Damien's life had become a relentless cycle of obligation. His days were a blur of meetings at the company, followed by evenings at the Sterling manor, where he was a man acting a part to please others. He'd spend his time with his grandfather, making small talk about business and family legacies. When Don wasn't around, Penelope was a constant presence, pulling him into conversations about engagement venues, tasting menus, and, most recently, the perfect engagement gown. Damien would nod, offer a non-committal hum, and inwardly retreat to the quiet sanctuary of his thoughts. The guilt he carried from his grandfather's heart attack was a heavy cloak, suffocating his true feelings and binding him to a path he didn't want.
The announcement of the engagement was a gilded cage for Damien, but for Chloe and Caroline Walker, it was a golden ticket. As Caroline was flipping through the daily paper in their cramped living room, Chloe's voice cut through the air. "Mom, come see this!"
Caroline rushed into the room, her eyes wide with curiosity. "What is it?"
Chloe's finger jabbed at the page. "Look, Damien Sterling is getting engaged next month to the Wellington family's daughter, Penelope."
A slow, malicious smile spread across Caroline's face. "So, Sarah is probably just a mistress, after all."
"Exactly," Chloe said, her eyes gleaming. "He's been looking after her at the hospital while planning his engagement to another woman. Can you imagine what his fiancée would say about this?"
The two women shared a look of pure avarice. "That's the plan, then," Caroline stated, a predatory gleam in her eyes. "We'll go to Penelope Wellington and sell this information. It's a golden ticket to wealth, finally within our grasp."
"But how do we reach her?" Caroline worried aloud. "I'm sure Penelope has a lot of bodyguards around her."
"We'll think of a way," Chloe said, her confidence unwavering. "But first, I think we should pay a visit to Sarah. We need to make sure she knows she's not as important to Damien Sterling as she thinks she is."
Meanwhile, in her hospital room, Sarah's days were filled with quiet progress. A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in," she called.
The door opened to reveal Sam, his face split with his usual boyish grin. "Hi," he said.
"Sam, what are you doing here?" she asked, a genuine smile lighting up her face.
"Came to visit you," he replied simply.
"How is your grandmother?" Sarah asked.
"She's went abroad, she's now living her best life with my grandpa."
"Oh, she already recovered," Sarah said, a hint of surprise in her voice. "I thought she was still here. So you came here just to see me?"
Sam's grin faltered, replaced by a mock-serious expression. "You think I wouldn't come to see you unless it was along the way? I'm hurt. I'm truly hurt." Sarah's laughter filled the room. They chatted for a long time before he finally left.
Shortly after, her doctor came in to check on her. "With your current progress, you'll be able to walk in less than a month," he said, a reassuring smile on his face.
Then Caroline and Chloe entered her ward... Sarah was surprised to see them, asking "What are you two doing here?"
Both Caroline and Chloe noticed how cold Sarah was towards them.
Caroline was the first to speak. "Sarah, my dear, I was worried about you."
Sarah exhaled... "Worried? Does the adoptive mother worry about the child she tried to sell?" Chloe and Caroline looked between each other shocked. Did she remember, the question both of them had on their mind... Then Chloe asked, "What do you remember?" Sarah said "enough to know I shouldn't trust you." She pressed the button on her bed to call the nurse. Nurse came and asked them to leave because the visitation hours have passed. But before she could chase them out of there, Chloe threw the newspapers on Sarah's bed, saying, "You shouldn't trust Damien Sterling Sarah, he's lying to you. He doesn't care about you." And they left.
The nurse looked at her leg, gave her medicine and left.
Sarah took the newspapers and right there, on the front page it said; DAMIEN STERLING & PENELOPE WELLINGTON TYING THE KNOT SOON? Sarah's heart gave a painful jerk. The headline was a cold splash of reality. She clutched the paper, forcing herself to breathe. Damien said the press fabricated stories about him all the time. If he were truly getting married, he would have told her... wouldn't he? She folded the paper away, but the image, and the tiny seed of doubt it planted, remained.