💫Chapter 13 – Shattered Lines
457 Words
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POV: Ava
I could still taste the bitterness of last night’s argument on my tongue. Damien’s words clung to me like smoke, heavy and suffocating.
I had told myself to walk away, to stay behind my walls. But now… here I was, staring at my phone, fingers hovering over his name in my contacts like it was some kind of trigger.
Pathetic.
I shoved the phone into my bag and slipped on my heels, but my chest felt tight. Damien Voss had a way of pulling me toward him even when I wanted to run in the opposite direction. And worse—he knew it.
At the office, whispers followed me like shadows. My email was flooded with links to gossip articles — “Damien Voss and Mystery Woman’s Heated Public Exchange” — and I didn’t need to click them to know they were tearing me apart.
By lunchtime, I had made my decision. I wasn’t going to hide. If Damien wanted me out of his life, he’d have to look me in the eyes and say it.
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POV: Damien
I’d told myself I was done. That I could let her walk away and keep my life neat, clean, controlled.
But neat and clean felt like poison without her.
The moment I saw her walk into the building, chin high despite the stares, something inside me cracked. My security team had orders to keep reporters away, but I could still see the flashes of cameras from outside. She looked like she was walking into a warzone.
And it was my fault.
“Get my car ready,” I told Adrian. “We’re leaving.”
When she stepped out of the elevator, I caught her wrist before she could pass me. Her eyes widened, fire sparking there.
“Let go, Damien.”
“Not until we talk,” I growled.
Her laugh was bitter. “We already did. You made your point.”
I leaned closer, my voice dropping low. “No, Ava. I made a mistake. And I don’t make them twice.”
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POV: Ava
It was dangerous, the way his words made my heart stutter. Dangerous, the way his fingers tightened just slightly on my wrist, like he was anchoring me to him.
“Damien—”
“Dinner. Tonight,” he cut in, his tone brooking no argument. “Somewhere private. No press. Just us.”
I wanted to say no. God, I wanted to. But the truth was, I was tired of running.
“Fine,” I said at last, my voice barely a whisper. “But you’d better have something more than apologies.”
The shadow of a smile tugged at his lips. “You have no idea.”
- Writer
