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Chapter Five Hundred and Twelve

Author: Anney GW
last update Last Updated: 2026-01-08 14:49:08
Damien’s POV

I had told myself not to watch the door.

It was ridiculous, really. This party was for Bonnie, seven years old, balloons tied to every conceivable surface, pastel-colored macarons stacked like jewels, a cake she’d personally approved down to the exact shade of pink frosting.

I had invited half the industry and every child in her class. I had done everything right this time. Or at least, I was trying to.

And yet my eyes kept drifting to the entrance of the garden venue, betraying me every time someone new stepped in.

Bonnie stood near the gift table, hands folded in front of her dress, posture a little too straight for a child her age. She’d chosen the dress herself, lavender tulle, simple but elegant. Vanessa would have pushed sequins. Bonnie had refused them.

Progress, the therapist had called it.

“She’s learning to regulate,” Dr. Linton had said after their third session. “She’s learning that not every feeling needs to explode outward.”

I’d nodded like a good father, lik
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