Gabriel exhaled sharply, his fingers tightening around the fabric of his sheets. He knew the world he lived in wasn't fair, wasn't kind, but hearing Damian lay it out so plainly still unsettled him. It was not just about the decisions he would made; it was about the ones he had no idea were being made for him. And worse, the ones he would have been forced to make.
His voice was quieter now, but no less sharp. "And my family?" He met Damian's golden eyes, searching for any flicker of deception. "Did they know? Were they complicit in this plan of yours?"
Gabriel braced himself to hear what they had planned behind his back, and why they had brought him back.
Damian's gaze remained steady. "No."
Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "You expect me to believe that?"