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Chapter 84 – Damon's POV
"Unwelcome Visit"
I was halfway through reviewing a proposal when my office door opened.
"Mr. Blackwood, she said she knows you personally—" my assistant tried to explain as she stepped aside.
And then I saw her.
Sophia.
Her long, honey-blonde hair fell in effortless waves over her shoulders, her designer perfume already creeping through the room before the door even shut. She wore a deep red blouse tucked into a tight black skirt, the same kind of look that used to make me lose all focus.
Not anymore.
Not after Arya.
"Sophia," I said, setting down the file in my hands. "What are you doing here?"
She gave me a slow smile, the kind she always used when she wanted something. "You haven't changed," she said, walking toward me. "Still so serious. But damn, Damon… you look even better than I remember."
I didn't stand.
Didn't smile.
Didn't flirt back.
"Why are you here?" I repeated, leaning back in my chair.
She pouted, placing her handbag on the edge of my desk. "No hello? No hug? That's cold, even for you."
"You didn't call. You didn't text. You just showed up. That's not how you visit someone you haven't spoken to in… what? A year?"
"Seven months," she said. "Not that I've been counting."
I raised an eyebrow. "But clearly you were."
She laughed, trying to mask the tension. "Fine. Maybe I missed you."
I exhaled slowly, my fingers tapping the armrest. "Why?"
Her smile faltered.
"I don't know," she admitted. "Maybe I've just been thinking about you lately. I heard about your company expanding. Figured it wouldn't kill me to stop by and… check in."
I watched her closely. Her voice was soft, her eyes wide — but I wasn't the same man she once toyed with.
I'd changed.
Arya changed me.
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"Sophia," I said quietly, "whatever we had… it's over. You know that."
She tilted her head. "That's not how it felt back then."
"Back then," I said with emphasis, "I didn't know what love really was."
She flinched, just slightly. "You really think that's what you have now? With her?"
I didn't even hesitate. "Yes. I do."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "She left you once."
"And I forgave her."
"She had another man's child."
"And I love that child like my own."
Sophia's mouth tightened. She took a step back, arms crossed, but her eyes still lingered on me like she was hoping something had cracked.
But I was solid. Steady. Rooted in something real.
"Why are you really here?" I asked again. "Because you don't just show up for closure. You never have."
For a moment, the charm faded. And I saw something else in her eyes.
Loneliness.
Maybe even regret.
She shrugged. "I guess I thought… maybe you weren't as serious as you seemed. Maybe I'd find a way back in. I miss what we had."
"What we had," I said firmly, "was convenient. Lust. Distraction. It was never love."
"And what you have now is perfect?"
"No," I said. "But it's worth fighting for. That's the difference."
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Sophia was silent for a long moment, then she gave a short, bitter laugh.
"Funny," she muttered. "You used to say things like that to me."
"I used to be a lot of things," I said. "Cold. Detached. Selfish."
Her eyes met mine again.
"But I'm not that man anymore."
She glanced around the room, trying to collect her pride. "Right. Well… this was clearly a mistake."
"It was."
She winced, then grabbed her handbag. "You know, if things ever fall apart—"
"They won't."
Silence.
Finally, she turned on her heel and walked toward the door.
"Sophia," I said just before she opened it.
She looked over her shoulder.
"I hope you find someone who doesn't treat you like a backup plan. You deserve more than that."
Her lips parted, surprise flickering in her expression. And then, without another word, she left.
---
When the door clicked shut, I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling.
That conversation could've gone differently. A year ago, maybe it would've. Back when I was still bitter. Still broken. Still trying to fill the emptiness inside me with meaningless flings and shallow attention.
But not anymore.
Now… I had Arya.
I had Liam.
And I had another child on the way.
A family.
A future.
And no ghost from the past was going to shake that.
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Just then, my phone buzzed.
Arya 💛: Don't forget Liam's school bake sale tomorrow. He wants us both there.
A smile tugged at my lips.
Me: I wouldn't miss it for the world.
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End of Chapter 84 – Damon's POV