CINDY'S POV

A week ago, I left Texas in a wheelchair.

Today, I walked back in on my own two feet.

The surgery wasn't even the hardest part. That was done in a few hours, under the hands of the best surgeons in the world.

The real hell started afterward, learning how to stand again, how to take one step without wobbling or collapsing.

There were days I thought I'd never walk again, days I wanted to scream and rip out the IVs, but Ric was there, every single day.

He pushed me, held me up, told me to try again, again, again until I could finally stand without help.

Until I could take steps across the cold hospital floor, holding my head up, not looking back.

And now, I could even walk in heels.

When I caught a glimpse of myself in the hotel mirror, it was like looking at someone else entirely.

My makeup was flawless, the dark liner making my blue eyes sharper, my lips glossed and shiny.

The sleek black dress hugged my waist and hips, the silver necklace at my throat glinting under the soft light.

For the first time in a long time, I felt powerful.

I felt alive.

I checked my phone. Nothing from Henry, nothing from Lydia or Vivian, nothing from anyone in that house. They had watched me leave, rolling out the door, and not one of them even bothered to call to ask if I was okay.

That told me everything I needed to know.

My phone buzzed with a message from Ric.

"Damian is in. Sent him your address. He'll meet you at the house."

A slow smirk pulled at my lips.

It was happening. My plan was finally moving, piece by piece. I didn't think Damian would actually agree. I thought he'd be too busy, too wrapped up in his world to bother with mine.

But the bond between him and Ric was still there, and I knew a part of him still remembered me.

Back then, he was a brat. Younger than me by a year, always in my way, teasing, poking, pulling my hair just to get my attention.

When he asked me out at sixteen, I laughed in his face and told him to grow up.

And then he was gone.

I hadn't seen him since, but I knew he was still single and now the CEO of a massive tech company.

He was exactly what I needed.

A perfect weapon for my perfect revenge.

At 7 p.m. sharp, I walked back into that house like I owned it, heels tapping on the tiles, head high, chin up.

The living room fell silent.

Vivian's wine glass slipped from her fingers and shattered, red liquid pooling around the shards.

Lydia backed up against the wall, eyes wide, like she'd seen a ghost.

"What... what is this?"

Henry shot up from the couch, his jaw slack, eyes darting to my heels, then my face, then back again. Monica clung to his arm, her mouth hanging open, speechless.

Henry's voice cracked. "Cindy... how... how are you walking?"

Monica swallowed, her voice small. "She was in a wheelchair... just days ago..."

Lydia's mouth twisted. "I knew it! I knew you were lying all along, pretending to be crippled just so you could trap Henry and milk us for everything!"

A laugh broke out of me, sharp and cold.

"You think I would choose to be stuck in a chair, to need help to use the bathroom, to be looked at like I'm worthless every single day? You think I faked surgeries, therapy, and pain just to stay with your pathetic brother?"

Lydia's face went red, her hands shaking at her sides.

Vivian stepped forward, her eyes narrowing, scanning me up and down like I was a problem she couldn't solve.

"Where did you get the money for the surgery? Last time Gregory tried, the doctors said it would take millions, money we didn't have. So where, Cindy?"

Henry's voice rose, cracking as he struggled to hold onto anger that was quickly turning into something else.

"And where have you been all these days? Looking like this... dressed like this... have you been cheating on me?"

I opened my mouth, ready to say exactly what I thought of him, but a voice cut through the room, calm, low, and rough making my stomach flip.

"Yes. She has."

All eyes snapped to the doorway.

And there he was.

Tall, broad, leaning against the doorframe like he had all the time in the world. Dark brown curls falling over storm-grey eyes, a lazy smirk playing on lips that looked like they knew every sin in the universe.

His black dress shirt hugged the hard lines of his chest, sleeves rolled to reveal strong forearms and expensive watch gleaming under the lights.

He looked like trouble, and he wore it well.

Even I blinked, heat rising in my face before I could stop it.

Who the hell is this man?

He pushed off the doorframe and walked in like he owned the place, eyes on me, and for a moment the room, the anger, the tension, everything else fell away.

He didn't stop until he was in front of me, his scent hitting me, clean, expensive, masculine. Then his arm slid around my waist, fingers splaying over my hip, pulling me close without asking.

My breath caught, and I hated that my heart skipped in that stupid, familiar way.

Henry stepped forward, fists clenching. "Who the hell are you?"

Vivian's eyes flicked down, then back up, and she let out a sharp breath.

"God, he's hot."

"Mom!" Lydia and Henry snapped at the same time.

Vivian's head jerked, and she looked away quickly, her cheeks pink.

"What? I'm just saying."

Henry shot her a look, his jaw clenching, before turning his glare back to the man who still had his arm around my waist, fingers flexing like he had every right.

