Chapter 3: One Step Too Close
807 Words
Selene didn’t breathe.
She couldn’t.
Damian’s eyes were still on her sharp, searching, too aware.
You’re hiding something…
The words lingered in the air between them, heavy and dangerous.
“…it has something to do with me, doesn’t it?”
Her heart slammed violently against her ribs.
“No,” she said quickly.
Too quickly.
The moment the word left her mouth, she regretted it.
Damian’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes did.
He didn’t believe her.
Not even a little.
“You’re a terrible liar,” he said quietly.
Selene forced a steady breath, lifting her chin slightly. “And you’re seeing things that aren’t there.”
A pause.
Then
“Am I?”
He stepped closer.
Again.
Always closer.
Selene’s back nearly hit the wall behind her, her body tightening instinctively.
She needed space.
Distance.
Air.
But Damian didn’t give her any of that.
“You disappear,” he continued, his voice calm but cutting, “then come back looking like this”
His gaze dropped briefly.
Not long.
But enough.
Her stomach twisted not from nausea this time, but fear.
“and you expect me not to notice?” he finished.
“I expect you to mind your business,” she replied.
Her voice was steady.
Surprisingly steady.
But inside
Everything was shaking.
A faint smirk touched his lips.
Not amused.
Not warm.
Just… dangerous.
“You are my business.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Selene swallowed.
“No,” she said softly. “I’m not.”
His expression hardened instantly.
“You don’t get to decide that.”
“And you don’t get to control me.”
Silence.
Sharp.
Tense.
Then
Damian reached for her again.
This time, his hand didn’t go to her wrist.
It moved higher.
Closer.
Her breath caught as his fingers hovered near her waist like he was testing something.
Like he was trying to confirm a suspicion.
Her entire body froze.
“Don’t,” she said quickly.
Too quickly.
His hand stopped mid-air.
That was it.
That was the mistake.
Because now
He knew.
Not everything.
But enough.
His eyes darkened, locking onto hers with dangerous precision.
“Why?” he asked.
Her throat tightened.
“Why what?”
“Why are you so tense?”
“I’m not.”
Another lie.
Another one he didn’t believe.
“You are,” he said.
His voice dropped lower.
More controlled.
More dangerous.
“And you only get like this when something matters.”
Her pulse spiked.
He was getting too close.
Too observant.
Too right.
“Damian”
“Who is it?”
The question cut through everything.
Her mind went blank.
“What?”
“Who is he?” he repeated.
Confusion hit her first.
Then realization.
And then
A sharp, almost bitter laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
“You think there’s someone else?”
His jaw clenched.
The reaction told her everything.
“Yes,” he said.
The single word was cold.
Certain.
Possessive.
Selene shook her head slowly.
“You really think that low of me?”
“I think you left,” he said. “Without a word. Without an explanation.”
His eyes burned into hers.
“So yes I think it’s possible.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
Because part of him wasn’t wrong.
She did leave.
She did disappear.
But not for the reason he thought.
“Believe whatever you want,” she said quietly.
“I will,” he replied.
A beat of silence passed.
Then
His gaze dropped again.
Lower.
More focused this time.
And before she could react
His hand moved.
Fast.
Intentional.
He caught her waist.
Not roughly.
But firmly enough that she couldn’t step back.
Selene gasped softly, her hands instinctively pressing against his chest.
“Damian”
“Stop moving,” he said.
Her breath hitched.
Something in his tone wasn’t anger anymore.
It was calculation.
He was thinking.
Putting pieces together.
And she could feel it
The shift.
The moment suspicion started turning into something more dangerous.
His grip tightened slightly.
Not enough to hurt.
But enough to hold her in place.
To feel.
To confirm.
Her heart pounded wildly.
“No…” she whispered.
Too late.
His hand stilled against her waist.
And then
Everything changed.
The air.
The tension.
The look in his eyes.
Because now
He wasn’t just guessing anymore.
He was realizing.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
And when his gaze lifted back to hers, it was no longer just suspicion.
It was something sharper.
Something certain.
Something that made her stomach drop completely.
“Selene…” he said quietly.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly.
“Yes?”
A pause.
Heavy.
Terrifying.
Then
His voice dropped into a whisper that felt like a storm about to break.
“…what are you hiding from me?”
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