Ariana’s POV
Everything felt… different.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just—
Empty.
⸻
The mansion was still the same.
The staff still moved the same.
The routine didn’t change.
But something had shifted.
And I could feel it in every step I took.
⸻
Damien stopped speaking to me.
Not completely.
But enough.
No unnecessary words.
No corrections.
No warnings.
No control.
⸻
And somehow…
That felt worse.
⸻
Before, at least I knew where I stood.
A problem.
A responsibility.
Something he needed to manage.
⸻
Now?
I wasn’t even that.
⸻
I sat in my room, staring at the untouched food in front of me.
My appetite had disappeared completely.
My chest felt tight again.
My head slightly heavy.
I knew what that meant.
⸻
I reached for the medicine slowly.
The one he had give
