DAMIEN'S POV.
I had been waiting all day, and that was the part I couldn’t forgive myself for.
Waiting like a fool. Waiting like someone who still believed there was mercy left in this situation. I told myself she needed time. That she was overwhelmed. That space would calm her and bring her back to me. I told myself she would come when she was ready, when she’d gathered the words she needed to say. I imagined her standing in my doorway, eyes tired, voice shaking, asking me not to give up on her.
I would have forgiven everything. That was how weak I was.
I gave the order about Ariel because I wanted to provoke something. I wanted her angry if nothing else. I wanted her to fight me, to argue, to demand answers. I needed proof that I still mattered enough to her for her to react. I dress
