I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror anymore. Every time I tried, the boy staring back looked like a stranger. The strawberry gloss on my lips felt fake. The concealer hiding my bruises felt like another lie. Even the silver necklace from Seraphina burned against my chest like it was trying to tell me I didn’t belong in my own skin. I was sitting on the floor of the fancy bathroom in the safe house, knees pulled up to my chest, crying so hard my whole body shook.
Why was everything falling apart?
Damian found me like that. He didn’t say anything at first. Just sat down on the cold tiles and pulled me into his lap, wrapping his strong arms around me like he could hold all my broken pieces together. His shirt smelled like him , dark and safe and a little dangerous. I buried my face in h
