The next morning came heavy and gray.

Damien had not slept. He sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. The room felt smaller than it used to. The walls pressed in, filled with memories he could not shut out. Ivy’s face from the day before stayed burned into his mind. The way her eyes filled with tears. The way she asked if they had met. The way she walked away like he was nothing.

A knock came at the door.

Damien didn’t answer.

The door opened anyway.

Cassien ...