Vivian stood in front of her bathroom mirror, staring at the reflection staring back at her, barely recognizing the woman she'd become. She looked different, but not in a way that could be described with words. It wasn't just the way her face held the traces of tears long gone, or how her hair now hung messily over her shoulders. It was the emptiness in her gaze, as though the weight of betrayal had hollowed her out. The angry flames of revenge that had burned brightly inside her were fading, leaving her with a quiet sense of loss.
A knock on the door broke her from her trance. She wasn't expecting anyone—no one but him, and yet, after the events of the past week, even his presence was no longer welcome. The doorbell rang a few moments later, the soft but insistent chime piercing the silence like a call to duty.
She didn't need to look through the peephole. She knew who it was.
Damien.
The one person who'd never tried to manipulate her, never lied to her. He was the one who had always been there, even when Julian was too busy playing his games.
Her fingers paused mid-motion, still gripping the towel she had wrapped around her hair. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, and yet she knew that the words would never come out right. Not when she was still so tangled in the mess of her emotions.
The knock came again. This time, she didn't hesitate. She opened the door, and there he was—Damien. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket, his eyes softened with concern as they met hers. He had been a constant in her life for years, longer than Julian even, and it was clear in his posture now: he wasn't here for anything other than to be there for her.
"Vivian," he greeted softly, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. His tone was comforting, gentle—like he already knew she didn't want to hear platitudes, just his presence. He had always been this way: calm, understanding, never judging, and certainly never pushing her to be anything she wasn't ready to be.
"Damien…" She let out a shaky breath, the cracks in her resolve starting to show. She gestured toward the couch, and he followed, sitting down beside her. The space between them felt both familiar and new, like the foundation of their friendship had shifted into something else. There was no longer a need for small talk. The air in the room hung heavy with the unsaid, with everything she had been trying to escape.
"I don't know where to begin," she muttered, running a hand through her hair, the dampness still clinging to her locks.
"You don't need to begin anywhere," he said quietly. "I'm here, Viv. I'm just here."
And in that moment, she felt the weight of everything that had been building up inside her for days—weeks, even. All the anger, the betrayal, the disappointment—everything she had been swallowing down in an attempt to stay composed, it all spilled over. It was messy, chaotic, and raw, but Damien didn't flinch. He just sat beside her, allowing her to unravel, knowing that this was what she needed. He was her anchor when everything else had fallen apart.
"Julian—" She stopped herself, the name bitter on her tongue. "I thought I knew him. I thought I understood him. But I didn't. I never really knew him at all."
Damien's eyes softened as he turned his head to meet hers. "You weren't supposed to, Viv. He's good at pretending. But you… you always see things for what they are."
Vivian's breath hitched as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "I was so blind. He had me believing that I was the one he wanted. But I was just the one who kept him tethered while he… while he had everything with Aurora behind my back. I was the fool."
"Don't say that," Damien murmured, his voice steady. "You weren't the fool. You were just trusting. You gave him everything you had, and he failed you. That's on him, not you."
She sniffed, her chest tightening. "I let myself believe we were something special. But I was just a side note in his life. The Paris trip—" Her voice cracked, the words slipping out before she could stop herself. "It wasn't a business trip, Damien. He took her there. It was supposed to be for us, but he took her. And I was too loving, too trusting to see it."
Damien's jaw tightened as he reached for her hand, his touch grounding her. "He never deserved you, Viv. Not for a second."
She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "I feel so stupid. I knew something was wrong, but I kept ignoring it. I kept thinking maybe I was overreacting, maybe I was just insecure. But now… Now I see it all. The messages, the pictures, the lies. It was all there, and I never saw it."
"Because you were too busy giving him the benefit of the doubt," Damien said quietly, squeezing her hand. "And you wanted to believe in the version of him you built in your mind. But the truth is, he never cared about you the way you needed him to."
Vivian nodded, her eyes scanning the room but not truly seeing it. "I don't even know what to do with this anger, Damien. I'm so mad. At him. At her. But mostly at myself. For letting it go on for so long."
Damien leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You're angry, and you have every right to be. But you can't keep this anger inside of you forever. You need to let it go. You need to take that rage and turn it into something stronger. For you."
For the first time in days, Vivian allowed herself to relax. The constant tension in her body began to ease, the tight knot in her stomach loosening. Damien was right. She couldn't keep holding onto this anger. She had to channel it into something that would help her move forward. She had to let go of Julian and Aurora and everything they had done to her.
Damien was right. He always had been. And maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to turn this into something more than just a painful chapter in her life. Maybe she could find a way to rewrite her story.
"I'm done with him," Vivian finally said, her voice low but firm. "I'm done with all of this. I won't let them define me anymore."
Damien smiled, his eyes warm with pride. "Good. You deserve better, Viv. You always have."
She exhaled slowly, feeling a sense of peace begin to settle over her. There was no magic cure for the pain, no quick fix for the betrayal, but at least now she knew where she stood. She wasn't going to let Julian or Aurora hold power over her any longer. She was going to take back control of her life. And with Damien by her side, she knew she wasn't alone.
"Thank you," she whispered, the weight of her gratitude clear in her voice.
Damien squeezed her hand once more. "Anytime, Viv. I'm always here for you. No matter what."
And for the first time in days, Vivian allowed herself to believe it.