Chapter 165 The First Goodbye

Chapter 165 The First Goodbye
DAMON

The worst kind of isolation isn't being alone in an empty room, it's sitting by yourself at a table built for two, watching the ice slowly melt in a glass of whiskey you don't even want to drink. I sat rigidly in the corner booth of the fancy restaurant, the soft, ambient chatter of the high society patrons sounding like a mocking hum in my ears. I checked my watch again, the silver hands pointing to a time that made the fury in my chest burn with a dangerous, possessive heat. An hour and a half. For ninety excruciating minutes, I had been stranded in this upscale dining room, staring at the empty leather seat across from me, while the clock ran out. Just last night, I had sat at the Obsidian Lounge, waiting for her to meet me so I could pull her away to a quiet place where my father couldn't touch us. She never showed. She called late to cancel, telling me she was trapped in a blackout eating takeout with her ex. And now, today, she had promised to make it up to me. Yet, here I was, left waiting again.

The thought of her spending those hours side by side with Kai Ryder, leaving me to bleed in secret, completely ruined the last of my patience. I was sacrificing my freedom, my athletic career, and my sanity to keep my father's legal threats away from her family, and she couldn't even manage to show up on time.

My phone buzzed violently on the white tablecloth and it was Zara. She texted me saying;

I am so incredibly sorry, baby. Kai and I had an important presentation with the executive board that we just completed. I am already so close to the restaurant. Please don't be mad.

I stared at the text, my jaw clenching so hard it ached. I didn't reply. I slid the phone into my pocket, my heart hammering a ragged rhythm against my ribs. I had been about to get up and leave, especially since my father’s secretary had notified me twenty minutes ago that Thomas needed me back at the office for an urgent registry. But before I could slide out of the booth, the glass doors of the restaurant swung open. Zara walked in, her white blouse slightly wrinkled, her breathing shallow as she frantically scanned the room. She hurried over, her face flushed as she slid into the seat directly opposite me, leaning across the table to press a quick, desperate peck against my cheek before sitting back.

"Hi," she breathed, her eyes looking at me with a mixture of raw exhaustion and deep guilt.

"Well, I have been waiting for an hour and a half," I said flatly, my voice dropping to a low register devoid of any warmth. I didn't look at her, my hands already reaching for my coat. "I need to leave now. My father needs me."

Zara flinched, the small smile vanishing from her lips. "Oh... okay. Once again, I apologize for being late, Damon. Please don't be upset. I promise to make out time for us to hang out tomorrow. Just you and me, I swear."

"Forget it, Zara. It will still be the exact same," I muttered, a bitter laugh escaping my lips as I locked my eyes onto her face. "You not showing up on time, or not showing up at all. Calling to cancel. I am completely exhausted."

"No, I will really make the time tomorrow...."

"Do you think this is just about these few minutes I wasted here?" I interrupted fiercely, my voice cracking, though I kept my volume down so the surrounding patrons couldn't hear us.

Zara froze, her expression turning into a sudden wave of confusion and deep hurt. "What is wrong, Damon? Talk to me. Stop shutting me out behind this wall."

"I am also very busy, Zara," I rasped, my voice cracked as months of suppressed trauma finally flooded the space between us. I leaned across the small table, my fists clenching tight against the white linen. "My father does nothing but choke me up with an impossible workload that I don't even enjoy doing, every single day. I am drowning in a cage I despise, but I still make out time for us. I still find myself missing and longing for you every single second. Do you know why? Because I love you, and I have a personal life too."

Zara’s eyes filled with a sudden, shining layer of tears, her fingers reaching across the table to clutch at mine. "Damon..."

"Because I love you, Zara!" I snapped, the pressure inside my chest breaking my composure. "Because I love you! I don't just exist to be a placeholder while you navigate your career!"

"I am in love with you too, Damon," she whispered desperately, a lone tear breaking past her eyelashes and tracking down her cheekbone. "You know you are my anchor."

"That's not the point anymore," I murmured, a profound shadow of defeat flitting behind my eyes as the anger suddenly drained from my veins, leaving me feeling thoroughly hollow. I pulled my hands back, breaking the physical connection between us completely. "I just want to live like a human being, Zara. I just want to laugh and enjoy my time with you. I just want it to be us. But you prefer working, and the worst part is that you don't even realize you are busy spending all your time with Kai instead."

Zara’s face turned a bright, defensive shade of crimson, her jaw tightening as she looked at me through her tears. "But... I can’t possibly separate my work and Kai. Marcus ordered the partnership. We are locked into the programme together. It’s my job."

I stood up slowly, the suit feeling like an executioner's robe as I looked down at the girl who used to be my entire world. The jealousy was a silent fire that had finally burned our sanctuary to the ground, and I didn't have the strength to fight the smoke alone anymore.

"Then you can have both," I whispered, my voice completely devoid of any underlying games or fury. It was just a quiet, freezing finality that vibrated through the air. "I'm done, Zara."

I turned and walked directly away from the booth, my boots slamming rhythmically against the floorboards as I marched straight toward the exit.
Zara didn't stop me. She didn't call my name, and she didn't run down the aisle to catch my sleeve. She simply sat entirely still in the empty booth, her frame looking incredibly small and fractured against the leather cushions as she watched me leave her behind. I pushed through the heavy glass doors, the freezing autumn air hitting my face as I stepped outside, the absolute reality of our breakup locking us into the dark.