"Listen, kid," Henry said, his voice low and tight, "I don't know who you think you are, but you're in the wrong house. Let her go and get out."

A slow, mischievous grin spread across the man's face, and he glanced around the room, taking them all in like they were ants under his boot.

"No," he said, his voice smooth, confident. "I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."

His fingers dug deeper into my waist as he pulled me closer into his chest.

His eyes flickered to Henry, and the grin widened just a bit before he dropped the grenade on them, voice calm, like he was talking about the weather.

"I'm Damian," he said. "Cindy's boyfriend."

What! Damian?!

He let the silence stretch, letting it sink in.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you all."

Cindy's POV

"What?!"

Henry's voice ripped through the heavy silence that had taken hold of the room, his eyes wide and wild like they might pop right out of their sockets.

He wasn't the only one reeling.

Lydia, Vivian and Monica stood frozen, mouths gaping open, faces stiff with disbelief.

Their jaws might as well have hit the damn floor.

But even they weren't as stunned as I was.

I blinked.

This is Damian?

I hadn't seen him since he left D.C. with his family, back when we were kids. I was only seventeen, and he was just a bratty-ass sixteen-year-old.

I'd only heard snippets about him from Alaric, and from what I gathered, Damian was never one for the spotlight.

No social media trails and no flashy public appearances.

Despite running one of the most talked-about companies in the country, few people even knew he was the CEO.

He always stayed in the shadows, keeping a very low profile and letting his younger brother Elis handle the cameras and galas.

So when did he turn into this?

Yes, he'd always been good-looking.

But this? This was movie-star, model-level beauty.

Unforgivably hot.

I caught myself staring, my gaze locking with his. His storm-grey eyes dark with a hunger that sent a reckless thrill through me.

How could I have forgotten those sexy looking eyes?

They were the only part of him I ever liked, everything else about him used to make my skin crawl.

"Why that look, baby," he said, his voice dripping with teasing warmth.

"Ain't you happy to see me?"

He smirked as he leaned in, fingers lifting to my temple, brushing a loose strand of hair aside like he'd done it a hundred times before.

The light touch jolted through me.

I swallowed, heart stumbling in my chest as my skin tingled where he'd touched me.

I blinked, stunned into silence for a moment. Then I caught myself and forced the fluster down.

Had he already slipped into the role? God, his acting skills are incredibly perfect.

I let a slow smile curve my lips - soft, sweet, seductive - the kind of smile Henry hadn't seen in over a year.

My hand found Damian's chest and I let it wander, fingers gliding over hard muscle beneath the crisp black cotton.

His body was sculpted, solid under my touch. Every inch of him, an invitation to misbehave.

My palm slid up to his neck, curling gently around it in a way that felt almost too intimate.

Too convincing.

Henry was going to lose it, and that thought alone made my smile deepen.

"Of course, darling," I said in a breathy, low voice.

"I just didn't know you'd be dropping by like this. You took me by surprise."

"Couldn't help it. I was missing you too much," Damian murmured, his voice raspy and low.

He flashed his beautiful set of white teeth in a dazzling smile, and before I could stop him, he leaned down and pressed his lips softly to mine.

The kiss was slow and soft, barely more than a brush, but it sent shockwaves through me.

My brain short-circuited.

He kissed me.

Heat climbed up my neck, blooming across my cheeks.

I froze, not because I was shocked, but because I was completely undone.

Damian had always been a bold, cocky brat.

But this level of audacity? Where the hell had he ordered it from?

"What exactly the fuck is going on here?!"

Henry barked again, his fury wrapping hot around Damian and me, jolting our attention back to the room.

I cleared my throat, breaking eye contact and trying to put space between us, but Damian didn't let me.

His hand stayed tight and possessive around my waist, like he owned it now.

He leaned in, his voice low and sinful, brushing against my ear like a kiss.

"How can you back down," he murmured, "when you're already crawling under his skin?"

I could barely hear his words.

All I could focus on was the warm brush of his breath against my ear and the expensive scent of his cologne that fogged my brain like a cloud.

He pulled back slowly, his infuriatingly hot smirk still intact, then finished it off with a wink that made my stomach turn over.

I couldn't help it. I smiled even wider.

Then I turned to face the Callahans, who were still frozen like someone had dropped a bomb in their living room.

"What does it look like to you?" I finally answered Henry, sweetly, with a prideful tilt of my head.

His face twisted in horror, rage creeping in behind the disbelief.

He wasn't used to me being this bold.

It unsettled him.

And oh, how I loved that.

He swallowed hard, fists trembling by his sides and eyes burning with rage.

"How dare you cheat on me, Cindy? How dare you!"

Cindy's POV

Henry's voice was so loud and hysterical, I could swear the neighbors down the street felt the tremor rattle their walls.

I laughed.

Laughed like the devil herself had taken over my soul.

"Funny," I said. "That's exactly what I was about to ask you."

