ELARA'S POV
I didn't sleep after Damien left. Just sat on my couch replaying the conversation, wondering if I'd been too harsh.
Maya came over at seven in the morning with coffee and bagels.
"You look terrible," she said.
"Thanks."
"What happened? The show was perfect and then you disappeared."
I told her everything. Victoria's attempted murder, Damien hiding it, our fight.
"Jesus," Maya said. "That woman is actually insane."
"And Damien was protecting her. Again."
"Was he? Or was he just scared and made a bad decision in the moment?"
"Does it matter? The pattern is the same—something happens with Victoria and he shuts down instead of talking to me."
"But he did tell you. Eventually."
"Only because I pushed. If I hadn't noticed something was wrong, he would have kept it hidden.
