#Chapter 54 – Homeward Bound

Lila The shift was subtle, but I felt a distance in Damon’s gaze. The way his expression cooled just slightly when I entered the room. No trace of the man who had kissed me with fire or sent heartfelt notes in the morning. And I had no idea why. If Vanessa had told him who I was I’d be expelled or dead. I sat in the outer parlor just off the eastern corridor, reading the same sentence over and over. The words blurred. The pages meant nothing. Because every time I caught sight of him—shoulders taut, mouth drawn tight—I felt something in me crack. What changed? The memory of the letter he sent still pulsed at my ribs. The softness in his voice during our dinner. The way his fingers had curled around mine like he couldn’t let me go. That had been real. I knew it. And now... Now he wouldn’t even meet my eyes. I told myself it was nothing. Maybe a political matter like not showing favoritism. Maybe something else entirely. But the longer I sat there, the heavier the ache in m