SOPHIA’S POV

For several seconds after Damien’s question, I couldn’t breathe properly.

My heartbeat still pounded wildly from the nightmare while Damien sat beside the bed staring directly at me.

My wolf immediately became defensive inside me.

The moonlight coming in through the curtains illuminated Damien’s face and something about his expression unsettled me.

He looked angry, not loudly angry. This was worse. He looked quietly angry.

“Why are you asking me that?” I whispered hoarsely.

Damien looked at me. “You called his name.”

My chest tightened instantly.

I looked away. Honestly... I didn’t even remember doing that.

My wolf whimpered softly.

Damien stood up, then he walked closer to the bed. His eyes stayed fixed on my face.

“Tell me the truth,” he said quietly.

I frowned “About what?”

“About you and Zade.”

“What exactly are you asking?”

Damien’s jaw tightened “Have you been involved with him?”

The harshness in his tone stunned me for a second.

Then slowly...something inside me started going cold. Maybe it was because the way he asked sounded disgusting, like I had done something shameful.

My wolf growled inside me “He doesn’t get to judge us” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“You disappeared emotionally months ago,” he continued coldly. “You started acting differently and distracted. You got defensive whenever his name came up.”

I stared at him in disbelief. Was he serious right now?

“Damien-”

“No,” he interrupted “Answer me honestly.”

The room suddenly felt suffocating.

This was hilarious. After everything that happened between us...after Tiffany...after the divorce...he still somehow stood here questioning me like I owed him loyalty.

My wolf became angry now too.

“And if I was?” I asked quietly.

Damien’s expression darkened dangerously.

“What?” he asked.

“You heard me.”

I wasn’t even trying to defend myself anymore. I was just tired. I was tired of constantly being accused, judged, blamed, or treated like the problem while everyone ignored his own actions completely.

Damien laughed “You really became involved with him,”

I stood up and faced him “You already replaced me long ago, Damien.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

His eyes flashed angrily. “The point is you’re acting recklessly.”

I stared at him. Then laughed softly in disbelief.

“Recklessly?” I repeated.

“Yes.”

The accusation in his voice finally snapped something inside me.

“Interesting,” I said coldly. “Coming from the man who cheated on me”

Damien froze slightly.

He rubbed his jaw tensely before speaking again. “This isn’t about Tiffany.”

“It always becomes about Tiffany eventually.”

“That relationship is different.”

I looked at him quietly for several seconds after that statement.

Different.

The word repeated inside my head painfully.

Of course, it was different.

Because Tiffany was the woman he protected openly now. She was the woman he defended. She was the woman he proudly made space for inside our old bedroom.

Meanwhile I became the unstable inconvenience everyone tiptoed around.

“You know what’s funny?” I asked softly.

Damien frowned slightly.

“For months, I kept thinking one of us still mattered more to the other somehow. But honestly? We’re both useless to each other now.”

Damien’s expression changed instantly. Something raw crossed his face for exactly one second. It looked like pain.

But for once... I felt strangely detached from it.

“You don’t mean that,” Damien said quietly.

I looked directly into his eyes. “I do.”

Damien stared at me like he wanted to argue back but couldn’t find the words.

“You think Zade actually cares about you?” Damien asked harshly.

My chest tightened painfully again at Zade’s name, especially after that video.

Still, I kept my face calm.

“At least he cried when he hurt me.” I whispered.

The second the words left my mouth, Damien went stiff.

Then anger exploded across his face instantly.

“That reckless bastard dragged you into chaos from the beginning!”

“And you abandoned me long before him.”

The room became silent again afterward.

Damien looked furious now, but beneath the anger, I also saw helplessness there.

Because deep down...he knew I wasn’t entirely wrong.

For years, he kept pulling away from me. This was all his fault.

Damien stepped away from the bed harshly then dragged a hand through his hair.

“You should sleep,” he muttered coldly.

I almost laughed. Now he wanted to end the conversation? Fine.

Honestly, I wanted it over too.

Instead of answering, I simply lay back down quietly and turned away from him completely.

Several long seconds passed afterward, then finally, I heard the door open and close again.

I was alone inside the dark room now.

But strangely... I didn’t cry this time.

-

The next morning, I woke up emotionally numb. I wasn’t heartbroken or angry. I was just tired.

My wolf felt unusually quiet too.

For several minutes, I simply stared at the ceiling while replaying last night’s argument with Damien inside my head.

Oddly enough... I didn’t regret what I said. We really were useless to each other now.

That painful truth finally felt impossible to deny anymore.

Eventually, I forced myself out of bed slowly.

I washed up inside the guest bathroom. My body still felt weak from the fever, though thankfully the dizziness had reduced slightly.

The second I stepped into the hallway, I heard crying from Ashley’s room again.

My chest tightened at the sound of it.

I slowly stopped walking.

Then Damien’s soft voice reached my ears.

“It’s alright.” He said.

Ashley sniffled weakly. “I want Tiffany.”

My wolf became restless immediately. I felt pain again.

I hated hearing Ashley cry.

No matter how distant things became between us lately, she was still my daughter. Hearing her sound so emotionally broken hurt badly.

“She’ll visit again soon,” Damien murmured gently.

“When?”

“Later.”

Ashley’s crying softened slightly afterward while Damien continued comforting her patiently.

I quietly walked past the room without interrupting them.

-

Later that day, I met up with Bianca at a cozy café.

Bianca sat inside, drinking coffee while scrolling through her phone lazily.

The second she saw me enter, she smiled. Her eyes became filled with concern.

I moved to her and she stood up to hug me.

“You look terrible.” She said.

I snorted softly while sitting across from her. “Good morning to you too.”

“I’m serious.”

“I barely slept.”

Bianca studied me carefully for several seconds before sighing softly. “Stone Manor is emotionally cursed.”

Honestly? She wasn’t entirely wrong.

The waiter placed breakfast in front of me. The smell of food barely appealed to me this morning, but I forced myself to eat something anyway.

Bianca leaned back against her chair afterward.

“Oh, by the way...”

Something about her tone immediately made me suspicious.

“What?”

She frowned “I heard something. I saw it on Tiffany’s story”

I raised my eyebrow “What?”

“Damien went with Tiffany to look at houses.”

My hand paused slightly around the fork. I froze in shock.

My wolf reacted instantly. I heard her howl with pain.

Even after everything...it still hurt hearing things like that directly.

What?

Bianca noticed my expression immediately. “Sophia-”

I forced a smile “I’m fine.”

Deep down, I wasn’t. Deep down, part of me still foolishly hoped Damien’s relationship with Tiffany remained temporary somehow, not serious enough for things like houses.

But buying property for her? That changed things. That made everything feel frighteningly permanent.

Bianca sighed softly. “Apparently he wants somewhere nearby for her and Tasha.”

I laughed quietly. “Of course, he does.”

My wolf whimpered softly.

I felt pain in my chest again, not because I wanted Damien back.

I truly didn’t anymore. But because watching someone fully erase your place in their life still hurt no matter what.

Especially when that person once meant everything to you.

-

Meanwhile, across the city...

Damien stood beside Tiffany near the large glass windows of a luxurious villa while estate agents continued explaining property details nearby.

The house stood directly beside his own private villa estate. It was close enough for constant protection.

Tiffany looked stunned while walking through the beautiful living room.

“This place is beautiful,” she whispered.

Damien remained calm beside her.

“You’ll be safer here.” he said.

Tasha looked equally shocked while studying the expensive interior

“You’re actually buying this?” she asked.

“Yes.” Damien answered.

Damien’s expression became serious afterward.

“No one will mistreat either of you again.” He said.