Damien leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Salena’s face. “What are you doing, Salena?” he asked softly, his tone void of judgment but heavy with concern. “And more importantly… why are you doing this to yourself?”
Salena didn’t answer. Her fingers trembled as they gripped the edge of the coffee cup, but she remained silent—too silent. Her gaze dropped to the table, unfocused, distant, like she wasn’t even in the room anymore.
She was still trapped in that moment inside the elevator.
Melissa’s soft, hesitant voice kept echoing in her mind. “No… Alec didn’t hurt me. It was an accident in the lab.”
The way Melissa had shaken her head so fiercely… the way her eyes brimmed with unspoken fear yet her lips still defended him—it had left a hollow in Salena’s chest that refused to
