Chapter 129

• A flicker of understanding passed through Charlotte’s gaze, and he could see her mind working through the implications of what he was proposing. “What about your father? What if he gets angry? He won’t take this lightly, Damien.”
• “Let him be angry!” he said fiercely, hands clenched at his sides. “Do you really think I care anymore? All my life, I’ve been put on a pedestal, my future laid out in front of me like a map I never chose to draw. Enough is enough. If I can’t be real with myself, I can’t be real with you.”
• As his emotions uncoiled, Charlotte stepped back slightly, crossing her arms in contemplation. “And what does ‘being real’ look like, Damien? Are you saying you would just abandon everything?”