Winter POV
The moment Damon left, the weight of my words crashed down on me. I slumped against the door, my breath coming in shallow gasps.
I had come so close to telling him everything, to laying it all bare. But I couldn’t. I wasn’t ready to see the disappointment in his eyes—or the anger.
Kai’s laugh drifted in from the living room, grounding me for just a moment. He was watching one of his favorite cartoons, his little body curled up on the couch with a blanket. He looked so much like Damon that it physically hurt sometimes.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and joined him, sitting beside him and running my hand over his curls.
“Mommy?” Kai asked, looking up at me with curious eyes.
“Yes, baby?”
“Why are you sad?”
I forced a smile, even though my heart was breaking. “I’m not sa
