Olivia POV:
My fingers trailed against the rose petals in the courtyard, their soft velvet brushing over my skin like a memory I couldn’t quite hold on to. The world around me shimmered in that strange, too-bright way it always did now—edges softened, colors deepened, sounds floating in and out like they were deciding whether I deserved to hear them. The roses were the only things that felt real. Grounding. Warm. I exhaled slowly, watching the white mist curl in the cool morning air. On instinct, I pressed my palm flat against the nearest bloom, as if it could tell me who I was supposed to be… who I used to be. Something tugged at my chest—an echo of pain or longing, I wasn’t sure which.
Footsteps approached, steady and sure, and I didn’t need to turn to know who it was. Damien carried a
