Chapter 2

Even though I tried my hardest to choke back the tears, my voice still shook.

I didn't wait for his reaction. I turned on my heel and headed straight to the bedroom to pack.

I had very few belongings. Everything fit into a single carry-on suitcase, mainly because Damian had never liked me cluttering his minimalist space with my presence.

When my eyes caught the small handcrafted clay figurine Lily had made for me, the tears finally spilled over. It was the only tangible memory she had left behind for me in this world.

Wheeling my bag past the living room, I saw Damian had already pushed Chloe off his lap. He stood there, glaring at me with dark irritation. "Did I say you could leave, Harper?"

"Have you forgotten your place? You think you can just come and go from my house whenever you please?"

"Harper, the second you step foot out that front door is the second your sister ends up in a body bag."

I froze. A stabbing, suffocating pain pierced my chest.

Damian knew my weakness better than anyone.

He knew that as long as Lily was alive, I was shackled to him. I would obey his every whim and take whatever abuse he dished out, which was why he felt so entirely comfortable breaking me over and over for Chloe.

Too bad for him, I didn't have a weakness anymore.

Lily had already been turned to ashes. And along with her, every shred of hope between us had burned away.

Seeing me stand there in silence, Damian assumed he had put the leash back around my neck. He raised his chin, speaking in that arrogant, royal tone: "I gave you an order. Go run Chloe's bath, and I might just overlook this pathetic tantrum."

He sounded as if he were bestowing a divine blessing, expecting me to fall to my knees in gratitude.

I stared at him, cold and detached, and let out a dry laugh. "Are you going deaf in your twenties, Damian? I said we are over. Before you bark orders at me again, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you're even worthy."

Damian froze. I had never, in all the years we had been together, spoken to him like that.

Back when I needed him to save my sister, every word out of my mouth had been subservient, gentle, and eager to please.

His handsome face darkened ominously. "Harper, you know damn well my patience has limits."

Of course I knew.

He never had an ounce of patience for me. We hardly ever fought, strictly because I was terrified of making him angry.

Every single cold war ended with me swallowing my pride, crawling back like a starving stray just to get a scrap of his attention.

When we first started dating, we traveled abroad together. Because I ate too slowly and tested his patience, he literally stood up and walked away, abandoning me in the middle of a foreign city where I didn't even speak the language.

After that day, I forced myself to finish every meal in minutes.

Damian seemed to have reserved all his gentleness and patience exclusively for Chloe.

No matter what ungodly hour it was, a single call from her would have him rushing through pouring rain to be by her side.

Even if Chloe took hours to finish a tiny salad, he would sit beside her in quiet devotion, staring at her with pure tenderness.

Chloe, never one to miss an opportunity to stir the pot, chimed in with a look of mock concern. "Harper, how could you be so ungrateful? You rely on Damian to keep your sister alive, and yet you're throwing around breakup threats? That's the ultimate red flag in a relationship."

I scoffed. "And what the hell are you? Shouldn't you be popping champagne right now? You finally get to move into the Vance estate full-time."

Her face twisted for a fraction of a second before she bit her lower lip, eyes welling up with delicate tears. "I’m so sorry, Harper. If I said something wrong, I apologize..."

She walked toward me, pretending to smooth things over, but as she reached out, her wrist deliberately caught the clay figurine I was holding.

*Smash.*

The ceramic shattered against the Italian marble floor with a sharp, sickening crack. In that split second, I caught the malicious, triumphant glint in her eyes.

"Oh no! I didn't see it!" Chloe spun around to Damian, pouting. "Wait... was this cheap piece of junk a gift from you, Damian? I didn't know you were that stingy with Harper."

The moment those mocking words left her mouth, every ounce of rational thought evaporated from my mind.

*SLAP!*

The sharp crack echoed through the cavernous penthouse.