Damien arrived at the hospital to see Sarah. He hadn't seen her in a week, and the distance had left an ache in his chest. He found her sleeping soundly, approached the bed, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He then lay down on the sofa, reviewing some documents, and eventually fell asleep.
When Sarah opened her eyes, she found Damien sleeping. She got up, leaning heavily on her right leg, took a blanket from her bed, and carefully covered him with it. She sat on the sofa besides him, observing his tired, handsome face. She was about to place a hand on his cheek when he opened his eyes, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into his arms. She fell onto his body, nuzzled against his neck, and they lingered in the hug, a moment of shared vulnerability and unspoken comfort. He kissed her hair, and a soft smile spread across Sarah's face.
"Sarah, I..." Damien began, about to confess his love, but the words caught in his throat.
Sarah, sensing his hesitation, spoke first. "You fell asleep on my sofa, and now you feel guilty, don't you?" she said jokingly.
Damien laughed and pulled her closer. She lay on his chest, feeling the hard muscles through his white shirt, and her heart began to beat faster. She looked up at his lips, biting her own. He felt her soft body against his chest and her beating heart, a rhythm that now mirrored his own. The way she looked at him was a silent invitation he couldn't resist. He leaned in and kissed her passionately until they were both breathless.
"Ouch, my leg," she said, and he quickly released her.
"I'm sorry, I forgot about your injury for a moment," he said, his voice thick with concern.
"It's okay," she replied with a mischievous smile. She got up, and he lifted himself to a sitting position. She wrapped her hands around his neck and gave him a small peck on the lips.
A wave of surprise, then happiness, washed over him. "I've missed you so much over the past few days," he said, his voice filled with genuine emotion.
Sarah was slightly taken aback by his words. "Damien, I..." she began. The words I love you felt too big, too soon, so she simply said, "I've missed you too."
Then, Damien became serious and told her about Chloe and Caroline's arrest, about how Ethan's death wasn't an accident, and what had led to the collision. She listened intently, a tear rolling down her face. "Poor Matilda," she said, her voice trembling. "I can't imagine how painful this has all been for her. You see, in the end, it really is my fault... I killed him. He died because of me."
"Don't you ever say that," Damien insisted, stroking her hair. "If it's anyone's fault, it's the Walker mother-daughter duo. You're also a victim in all of this." He hugged her firmly, and in his arms, Sarah felt a sense of peace she hadn't experienced since the accident. She didn't question their connection; she simply allowed herself to be present in the moment, to feel the warmth of his embrace and the strength of his support.
As they pulled away, Damien noticed a flicker of recognition in Sarah's eyes that hadn't been there before. "Sarah," he said softly, "is something wrong?"
Sarah frowned slightly, her brow furrowed in concentration. "I… I think I remember something," she whispered, her head throbbing, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
Damien's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Sarah closed her eyes, trying to grasp the elusive memory. "It's… it's like a dream," she said, her voice hesitant. "I see… a house. A big house, with a beautiful garden. And… a woman. She's… she's calling me. Isabella… But I can't… I can't see her face… I'm hiding…"
Damien's grip on her hand tightened. "Try to focus, Sarah," he urged gently. "What else do you see?"
"I… I see a swing set, it's red," she said, her voice barely audible. "And… I don't know."
These were fragments, glimpses of a life Sarah couldn't fully recall, but they were a start. He had to help her. "Sarah," he said, his voice filled with newfound determination, "I believe we can find your memories. We can find out who you are, where you came from."
"Do you really think so?" she whispered, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and fear.
"I do," Damien said, his voice firm and reassuring. "I promise you, Sarah, I won't rest until we uncover the truth." He knew it wouldn't be easy. The fire at the orphanage had destroyed any official records of Sarah's past. But Damien was determined. He had to. For Sarah, finding more about her past was important.
Penelope arrived at the hospital after hearing from her private investigator that Damien was there. She stood in front of the door, watching Damien and Sarah hugging. A wave of fury washed over her. She considered barging in to make a scene, but a cold calculation stopped her. That would only push Damien further away, and her family would blame her. She turned and stormed off. She then called Chloe, but the phone was switched off. Could it be that Chloe took the money and disappeared? Did she trick me? She wondered. She found Chloe's address and went to their house, only to hear from a neighbor that both Chloe and her mother had been arrested for murder. Whose murder? She thought. Isn't Sarah alive and well in Damien's arms?
