Chapter 84: CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR
Winter POV
The moment Damon left; the weight of my words crashed down on me. I slumped against the door, my breath coming in shallow gasps.
I had come so close to telling him everything, to laying it all bare. But I couldn’t. I wasn’t ready to see the disappointment in his eyes—or the anger.
Kai’s laugh drifted in from the living room, grounding me for just a moment. He was watching one of his favorite cartoons, his little body curled up on the couch with a blanket. He looked so much like Damon that it physically hurt sometimes.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and joined him, sitting beside him and running my hand over his curls.
“Mommy?” Kai asked, looking up at me with curious eyes.
“Yes, baby?”
“Why are you sad?”
I forced a smile, even though my heart was breaking. “I’m not sad, sweetie. Just tired.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push. Instead, he shifted closer, leaning into me as I wrapped an arm around him. For now, that would have to be enough.
Damon's POV
The drive home felt like a blur. Winter’s words replayed in my head on an endless loop: You’re not ready for it. Because once you know, you’ll hate me even more than you already do.
What the hell was she hiding?
Part of me wanted to believe it didn’t matter, that we could move past whatever it was. But the growing pit in my stomach told me otherwise.
When I got back to my house, the silence was deafening. I’d spent so much time here recovering, working with Winter, that it felt… empty without her.
I paced the living room, the unanswered questions eating at me. Winter wasn’t the only one keeping secrets. Sienna’s threats had been weighing heavily on me for weeks now, and I knew it was only a matter of time before everything blew up.
I pulled out my phone, staring at the messages Sienna had sent. The photo wasn’t the problem—it was the promise behind it, the thinly veiled threat to expose things I wasn’t ready to face.
I opened a new text message and typed Winter’s name into the recipient box.
We need to talk. Properly this time. No running.
I stared at the words for a moment before deleting them. She wouldn’t respond—not right now. And honestly, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to say.
Instead, I dialed Coach James.
“Damon.” His voice was gruff but steady, just like always. “What’s going on?”
I hesitated, my hand tightening around the phone. “I think I’m losing it, Coach.”
“What happened?”
I sighed, raking a hand through my hair. “It’s Winter. She’s hiding something—something big. And Sienna…” I trailed off, unsure how much I could say.
Coach was silent for a moment before he spoke. “You care about her, don’t you?”
“It’s not that simple,” I muttered.
“It never is.” His voice softened. “But if you really want answers, Damon, you need to stop tiptoeing around the truth. Talk to her. Really talk to her.”
I huffed a bitter laugh. “You think I haven’t tried? She shuts me out every time.”
“Then maybe you need to give her a reason to let you in.”
Winter's POV
I didn’t sleep that night. How could I? Damon’s voice was still ringing in my ears, his questions cutting deeper than I wanted to admit.
By morning, I was running on coffee and nerves. The day stretched out ahead of me, endless and suffocating.
Kai was already up, munching on cereal at the kitchen table. His bright smile was the only thing keeping me from falling apart completely.
“Mommy, can we go to the park today?” he asked between bites.
I hesitated. Part of me wanted to stay locked inside, away from the world and its relentless demands. But I couldn’t do that to Kai.
“Sure, baby,” I said, forcing a smile. “Let me get ready, okay?”
The park was crowded, the air buzzing with the sound of children’s laughter and parents chatting. Kai ran off to the playground, his face lighting up as he joined a group of kids.
I found a bench nearby, keeping him in my line of sight. For a moment, I allowed myself to breathe.
But the reprieve didn’t last long.
“Winter.”
The voice sent a chill down my spine. I turned to see Damon standing a few feet away, his expression unreadable.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended.
“I needed to see you,” he said, his eyes flicking briefly to Kai before settling on me. “We can’t keep doing this, Winter. The silence, the half-truths… it’s killing us both.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came. Damon stepped closer, his gaze piercing.
“Tell me the truth,” he said, his voice low but firm. “About Kai. About everything.”
Panic surged through me, but before I could say anything, Kai came running over, his laughter breaking the tension.
“Mommy, look!” he said, holding up a small toy he’d found.
Damon’s eyes softened as he looked at Kai, and for a brief moment, I saw something vulnerable in his expression.
But it only lasted a second. When he looked back at me, the determination in his eyes was unmistakable.
“This isn’t over,” he said quietly.
As he walked away, my heart sank. Because I knew he was right.
The room is quiet, still, and cold,
We stand apart, our stories told.
But in the silence, something stirs,
A whispered truth that softly blurs.
Your gaze lingers, I can feel,
The weight of wounds we’ve yet to heal.
The words unspoken in the air,
The space between us, full of care.
I’ve built these walls to keep me safe,
But every glance, a crack, a trace.
Of something deeper, something real,
A love we can’t ignore or steal.
You hesitate, I do the same,
A dance of doubt, we play the game.
But in your eyes, I see the plea,
For what we are or used to be.
I’ve fought so hard to stay away,
But here you are, and I can’t sway.
The gravity of you, it pulls,
A force unseen, yet undeniable.
The distance wanes, but I’m afraid,
To cross the line, we both have made.
And yet I know, we can’t retreat,
The truth, the hurt, the love complete.