Damien sat at the front deck, the sea stretching endlessly before him and a cigarette glowing between his lips as the yacht rocked against the waves.
The sky had already begun to darken over the water, but he needed a moment to breathe, a short break after hours at sea. He drew the cigarette between his fingers and let the smoke curl lazily from his mouth while his lips curving into a slow, reluctant smile.
He would not even lie to himself that he had not missed her. The memory of her innocent, beautiful face came to him with ease, along with the constant smile that seemed to soften even his roughest days. He could almost see the stray strand of hair that clung to her cheek when she slept, and heard the quiet murmur that escaped her lips in her dreams.
The ache of it pressed against his
