Chapter 81: CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE

Damon’s POV

I’ve spent the past few days with Kai, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. He’s a natural on the basketball court, laughing as he tries to beat me at shooting hoops. His enthusiasm is infectious, and for a while, I forget about everything else—the past, the tension between Winter and me, and the ever-present shadow of Sienna lurking in the background.

But as much as I try to focus on the moment, my mind keeps wandering back to the conversation I had with Winter the other night. She’s hesitant, and I get it. This isn’t easy for her, for either of us. But I’m determined to make this work, for Kai’s sake, for mine.

Still, something is gnawing at me. Every time my phone buzzes, I’m reminded of the strings Sienna’s pulling. Every text, every call—her manipulations feel like a weight pressing down on my chest.

I know I shouldn’t answer her. I know I should block her number, shut her out. But every time I try to walk away, I can’t help but get sucked back in. She knows exactly what to say to make me doubt myself, to make me question my choices.

I pull my phone from my pocket after hearing it buzz again. It’s a text from Sienna. I hesitate, looking over at Winter and Kai, who are still outside, laughing and playing. I don’t want to let her ruin this moment, but I can’t ignore the tension building inside me.

You’re really going to let her take you from me, Damon? You’re really going to choose her over us?

I grit my teeth, reading the message over and over. The guilt seeps in. She knows how to make me feel like I’m abandoning her, like I’m making the wrong choice by trying to be a part of Kai’s life. I know I shouldn’t let her get to me, but the words feel too familiar, too convincing.

I stand up, excusing myself from Winter and Kai as I head for the back of the house, hoping they won’t notice my growing unease. Once I’m out of sight, I open the message again, and this time, Sienna’s voice cuts through my mind with chilling clarity.

I gave you everything, Damon. You owe me this. You owe me. Don’t forget where you came from, who you really belong to.

I swallow hard, the weight of her words pushing down on me. I know I’m not the same person I was when I was with her—when she had control over me. But as much as I try to hold onto that truth, a part of me still feels like I’m betraying her, betraying everything she made me believe in.

The phone rings. It’s her, calling this time.

I don’t want to answer. I really don’t. But my finger betrays me, swiping to pick up the call before I can stop myself.

“What do you want, Sienna?” My voice comes out colder than I meant it, but I can’t stop the frustration bubbling up.

“You’re avoiding me, Damon,” she purrs, her voice smooth and dangerously calm. “I can hear it in your voice. I know what you’re doing. You’re playing house with Winter and her kid. You think this is real? You think she’s going to let you in? You think you’re actually needed?”

I clench my jaw, trying to keep my emotions in check. “What are you trying to say?”

She sighs dramatically, almost as if she’s pitying me. “I’m saying, you’re delusional if you think you can just walk away from everything we had. From everything I gave you. You think she’ll ever be okay with you being involved with her son? She’s just using you, Damon. She’s using you like she always has.”

I feel my chest tighten. Her words sting more than I want to admit, but I’m not going to let her manipulate me again. “You don’t know anything about what’s going on with me and Winter.”

“Oh, I know enough,” Sienna says. “I know that you’re weak, Damon. You’ve always been weak. You’ll let her tear you apart just like everyone else has. You’ll give everything for a woman who’s going to walk away the minute things get hard.”

I swallow hard, trying to push past the doubt she’s planting in me. “You’re wrong. I’m not going anywhere. I’m trying to be there for Kai. I’m trying to do the right thing.”

“You’re fooling yourself.” Her voice drops lower, colder. “You’re not the man I made you. I thought you’d remember, but it’s clear now—you’re already slipping away. And when you do, I’ll be here, waiting to pick up the pieces.”

Her words echo in my mind as I hang up the phone, my heart racing. I want to ignore her; to pretend she has no power over me anymore, but the doubt lingers. The guilt. The fear that maybe, just maybe, she’s right. Maybe I don’t belong here. Maybe Winter is right to keep her distance from me.

I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts, but it’s like a storm brewing inside me. I can’t let Sienna win. I can’t let her tear apart what I’m building with Winter and Kai. But the pull is there. The manipulation is too familiar. And before I even realize it, I’m walking back to the front yard where Winter and Kai are still playing.

I have to make a decision. I have to choose.

But with Sienna’s words still hanging over me, I don’t know if I can make it without breaking first.

The weight of words we never spoke,

A heavy silence, all we’ve broke.

You stand so still, I feel the strain,

A knot that tightens, a constant pain.

Your gaze avoids, and mine does too,

What’s left unsaid, we both just knew.

The cracks between us growing wide,

A chasm we both try to hide.

Yet in the dark, your touch still calls,

A fleeting warmth, a soft withdrawal.

We’re tethered here by fragile threads,

Unspoken things, unsaid regrets.

I want to reach, but fear the fall,

To say the words that break it all.

The walls between us keep me near,

But I wonder if you feel the fear.

Do you see me still, or am I lost,

A casualty of time and cost?

I long for something we can hold,

But silence has its stranglehold.

Still, here I stand, with hope in hand,

Waiting for you to understand.

We fight the ghosts that pull us apart,

Two fractured souls, one broken heart.