Damian's POV
The house was too quiet.
I’d returned hours ago, and not a single light had been turned on since. No rustling in the kitchen. No faint hum of music echoing from her phone. No soft footsteps padding down the hallway like they used to. Just silence, thick and sprawling, hanging over the penthouse like a held breath.
I checked every room before stepping onto the terrace.
She was there.
Alone, on the far side of the garden, half-tucked into the curve of a low stone bench near the lavender beds. Her silhouette was still, knees drawn close, arms wrapped loosely around them. The moon scattered silver along her hair, casting soft shadows over her back. She wasn’t bundled up, even though the air had turned cold.
She didn’t look at me when I approached. Just kept staring at the he
