**ELENA’S POV**
The next morning, the office feels different. Heavier. As if something unspoken hangs in the air between Damian and me. I can feel it even before I see him, like a static charge humming under my skin.
I take my seat at my desk, turning on my computer, trying to settle into routine. But every time I glance toward the glass wall of his office, I find Damian watching me. Not constantly. Not blatantly. But often enough that I notice.
He observes the way I move. The way I sit. The way I keep the chair angled so nobody can stand behind me. The way I jerk slightly when someone laughs too loudly or drops something near my desk. I do not mean to flinch. My body just does. It remembers things my mind tries to forget.
Damian’s eyes track those moments with a quiet intensity that u
