Back at home, life moved on, slower and quieter.
Svetlana had adjusted to taking care of Ava while dealing with the early stages of pregnancy.
It wasn't physically demanding yet, just the occasional wave of nausea and the subtle fatigue creeping in during the afternoons. And Ava, still young and sweet, didn't cause much trouble.
But the house felt different now.
When Damon was in camp, he still came home every night. No matter how brutal the day had been, no matter how late the sessions ran, he always found his way back to their bed, to his daughter's room, to the life they built together.
Now, that wasn't possible.
With the show keeping him housed in a separate hotel, locked into the daily grind of filming, training, and managing a full team of fighters, he was gone in every way that mattered. They still spoke every morning. He still called every night. But it wasn't the same.
Svetlana didn't need constant reassurance. She wasn't insecure. But she missed him.
