| Victoria [22:12]
| Hello.
She stared at it for a moment, lips pressed tight, chest still, waiting.
The reply came quicker than she expected.
| Damien [22:13]
| Hello?
| …Who are you?
Victoria's thumb froze mid-air.
Victoria stared at the screen, lips slightly parted. A breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding slipped from her chest.
He didn't have her number saved?
That thought shouldn't have stung, and yet—
It did.
If this had been before—back when Damien still circled Celia's world like a shadow orbiting a star—he absolutely would've had her number. He would've looked twice at every message she sent. He would've jumped at the chance to engage.
But now?
He'd fallen out of Celia's favor. He'd changed. And clearly, part of that change included erasing the people who once stood beside her.
Including her.
Still… at least he hadn't blocked her.
Yet.
She exhaled slowly, thumbing the reply with a careful steadiness.
| Victoria [22:14]
| It's Victoria. Langley.
