(Lena’s POV)

The moment the door shut behind Damian, silence swallowed the room again. I stood there, staring at the clock as the minutes crawled forward. My thoughts ran wild, looping through everything I had just witnessed—Patrick’s panic, Damian’s calm precision, the weight of that message from Victoria.

She had called for him so soon after the confrontation. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

I told myself to listen, to follow his order and stay put, but the air in the room felt ...