#Chapter 132 – Slowly Unraveling

Lila The sheets smelled like Damon. His arms were wrapped around me, steady and silent, his breath even against the curve of my neck. If I closed my eyes, I could almost believe this was peace. That nothing outside this bed waited to unravel us. But I let my eyes drift open instead. Damon held me with a gentleness that made my chest ache, his thumb occasionally brushing against my side in a rhythm that soothed me. It was tender, yes. But guarded. Like if he held me any tighter, I might break. Or maybe he would. The silence stretched long between us. It made room for thoughts I didn’t want. Regrets I couldn’t swallow. He hadn’t asked where I’d been. Hadn’t asked about the strange fatigue clinging to me or why I trembled at odd moments like my body no longer belonged to me. He simply carried me to bed after I collapsed in the corridor and stayed. That should have reassured me. It didn’t. Something was very wrong. But not the way I feared. Not anger, not even doubt.