Chapter 65

• Serena
• The walls of our home seemed to close in as I waited for Damon to return. My nerves were on edge, suffocating me with each passing moment. The clock's monotonous ticking echoed my growing unease. I needed to reach out, to let him know what I felt, but the weight of his troubles seemed to barricade him away until I no longer knew how to reach him. I knew I had to talk to him. It was now or never.
• Finally, the entrance of our tent flapped open. Damon walked in, wearing his melancholic demeanor, a weary shadow of the man I loved and married. His shoulders slumped under the invisible burden, and his eyes, once full of life, now harbored a darkness that sent shivers down my spine.