LILY'S POV
The room was suffocating. I could feel the tension between Damien and Caleb like a physical weight pressing down on me. The air was thick with anger, jealousy, and a whole mess of emotions that I couldn't untangle. But there was something else there too-something bubbling inside of me, pushing me to finally stand up for myself.
For so long, I had been the one caught between these two men, always uncertain of what I wanted, who I was, and who I truly needed. But in that moment, as I stood between them, I realized something: I was done with feeling small. I was done with hiding, done with being manipulated. I had already let go of so much of myself for Caleb, but I wasn't going to do it for him anymore.
I could feel Damien's presence at my back, his confidence and dominance radiating off him, but this wasn't about him. It was about me. About finally finding my voice in the chaos.
I looked at Caleb, who stood there, fists clenched at his sides, his face twisted in anger and disbelief. But behind that fury, I saw something else-guilt. The same guilt he had never owned up to, the guilt he had buried so deep that he had convinced himself it wasn't there. I wasn't the only one torn apart by this mess. Caleb had a part in it too.
"Really, Caleb?" My voice was steady, but there was an edge to it I didn't even recognize at first. The words came out sharp, like a blade I had just unsheathed. "You're going to stand there and act like I'm the one who's done something wrong?"
His eyes flickered to me, the shock on his face obvious, but he didn't respond. Of course, he didn't. Caleb never did when he was cornered.
"I remember when you cheated on me, Caleb," I continued, my voice cold and calculated. "When you walked out on me for someone else. Do you really think you have the right to stand here and accuse me of anything?"
Damien shifted beside me, but I didn't need him to step in. This was my fight now.
Caleb's jaw tightened, and for a brief moment, I could almost see the wall of pride and self-righteousness that he'd built over the years start to crack. He took a deep breath, clearly trying to regain some sense of control. "That was-"
"No, don't even," I cut him off, the anger I had buried for so long bubbling to the surface. "You don't get to make excuses for what you did. You don't get to make me the villain for moving on. You left me, Caleb. You betrayed me. And now you're here, acting like you have some right to be angry with me? After everything?"
The words hit him like a punch, and I could see the flicker of guilt in his eyes. For a moment, it felt good to finally have the upper hand. To not be the broken girl who had waited for him to come back. To not be the one left wondering what went wrong.
"Damien is right, Caleb," I said, turning my gaze to Damien for a split second before returning it to Caleb, "You never understood me. You never saw me. Not like he does. I was never your priority, not really. And now, I'm done pretending that I can go back to that."
The silence in the room grew heavier. Caleb's breathing quickened, and I could see the anger rising in him again, but there was something else there too-fear. He had never been good at owning up to his mistakes, and now that he was faced with the consequences of his actions, he didn't know how to handle it.
"I never thought you'd be capable of this," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, but there was venom in his tone. "You're with him my brother? Really?"
I shrugged, the gesture casual, though my heart was pounding. "What do you expect, Caleb? That I'd just sit around, waiting for you to come to your senses? Waiting for you to see what we could have had? No, I've moved on. And it's not your place to judge me for who I see...or sleep with. Not anymore."
His eyes flashed with anger again, but I was done being intimidated. I was done feeling guilty for choosing myself over him, over the pain he had caused me.
"You think I'm weak," I said, my voice growing steady, powerful. "You think I'm just going to fall at your feet because you decide you want me back? I'm not your consolation prize, Caleb. I'm not someone you can come back to when it's convenient for you."
I could see his frustration growing, but I didn't care. For once, I wasn't going to be the one on the defensive. I wasn't going to apologize for living my life.
"You're right about one thing," I said, my words deliberate, "I'm not the same girl you left behind. I'm stronger now. And Damien-he sees that. He sees me. In ways you never did.....and Caleb, you never loved me."
The silence between us stretched out, thick and charged. Caleb didn't speak again. He just stood there, his anger building and building until I thought he might explode. But it wasn't my problem anymore. Not today.
"I'm done," I said, turning away from him. "I don't owe you anything. Not my time, not my explanations, not my heart."
I felt Damien's presence behind me, his steady hand resting on the small of my back, grounding me as I made my way toward the door. Caleb didn't follow, and I didn't expect him to.
As I stepped out of the office, leaving Caleb standing there, it felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
And no matter what Caleb thought, no matter how much anger or jealousy he harbored, it didn't matter anymore.
I was with Damien...