Damon's POV

Clarissa’s words hurt. I wasn’t sure if this was intentional or if she truly felt that way about us.

I was finally ready to fight for us. I was prepared to give her everything she wanted, but she didn’t seem to want it anymore. I had hurt her too much in the past.

Her eyes are sad as she says, “Yes. This is what I want. It’s what’s best for both of us. We are not good for each other. You were right all along. It was never going to work between us. Our family will never be able to accept it.”

I want to get on my knees; I want to beg her to give me a chance. I want to do anything to make her change her mind.

But I didn’t want to go against her wishes. I’ve already gone against them in the past. If this was truly what she wanted, I would stand back and let it happen no matter how much it hurt me.

Hearing her say she would get rid of the tattoo bothered me a lot more than it should. It was her body; it was her choice. But damn it, I loved it on her. I didn’t want it gone. Knowing my name was on her body made it seem like she was mine. If she removed it, she was allowing someone else to take my place.

This was all my fault. I’d done this. She’d wanted me for so long. She gave me many opportunities, as she’d said earlier.

I didn’t want to show her how upset I was. I didn’t want to worry her. I deserved this pain; I deserved to be unhappy after the number of times I’ve made her cry because of my dumb decisions.

I’d realized my mistakes too late. Maybe this was for the best.

But she was still mine, damn it.

Now I understood why I’ve always wanted her so much. Anya was never my mate, to begin with. Her spell was the only reason it became easier to stay away from Clarissa. Now that every last bit of that spell was gone, my need for Clarissa had grown at an alarming rate.

I wasn’t sure how I would find the strength to stay away from her.

Even now, her scent had filled the room. My body felt sensitive to it. Anytime I walked into a room now, I would be overwhelmed with the need to taste her because of that scent.

How do I move on from her? How do I let her go?

I took another step toward her and felt satisfied when I heard her heartbeat increase. It meant her feelings were still there; she was trying her best to control them.

“I didn’t get the chance to tell you what I wanted to,” I say in a low voice.

“Does it matter?” she asks. “You were going to apologize, weren’t you?”

I exhale slowly. “No,” I breathe out. “I wasn’t.”

Her eyes widen a little. “Then what were you going to say?”

My gaze softens. “I don’t think it makes sense for me to say it anymore, Clarissa. It seems like you’ve made up your mind.”

Her lips part, and she looks curious.

“There you two are,” my mother says as she finds us standing a little too close to each other. “What are you doing in here? Everyone is about to leave.”

Clarissa’s cheeks are red as she turns to look at her.

“Where are we going?” I ask her.

“I know Anya wasn’t exactly the best person. She’s done a lot of wrong things, especially to our family. However, I think her mother brainwashed her, and the things that she did were because of that. Your brother still loves her; it seems his love had nothing to do with the spell. And he’s now married to Willow, who’s her sister. Willow is now a daughter-in-law of this family and needs to be treated like one. Since they both care deeply for her, I think it’s only fair that we bury her and give her a proper send-off.”

My hands tighten into fists at my sides. I knew before she died I wanted her to pay after finding out about the things she’d done. I felt like she deserved to die, but I couldn’t deny the pain I still felt in my heart at knowing she was gone. Despite all the wrongs she’d done, I’d grown attached to her. It felt worse knowing that I was the one to kill her.

But it had to be done. I would always choose to save Clarissa over everyone else. She’s always the first person I run to protect. Anya could have given up; we were willing to let her go. But she was too blinded by revenge. She wanted to kill Clarissa. She wanted to hurt us all. If I hadn’t killed her, someone else in my family would have.

“We will be there in a second,” I tell Mother.

She nods and leaves us alone.

Clarissa surprises me when she tugs at my shirt. “Thank you.”

I frown. “Thank you?”

She nods and peers up at me. “For saving me earlier.”

I can’t stop gazing into her eyes. I saw glimpses of the same Clarissa who saw me as her hero.

“Why are you thanking me?” I whisper. “Protecting you has always been something that brings me joy. I’ve told you this already. I will always protect you when you need me. I still don’t understand how you found out Anya’s true identity or why you had so many bruises.”

She looks down nervously. “We hired a private investigator to keep an eye on Anya. He got back to us and told us that Anya lied about where she was living.”

“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me anything?” I demand from her. “I could have helped.”

“We didn’t think that any of you would have believed us,” she answers me.

“We?” I ask. “Who else knew about this?”

“Autumn,” she answers me.

Of course, Autumn.

“Autumn wanted me to wait on her to visit the house and have a look around for any clues. But then Anya moved up the wedding date, and she had no time. The day before the wedding, Anya threatened me to stay away from her home. She planned to trap me inside the house since she knew I would try to get information on her. I waited for everyone to get busy with the wedding, and then left. Someone set the house on fire while I was inside it. That’s why I had so many bruises while trying to get out.”

My blood boiled at this new information. Anya was planning to kill Clarissa even though she knew I was in love with her. She even tried to blackmail me into marrying her while it was happening.

How could she have been so heartless all along? Why did I ever trust someone like her? Why was I so blind? I could have lost Clarissa because of my carelessness.

Now, more than ever, I want to pull her into my arms and never let her go, but I refrain from doing it. I couldn’t be selfish. I couldn’t.