Henry blinked, stunned for a moment like he hadn't expected me to throw it back in his face.

"I didn't cheat! Monica and I...."

"Monica and you are a joke," I cut in sharpl.

"You brought another woman into our marital home and called her your 'real love.' So don't you dare... preach to me about cheating."

"That's different! Do you know how hard it is to be married to someone who's crippled? It's..."

"Oh, so now you're the victim?" I laughed softly, not missing the way Vivian narrowed her eyes behind him.

"Don't twist this!" Henry barked.

He stepped forward, wild-eyed.

"You're doing this because of that clause. Because my father made it so I can't divorce you. You're trying to punish me..."

"Oh, please." I scoffed, folding my arms.

"Don't even try to play the victim. You should've thought about that before you brought another woman into this house."

Damian chuckled beside me, like this was a show and I'd just delivered his favorite line.

"Wow," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. "So you brought your mistress into your matrimonial home?"

Henry's eyes flared. "That's none of your business."

"I mean, if we're being fair," Damian said casually, stroking a lazy circle into my hip, "I'm just here to balance the scales, right? You brought your mistress in, so now Cindy's bringing her man in. Seems even."

Lydia choked. "That's impossible! You can't do that!"

Vivian looked like she'd just swallowed vinegar.

"You have no right!" she snapped, her voice shrill. "You can't bring another man here. This is my house!"

"Correction," I said, eyes narrowing.

"This house is mine. Because the second I file for divorce? It's going to be mine. So, Vivian, it would be better, in your own interest, not to provoke me any further than this."

Vivian's mouth opened, then closed.

She had no words.

Lydia gaped. "This is disgusting, Cindy! You're married-"

"You know, it'd be great if you put this same energy into reminding your brother he's not single."

Monica clung to Henry's arm, though right now he looked like he wasn't having it at all.

"This is just immature," she began, batting her fake lashes a thousand times. "You're only doing this to make Henry jealous."

"You're damn right I am," I said, voice sharp and sugar-sweet.

"And it's working."

Henry's voice turned desperate, his jaw locked tight with frustration.

"So what now, huh? You're just gonna fuckk around in my house with another man?"

I turned to Damian slowly, lips curling into a playful smile.

"Baby, how would you feel about spending the weekend over?"

Damian grinned wide, like a wolf about to sink his teeth in.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Henry freaked out, the vein in his neck bulging with fury.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Cindy?! Does bringing some random sick fuckk basstard into your marital home sound reasonable to you? Because it sure as hell doesn't!"

I ignored him, relishing the way he was losing his goddamn mind.

He stalked closer to Damian until their chests collided and their noses nearly brushed.

"Listen to me, you piece of shit. You're not staying here. Never!"

"Watch me," Damian said smoothly, stepping back and pulling out his phone. "And since I'm staying, I figured it's only polite to come bearing gifts."

He tapped something on the screen and almost immediately, the doorbell rang.

Ding-dong.

Everyone turned.

A suited man stepped in, pushing a sleek black cart holding a tower of deep crimson roses.

It wasn't a bouquet.

It was a floral sculpture, arranged in a heart-shaped velvet box, easily holding what looked like five hundred hand-trimmed roses.

It was excessive, extravagant, and stunning.

"Oh my God," I breathed.

Vivian gasped, hands flying to her mouth.

Lydia blinked like she'd been slapped. Monica looked like she wanted to gag.

And Henry?

He looked like he was about to cry.

The man stopped in front of me, bowed, and placed the flowers gently in front of me.

Then he left.

"To me," Damian said, turning his full attention to me, "you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met."

He smirked, eyes twinkling. "And until you get tired of me... I'm going to bring you flowers like this every single week."

I could hardly breathe.

No one had ever said something like that to me ever before. Not even Henry on our wedding day.

My chest ached.

"Baby..." I whispered, genuinely stunned. "This is... it's so..."

"I know," he said softly, watching me like I was the only one in the room.

"You are my woman, and you deserve to feel spoiled. Every damn day."

My chest tightened.

I couldn't tell if all of this was still part of the plan or something else.

I threw my arms around him without thinking.

"Thank you. You're incredible."

He hugged me back, one hand brushing along the small of my back. Then he leaned down and whispered, "We're just getting started."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Monica muttered, envy lacing her voice.

Lydia made a gagging sound. "This is disgusting."

Damian pulled back and flashed them both a grin so smug it could melt steel.

"You think this is disgusting?" he said. "Wait till you hear how loud we get tonight."

Vivian sputtered, choking on her outrage, while Henry turned a shade of red so deep I thought he might actually explode.

I laughed...an actual, breathless and unfiltered laugh.

Damian smirked smugly at Henry, then turned to me with a wink as he stretched out his hand.

"You mind showing me the room, baby?" he said as I took it. "The one where I'll have you screaming my name all night."