That night, Damien didn't return to the manor. He stayed in Sarah's ward, unable to leave her alone; she looked frightened and confused by the memory. She needed him, and he wanted to be close to her. He kept thinking how important she had become to him, but he was also fearful as he remembered his conversation with Vance. What if Sarah finds out about his engagement to Penelope? Will she reject him completely?
The next day, Damien and Marco visited Mrs. Shaw, the former matron of St. Michael's Orphanage. He found her in a small, cozy nursing home, her mind frail but her spirit still strong. He explained his situation, his search for information about a girl named Sarah Walker.
Mrs. Shaw listened intently. "Sarah," she murmured, "No, I don't remember a Sarah."
"The Walker family adopted her from the orphanage when she was around six years old," Damien explained.
"I'm sorry, it was a long time ago," Mrs. Shaw said. "I can't remember Sarah. But… there was a sweet little orphan girl, with big brown eyes, around six years old. She was brought to the orphanage by one of my girls. She said the poor child was found on the street, had a broken wrist and a lot of bruises. I think a car must've hit her and run; they probably thought she was dead, so they didn't stop to help. Ah, poor Bella…" She trailed off, her eyes filled with sadness.
Damien's heart skipped a beat. Bella. Sarah had mentioned a woman calling her Isabella. "Bella?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. "What happened to her?"
Mrs. Shaw shook her head sadly. "She… she died in the fire. The fire… it took so much from us. Two lives lost and so many memories… gone." She began to cry softly.
Damien felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped… "Is there any possibility that Bella survived?" he asked.
Mrs. Shaw gave it some thought and said, "She was a weak little girl; she couldn't have survived that fire."
"Was she the only one who died in that fire?" he asked gently.
"No, also another person died. Her name was Janice Moore. She worked at the orphanage."
Damien asked if she could tell him more about Janice Moore and what her relationship was with Bella. Mrs. Shaw then told him how Janice was the one who found Bella on the street and brought her to the orphanage.
"It was a long time ago… Janice was a good person. I remember she told me once her family abandoned her because she married a poor man. Later she got divorced and came to work full time at the orphanage. She loved kids, especially little Bella. You see, after the fire, nobody came looking for her, Janice. Nobody cared that she died."
Damien's mind raced. Janice Moore. He filed the name away, another piece of the puzzle. "Were there more kids around that age?" he asked.
Mrs. Shaw remembered. "We had 15 children in our orphanage at the time… After the fire, 5 of them were adopted by rich and powerful families. The only six-year-old at the time was Bella. There were younger kids around three and four, there were two boys around seven and eight, but no girls her age. The Sarah that you're asking about, she might have been sent to the orphanage after I retired. But there would be more documents about it, unless someone is hiding something."
"When did you retire?" Damien asked.
"After the fire… It was horrible…" she said, trailing off and starting to weep.
Damien felt guilty for reminding the old woman of the painful past. A minute later, he asked, "And… the orphanage was rebuilt, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Mrs. Shaw replied. "The Rossi family… they helped us rebuild. Generous people. They also suffered a tragedy that same year."
"What tragedy?" Damien asked.
"I believe half of the family died. As to how, I can't tell you with certainty."
Damien's jaw tightened. The Rossi family. The name echoed in his mind, a connection he couldn't yet place. He thanked Mrs. Shaw for her time and left the nursing home, his mind buzzing with new information. Bella. Isabella. The fire at the orphanage, the death of Bella and her rescuer, a young woman called Janice Moore. The Rossi family. The pieces were starting to come together, hinting at a story far more complex and dangerous than he had ever imagined. He knew he was close, closer than he had been before, to uncovering the truth about Sarah. And he knew, with unwavering resolve, that he wouldn't stop until he had pieced together the entire story, no matter the cost.
He then decided to go visit Caroline in prison. Upon seeing him, Caroline, surprised, asked, "What are you doing here, Mr. Sterling?"
"I have a question to ask you, Mrs. Walker," Damien said.
"Did Sarah send you?" Caroline asked.
"No, I came here on my own."
"Interesting. You can ask… but for a price."
"I'll take care of your safety in prison if you tell me about Sarah's childhood and adoption."
"How important is this information to you?" Caroline asked.
"Very important."
"Ten million, and I'll tell you everything I know," Caroline bargained.
"Tell me and let me see first if the information you're holding is worth the actual ten million out of my pocket."
"First ten million, and then I'll talk. Otherwise, I'll take the information to the grave."
Damien's lips curled into a chilling smile. "I don't think you understand, Mrs. Walker. You are in no position to bargain with me. Believe it or not, I can make your life worse than death here." He hung up the phone and turned and left, leaving a visibly shaken Caroline behind.