The car rolled through the quiet streets
The city no longer loud or cold
Just a distant hum outside the tinted glass
Emma's head rested gently on Damon's shoulder
Her breathing soft steady
His hand remained over hers unmoving but warm
She didn't speak
She didn't need to
The silence between them was not emptiness
It was safety
Damon looked out the window
His mind still circling the things said at lunch
The weight of his father's stare
The venom in his stepmother's voice
The shadows of a name long gone
Samantha
He didn't realize how tightly he was holding Emma's hand
Until she shifted slightly
Are you okay
His voice came out quieter than he expected
I don't know
She sat up slowly
Turned to face him fully
You don't have to know Damon
You just have to let someone stay beside you while you figure it out
He looked at her
Really looked at her
Not just the way her eyes always searched his face without fear
Not just the way her voice never flinched when speaking the truth
But the way she stayed
Even when everything warned her not to
He didn't say thank you
Because words were too small for what he felt
Instead
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles softly
The car stopped
The driver opened the door
They stepped out
Back inside the penthouse
But something had changed
The quiet was different now
Not a silence of loneliness
But a pause before something new
Emma took off her shoes
Damon loosened his tie
She walked toward the balcony
He followed
The city lights below them shimmered like fireflies trapped under glass
Emma leaned against the railing
The wind brushing her hair across her cheek
I used to wonder
She said
What kind of person I'd become if I stopped pretending to be strong all the time
And
I think I'd become someone who chooses strength
Instead of being forced into it
He nodded
I was never given a choice
I became who I am because I didn't know another way to survive
Then maybe we help each other find a different way
He stepped beside her
The wind grew colder
But neither moved
You're not afraid of this
He said
Of me
I am
She admitted
But I'm more afraid of walking away and wondering what might've happened if I stayed
He closed his eyes
Her words cut clean
But they didn't hurt
They healed
You keep saying things I don't expect
Good
She replied
Because I'm not here to play safe
I'm here to be real
He looked down
Then at her
You want real
I'll show you real
He turned and walked back inside
She followed
Curious
Concerned
He led her to his study
Unlocked a drawer she had never seen open before
Pulled out a thick file
Dropped it on the desk
This
He said
Is the truth
Emma stepped closer
Opened it
Page after page of medical reports
Photos
Handwritten letters
Who is she
She asked
My sister
Samantha
Her breath caught
She looked up at him
The reports
Brain tumor
Undiagnosed for too long
By the time we knew
It was too late
Emma touched the edge of the paper
Softly
I blamed myself
He continued
I was in control of everything else
The company
The investments
The people
But I missed the one thing that mattered
He sat down
His voice low
After she died
Everything I built felt hollow
So I buried myself deeper
In money
In control
In things that couldn't leave me
Emma placed a hand over the file
Not to hide it
But to steady it
She would be proud of you Damon
Even if you don't believe it
I can't bring her back
No
But you can stop losing yourself with her
He didn't speak for a long time
The rain began tapping against the windows
When I met you
He said
You were the first thing that made me feel again
And I hated you for it
Because I wasn't ready
And now
Now I don't want to feel anything
Unless it's with you
Emma didn't cry
She didn't tremble
She simply leaned forward
And pressed her forehead to his
Then don't waste another second
They stayed like that
The storm outside growing louder
But inside the world was still
And warm
And full of things left unsaid
Until tomorrow
Emma whispered
Let's try again
Every day
Until we stop hurting
He nodded
His hands around her waist
Deal