Awakened Housewife Ignore Betrayer's Begs (Scarlett) novel Chapter 610

Damian's hand stopped short before it even touched her. He pulled back, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "You're comparing yourself to her? What exactly do you think you have that measures up?"

The scorn in his voice made Melinda's face twist with desperation. "Damian, I'm the one who saved you back then. If it weren't for me, you would've died on that bridge."

He let out a short, humorless laugh and yanked his hand away completely.

His tone turned cold, dismissive. "So what if I had died? What difference would it make?"

He sank back into his seat and turned to look at her, his eyes carrying nothing but challenge and a kind of reckless indifference.

Melinda stared at him, shocked. "You—"

He cut her off with a shrug. "If I'd died, they'd bury me somewhere. It's not like I'd come back to life, right?"

She had nothing to say to that.

Damian knew he couldn't change the fact that she'd saved him. That was done.

Seeing her fall silent, some of the heat drained out of him.

After a long moment, he turned to her again, his voice eerily calm. "Have I ever told you I don't do favors? I don't owe anyone anything."

Melinda pressed her lips together, stubborn and silent.

Damian continued, "If you're going to hold that over my head and act like I owe you because of it, then here's what I'll do—take a knife, cut me, and we'll call it even. Or name your price. Tell me how much you want."

Melinda shook her head, her teeth sinking into her lower lip. "I don't want your money. I don't want to hurt you. I just want you to keep the promise you made back then."

That set him off again. "That promise was made to Scarlett. Not you, Melinda. What part of that don't you understand?"

She dropped her gaze, still shaking her head. "No. You didn't even know Scarlett back then. That promise was made to me, Damian. You—"

"Get out." His voice cut through hers like a blade.

Melinda shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Damian, please... no. I'm not leaving."

She reached for his hand again.

He saw it coming and slapped her hand away.

Then he tilted his chin up, fixing her with a look so cold it could freeze blood. "What? You want to be at the top of my most hated list?"

Melinda's mouth opened, but nothing came out.

"Can you just leave?"

She hesitated, frozen.

Scarlett closed the magazine and took Clara's little hand, smiling softly. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Clara popped a grape into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Auntie, Damian came by earlier."

Scarlett's expression shifted. "Did he leave?"

Clara nodded. "Yeah. A while ago."

Scarlett felt a small pang of disappointment but forced herself to say, "Good. That's good."

Clara picked up another grape and held it near her mouth without eating it. "But he looked really sad when he left. I think he was crying."

Scarlett's brow furrowed, worry flickering across her face.

Clara finally ate the grape and pouted. "But that's so silly. He's a grown-up. Grown-ups aren't supposed to cry like little kids."

Scarlett tried to look serious. "Clara, don't talk about Damian like that."

Clara answered matter-of-factly, "But it's true. He was crying. My teacher says kids who cry are just scaredy-cats."

Scarlett didn't argue. She just gently cupped Clara's cheek and said quietly, "Some things, Clara... you'll understand when you're older."