𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 | 𝟏𝟖+

15

My mind is still racing from the fight with Gia. I can't shake the feeling that this isn't over, that she's not just going to slink away and lick her wounds after I humiliated her like that.

I dial Star's number, for some reassurance that I'm not just being paranoid.

"Hey Cathy, what's up?" Star answers, bright and bubbly as always.

"Something happened at the party last night," I blurt out, the words tumbling from my lips in a rush. "Gia, she... I confronted her about Damien. Said some shit about how they have history, how I don't belong with him..."

Star is quiet for a moment, "Yeah, she mentioned that to me last night. But I haven't seen her since. She just kind of disappeared."

I feel my anxiety kicking into high gear. "You don't think she's planning something, do you? Like some kind of revenge?"

Star sighs, "Nah, Gia's a lot of things, but she's not the revenge type. She's probably just too embarrassed to show her face after you beat her ass."

I want to believe her, and trust that Gia isn't the type to go off the deep end. But after everything I've been through, I can't help but think of the worst-case scenarios.

"Yeah, you're probably right," I say, trying to force a note of confidence into my voice. "Listen, I gotta go. Talk to you later, okay?"

I hang up before she can respond, my heart beating out of my chest as I make my way downstairs. Damien is sitting on the couch, his phone pressed to his ear, like always.

"Hey, you got a minute?" I ask, hovering in the doorway.

He glances up, "Yeah, Let me just..." He says something into the phone, then hangs up and sets it aside. "What's up, baby?"

I sit down next to Damien on the couch, my head resting on his shoulder as some mindless reality show plays on the TV. But I'm not paying attention to the screen, my mind is still spinning with questions.

"So, what exactly is the deal with you and Gia?" I ask, trying to keep my tone casual even as jealousy coils in my gut. "She said you two had 'history'..."

Damien chuckles, his arm tightening around me. "Gia? She was just one of my girls, back in the day. Nothing serious."

I frown, not entirely satisfied with that vague answer. "But she seemed so...passionate about you. Like she thought she still had some kind of special connection."

He shrugs, his fingers tracing patterns on my arm. "Gia always was a little too much. Always throwing tantrums when she didn't get her way. She lied about being pregnant with my child. That's why it didn't work out between us."

I nod slowly, trying to ignore the little voice in my head that wonders if I'm really different from Gia, and all his other girls. I wonder if Damien will get tired of me too one day and cast me aside.

Damien tilts my chin up to meet his gaze, his eyes soft and sincere. "You have nothing to worry about. She's ancient history." He grins,"Besides, watching you hand her ass to her like that? Fuck, that was hot."

I can't help but laugh at that. But there's still a small seed of doubt, a tiny voice whispering that maybe Damien isn't telling me the whole truth. "Has she ever...I mean, did you ever ask her to...?"

Damien's eyes widen slightly, "Kill someone for me?"

I nod, my throat suddenly dry as I wait for his answer. I need to feel like I'm the only one he's ever trusted; I crave that validation like a drug.

Damien actually chuckles, shaking his head as he reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "No, Cat. That honor belongs to you and you alone."