Chapter 21: Damon's Thoughts

"Damon something's wrong." Charlie Swan's worried voice pierced through the late-night silence, jolting me from the verge of sleep. I rubbed my face with my hand, squinting at the clock. Two in the morning. Not exactly the ideal time for a conversation with the new police chief. Especially when it involved his daughter.

"What is it, Charlie?" I tried to sound concerned, but inwardly, I couldn't shake off the sense of dread that crept over me. Bella's name alone was enough to tether me to the conversation, a fact that unsettled me more than I cared to admit.

"It's Bella, Damon. She's not home yet." Charlie's words sliced through the air, laced with anxiety. Bella's absence shouldn't have affected me this deeply, but it did.

"What do you mean she's not home?" My concern now mingled with a growing unease.

"It's not like her, Damon. She's never stayed out this late before." Charlie's voice quivered with a blend of fear and frustration. His distress mirrored my own.

"Have you tried calling her?" I suggested, though I knew it was futile. If Bella wasn't answering her phone, something was definitely wrong.

"I've been calling her non-stop, but she's not picking up," Charlie's voice cracked, betraying his worry.

"Where was the last place she was seen?" I asked, my mind already racing ahead, trying to piece together the puzzle of Bella's disappearance.

"At the Grill. Caroline Forbes said she left Bella there around ten, but she hasn't seen her since," Charlie explained, his voice heavy with dread.

My chest tightened at the mention of Bella's name, my thoughts swirling with a whirlwind of emotions. Anger, fear, and a gnawing sense of guilt clawed at me relentlessly.

"I'm on my way, Chief," I replied tersely, my mind already formulating plans. But beneath the surface, a storm raged within me. Pearl's threats echoed in my mind, fueling a fury that threatened to consume me.

As I hung up the phone, I knew one thing for certain: Pearl would pay for whatever role she played in Bella's disappearance. But before I could seek vengeance, I had to find Bella. And I would stop at nothing to bring her back safely.

With determination burning in my veins, I sped through the night towards Mystic Falls, my thoughts consumed by the girl who had unwittingly captured my heart.