=Damien’s POV=
There was something different about the way she kissed me this time.
Not just desire—but certainty. No hesitation, no second-guessing. Just need. Just us.
She was still on top of me, her hands braced against my chest, her body warm and slick with the aftermath of the first wave of pleasure. But neither of us was ready to let go yet.
And I could feel it—she wasn’t.
“Damien…” she whispered, her voice barely a breath, like my name had become a prayer.
“Yes, love?” I murmured, one hand sliding slowly up her spine.
Her lips brushed against mine again, deeper now. “I want more.”
My hands found her hips again, gripping her firmly. “Then let me give it to you.”
I sat up, one arm curling around her back as I shifted us—gently, but with purpose—laying her down onto the pillows. Her breath hit
=Sera’s POV=Hindi ko alam kung anong mas nakakakaba—ang kalaban sa korte, o ang press.Pero ngayong papunta kami sa unang public launch ng joint project ng ValeCorp at Navarro, ang kaba sa dibdib ko ay parang halong takot at pananabik. Para akong bumalik sa unang araw ko sa boardroom. Only this time, I wasn’t just proving something to them…Pinapatunayan ko rin 'to sa sarili ko.“Nervous?” Damien asked, looking at me from the passenger seat habang binabaybay namin ang daan papunta sa event venue.Huminga ako nang malalim. “Hindi naman. Pero parang may bumibilis lang sa tibok ng puso ko.”He chuckled. “That’s called adrenaline. It means you still care.”“Hindi ba pwedeng relax lang? Kahit ngayon lang?” I mumbled, checking my notes for the fifth time.“You’re going to do great,” he said calmly. “You always do. You just don’t see it as clearly as I do.”Tumingin ako sa kaniya. He is wearing a navy suit na bagay na bagay sa kaniya—crisp, powerful, composed. At ako? Naka-modern Filipinian
=Damien’s POV=There was something different about the way she kissed me this time.Not just desire—but certainty. No hesitation, no second-guessing. Just need. Just us.She was still on top of me, her hands braced against my chest, her body warm and slick with the aftermath of the first wave of pleasure. But neither of us was ready to let go yet.And I could feel it—she wasn’t.“Damien…” she whispered, her voice barely a breath, like my name had become a prayer.“Yes, love?” I murmured, one hand sliding slowly up her spine.Her lips brushed against mine again, deeper now. “I want more.”My hands found her hips again, gripping her firmly. “Then let me give it to you.”I sat up, one arm curling around her back as I shifted us—gently, but with purpose—laying her down onto the pillows. Her breath hit
=Sera’s POV=The wind outside whispered through the open glass doors, carrying with it the scent of salt, earth, and something warmer—like the memory of all the words we never had to say aloud.I sat on the edge of the bed, brushing my fingers across the old leather journal resting in my lap. The pages were frayed, soft from time, but inside were entries I never showed anyone. Letters I had written but never sent—some to my father, some to myself, and more recently… some to Damien.I flipped to the one that mattered most.Dear Damien,I don’t know when I started looking at you and thinking—maybe, just maybe, this doesn’t have to end in ruins. Maybe love doesn’t need a rescue mission. Maybe it just needs a little truth.I’m terrified of this feeling. But I want it anyway.Sera.I traced the last line with my fingers and then closed the journal.Behind me, I felt the shift of air, the soft creak of the wooden floor. Damien.“I didn’t know you kept a journal,” he murmured, his voice low,
=Damien’s POV=There are moments the world doesn’t need to witness.Moments that exist in silence—in the soft tangle of limbs, the curve of her breath, the weight of knowing someone chose to stay.And right now, in this golden hush between midnight and dawn, Seraphina lay beside me.Asleep.Peaceful.Beautiful in the kind of way that didn’t need fixing, only witnessing.Her cheek rested against my chest, one arm draped across my ribs, her legs tangled with mine beneath the thin linen sheet. Her warmth anchored me, and for the first time in years—maybe ever—I didn’t feel the need to be anywhere else.I brushed my fingers slowly through her hair, tracing the strands that fanned across my chest like silk. She stirred, but didn’t wake—just shifted closer, as if her body already knew mine by instinct.I remembered every second of last night.The way her lips trembled when she told me she wasn’t afraid anymore.The way she bared not just her body, but her soul.The way we made love not as p
=Sera’s POV=The light that filtered through the sheer white curtains wasn’t harsh—it was soft, almost like it was being gentle with us. Parang alam niyang, after everything we’ve gone through, we finally deserved mornings like this.I stirred beneath the sheets, the linen warm against my skin, and reached out instinctively. Damien’s side was already empty, but not cold. His warmth still lingered, as if he had just stepped out.Narinig ko ang mahina’t pamilyar na tunog ng brewing coffee mula sa kitchen nook ng villa. The scent of roasted beans mixed with sea breeze, calming my nerves in a way I never knew I needed.For a moment, I just laid there. Eyes open, staring at the ceiling, feeling my own breath move in and out of my chest. Walang paparazzi. Walang board meeting. Walang tanong na kailangang sagutin.Just this. A quiet morning. A life unburdened.I finally got up, wrapped myself in one of Damien’s shirts, and padded barefoot toward the veranda.And there he was.Sitting with a
=Sera’s POV=Love used to feel like a battlefield—sharp, breathless, uncertain.Ngayon, ibang-iba na. It no longer roared with urgency. It whispered. It lingered. And it stayed.✴✴✴One Month Later in ValeCorp Private Retreat, Nasugbu....“May mga bagay talagang hindi mo makikita kapag puro takbo ang ginagawa mo,” I said habang nakaupo sa hammock, a mug of warm cacao in hand.Damien glanced up from his book, his feet stretched out on the wooden deck. “Like peace?”“Exactly,” I smiled. “And… you. Or maybe me—yung totoong ako.”He set his book down. “You’ve always been that version of yourself, Sera. Even when you didn’t see it.”Napahigpit ang hawak ko sa mug. “Do you remember that night in the war room? When we first saw the files? The photos?”He nodded, his expression darkening slightly.“I thought it would break us,” I whispered.“But it didn’t.”“No,” I said, placing the mug down and walking toward him slowly. “Because we fought for something bigger than pride. Bigger than anger.”