LILY'S POV
The world outside the penthouse seemed so distant now, as though I were trapped in a bubble, untouched by anything but Damien's presence. I had lost track of the days. Every moment bled into the next, consumed by him, by his world, by the emotions I couldn't quite decipher.
I stood by the window again, my hand resting against the cool glass, staring out at the city below. It was a scene I should have recognized—familiar, yet so far removed from the reality of what had become my life. The chaos of my own emotions was louder than the bustling streets below, a constant roar in the back of my mind.
I couldn't deny it anymore. Damien had a hold on me, one that was stronger than I ever imagined, deeper than I could have ever anticipated. Every time I told myself I should leave, I stayed. Every time I swore I would walk away, I couldn't.
And again it wasn't just about sex. It was the way he looked at me, the way his touch burned into my skin even when he wasn't near. It was the way he understood me without needing to ask questions. It was the way he made me feel seen in a world where I had always been overlooked.
I was addicted to it. To him.
I couldn't help but wonder—had I always been this weak? Was I so desperate for attention, for affection, that I would let myself be consumed by someone like him? Someone so dark, so twisted?
Before I could continue down that dangerous line of thought, I heard the soft click of the door opening behind me. Damien's footsteps were quiet, but I could feel his presence filling the room before he even spoke.
"You're thinking too much again," he said, his voice a low murmur that sent a shiver down my spine.
I turned, meeting his gaze. His eyes were heavy, filled with something I couldn't quite place, but it was too intense, too knowing. He walked toward me slowly, his gaze never leaving mine, until there was barely any space between us.
"Damien…" I started, but my voice trailed off. I didn't know what I wanted to say anymore. The words felt hollow, meaningless in the face of everything that had happened, everything I was feeling. I should have been angry with him, should have hated him for what he was doing to me. But all I could feel was this deep, aching need to stay.
"You're afraid of what's happening between us, Lily," Damien said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "You're afraid of losing control. But you need to understand something." He stepped closer, his fingers brushing lightly over my cheek. "You've already lost it. And you'll never get it back."
My breath caught in my throat, the weight of his words sinking deep into my chest. He wasn't wrong. I had already surrendered. To him. To whatever this was between us.
"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, a part of me hoping he would say something that would make all of this make sense.
Damien's smirk was slow, deliberate. "Everything, Lily. I want everything. You've already given me more than you realize."
I shook my head, the confusion swirling inside me. "I don't know how to be what you want me to be."
"You don't need to know." His voice was low, dark. "You just need to trust me."
I stared at him, unable to tear my gaze away. There was something almost hypnotic in the way he spoke, in the way his eyes never left mine, as if he could see right through me.
I wanted to trust him. God, I wanted to. But I knew better than that. Trusting him meant trusting someone who was capable of more than just desire. Damien was dangerous. And the more I allowed myself to be with him, the more I became part of that danger.
"Damien…" My voice cracked, but I pushed on, "What about Caleb?"
The name hung between us like a threat. His expression darkened, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something darker pass through his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it came.
"Caleb is irrelevant," he said coldly, his jaw tightening. "He's a man who can't even see you, let alone keep you. You know that, don't you?"
I didn't respond. The truth was, I knew. Caleb had never truly seen me. He never had, not the way Damien did. Caleb was a man who used me, took me for granted, and yet I had stayed, hoping for something that would never come.
Damien wasn't like Caleb. I wasn't sure if that made him better or worse, but at least with Damien, I felt something real. Even if that something was dark, twisted, and dangerous.
Damien reached out, cupping my face with his large hand, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip. His touch was possessive, but it felt like home in a way I couldn't explain. "You're mine, Lily. And I'm not letting you go. Not now. Not ever."
I closed my eyes, leaning into his touch, surrendering to the weight of his words. I wanted to fight it. I wanted to run. But I couldn't. I was too deep, too far gone.
When I opened my eyes, he was right there, his face inches from mine, the air thick with tension. His lips brushed against mine in a kiss that was almost too tender for someone like him. But it didn't matter. Because no matter how much I told myself I was just a momentary distraction to him, the truth was that I had already fallen. Fallen into his world, into his grasp.