She drew another breath, steadier this time. “After graduation, I begged my mother. And she… she understood. She agreed to take me away, to give me a chance at something real. That’s why we left—months before my twenty-fifth birthday. My father still stands as the Oyabun in public. But the truth is, he’s only holding the space meant for me, keeping the world together while I tried to figure out who I am.”
Her voice softened, but its edge of resolve remained. “I didn’t leave out of fear. I left to choose. To be me.” She glanced at Damien, her gaze steady. “And that’s why I did what I did—it was the only way I could stay hidden.”
Harper’s eyes flicked to Maya, a bare tremor threading her voice. “And then I met you. Just… normal. Living. Surviving. And I felt this pull—not out of pity, but
