I wondered if I should go looking for him. But my body was exhausted. Every muscle ached. My ankle throbbed. My lips were still swollen. My nose still tender. I didn’t have the strength to move.
The bedlamp was still on, casting a soft amber glow across the room. Eva had fallen asleep beside me, her head resting gently on my shoulder. I wanted to push her away — not out of anger, but because I needed space. I needed Damon. I needed his arms around me, his voice in my ear, his scent in my lungs.
But she looked peaceful.
And I didn’t have the heart to disturb her.
Her presence, though uninvited, was warm in its own way — a reminder that someone cared, even if it wasn’t the person I was aching for.
I sat there, unmoving, staring at the soft glow of the lamp, my thoughts tangled in the sc
