A/N: omg guys what??? I'm at over 15k reads??? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? WOAH! I truly didn't even realize I hit 15k reads because you guys are always commenting & interacting w/ the story & giving it so much love so I never needed to check the amount of reads. 😭 THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Please keep leaving your thoughts, opinions, & funny comments, they always make me smile! 🤗💕

- - -

"He WHAT?" Ria is fuming with anger. "Are you fucking joking? Yeah, she was coming into him, TOTAL BULLSHIT."

Sahara looks out the window, not being able to talk, think or do anything without thinking about Damian.

"If it makes you feel any better, he's a bloody mess." Viktor chimes in.

"That doesn't really make me feel better." Sahara says.

"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to Ria." Viktor tried cracking a joke.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny. While you're here cracking jokes, I'm going to go ahead and crack Mr. Vasiliev's head into two bits." Ria is not having any of this. She wants revenge but Sahara is already very upset, she doesn't want to increase any sadness.

"Oh, shit. M'lady is feisty. I like." Viktor smirks.

Ria throws a pillow at his face, "Shut up!"

Sahara couldn't pay attention to the other two. She was lost in her own thoughts. She misses Damian's stormy eyes, his charming smile, how his touch sent a shock through her body, how his lips molded onto hers as if they were made for each other–

Viktor snaps his fingers in front of Sahara's face to interrupt her thoughts, "Are you with us on earth, Sahara?"

Sahara couldn't hold back any longer, "How much of a mess is Damian?"

Ria and Viktor look at each other a little concerned. "Um, are you sure you want to know?"

Sahara nods.

"Well, he hasn't stopped drinking alcoholic drinks for the past week, he gets 2 hours of sleep, if any, per night. Also, he hasn't showed up to work at all. He's stopped himself from any human contact, hasn't spoken to anyone in almost a week. But when he does speak, he's asking about you."

Sahara's already sad mood, turns sadder. She doesn't like the sound of this Damian. It hurts her that he's not doing so well. Her heart clenches at the thought of a broken Damian, "I think I want to talk to him."

"Oh, Hell no! I'm not letting you speak to that devil of a man." Ria refuses.

"Ria, I understand you're looking out for me, but I really need to do this. For my own sake." Sahara gives her a weak smile.

"Wow, Damian told me to fuck off when I gave him advice. This is a nicer way to say that. Should I break off the friendship with him? I don't think I'm being treated right." Viktor jokes again, but also hinting at Sahara.

Ria elbows Viktor, "You never know when to shut up."

"Oh my bloody Hell, she touched me. Ria Fahim has touched me. My dreams are coming true." Viktor puts his hand on his heart, acting like he's fainting. Ria face palms.

Sahara giggles for the first time in a whole week.

Ria looks at Sahara's smile and feels a little relieved that she hasn't forgotten how to smile, "Oh, wait, keep going, Viktor. Look, she's laughing."

"Oh, shit. She said my name for the first time ever. My name in her mouth sounds so fucking cu–"

"Get a room, you two!" Sahara covers her mouth. "Viktor's personality is really rubbing off on me, I need to stop seeing him so often."

Ria and Viktor burst into laughter as Ria places a hand on Viktor's arm unconsciously.

"Damn, she touched me for the second time. Today is my goddamn day!" Viktor pretends to have fully fainted.

Ria rolls her eyes, "Whatever. Anyways, Sahara, when you go meet him, I want to come along."

"Nope, nope, nope. Not happening." Sahara shakes her head.

"Hey!! Why not?" Ria pouts.

"I think she wants her husband to live a little longer and not want him to be murdered by her best friend." Viktor says.

"He's right. I mean, if you're that concerned, I'll bring Viktor because he isn't violent." Sahara puts a comforting hand on Ria's shoulder.

"Okay, fine. I want the full details of this meeting, including, date, time, location, EVERYTHING." Ria demands.

"Okay, mere ma (Urdu/Hindi: my mom), I'll do as you say."

• • •

"Mate, I cant let you meet Sahara in this state." Viktor says under his breath. Sahara has told him to keep the meeting a secret from Damian. She wants to show up without him knowing, to surprise him.

"Damian! You idiot! You need to stop drinking and man up." Viktor takes the vodka bottle away from him.

"Fuck you, fuck you, and fuck you. Don't bloody tell me what to do." Damian says in a slurred tone.

"I don't deserve this bullshit. Sahara is a great best friend to Ria, why do you treat me like shit? Viktor Petrov deserves better!" Viktor mutters to himself as he cleans up the bottles on the table.

Then Viktor hears the door knob rattling, Damian hasn't let a single soul into this room, who could this be?

