Chapter 2:Control is an illusion
864 Words
Selene didn’t breathe.
Not when he said it.
Not when his fingers tightened ever so slightly around her wrist.
Not even when the world came rushing back music, laughter, voices like nothing had just shifted irreversibly.
Because something had.
Inside her.
Inside him.
Inside whatever this was between them.
“You’re mistaken,” she said finally, her voice steady in a way that felt almost unreal.
Damian didn’t release her.
Of course he didn’t.
His thumb brushed lightly against the inside of her wrist, dangerously close to the pulse he could probably feel racing beneath her skin. His gaze held hers, unwavering, like he was trying to peel her apart layer by layer.
“You’ve always been a terrible liar,” he said.
Her stomach dropped.
Selene forced a soft laugh, tilting her head slightly. “And you’ve always been too confident in your assumptions.”
But her fingers traitorous, trembling and tightened around her bracelet again.
Courage.
Love.
Luck.
She needed all three now.
Damian’s eyes flicked down to the movement.
Not missing it.
He never missed anything.
“Still clinging to that?” he murmured.
The words were quiet, but they hit harder than they should have.
Selene swallowed. “Some things are worth holding on to.”
Something shifted in his expression again—subtle, fleeting but this time it lingered longer. A shadow of something softer. Or maybe more dangerous.
Memory.
“You didn’t think that way before you left.”
The accusation was quiet.
Controlled.
But it carried weight.
Selene’s chest tightened.
“You didn’t give me a reason to stay,” she said, softer now.
And there it was again,that flicker in his eyes. This time sharper. Colder.
“You’re rewriting history.”
“I’m surviving it.”
Silence.
Heavy. Breathing.
For a moment, they stood there suspended between past and present, neither willing to step back, neither willing to admit what still lingered between them.
Then
“Damian.”
The voice cut cleanly through the tension.
Selene stiffened.
Not because of the interruption.
But because of the woman who caused it.
She was stunning in a way that demanded attention;poised, elegant, every inch of her crafted for rooms like this. Her gown clung perfectly, her smile precise.
Controlled.
Calculated.
Dangerous.
Selene didn’t know her.
But she didn’t need to.
Women like that didn’t approach men like Damian casually.
The woman’s gaze slid to Selene, sharp and assessing, before settling into something polite.
Too polite.
“Am I interrupting?” she asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.
Damian didn’t look away from Selene.
“No.”
A lie.
And they all knew it.
The woman’s smile tightened ever so slightly.
“I’ve been looking for you,” she continued, stepping closer. “Your father is asking.”
There it was.
Family.
Expectation.
Control.
Selene felt it like a pressure shift in the room.
Damian finally released her wrist.
The absence of his touch was immediate.
And worse than the contact.
Selene resisted the urge to step back too quickly.
Don’t look affected.
Don’t look shaken.
Don’t look like you’re carrying his child.
Her stomach twisted.
“Then you should go,” she said calmly.
Damian’s gaze snapped back to her.
Something unreadable burned in his eyes.
“You’re not finished with this conversation.”
Her pulse spiked.
“I think I am.”
A mistake.
She saw it instantly,the way his expression hardened, the way his jaw set.
“You don’t get to decide that.”
The woman beside him watched the exchange carefully now.
Interested.
Suspicious.
Selene straightened her shoulders, forcing control back into her voice.
“I already did.”
Another silence.
Sharper this time.
More dangerous.
Damian took a step closer again while ignoring the woman beside him, ignoring the room, ignoring everything except her.
“Then we’ll continue it somewhere else.”
Selene’s breath caught.
“No.”
It came out too fast.
Too sharp.
Too revealing.
His eyes narrowed.
“Why not?”
Think.
Think.
Because if you’re alone with me, you might notice everything.
Because if you touch me again, I might not be able to hide it.
Because if you look too closely
You’ll see our child.
“I have no interest in revisiting something that should have stayed in the past,” she said instead.
The lie tasted bitter.
Damian studied her like a puzzle he refused to walk away from.
“You’re afraid.”
Her chest tightened.
“I’m practical.”
“No,” he said quietly. “You’re hiding.”
Her heart slammed violently.
Before she could respond
A sudden wave of dizziness hit her.
Sharp.
Unexpected.
Selene’s hand instinctively moved to her abdomen.
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
Damian saw it.
His gaze dropped.
Focused.
Locked.
Selene froze.
No.
No, no
She forced her hand down immediately, stepping back.
“I need some air,” she said quickly, turning away before he could stop her.
Before he could question.
Before he could connect the pieces.
But as she walked
She felt it.
His gaze.
Heavy.
Following.
Calculating.
And she knew
He wasn’t letting this go.
Not this time.
Not her.
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