Damien pov
The sky was soft gold when I parked in front of Maya’s apartment building that kind of evening glow that looks peaceful from a distance but burns your chest when you’re standing in it, drowning in regret.
For ten minutes, I didn’t move. I just sat there, staring at the quiet street, the row of neatly parked cars, the familiar ache gnawing at my ribs. My fingers tightened around the steering wheel. I’d rehearsed this moment over and over what I’d say, how I’d act but now, every line sounded wrong. Every word felt too small to carry what I wanted to tell her.
I didn’t even know if she would open the door.
I’d spent days thinking about her, about the look on her face when she walked away. The sound of her voice, low and trembling, echoing in my head. “You don’t even trust me,
