Damian’s POV

The drive back to the mansion was silent, not the comfortable kind. Not the familiar, practiced silence Damian had mastered over the years—the one that came from control and certainty. This silence was heavy, oppressive, filled with words that had already been said and truths that could never be taken back.

The car moved smoothly along the road, tires rolling against the tarred floor, but Damian barely registered the passing streets. His hands were folded tightly in his lap, ...