Until This Lie Do Us Part

Chapter 20

Elena lifted her head slightly to look at him with her puffy red eyes. "I just want him to leave me alone" she cried softly. "Why can't he do that?" she asked sadly.

Damon sighed. "Because guys like him, they can't let go, Elena" he said. "He only knows what he knows and that is that he can control you, manipulate you, bring you down so low that you can't think for yourself" he said. Elena's sobs quieted as she listened to him, but her tears still fell. "But you have to prove to him that you're not that same girl. You're stronger now, Elena. And he can't hurt you because you won't let him" he said. "Stefan won't let him" he added. "And I won't either."

Elena suddenly looked towards Damon, taking in the idea that he would protect her too. But why? He thought she was a liar. He vowed to expose her and Stefan's fake marriage. He had been out to get her from the beginning and now, two short months later, he wanted to protect her? "Why do you care so much?" she asked. She was expecting him to answer with something like because his brother cared. Or because he owed his brother. Or because of Lily. Something along those lines.

He smiled at her and leaned in a little closer. "Because I don't like to see anyone hurt as much as Derrick has hurt you" he answered. That was not an answer she was expecting. Neither was his next move. Damon leaned in a little farther and placed a gentle, soft kiss on her lips. Before she even had time to comprehend what he was doing, he kissed her again, this time, a little more eagerly.

Her heartbeat became rapid as her brain screamed at her that this was not okay. She wasn't supposed to be kissing Damon. She wasn't Katherine. She tore her lips away from his, feeling incredibly guilty, even though he had technically kissed her and taken advantage of the situation she was in. "You can't do that" she said, turning her face away from him.

"Why not?" Damon asked. He didn't see a problem with it. He was comforting her. Something his brother was not doing.

She turned back to face him, her face suddenly angry. "Because I'm married to Stefan" she stated. Then she wanted to kick herself because that was not the right thing to say to Damon.

"Married" Damon repeated. "Not in love with him" he added, thinking over her answer.

"I do love Stefan" she quickly corrected. "My marriage means something to me" she told him, bracing herself for the next thing she was about to say. "I'm sorry you don't feel the same way about yours."

Damon's face remained unchanged, though his eyes flickered with interest. Then he laughed softly as he stood up. "Do me a favor and don't tell Stefan about this, okay?" he told her, leaving her there on the floor.

A surge of hatred ran through her. She wanted to tell Stefan. She wanted to tell him that Damon had taken advantage of her. Damon had gained her trust by defending her and now he was telling her what she couldn't do. She didn't like that. It was exactly what Derrick had done.

And was it what Stefan was doing? Using her only to control her as well? Charm her so she would fall for him and then hurt her in the end? Maybe Derrick was right. Stefan didn't care about her. He wanted access to his trust fund and he wanted sex, both things he had openly admitted wanting to her. And she had agreed to both. Was Stefan's charm and concern now merely just a way for him to keep her in the marriage and to get sex from her?

Elena clenched her fist tight. She refused to be that girl who was easily taken advantage of. She had fought so hard to get rid of her and she was not going to bring her back.

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Stefan threw his phone onto the table and kicked a chair too. The PI was not answering his phone and Stefan was not sure how many angry messages he could leave. The last one though made it perfectly clear that he was fired. He figured now he needed to find Elena.