Valencia may have walked out, but her poison lingered.
Damien paced the length of the guest wing like a caged beast. Elira watched him from the doorway, arms crossed, nerves stretched thin.
“She’s bluffing,” he muttered. “She’s always been a performer.”
“She had real documents, Damien,” Elira said tightly. “Custody. DNA. Things I never signed, things I never submitted.”
“I never authorized any of it.”
“But you took the tests?”
He froze.
“I needed to know,” he said after a beat, turning toward her. “I needed to be sure.”
“You were sure the second you saw her eyes,” Elira snapped. “Don’t lie.”
He exhaled, chest rising and falling like he’d just run through fire. “I was scared.”
“No,” she said coldly. “You were selfish.”
Soren stepped into view, holding a mug of tea. “She doesn’t n
