Chapter 6 - Confronting the Past
Damian looked down at the wooden floorboards, a raw, painful sound escaping his chest.
"I was a fool," he said, the words heavy with genuine remorse. "Sabrina... Sabrina was the daughter of the late Senator Cole. She was feeding Julian Vance information about my distribution networks. I spent three weeks in Miami trying to trap her and Vance before they could launch a strike against our family. I thought I was protecting you and the baby by keeping you isolated and keeping my enemies close."
Claire listened, her expression remaining entirely unreadable. "You treated your marriage like an operation, Damian. You treated me like an asset to be hidden away in a safe house while you played god with people's lives."
"I know," Damian sobbed openly—a sight Claire had never witnessed in their seven years together. "I realized it the moment I walked into our empty home. I realized that everything I built, every dollar, every territory, meant absolutely nothing without you. I don't care about the empire, Claire. I will burn it all to the ground tonight if it means I can sit on this floor and watch our son sleep."
Claire felt a sharp pang in her heart, but she forced herself to stay grounded. "Regret doesn't change what happened, Damian. You broke something that can't just be 'arranged' back together."
Before Damian could reply, the sharp sound of glass shattering echoed from the kitchen.
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Jenna screamed as a heavy tear-gas canister rolled across the wooden floor, spewing thick white smoke.
"Get down!" