Damian lay on the hospital bed staring up at the ceiling, but his mind wasn't calm. Not even close. Every few seconds, his jaw tightened in irritation he didn't bother to hide. Being in a hospital bed made him feel trapped, vulnerable and helpless, three things he hated more than anything.
But none of those things were the reason his chest felt tight.
It was her.
Ava.
The memory of her sitting so close to him… whispering "you saved me"… the tears on her lashes… the bruises on her neck… all of it flashed inside him again and the more he tried to shut it out, the sharper it felt.
He closed his eyes briefly, almost in frustration, before reopening them with a cold stare.
He shouldn't be thinking about her this much.
He shouldn't feel anything at all.
The door opened quietly, and Maxwell stepped back inside the room after attending to the first round of instructions. Damian didn't look at him immediately, but the air in the room shifted the moment Maxwell spoke.
