Emma's POV
When I finally closed the door behind me, the silence of my apartment hit harder than I expected. It felt too still, like all the sounds I'd been blocking out suddenly rushed back in at once, the echo of Ethan's voice, Damian's steady breathing beside me in the car, my own heartbeat slamming against my ribs like it wanted out.
I leaned against the door and let out a breath that trembled on its way out.
Tonight felt like stepping off a cliff and realizing the ground wasn't where I thought it would be.
Ethan showing up had shaken something loose in me. Not just fear or memories but something deeper, buried under months of pretending I'd moved on from who I used to be with him.
And then there was Damian.
Damian, who showed up like a storm disguised as a man. Damian, whose voice stayed steady even when mine cracked. Damian, who looked at Ethan like he was a piece of rotting trash someone mistakenly placed near something precious.
Something precious.
