Damien snapped, voice sharp and cold.
“Watch yourself, Ashcroft.”
Ashcroft threw up his hands in mock surrender.
“Alright, alright! I’m a man. I see beauty when it’s there. Don’t blame me for noticing.”
Damien’s glare was ice.
“Keep your filthy thoughts locked up.”
Ashcroft laughed, then his tone shifted, harder, serious.
“But tell me—are you really sure about this? About her?”
Damien’s eyes darkened, silence stretching before he finally said, “I don’t know. All I know is she matters. More than anyone’s mattered in a long time.”
Ashcroft’s gaze hardened.
“Look, D… It broke me too. Lost someone close, I get it. The pain. The rage. The hole it leaves.”
He took a breath, voice rough with something like regret.
“But grieving doesn’t mean we get stuck. We move on. Doesn’t mean we fo
