Chapter 119

• The bar was dimly lit, a sanctuary from the swirling chaos of Damien's thoughts. The dull thump of bass reverberated through the smoke-filled air, drowning out the nagging calls of Esther, his fiancée. He had silenced his phone long ago, content to lose himself in the warmth of whiskey and the fog of drunkenness. For him, this was a temporary escape—one that allowed him to forget the sharp sting of betrayal that gnawed at his insides.
• Damien was trapped in a storm of emotions, his mind swirling around a revelation that had shattered everything he thought he knew: Leo was his son. The buzzing chatter around him faded into a murmur as memories of Charlotte flooded his mind. How could she have kept this from him? The realization twisted in his stomach like a knife. Six years of his life had slipped by in ignorance, while the boy he had a right to know rested in another man’s home, sharing laughter and moments he had never been privy to.
• He downed another drink and waved hurriedly for the bartender. The alcohol pooled heavy in his stomach, spinning him deeper into a haze that was settling nicely over the tumultuous waves of his thoughts. Every shot felt like a reminder, an aching pulse of pain that reminded him of the child he had never been able to hold, to call his own. The world around him became a blur, the faces of strangers melting into one another, each laugh a painful reminder that happiness seemed to come so easily to others.