The air inside the hidden chamber was suffocating. The heavy scent of old secrets and forgotten bloodlines pressed down on Selina like a weight she couldn't shake off.
Damian's dark figure stood between her and the only exit, his eyes locked onto hers with a dangerous intensity.
"Selina," his voice was low, rough, and filled with a pain he couldn't hide. "Tell me now. Are you going to stand with me… or against me?"
Selina's hands trembled as she held the final letter from her mother—the last piece of a truth that could shatter their fragile bond forever.
Her lips parted, her heart screaming for her to confess everything.
But then…
Damian stepped closer, his face only inches from hers.
"I don't care who you are, or who you were born to be," he whispered, his breath warm against her lips. "The only thing I care about… is whether you're staying by my side."
Selina felt the fight drain out of her body. Her mother's voice echoed in her mind—There's only one person who can protect you… but he can also destroy you.
Damian's palm cupped her cheek gently, his thumb brushing away a tear she hadn't realized had fallen.
"Tell me to stop," his voice was hoarse, full of restraint. "Say the word, and I'll walk away forever."
Selina swallowed hard, her emotions warring inside her.
Every part of her screamed danger, wrong, forbidden—and yet, the warmth of his touch… the promise of protection… the undeniable pull of his presence…
She closed her eyes. And when she opened them again, all she saw was him.
"Damian…" she breathed.
Instead of pushing him away, her fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer.
Their lips crashed together—fierce, desperate, like two souls clinging to each other at the edge of a cliff.
It was a kiss that tasted of sorrow, regret, and a love that shouldn't exist—but burned too hot to deny.
For that moment, the world faded. There were no bloodlines, no betrayals, no conspiracies.
Just them.
But even as they held each other like the world might end tomorrow, a shadowed figure watched from the darkness outside the chamber…
And with a single click, a camera captured it all.
A scandalous photo that would soon tear apart everything they had tried to protect.
Fade to black.