Damian's POV
Two days later. The Dalmatian coast, Croatia, 9 PM.
The sun had already dipped below the jagged limestone peaks hours ago, casting long shadows across the bay.
The sky was turning from deep blue to black, stars beginning to pierce through.
I'd spent the entire day at the conference center, only managing a brief phone call with Aria during lunch break.
The drive from the venue back to the hotel wound through twenty minutes of mountain roads, and I didn't want to wait that long.
Six hours behind me she was somewhere between lunch and her afternoon calls—the only gap in her day I could actually reach into.
So I found a quiet spot by the overlook, leaning against the stone railing, and video called her to check in.
We'd originally planned three video call
