BEVERLY I drove my car up the driveway straight into the garage. I saw his usual car also parked in the garage meaning he was around. The sight of his sleek, black Mercedes SUV parked in its usual spot sent a sudden, electric jolt straight to my nervous system. He was home. I killed the engine, the sudden silence in the garage feeling heavy, almost suffocating. For a long moment, I just sat there with my hands still gripping the steering wheel, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. The car next to mine wasn’t just a vehicle; it was a physical extension of Damian’s presence. It meant he was inside, likely out of his boardroom attire, dominating whatever room he was currently occupying. My mind instantly flashed back to the library research, the psychological terms, and that lingering, dangerous question: How far would we have gone? "Get it together, Beverly," I whispered to myself, my voice sounding incredibly small in the enclosed space of the sedan.
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