The hospital ward grew heavy with silence.
Mandy and Neil stared at Alyssa, stunned beyond words.
"M-Ms. Alyssa, you knew that man was Mr. Damien?" Neil asked, disbelief etched into his voice.
"Yes." Alyssa's reply was quiet, her lips pressed into a thin line. She lowered her gaze, her voice barely above a whisper. "We found
out when Cyrus took Damien's cigarette butt for a paternity test."
Mandy approached Alyssa, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"So, you and Cyrus knew... and you both kept it from me?" Mandy said, her voice catching in her throat, tears welling up.
Alyssa felt a sharp pang in her chest. "Mandy, I'm sorry. It was my decision. Cyrus had nothing to do with it."
Mandy's tears fell freely now, her grief spilling out in raw sobs. "Do you know what it's been like forall these years, thinking
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtDamien was gone? Winston, Miley, Lyla, and Colene kept tellingto move on. | tried to accept that he was dead, that we'd never
find his body. But | never did."
Her voice broke. "Night after night, I'd dream of Damien, drenched to the bone, standing there. 'Mom... the water's freezing..." he'd
say, again and again."
Neil sighed deeply, his heart heavy. Alyssa's hands trembled as guilt gnawed at her.
Uncontrollable tears flowed down Mandy's cheeks, her eyes burning with grief and resentment. "Lyse, you knew everything, and
you hid it from me. Didn't you think about how selfish that was? How unfair, how cruel?"
This outburst, these harsh words, was unprecedented from Mandy, who loved Alyssa like her own child.
Alyssa was more precious to Mandy than her own child. But the intense pain she was experiencing now made her lose her usual
calm and collected demeanor.
"I'm sorry..." Alyssa choked out again, her voice strained with emotion.
"Mrs. Taylor, |pletely understand how you feel." Neil stepped forward, unable to watch Alyssa take the blalone. "Mrs.
Taylor, you've watched Ms. Alyssa grow up. You know her character. She wouldn't act without careful consideration. I'm certain she
had her reasons for keeping this information from you."
Alyssa swallowed hard, her voice shaky. "Mandy, Damien's in grave danger."
Mandy froze.
Alyssa continued, "He survived a plane crash but lost his memory. He's being manipulated, a pawn in someone else's game. And
the person pulling the strings could easily dispose of him if they felt threatened.
"lI was afraid that revealing his identity would put him in immediate danger—either by losing the manipulator's trust or by direct
retaliation. That's why | kept it from you and Dad. | knew how much you both love him, and | was afraid you might inadvertently
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmmake things worse."
Mandy's heart twisted with worry, her tear-filled eyes widening. "Who's manipulating Damien?"
Alyssa shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mandy. | can't say. It's for your safety and Dad's."
"There were people after Damien today. | saw them," Mandy said, her hand gripping Alyssa's tightly. Her voice was laced with fear.
"If this mastermind needs Damien for something, why would he send assassins after him?"
Alyssa was stunned into silence, her mind grappling with the new information. Damien hadn't regained his memory yet, and Justin
was short on reliable men. So why would Justin target Damien?
Could someone else be trying to eliminate Damien to weaken Justin?
—— Locked Chapter —
*D Reading History
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