She turned slowly, meeting his eyes. “Do you remember that night,” she began softly, “when I told you I just need you to be honest with me?” She paused, letting the words sink in. “Even if the truth… is ugly.”
Damien’s chest tightened. He swallowed hard, jaw clenching as he tried to steady the storm inside. He stepped closer, the space between them charged with unspoken tension.
“I do,” he said, voice low, deliberate, “and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
His eyes bore into hers, fierce yet vulnerable. “But you need to understand… once I start, there’s no turning back. You’ll see the other side of the world I live in, the choices I’ve made… the darkness I’ve carried. And there’s no undoing it.”
Maya met his gaze steadily. “I’m ready, Damien. I don’t want half-truths. I want
