Chapter 79

• The mansion, with its grand columns and marble facade, was the same as she remembered, yet it felt foreign now, like a place she no longer belonged. She had changed, and so had the world around her.
• As she took a deep breath, steeling herself for what lay ahead, the door swung open, and Damien appeared. His presence was magnetic, commanding, and as always, he exuded an aura of power and control. But today, there was something different in his eyes—something colder, more guarded.
• “Elara,” he said, his voice a mixture of surprise and something else—something she couldn’t quite place. He studied her for a moment, his gaze lingering on her face, as if trying to decipher the woman standing before him. The woman who had once been his, and now was not. “What are you doing here?”