DOMINIC'S POV
The silence after Damien’s exit was oppressive to me. I sat at the table, phone in hand, trying to calm the rising panic in my chest. My thumb hovered over his name in my contacts. Finally, I hit “Call.”
No answer.
I tried again, and again, but each attempt was futile; I kept getting his voicemail. Frustration made me groan and drop my phone on the table. Damien wasn’t just ignoring me; he was shutting me out completely.
I couldn’t let it end like this.
One more time.
“Damien,” I said when his voicemail clicked on again. “Look, I get that you’re upset, but you don’t understand the full picture. I know I’ve been holding back, but I swear, it’s for a reason. Call me back when you get this ASAP.”
I hung up and gripped the edge of the table. Damien wasn’t just my friend, h
