The Ashes of Vows (Elara and Damon) novel Chapter 8

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I picked up on the bad vibes right away and flat–out refused, “I’m not playing this game!”

But I barely had time to take two steps back when the young man who’d just spoken shot up. Before I could even process it, he swung, and his palm connected hard with my face.

A roar of cruel laughter erupted all around.“Serves her right! Who told her to lay a hand on Sloane?”

Sloane offered a sugary–sweet smile.“Elara,” she chirped, “Chill. It’s just a game. No biggie.”

Damon, right beside her, just stood there, watching with an icy glare. Not a single muscle twitched on his face. He simply reached out, gave the bottle another spin, and deadpanned, “Keep going.”

Suddenly, it clicked. I finally understood why I was here.

Oh, so kneeling in the rain wasn’t nearly enough.

I’d slapped Sloane, and Damon wanted me to get a public beatdown, twice as bad as what I’d done.

And just like that, the spinning bottle kept landing on me.

Ten freaking times. When the final slap landed, hard and clear, the bodyguards finally released their grip.

My ears were ringing. I slowly reached up, touching the swollen mess that was my face.

“Damon, you promised me you’d personally bake me a birthday cake tonight.”

Sloane suddenly whined.

Damon gave a soft smirk, then stood right up.“Hold on,” he said.“I’m heading to the kitchen.”

Before he left, his gaze lingered on me, a deep stare that held… something. But he didn’t say a single word.

As soon as he was gone, Sloane’s soft, gentle facade completely dropped.

“How was that, Elara?

Enjoy getting smaXXed around?”

But I totally ignored her taunt, just curved my lips into an indifferent smile, and stood up to leave.

I knew it. This princess, high on her little victory, would totally follow.

And sure enough, as I stepped onto the yacht’s top deck, I heard the sharp click–clack of heels behind me.

“Sloane, you

think… you actually won?”

I spoke up, stopping at the railing, and smiled.“You know what?

Damon said, once you recovered and he’d repaid his debt to you, he was going to kick

“Shut up!”

you out of my house…”

Sloane wasn’t used to this kind of defiance.“You’re just a damn nanny,” she sneered, “You’re not even in my league.”

She took a step closer, but I suddenly spun around, yanking at the lace neckline of her couture dress.

“That night, was it like this for my mom too? She just touched your couture dress, and you… you did something to her, didn’t you?”

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My throat tightened, and the rest of the words got swallowed by a sob.

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But my raw anguish? It just lit a spark in Sloane’s twisted mind.“Oh, yeah, you got that right,” Sloane drawled, a sick little smile playing on her lips. “She accidentally‘ brushed my dress, and then had the nerve not to kneel and apologize. And knowing she was your mom? Well, I just had to teach her a little lesson, didn’t I?”

“You have no idea how messed up she looked, with her hands broken and her mouth gagged, trying to scream but couldn’t make a

sound.”

“Her blood? It spilled right onto this deck, the very one you’re standing on. Then it just drained straight into the ocean. We were actually gonna break her right leg too, you know? But she thrashed around so hard, trying to survive, she just fell overboard and drowned

instead.”

Her smug confession made my eyes blaze with pure hatred.“You goddamn murderer!”

But Sloane just laughed, a sickeningly pleased sound.“So what? Damon believes me. He even defended me in court!”

My grip on her collar tightened, almost without me realizing it.“But don’t you forget, I’m Mrs. Blackwood!

Damon’s not divorcing me. As long as I’m breathing, I’ll be Mrs. Blackwood forever!”

My slow, deliberate taunt ignited Sloane’s rage like a match to tinder.

In that instant, she completely snapped, her hands flying to my throat.

The pressure on my neck tightened, my face turning crimson. My words came out in broken gasps:“Let go!

Are you… are you trying to kill me?

I… I’m telling you, as long as I’m not dead, you’ll never, ever…”

And in that same instant, Sloane slammed me against the railing with a thud. The impact sent a jolt of numbness through my back, and my wedding ring slid right off my finger.

As I struggled, half my body dangled over the railing. I instantly lost my footing and plummeted straight down from the third floor.

The party on the second deck was roaring, their laughter drowning out the sound of me hitting the water.

The moment the icy ocean water filled my lungs, I oddly felt a strange warmth.

This water, it’s where my mom had once been.

So, I wouldn’t cry, and I wouldn’t be afraid.

The moment I slowly closed my eyes, the second button on my dress flashed a tiny red light.

Inside, a hidden camera.

The truth, submerged in the ocean’s depths, would eventually be brought to light-

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