[DECLAN’S POV] When Damon pulls away, he's smiling, but it's fragile: like it's costing him something to maintain it. His eyes are still rimmed with the evidence of tears, and he keeps looking down at his shoes like they might provide answers to questions he's afraid to ask. "I'm sorry," he says again, and the words come out like a mantra, like he's been apologizing for existing his entire life. I watch him, really watch him, and I see it all written across his face. The grief. The loneliness. The particular quality of pain that comes from loving someone who decided you weren't worth staying for. My hand reaches out before I can stop it, cupping his face with a gentleness that probably shouldn't be possible coming from someone built like I am. I tilt his chin up until he's forced to meet my eyes, and when he does, I feel something inside me shift and settle. "You tell me you're sorry but never meet my eyes," I say, and my voice comes out rough. "Are you referring to my abs or
Last Updated : 2026-06-25 Read more