CHAPTER THREE

ELENA

The air between us had shifted in the last few minutes. Damian had that look in his eyes—the one that made my heart race a little faster, the one that made everything feel intense. I could feel the heat building between us, the space between us closing as the conversation turned from casual to something deeper, something that made my stomach flutter.

I knew what I wanted. I had made up my mind long before tonight. Tonight, I was going to lose my virginity to Damian. He was the one I wanted, the one I always wanted, and after everything we’d been through, I didn’t care anymore.

We had been together since I was fourteen, and he was sixteen. I remember how he used to look at me back then, like I was too young for him. He told me time and time again that I wasn’t ready, that we should wait. He was protective, almost too much so, but it was sweet in its own way.

But now, I wasn’t a little girl anymore. I was ready. I was sure. And I wanted him, more than I had ever wanted anything else.

Damian had excused himself to take a phone call. I watched him walk away, trying not to let my nerves show on my face. The thoughts swirling around my head were all about him, about us. The way his smile made me melt, the way his voice made me shiver, the way everything about him made me feel alive in a way I couldn’t describe.

I touched the side of my neck, feeling the warmth that had spread across my skin, a mixture of excitement and anticipation. I wasn’t sure how long he’d be gone, but I had made up my mind. I was ready to step forward with him, to make this something real, something permanent.

He had been everything to me for so long. The teasing, the flirting, the way he made me feel like I was the only person in the room—it all led to this moment. I had loved him for so long, and now I was going to show him just how much.

When he returned, I’d tell him. I was going to make it clear. This was happening tonight.

But as Damian walked back toward the table, his face was different—grimmer, more tense than I had ever seen him. He was still Damian, but something was off. Something had shifted.

He didn’t sit down immediately. Instead, he stood by the chair, his eyes locked on mine. He wasn’t smiling anymore. There was no playful spark in his gaze. Just… something darker, something that didn’t belong in this moment.

I frowned, my heart skipping a beat. “Damian?” I asked, my voice soft, unsure of what was going on. “What’s wrong?”

He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair before he finally spoke, his voice low. "We need to go."

I blinked at him, confused. "Why? What happened?"

Damian’s jaw clenched, his eyes filled with a heaviness that made my stomach drop. He wasn’t looking at me the way he had before, not like I was the center of his world, not with that usual, teasing glint in his eyes.

"My father is dead," he said, the words cold and final, like they had the power to erase everything else in the world.

The weight of his words settled over me, and I felt my heart stutter. For a second, I couldn’t process it. My mind raced, my thoughts tangling together like a jumbled mess. I had heard of his father before—never much about him directly, but I knew enough. His father had been the head of the Moretti family, the powerful mafia that Damian had grown up with.

Damian had always kept his distance from that world, distancing himself from the mafia life, refusing to step into his father's shadow. And now… now that shadow had fallen onto him.

I stared at him, not sure what to say. "Damian… I’m so sorry." The words felt empty, too small compared to the gravity of the situation. I wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him, but I could feel the distance between us growing, the invisible wall that had gone up the second he said those words.

He seemed to notice the hesitation in me, the way I shrank back, and his gaze softened, but only for a second. "I know you didn’t sign up for this," he said, his voice thick with a mix of frustration and sadness. "I know you’re scared of this world. But I need you right now, Elena. I need you with me. Please. Don’t walk away."

I swallowed hard, my chest tight with emotion. It felt like everything was crashing down, like the dream I had of tonight being perfect—of us finally taking that step forward together—was slipping through my fingers, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I looked at him, really looked at him, seeing the boy I had loved for so long, the one who had always protected me, the one who had kept his distance from the life he was born into. And now, that life was pulling him back in, whether he liked it or not.

"I… I don’t know if I can do this," I whispered, the words feeling like a weight that was hard to carry.

Damian’s face softened further, and he took a step closer, his hand reaching out to gently touch mine. "I know, Elena. I know this is a lot. But right now, I’m asking for you. Just be with me. Just this once. I need you, okay?"

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to keep the tears at bay. Everything inside me was screaming to just take his hand, to give him what he needed, to be there for him like he had always been there for me. But the thought of the life he was about to enter—the life I didn’t want any part of—made my heart break in ways I didn’t know how to express.

I looked up at him, meeting his gaze. His eyes were full of raw emotion, vulnerability I had never seen from him before. This wasn’t the cocky, teasing Damian I knew so well. This was a man who was about to lose everything he had known and was stepping into a world of power and danger. And I wasn’t sure if I could follow him into that world.

But I also knew that I loved him, and maybe, just maybe, that was enough to pull me through.

"Okay," I whispered, my voice barely above a breath. "I’m with you. But just tonight, Damian. Just tonight."

He didn’t say anything more. He just nodded, his hand gripping mine a little tighter as he led me out of the restaurant. And I had no idea what came next—what our future held, what kind of world I was walking into with him.

But all I knew was that I was with him. And for now, that was enough.