Chapter 20: Ashes to Ashes
The penthouse feels like a pressure cooker at dawn.
I haven’t slept. Neither has Damian. He’s been up since the press conference ended, pacing between the office and the living room, phone glued to his ear, voice low and dangerous while he gives orders to Marcus, Lydia, and a whole team of lawyers who sound like they’re scared to breathe wrong around him. I’m curled on the couch in his oversized hoodie, knees pulled to my chest, staring out at the city waking up below us. The ring on my finger catches the first light — heavy, beautiful, terrifying. Every time I look at it, my stomach flips. Not just from the baby. From everything else.
Damian finally hangs up and walks in. His shirt is untucked, sleeves rolled to his elbows, the scar on his side peeking out li
