Damien was not on the bed when I woke up, and the cold space beside me made my chest tighten. I missed waking up to his arms around me—the warmth of him, the safety, the silent promise that even though everything around us was falling apart, I still belonged somewhere. That was the real reason I wanted all these killings to end. I wanted us to go back to how things used to be.
Breakfast sat untouched on my table. I forced myself to eat a little, but the food tasted like ashes on my tongue. My mind was too consumed with thoughts of how to leave the house without anyone noticing or stopping me. The guards at the gate were loyal to Damien; they wouldn’t let me through even if I begged. Liam was out of the question too. He’d alert Damien before I even finished my sentence.
I moved to the win
