Scarlet
There is something I need to talk to you about…
I stared at the condensation sliding down my glass of iced tea like it had all the answers I didn’t.
My heart was hammering, yet I felt numb. It was a strange kind of emptiness—like I’d used up every bit of rage, grief, and confusion, and now I was just… here. Hollow.
Across from me, Damien was still watching. Quietly. Patiently. Like he knew pushing me would only make me retreat. Like a predator waiting for its prey to fall into its trap.
But I could feel his questions clawing at the silence between us.
I wasn’t ready to answer them.
I took a small sip. My throat still felt dry.
“I…” I started, then stopped. Damn it. How was I supposed to say this?
He waited.
Why did he always have to wait like that? With those eyes? Like
