Damien's presence was like a dark cloud, a suffocating force that descended upon the intimate bubble Selene and Kieran had created. The calm, the fleeting warmth between them shattered in an instant, replaced by the cold, sharp reality that they couldn't escape.
Selene's breath hitched as she saw Damien stride toward them, his eyes locked onto Kieran with a dangerous intensity. Her heart clenched, not just from the fear of what might unfold, but from the bitter reminder of how much control Damien held over her life.
Kieran's hand was still wrapped around hers, though the warmth from his touch felt distant now, replaced by an anxious tension that only heightened with each step Damien took. She quickly pulled her hand from Kieran's grip, her mind racing. She couldn't let this go any further. Not here. Not like this.
"Damien," she said, her voice steady, though the knot in her stomach only tightened. "What are you doing here?"
Damien's lip curled into a smirk, though there was nothing playful about it. "I could ask you the same thing, Selene. Out here, in this cesspool of chaos, with him?" His eyes flashed to Kieran, a flicker of anger passing between them.
Selene's pulse quickened. She knew Damien's temper—his possessiveness. He didn't like anyone, especially not Kieran, encroaching on what he thought of as his territory. But there was more to it than just jealousy. Damien saw her as something he could control. He couldn't tolerate losing that control, and the thought of anyone—especially Kieran—challenging that notion made him dangerous.
"I don't need to explain myself to you," Selene replied, her voice laced with cold finality. "I can be here if I choose."
Damien's gaze narrowed, his jaw clenching as his eyes flicked between her and Kieran. "I told you once before," he said, stepping closer to her, his tone dark and low, "you're mine. And I don't share. Not with anyone."
Kieran stepped forward, his presence as commanding as ever, his eyes unwavering as he met Damien's hostile gaze. "You don't control her, Damien. Not anymore," he said, his voice quiet but filled with an undeniable edge.
Selene's heart pounded, but she couldn't—wouldn't—let this escalate. She didn't want a scene, but the tension between the two men was thick, the air charged with the threat of violence. She knew both of them well enough to understand that things could quickly spiral out of control.
"Stop it," she said, stepping between them, her hands raised in a futile attempt to keep them apart. Her voice was steady, but the fear that had been bubbling beneath the surface was starting to leak through. "This isn't the time. Neither of you owns me."
Damien's expression darkened, the smirk falling away entirely. His eyes flicked to Kieran, and then back to Selene, something cold and calculating flashing in his gaze.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Selene," he warned, his voice low and menacing. "And I don't play games."
Kieran, ever the protector, took a small step forward, closing the gap between them just enough to make a point. "You should listen to her," he said, his tone dark with quiet menace. "Because if you don't, you'll regret it."
Damien's jaw clenched tighter, and for a moment, Selene thought things would get violent. But then, with a deliberate, controlled breath, Damien took a step back. The air around them felt thick with the promise of conflict, but for now, it was held in check.
"You think you can just walk in here, Kieran, and claim her like she's some prize to be won?" Damien's voice was seething with barely contained fury. "You've been gone for years. Don't think you have any say now."
Kieran didn't flinch. He stood tall, his gaze unwavering. "She's not your possession, Damien. She's not a prize to be claimed. She's her own person, and you need to remember that."
The words hung heavy in the air, and Selene could feel the tension between the two men as it thickened, like an electric charge building to a breaking point. But as much as she wanted to scream, to push them both away, she knew the fight wasn't just between them—it was between her heart and the prison she had built around it.
"You both need to leave," she said, her voice breaking through the charged atmosphere, though it was laced with a mixture of frustration and fear. "Now."
Damien looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, without another word, he turned on his heel and stalked off, leaving a trail of icy air in his wake. But the sting of his words remained, and Selene couldn't shake the feeling that, though he had left, he hadn't really gone. Not in the way she needed.
Kieran didn't move. He stayed where he was, watching her, waiting. And for a long time, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Selene exhaled slowly, the weight of the moment crashing over her like a tidal wave. She felt every emotion that had been buried deep inside her surge to the surface—anger, pain, yearning. And most of all, the ache of the years spent apart from Kieran, trying to forget the love she had once allowed herself to believe in.
"I didn't want this," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes avoiding his. "Not now. Not like this."
Kieran stepped closer, his voice soft, almost soothing. "I know. I didn't expect to come back and find things like this. But I can't just walk away when I see you in pain."
Selene's chest tightened, and the vulnerability she had fought so hard to bury began to surface once again. She had to be strong. She couldn't let herself be pulled back into this storm, into the dangerous web they had once created together.
"I can't do this," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I can't keep falling into the same trap. I'm not that girl anymore."
Kieran's hand reached out, and for a moment, she thought he would pull her in, take her back into the comfort of his arms. But instead, his fingers brushed gently against her cheek, his touch like a promise—a promise she wasn't sure she could trust anymore.
"You don't have to be that girl, Selene," he said softly. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. But you don't have to do this alone, either."
She closed her eyes for a moment, the weight of his words sinking in. She had spent so long trying to shut off her feelings, trying to bury the love she had for Kieran, but no matter how hard she tried, it never fully went away.
"I don't know what to do," she whispered.
Kieran's voice was steady, reassuring. "You don't have to know, not right now. All I know is that I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
She looked at him then, the vulnerability in her eyes mirrored in his, and in that moment, Selene knew that whatever happened next, things between them would never be the same. They were both too broken, too scarred, but the pull between them was undeniable, and it was only a matter of time before they would both be consumed by it.