The fight changed something. Not everything, Damien was still Damien, still possessive, still watching me like I might vanish if he blinked too long. But after that night in the guest room, after the amazing and tender s*x that we had, and then he whispered “I love you” hung still hung in the air between us, but softened the edges.
He gave me space when I asked, let me walk to class alone sometimes (with the driver trailing at a distance he thought I didn’t notice) and let me text Sofia without hovering. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better.
A month had passed since that first night in the mansion, the night I sold my virginity to a stranger who turned out to be the man who owned my entire world.
One month and I didn’t expect him to remember, but Damien remembered everything.
That eve
