The soft glow of the morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting long shadows across the polished floors of the living room. The engagement party had ended late last night, and today felt like the calm after a storm, though the unease from Victor Ashford's appearance lingered in the back of my mind. Damien had been unusually quiet since, his thoughts clearly consumed by something that neither he nor I were ready to fully confront.
I stood in the kitchen, quietly preparing a cup of tea, trying to push away the feeling of foreboding that had settled in my chest. Despite the joy of our engagement, there was an undeniable tension in the air. The kind of tension that wouldn't let you sleep, that gnawed at your thoughts no matter how much you tried to distract yourself.