**Trigger Warning Matured Scenes***
“I feel like everything is falling apart, Damian,” she choked out, her voice barely audible. “I don’t even recognize myself anymore. I’ve lost so much… and Jamal—” Her voice broke, the pain of her fractured relationship with her son too much to bear. She quickly wiped a tear from her cheek, embarrassed by her vulnerability.
Damian’s voice was steady, firm. “You won’t lose him, Rachael. Jamal loves you. He’s just confused. Victor’s poisoning him, but he’ll come back to you.”
His words, so full of certainty, wrapped around her like a protective shield. For a moment, it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders, like she could finally breathe again.
She leaned into him instinctively, resting her head on his broad shoulder. The
