Tears prick behind my eyes, a constant reminder of the nightmare I’ve been through. But I refuse to let them fall. I promised myself I would be strong and see this through until the end. I promised my one-year old son when I left him behind in Mumbai with my parents that I would bring his father back to him.

Turning my gaze away from Damien, I check the time on my phone. Where is Gabe? Why is he late?

“Did you know that the media have nicknamed him The Devil Duke?” Jasmine pulls me out my thoughts. She has been busy updating herself on the latest news on Damien ever since she landed in London this morning.

She works as a personal stylist to several celebrities in India and is returning from Italy where she attended the wedding of a famous movie star couple, one of which is her client. Jasmine only has a few hours free before she flies to Mumbai to attend the reception of the same couple.

“Shit! Aaliya,” Jasmine exclaims scrolling through her phone, her eyes narrowing or widening, depending on what she is reading. “How could we have not known about his earlier life? I still can’t believe he’s a Duke like Prince Harry except that Harry is a royal.”

“Damn, he was wild,” she continues. “Bungee jumping in Macau, base jumping in Norway, skydiving, snowboarding down dangerous slopes, motor bike racing, he’s done it all. No wonder he was called the Devil Lord back then.”

Once again, my gaze lands on Damien. How could the same person have two such contrasting personalities? I had never pegged the Damien I knew to be an adrenalin junkie. The most daredevil thing I’ve seen him do was take a ride on the most thrilling roller coasters when we visited the Six Flags theme park in California.

Now, after spending days stalking Damien on the Internet, I have learnt several hitherto unknown details about him. His love for extreme sports was insane, as if he had a death wish. The Devil Lord has become the Devil Duke and the whole of England seems to wait with bated breath to see what he does next.

When I remain silent, Jasmine touches my hand. “All this is hard to take in for me, I can barely imagine what you’re going through.”

I finally look at her. “It is hard. Apart from his love for extreme sports, I’ve seen pictures of him with a multitude of beautiful women—actresses, models and even European royalty. It boggles my mind that he fell for me. Me! I’m just an average Indian girl.”

I cluck my tongue. “And now, to know that he is this powerful aristocrat, completely out of my league.”