LILY'S POV
The silence in the apartment was suffocating. Caleb had left—just like that, as if nothing had happened. As if I hadn't just discovered the depths of his lies, the web of deceit he'd spun around me for God knows how long. He didn't even apologize. There was no begging, no explanation. He just walked away, leaving me to pick up the broken pieces of my heart.
But honestly, what was I expecting? A declaration of love? A heartfelt apology? I had been foolish to think he could be anything more than the man he had shown me to be. The man I had allowed him to be.
I stood in the middle of the living room, staring at the spot where Caleb had stood only minutes ago. My hands were still shaking, and I had to grip the edge of the coffee table to steady myself. My throat felt tight, like I couldn't get enough air, like I was drowning.
I stumbled to the kitchen, opening the fridge only to find that I had no appetite. I hadn't eaten much in the past day—what did food matter when my entire world was crumbling apart?
I grabbed a bottle of water, but the cold liquid did nothing to ease the tightness in my chest. It didn't calm the storm of emotions inside me. My heart was racing, my thoughts scattered like fragments of glass. I needed to escape. I needed to get out of this suffocating space before it swallowed me whole.
I grabbed my phone, my hands trembling as I scrolled through the contacts. Jess's name was at the top.
I need her right now.
I quickly typed a message.
Me: I can't do this. I'm done.
It felt like a weight lifted just a little as the words left my fingers, but the emptiness soon took its place. I wasn't sure if it was relief or sheer exhaustion that overwhelmed me. Maybe it was both.
Before I could even hit send, a notification popped up on my phone. It wasn't Jess's reply. It was a text from Damien.
Damien: I saw him leave.
I stared at the screen for a moment, my fingers still hovering over the phone. What did he mean by that? How had he known? I had barely spoken to him since the lunch at his penthouse, and yet here he was—watching, waiting. The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning.
He's been watching me.
I didn't even think about what I was doing as I typed a response.
Me: How did you know?
Damien: You've been on my mind, Lily.
I shuddered, the weight of his words sinking in. There was something chilling about how he spoke to me, something that left my skin crawling in the best and worst way possible.
I quickly typed, not even thinking about the consequences.
Me: Why do you care?
Damien: Because you're mine.
I felt the air leave my lungs. My fingers trembled as I read the text again. Mine. The word echoed in my mind like a drumbeat, steady and unrelenting.
I wanted to ignore it. I wanted to block his number and never look back. But something stopped me—something deep inside me that was drawn to him, like a moth to a flame.
Me: You don't even know me.
Damien: I know everything about you, Lily. I know how you feel when you walk into a room and wonder if Caleb is lying. I know what keeps you up at night. I know what you want, even if you don't admit it.
His words twisted inside me, cutting through the facade I had spent so long trying to maintain. It was terrifying how much he seemed to see, how much he seemed to know without even having to be near me.
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed again. Another message.
Damien: You're lost, but you don't have to be. Come to me.
The words hit me like a wave, and I found myself frozen in place. I had no idea what he wanted from me, no idea how deep this game he was playing went. But every inch of me was drawn to him in ways I couldn't explain. I could feel the pull—the danger—and it both terrified and excited me.
This is insane.
I glanced around the apartment, my thoughts racing. Caleb's betrayal was fresh in my mind, the pain still raw and burning. But Damien... Damien wasn't like Caleb. He didn't lie. He didn't hide. He was ruthless, and that ruthlessness was part of what made him so irresistible.
I took a shaky breath, and before I could talk myself out of it, I hit send.
Me: Where are you?
Damien: I'm waiting for you. You know where.
The message was simple, but the weight of it was anything but. He knew where I was. He knew my every move, and he had been waiting for this moment.
I grabbed my jacket from the couch, my mind in a whirl of confusion and fear. But underneath all of that, I felt something else—a dangerous curiosity, an undeniable temptation to see what would happen if I stepped into the world Damien was offering.
I grabbed my purse, my fingers moving quickly as I grabbed my keys. There was no turning back now.
I wasn't sure what I was walking into, but in that moment, I didn't care.