The rain outside the estate poured hard that morning, the kind of cold, steady rain that reminded everyone inside that peace was always temporary. A week had passed since Damien brought Sera home. The estate felt alive again, laughter echoing faintly from the halls, toys scattered across the living room, and Sera’s voice calling for her father every morning.
For the first time in months, Damien smiled again. But it was never complete, not when another room remained locked under his command. Behind that steel door, Amara waited.
He had avoided her. Every day, every hour. He focused on Sera, telling himself that the child needed his full attention. But deep down, he knew what he was really doing, avoiding the one person who could break what was left of him.
Now, standing outside that cell
