The words lingered in the air, thick and immovable, like smoke that refused to clear.
Maya’s chest rose and fell in uneven breaths, her body frozen in the chair, her mind torn between everything she already knew and everything she had just learned.
He had shown her pieces of this world—his control, his silence, his shadows—but this…
This was the truth. His truth. A part of it, because she knew there was still more to learn, more to understand.
And it was darker than she ever imagined.
While Maya tried to absorb it all, Damien stood at the edge—exposed in a way he had never allowed himself to be. He was giving her his truth, and so far she hadn’t run. Not yet. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t once she discovered how deep his world went.
The room remained heavy and silent, every breat
