LOGINLEAH POV"Damien?"My voice comes out smaller than I intended. I'm still standing in the doorway, the cool night air slipping in through the crack behind me.He's on my couch, legs hanging over the armrest, the loose shirt doing little to hide the bandages around his ribs. He looks uncomfortable and completely out of place on that sofaWhat is wrong with him? He has a huge penthouse but chose my second-hand sofa instead."You're still here," I whisper."I said I would be."I close the door behind me, and the lock clicks. I lean against it, staring at him for a minute, and neither of us says anything.The apartment is too quiet Sophie's door is closed and so is Mom's,they must have gone to bed early.I look around but there's no sign of Emily I turn back to him confused "Where's Emily?" I ask."I sent her home. She has class tomorrow." He says I nod then push myself off the door and walk to the kitchen table, I drop my purse on the table setting the sunflowers and white roses down b
DAMIEN POVI keep adjusting my posture on the couch that is too small for me.I hang my legs over the armrest every move I make sends an ache through my bandaged ribs.I should be in my own bed in my penthouse, surrounded by silence and space that doesn't smell like cheap detergent and leftover takeout.Instead, I'm here, patiently waiting.Sophie had gone back to her room immediately after being forced to eat by her mom. She's still in shock after what happened and I could see the heartbreak in her eyes.Mrs Hayes retreated to her room and Emily curled in the armchair across from me scrolling through her phone."You should go home," I say quietly.Emily looks up at me. "I'm not leaving until Leah gets back.""It could be another hour and you have classes tomorrow.""I don't care about class." She says pouting. She's stubborn, but I can't blame her; she gets it from me."Emily.""Dad." Her tone matches mine exactly. "I'm not leaving her alone. Not tonight."I don't have the energy to
ETHAN POVDerek's eyes widened. "Cross? As in Damien Cross? The guy who basically owns half this city?""Yeah." I run a hand through my hair. "He keeps showing up everywhere, one time when we went for dinner he crashed it… He's literally everywhere. His excuse each time is that she is his daughter's best friend so he needs to keep her safe.”Mateo whistles "Damn. That's messy."“Yeah I know and it hurts that she keeps shutting me out every time I ask,she keeps saying she's fine or she has a family emergency but I know she's not fine and I want to help. She's terrified of something and he's right in the middle of it” I sigh Leo sets his beer down. "So what are you gonna do about it?"A fresh glass of whiskey is set before me, and I lean in wrapping both hands around it. The memory of that night flashes through my mind.She and I on the blanket under the stars, the whole city gleaming beneath us, and the way her eyes sparkled when I gave her that pendant and the kiss we shared.I can s
ETHAN POVI don't look back as I walk away from her,I make it half a block before I have to stop and turn to look at her.She's already walking away towards the bus with the flowers tucked under her arm.I put my hands in my pockets and lean against the wall of a closed bodega. My chest tightens so much that I almost couldn't breathe.At least she was kind enough not to check her phone when it buzzed but I could see she really wanted to.She just stood there with that apologetic tilt of her head waiting for me to leave so she could answer whoever was on the other end.Just a friend, she'd said but the way her eyes sparkled wasn't for just a friend.I push off the wall, keep walking, then pull out my phone and dial a number.Mateo picks up on the second ring "Yo, what's good?" his voice comes out slurred "You busy tonight?" I adj"Never too busy for you, man. What's going on?""Meet me at O'Malley's. I need a drink."A pause. "That bad?" he asks "I'll tell you when you get there."I
LEAH POVGetting to the boutique took me thirty minutes, when I pushed open the door the smell of new fabric and steam hit me.The doorbell jingles making Elana look up from the register,she takes one look at my face and doesn't say anything for a second."Rough night?" she asks."Something like that." She nods towards the back. “We have new shipments and the dresses need steaming and hanging.”I turn and disappear into the stockroom, thankful for a task that doesn't require human interaction because I am not ready for it.The steamer hisses as I go through dress after dress, watching the creases fall out and the fabric smoothens.My hands work but my mind is still stuck somewhere in that warehouse, watching the fear in her eyes.My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out to check and see a message from Damien “You made it?" “Yes” I respond almost immediately “Good. How are you holding up?”How am I holding up? The best way I know how, trying hard not to think about anything and j
LEAH POVI stand up from the kitchen table and walk up to Sophie's room standing by the door. I see Mom doesn't leave Sophie's side for even a minute, she falls asleep on Sophie’s bed one hand holding on her arm as if she will vanish if she lets go.Sophie is asleep but her face is still pale. I turned around after standing there for what felt like an eternity watching them back into the living room.I find Emily has fallen asleep so I drape a blanket over her, she stirs a bit her fingers tighten around her phone for a second before relaxing again.I sit at the kitchen table, and the apartment is too quiet. My phone buzzes a text from Damien ‘You awake?’I stare at the screen for a long moment before typing back ‘Yes.’‘How is she?’‘Sleeping.’Then there's a long pause I'm about to drop my phone when another text pops up ‘You should too.’I know I should but I can't,I don't respond to texts, I just set my phone down and stare at the ceiling until my eyes burn.Sleep doesn't come f
**Damien**My phone kept vibrating on the nightstand, the sound was sharp enough to pull me out of a deep sleep. I reached for it and the glowing screen displayed an incoming call from Commissioner Vasquez. That woke me up fast. It was just 7:12 a.m. Why the hell was she calling this early? That w
Damien POVThe penthouse is dark except for the city lights shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I step inside and the door clicks shut behind me. The woman Marcus sent is already here, waiting exactly like I ordered. She stands by the leather sectional in nothing but black lace panties,
Damien POV Isabella tilts her head, that coy smile curving her lips as the ocean breeze tugs at her loose hair. “Come on, let’s go sit down properly. Standing here like this is no way to talk,” she says I shake my head. “No, Isabella. Tell me right here.”She completely ignores me and begins to t
DAMIEN POVI stare at her across the table. The grilled octopus is suddenly forgotten.Isabella stands there in a simple black dress that hugs her figure the way it always did. Her hair loose over one shoulder with that same knowing smile I haven't seen in years. The woman who once knew every dirt







