed, his excitement bubbling over. “The party was really great, Uncle Damian! I swam and ate lots of candies!” His voice dropped suddenly, his smile fading as he looked down. “But… I made Mommy cry”
Chapter 13 Past Demons
+ 5 Points
Damian’s smile faltered, his brow furrowing with concern as he glanced over at Rachael, who stood a few steps away, her expression guarded. “Why was that, buddy?” he asked gently, his gaze flicking between Jamal and Rachael. He could sense something wasn’t right.
Before Jamal could answer, Rachael stepped in quickly, her voice tight and strained. “Nothing happened, Damian,” she said, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Everything’s fine.” She shot Jamal a look that spoke volumes, silently urging him not to say anything more.
Jamal nodded, catching the silent cue. He wriggled out of Damian’s arms and scampered back to Daniel, eager to avoid the tension between the adults. Damian watched him go, his concern deepening.
Chapter 13 Past Demons.
+5 Points
Something was definitely off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
He turned to Rachael, his protective instincts kicking in. “Rachael, what’s going on? Who’s this guy?” He jerked his chin toward Victor, who stood off to the side, awkwardly shifting his weight as if he didn’t know whether to stay or leave.
Rachael’s eyes flickered toward Victor, her anger barely contained. “This is Victor,‘ she said flatly, her voice edged with bitterness. “Jamal’s biological father.”
Damian’s eyes narrowed as he watched Jamal run back to his friends, the sound of laughter clashing with the tension in the air.
Rachael stood stiff beside him, her body coiled tight with emotions she had buried for years.
2/11
Chapter 13 Past Demons.
+ 5 Points
Damian could feel the heat radiating off her skin, the anger and pain simmering in her. He clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on the man who had caused so much heartache, the man who dared to show his face now, after abandoning them.
Victor stood awkwardly a few feet away, hands jammed in his pockets, shifting nervously under the weight of Damian’s glare.
He had the audacity to act like he belonged there, like he was entitled to some kind of redemption.
Damian’s jaw tightened, and he took a step forward, his movements deliberate, every muscle tensed with barely contained fury.
“So, you’re Victor, Damian said, his voice
Chapter 13 Past Demons
+ 5 Points
dripping with venomous sarcasm as he came closer with a smirk on his face. It wasn’t just a smirk. It was a deadly one. One that said he was going to rip out victor’s head. “The deadbeat who walked out on his family. Thought you’d look taller. But here you are looking like you’re 5’7. And I know your d*ck would be short too. You’re an idiot!”
Victor opened his mouth, he wanted to prove a point as he adjusted his tie coming closer to Damian, as he raised his shoulder. “I don’t have to explain myself to you…. I don’t know why my son is calling you uncle Damian and I don’t know why my wife is calling you babe”
“Your wife” he scoffed as he held his mouth, his jaw tightened. “The nerve of this assh*le* he muttered underneath his breath.
But Damian was already moving. His fist
Chapter 13 Past Demons
+ 5 Points
flew through the air, colliding with Victor’s nose in a sickening crunch that echoed in the silence.
3
Victor staggered back, his eyes wide with shock, blood pouring from his nose and staining his shirt. He stumbled, nearly losing his balance as he tried to process the sudden, brutal assault.
“That’s for hurting the love of my life” Damian snarled, his voice sharp and filled with anger. “For leaving her when she needed you most.”
Victor groaned, clutching his face, his fingers slick with blood. He looked up, eyes blazing with fury, and in a flash, he lunged at Damian, his hand swinging wildly toward him.
But he was too slow, his movements sloppy and desperate. Damian easily sidestepped
Chapter 13 Past Demons
+ 5 Points
the punch, his reflexes sharp, adrenaline heightening his senses.
“Pathetic” Damian sneered, grabbing Victor by the collar and yanking him forward. With a swift, precise motion, he drove his fist deep into Victor’s stomach.
The impact sent Victor doubling over, gasping for air as the wind was knocked out of him. He clutched his abdomen, his face contorted in agony as he collapsed to his knees, retching.
“And that,” Damian growled, towering over Victor’s crumpled form, “is for abandoning Jamal. For being the useless piece of shit you are.”
Victor wheezed, struggling to catch his breath, his eyes watering from the pain. He tried to push himself up, to muster some
Chapter 13 Past Demons
+ 5 Points
semblance of dignity, but Damian’s foot pinned him down, keeping him in place. The sheer force of Damian’s presence made it clear. Victor was no match for the man who stood before him.
