Chapter 108

• The morning after the gala blurred into a haze of muted colors and scattered thoughts. Damien sat in his office, surrounded by towering stacks of paperwork that felt more like a prison than a professional environment. Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the polished mahogany desk, yet the brightness did little to shake the shadow that clouded his mind. He drummed his fingers on the surface, the rhythmic tapping futile in its attempt to anchor him to reality. He needed to focus, to dive into the reports that awaited his attention, but his thoughts kept spiraling back to one undeniable event—the kiss he had shared with Charlotte.
• He had left the gala abruptly, abandoning the chaos of laughter and celebration—and Esther—behind him. He could still feel the imprint of Charlotte’s lips on his, the warmth lingering as if a part of her had seeped into his very being. Guilt surged through him again, a sharp pang coupled with resentment towards himself. How could he have planned for the future with Esther only to be jolted back by the presence of a woman who had long been buried in the recesses of his heart? Esther had been there, waiting, believing in the facade of their happy engagement, yet all he could think about was Charlotte and the fleeting moment that had flipped his world on its head.
• He attempted to bury himself in work, but the files sprawled out before him transformed into a jumbled mass of letters and numbers. His eyes glazed over as he fought against the tempest of thoughts crashing down on him. Images of Charlotte filled his mind, her laughter like music that played on repeat, her eyes shining with mischief and affection. He had tried to convince himself that his engagement to Esther was real, that the life they could build together had potential. After all, Esther claimed she cared for him. But where had that left him? With a gnawing complexity that made clarity feel painfully distant.