The door slammed open before Damian could even reach it, and my heart nearly stopped. A woman stood there, arms crossed, lips curled into a smirk that was equal parts infuriating and impossible to ignore. She was pregnant - the curve of her belly clear beneath her tailored coat - and her presence filled the room like a storm.

I froze. Damian's usual control, the calm mask he always wore, shattered. His face drained of color, his hands hovering uselessly in mid-air.

"Hello," she said, voice ...