For a moment, he just stood there, his chest heaving like he was about to explode. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.
I stayed by the fire, watching it burn until there was nothing left but embers. As the flames died down, I felt something inside me shift. For the first time in years, I wasn’t holding on to the past.
I was finally free.
I dusted myself off, standing in the soft glow of the fire. The warmth on my face didn’t match the icy tone of my voice.
“It’s fine,” I said flatly. “I found a bunch of bugs crawling in the box—probably cockroaches—so I burned it.”
Damon froze, his anger shifting to confusion as he stared at me. After a moment, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his tone softening.
“Elara, are you okay? I know I overreacted just now, but seriously, why would you burn everything? Those were memories. Weren’t we saving all of that for our mating ceremony? Why didn’t you wait for me to come back or at least message me? I could’ve handled it.”
I didn’t even look at him. This wasn’t the same Damon I used to trust, the one who swore he’d protect me no matter what.