Chapter 109

• The phone buzzed in his hand for the third time in a row, each wave of silence from Charlotte growing more deafening than the last. Damien clenched his jaw, the frantic ringing only amplifying the anxiety swirling in his chest. He had debated whether he should call her in the first place, yet here he was, accompanied by the uncomfortable reality that his attempt to reach out was met with silence.
• After the gala, a myriad of questions burned through his mind, but the most pressing was why she wasn’t responding. Did the kiss mean so little to her? Or was she as unsure and terrified as he was? Deep down, he knew Charlotte had every right to push him away, especially after he had left without a word. But even with that understanding, the truth remained; he longed to hear her voice, to bridge the distance he had so carelessly placed between them.
• With a frustrated breath, Damien tossed his phone onto his desk, the device sliding to a halt beside the carefully arranged folders. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, willing himself to focus, but he found the thoughts of Charlotte invading every crevice of his mind. A world without her felt painfully hollow, tinted with regret and confusion. He wanted to piece together their story, to mend what had gone wrong, yet he understood that perhaps the damage was beyond repair.