“You don’t get to show up here and pretend you care,” Damian said, his voice low but seething with rage. “You forfeited that right the moment you turned your back on your son.”
Victor stared up at him, a mix of anger, shame, and something that almost looked like fear in his bloodshot eyes. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a strangled groan.
Damian let go of his collar, shoving him backward with disdain. Victor landed on his back, staring at the sky, his chest heaving as he tried to piece together what little pride he
Chapter 13 Past Demons
+ 5 Points
had left.
Rachael stepped forward, her eyes glistening but resolute. She placed a gentle hand on Damian’s arm, her touch soft yet firm. “Damian, that’s enough,” she said, her voice tight but steady. She wasn’t pleading for Victor’s sake.
She was anchoring Damian, pulling him back from the edge of the rage that had consumed him. Cause she knew if it was left for Damian he would break every single bone Victor had.
Damian’s breath came hard and fast, his heart still pounding with the adrenaline of the confrontation.
But at Rachael’s touch, he softened, his gaze shifting from Victor’s defeated form to the woman he loved. He nodded, taking
Chapter 13 Past Demons
(+5 Points
a deep breath, the storm inside him slowly beginning to calm.
Victor lay on the ground, coughing and groaning, as he held his belly in pain and tried to get up.
He glanced at Jamal in the distance, playing without a care, blissfully unaware of the man who had once been his father. The truth stung worse than any blow–he wasn’t just beaten; he was irrelevant.
Victor took a hesitant step back, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He looked at Jamal one last time, watching the boy laugh with Daniel, so full of life and joy.
The qualities he knew he could never take credit for. The reality of what he had lost settled over him like a heavy fog.
Chapter 13 Past Demons
+ 5 Points
“Take care of him for now but I’ll be back I promise you this. He is my son and I have every right to him as you. ” Victor said quietly as he cleaned the blood from his nose, his voice barely above a whisper. He turned and walked away.
Damian watched him go, feeling a mix of anger and relief. “Good riddance,” he muttered under his breath, tightening his hold on Rachael. “He doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near you or Jamal.”
Rachael’s tears started as a trickle, but soon, the dam broke. She crumpled against Damian, her entire body trembling as she sobbed uncontrollably.
The years of fear, anger, and heartbreak she had bottled up burst out all at once. Her cries were raw, gut–wrenching, the kind that came from a place deep within.
Chapter 13 Past Demons
+ 5 Points
A pain that words could never truly capture. She clung to Damian’s shirt, her fingers digging into the fabric like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.
“I can’t do this, Damian!” she gasped between sobs, her voice breaking. “I thought he was gone! Why is he back? Why now? Is he stalking me? I can’t go through this again. I can’t lose Jamal…not to him.” Her chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath, her words spilling out in a frantic rush.
“I fought so hard to keep Jamal safe, to protect him from everything Victor put us through. God, why does he keep coming back? I don’t know what to do!”
Damian’s heart shattered as he held her tighter, feeling her pain as if it were his own. Each tear that soaked into his shirt felt like a
12/14
Chapter 13 Past Demons
+ 5 Points
silent plea for help, for safety, for peace that had always seemed just out of reach.
“Rachael, listen to me,” Damian said, his voice thick with emotion as he stroked her hair, trying to soothe her even as his own eyes welled up. “I’m here, babe. I’m not going anywhere. Just breathe. I’ve got you.”
But Rachael couldn’t stop; the floodgates had opened, and all the hurt she had buried for Jamal’s sake, for her own sanity, came pouring out.
Her shoulders shook violently as she pressed her face into Damian’s chest, her cries turning into wails of pure anguish. “He can’t take my baby!” she screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of her fear. “He doesn’t get to walk in and out of our lives like this! I won’t let him take Jamal from me. I
won’t! I can’t lose him. I can’t….”
Chapter 13 Past Demons
+ 5 Points
Damian’s own anger simmered just beneath his grief as he cupped her face, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Rachael, look at me. He won’t take Jamal. Not while I’m here. If that bastard tries anything, I swear I’ll make him regret the day he was born. I’ll break his limbs, Rachael. I’ll make sure he never hurts you or Jamal again. I promise.”
Rachael’s sobs only grew louder, her cries echoing in the air as Chloe rushed over, wrapping her arms around both of them.
“Rachael, you’re safe” Chloe whispered, tears streaming down her own face as she stroked Rachael’s back. “We’re not letting him do this to you. Not ever again. He’s not taking Jamal. You’ve fought too hard, and we’re fighting with you.”
Chapter 14 Steamy Car Moment
+ 5 Points
Chapter 14 Steamy Car
