Silence hung heavy in the council chamber long after Damon walked out.

It wasn’t just quiet — it was suffocating. The kind of silence that settles after a storm, when debris still trembles from the impact. I could still hear the echo of his words in my head. His proposal. His voice saying my name like it was a confession.

I didn’t realize my hands were shaking until Kristen gently pried one from the table and held it in his. His touch grounded me — warm, steady, familiar — but ...