Chapter 104

••• Damien's POV ••• Victoria had always been composed, controlled, even when the world beneath her feet fractured. But this... this silence, this cold civility—it wasn’t control. It was retreat. And it terrified me more than anything I’d ever faced. She moved like nothing had happened. Like she hadn’t once melted against me in the dark, whispering my name like it meant something. Like every tender moment that had happened between us had meant nothing, thinking maybe—just maybe—I could deserve her. Now, she walked past me like I was no one. And I fucking let her. That was the worst part. But I wasn’t going to allow that. *** Later that night, I sat alone in the bedroom, our bedroom, one that had always belonged to me, but had meant for us both now. Her scent lingered faintly—jasmine and something only I could name, something special only to her. I buried my face in my hands. How had this slipped through my fingers? I thought I was doing the right thing. That keeping my distance would s