Lila POV
Monday hit like a hangover after the best weekend of my life.
Damon had been distant all day—distracted, checking his phone constantly, barely touching me even when our parents weren’t around. I told myself it was the investigation. That he was protecting us. But the knot in my stomach grew tighter with every evasive answer.
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I crept down the hall toward his room, needing his hands on me, needing to feel that connection again. His door was cracked open, light spilling into the hallway.
I froze just outside when I heard his voice low, tense, on speakerphone.
“…yeah, I’m handling the stepsister situation. Don’t worry. She’s distracted. I’ve got her under control. Once I get what I need from her, we can move forward with the rest of the plan. She won
