The President's Daughter (Original) ✔️

37. ... If One of Them Is Dead

"Goodbye," I say shakily, before stepping aside to let the agents pass by. He looks back at me as they proceed to walk and our eyes cling to each other until he disappears to the right.

I press my palm to my lips to stop the sudden emotion unfurling within me. I slowly walk towards the tray and pick it up, feeling profoundly guilty.

I should've kissed him on the lips. I should've said I love him one last time.

Damien's POV

When my eyes leave hers and to the white walls of the hallway, I almost collapse right there. I clear my throat and force myself to take each step further down. I should've told her I love her. I should've told her a million things. But it's too late now.

My mind wanders to my parents. They always said I was a disappointment. And now, it was Hope's turn. She didn't say it but she didn't need to. Like everyone else before her, they expected me to be better than I really am. Trusted me too much. And then eventually, I let them down. I let everyone down. Like always. So I lost my family and my girlfriend as a consequence.

You need to pay for what you've done. You need to pay the consequences.

Hope's words play back to me. Seeing her, crying and heartbroken, I know that this will never be enough. She'll loathe me because I won't stay in jail for long. A few years tops, and I'm out. How can that ever repay anything? How can that fix anything? That would hardly be any consolation. All I ever wanted was to make her happy. To make her feel loved. And yet I've replaced that in her heart with hatred. She will never be satisfied until I truly pay.

I fell in love with the wrong person.

So as the agents knock on the door and we enter the president's office, I realize what I have to do.

Hope's POV

"Are you okay? You've been awfully quiet."

My mom notes as she gives me the last tray. "I'm fine." I plaster a smile. I'm about to turn and take it upstairs, when my mom removes it from my hand and wordlessly hands the tray to a chef. My mom takes my hand and escorts me out of the kitchen.

"Is it Damien?" She asks in a low voice. I nod.

"I know. But everything will be fine. There's no need to worry, the police will let him go shortly.

I frown. "What do you mean let him go?"

"You don't know? They just bought him in for questioning about the murder."

My blood turns cold. "What murder?"

She gives me a weird look. "Did you not check your phone? Some man named Shakur Toussaint was killed at Cellie's party. Apparently, they call him Prince in the streets. But I'm sure Damien has nothing to-"

"Did you say Prince?" No, no, no, no, no.

"Yeah, Prince. Have you heard of him?"

"No, I..." So Damien lied to me? How did this happen? He said he'd stop it. What the hell is going on? Is that why he was apologizing when I saw him earlier? Or was he-

"Hope."

I blink. "Yeah?"

"Come. Your friends are waiting for us in the Solarium. Just relax, everything will be fine." She leads me upstairs to the "comfort zone," where they've already started the movie. It doesn't matter. I can't concentrate on anything right now.

Not too long after, the door burst open and Nolan's eyes shifts frantically until they land on mine. And I know. I just know.

Something very terrible has happened.