"Damian, babe, I brought us some sexy toys to play wi– oh, Viktor, what a surprise." Stella smirks at the expression on Viktor's face.

Viktor puts down the alcohol bottle before he hurt someone with it, "Damian, you little shit. Are you fucking kidding me?"

"What? Huh? What the fuck are you looking at? Sahara fucking left me. Stella here keeps me company." Damian's drunk voice showing no trace of consciousness.

"I keep him company and I give him the sex he deserves." Stella adds in.

Viktor loses his mind at this point, "Your goddamn ego is always bigger than your logic. You're about to lose the girl you actually love and all because of your fucking gigantic ego. You fucking deserve what's about to come at you, Damian Romeo Vasiliev. You bitch-ass beings both deserve each other. Fuck you both! I'm out!"

Even thought Damian's wasted, Viktor has never been this angry with him. "What does he mean I deserve what's about to come at me?" Damian asks more to himself than anyone else.

Stella shrugs it off, "does it matter?"

• • •

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Viktor asks Sahara.

She lets out a small sigh, "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Yes, you do. You can just never talk to him and it'll be fine." Viktor became really nervous after what he walked in on at Damian's the other day. He wants Sahara to know the truth but he has no damn clue how much it'll hurt her, he really cannot imagine.

Sahara gives him a soft smile, "I have to do this for me, at least."

Viktor gets out of the car and walks towards Sahara's side of the door to open it for her.

"Would you like me to go inside the room with you as well? Or should I wait out in the hallway?"

"Hallway would be nice, thank you."

The moment she walks into the house, she is lovingly greeted by Katherine, who seems to be the only one at home.

"Oh, dear, I've missed you so much." She embraces Sahara into a firm hug, which makes Sahara smile.

"I've missed you as well! I'm sorry for not being here." Sahara says.

"You're always apologizing! Don't be sorry, child!" And then Katherine's smile fades, "Are you here to visit Sir?"

Sahara became confused at Katherine's sudden change in emotion, "Yes, why? Is he okay?"

"He– um, he's busy, maybe you can come back later?" Katherine is hiding something.

Viktor comes between them realizing what Katherine means, "I think it's time for Sahara and Damian to finally talk it out."

"Mr. Petrov, please, I don't think–"

Victor cuts her off, "No, Katherine. It's now or never."

Katherine has an almost pitiful expression on her face. Sahara, in the midst of all of this, is very confused about why the two sound so nervous. Almost more nervous than her.

Viktor and Sahara walk towards Damian's room.

• • •

"Come on, babe. One more round?" Stella is purring at Damian as she strokes his bare chest.

"Not now." Damian looks away.

"Don't ruin the fun, we're just getting started with us." Stella says as she seductively takes off her silk robe.

"What us are you talking about? There's no love between us, just sex." Damian says bluntly.

"Oh, and if you're so fucking hurt about her then why are you still sitting here with me?"

"Because I don't cry for love, that shit is too dangerous." He says in the most simple tone.

Stella swings a leg over Damian to sit on his lap. She grabs his face and brings it close enough to his where their lips are almost touching, "I know you're mad at Sahara for leaving you, I know she hurt your pride." She whispers in a tempting tone, "So, fuck me hard, take control of me, make me beg for you. I'm not going anywhere."

Automatically, Damian's left hand slides up her right thigh and delves into her lips. It tastes nothing like Sahara's; there's no innocence in it, there's no passion in it, there's no emotions in it, it's purely a need for lust, purely an outlet he needs to take his mind off of Sahara.

Stella slides off his pants and wraps her mouth around the tip of his penis. Damian grabs a fist full of Stella's blonde, pushing it deeper in her mouth, "Suck it harder, fuck, that feels so fucking good." He feels all the tense muscles in his body relax in almost an instant.

Stella pauses for a moment, "I'm better than that precious Sahara of yours, aren't I?"

"Mmmm..." Damian doesn't answer directly. Instead, he pulls her head back onto his tip. "Fuck, I'm going to–"

His heart begins to pound in his ears, he suddenly goes numb to everything, his eyes stuck in the direction of the door, Sahara, no, no, no, fuck, no.

• • •

Sahara speaks in a monotone voice, with a tinge of pain in her voice. However, without a single bit of hesitation, she says, "I want a divorce. I will make it easy for you and your lawyer: I do not need any part of your wealth or property. I want the divorce papers in my hand by the end of the month or I will contact a lawyer instead."

- - -

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger-ish chapter... next two chapters coming this weekend!! ♥️

Also, Happy Valentines Day! Sorry for the really non-lovey related chapter that literally just went south 😂

**I updated my playlist on Spotify with the new song for the chapter!**

♥️