Ayla’s POV
He closed the door behind him and moved closer, lowering his voice. "No. I never said that."
I stared at him, then wrote: "But Renzi said-"
"Renzi heard what the investigators wanted him to hear." Damien sat carefully in the chair beside my bed. "Someone's been feeding them false information, making it seem like I identified you. But Ayla, I've been trying to tell them the truth - that it wasn't you who attacked me. It was someone who looked exactly like you."
I felt relieved. I wrote: "Then why didn't they believe you?"
"Because by the time I woke up, the narrative was already set. They'd already decided you were guilty." His jaw clenched. "And when I insisted it was someone else, they suggested I was confused from the trauma. Protecting you out of some misguided loyalty."
