Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress 314 Discovery 6

'I'm just as damaged as you are.' 

Somehow, his words were both sad and beautiful. They were two imperfect souls with imperfect pasts trying to make sense of how they can be perfect for each other.

She never expected anything from him. And even after hearing his confession just like she did, a part of her felt lighter—that Damien could understand what she was going through. But could he understand her guilt of taking innocent lives?

The two just looked at each other and before Katherine could stop herself, she had already leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his frame.

She didn't know why she did that. The way he spoke sounded so confident but there was just something there that made her think it was quite sad and the urge to hug him had overtaken her rationale.

Damien was taken aback at first and he froze for a second before he found himself returning her embrace. It was the first time that she initiated it since they broke up and the feeling of her warmth improved his mood. 

Her body temperature was still a bit high but it wasn't as high as when she fainted earlier. He felt bad that they had to talk right now while she was still sick. Stroking her back and squeezing her before pulling back, he said, "You're still a bit hot. Why don't you rest more? We can talk again later."

"No… I'm okay. I don't want to prolong this anymore. This might be the reason why I'm getting sick. It's best to get it out of me."

"Are you sure?"

When she nodded, he did the same and then helped her settle in the bed again, placing pillows on the headboard for her to rest her back.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

He thought about it for a while before he questioned, "What happened after that? You said you blew up the place the day after our last night together. How did you end up losing your memories?"

"That… It's also bits and pieces for me. Styles was the only one I hoped to get out of there alive. Before that happened, he told me he was going home already but just when the bombs I set up were about to detonate, I ran into him and Chris. It scared me that he was still there. I wanted to drag him out with me but… I don't know… the bombs blew up. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a dark room. I was in and out of consciousness. I remember I was able to escape one time but Chris caught me and…"

Damien's brows knitted at the mention of Chris's name and the way that Katherine looked distressed about the memory. His body went rigid. "So he really did this to you… Why would he do that?"

"He said Parker would kill me if he knew I was the one responsible for blowing up the base."

"Parker?"

"He's Shadow's head… one of the founders. I was violent when I gained consciousness again. I was mad at Chris for keeping me when I learned that Parker was still alive. I wanted to go after him. Chris believed that wiping out my memory clean would keep me safe. And that I would get the chance to live a normal life instead of seeking more vengeance."

"How did he..." Damien's voice trailed off, unsure of how to ask her. 

"The procedure was… painful. I remember writhing in pain, at least I think I was. I was paralyzed all over so I couldn't move or talk." Katherine brought her knees up and hugged herself. She shook her head, not wanting to remember it anymore.

"It's okay… you don't have to tell me about that." He moved closer and sat next to her, their shoulders touching slightly. "I guess you were brought to the hospital after that then?"

Thankful that he didn't press on for her to continue talking about that gruesome memory, Katherine leaned on his side and nodded. "Months later, I woke up. The procedure was successful. I lived a life without knowing who I was at all. It was all too strange and… empty. Five years later, I came to your company. That's pretty much the sum of it."

The memory of seeing Katherine again five years later after she suddenly disappeared on him flashed in his mind. It was just like yesterday. He remembered feeling happy and angry at the same time when he saw her and then he got frustrated especially when she looked like she had no clue what was going on—"And then you kneed me."

"What…"

"You kneed me the first day I saw you in my office."

Katherine gasped and snapped her head towards him, "You were about to kiss me!"

Scoffing, Damien shook his head. "I was playing with you."

"Yeah right…"

Maybe.

The two of them shared a short laugh and then it was quiet again. This time, Katherine was the one who probed, "Don't you want to ask about her?"

He swallowed. Brushing his hand on his nape. He was having mixed emotions about the whole thing. "I don't know what to ask."

Seeing that he was having difficulty talking about his mother, she decided to start it, "I didn't lie when I told you that I only met her recently. When I came back after bounty hunting, I saw her and Styles in the apartment that I was staying at—the old building you… Wait. How did you find me there? Did you follow me?"

"I… I didn't mean to. I mean… I saw you and Styles leaving the lobby downstairs when I was just about to go up here to check on you. I called you but you didn't hear me. You looked like you were going somewhere dangerous and you were still sick so I got worried… I'm sorry."

Katherine could only look at him. She was surprised but she didn't even have the energy to get mad that he followed her. It was a pointless matter now but maybe they'll have to talk about it again later.

She decided to brush it off and sighed before she continued, "I thought Shadow or Chris had found me when I realized that someone broke inside. I sort of had a fight with her on the first day…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… You don't break in into someone's place especially if that someone owns a gun and a knife. So I flung a dagger across the room as soon as I saw someone appear."

"You really don't waste time, do you? You just go in blind and start attacking like you did with me yesterday?"

"In my defense, I didn't know it was you. But I've always been like that. Strike first, ask questions later."

Damien chuckled upon hearing her statement. That was something that they could agree on. He was also sometimes impatient when it comes to certain things.

"Amelia's a great fighter. I've sparred with her a couple of times. There were even tactics that I learned from Shadow and only realized recently that she was the one who came up with that strategy. Your mother is awesome, Damien…"

Hearing Katherine's praise of his mother caused his ears to perk up. But another revelation stirred him. "She's… she's also an assassin?"

"I… I don't know about her whole story, she hadn't told me much. I just know that she was once an agent of Shadow too. Her name was taboo after she went rogue. I guess you'd have to ask her that question."

Left with no choice, Damien could only respond, "I guess I do." 

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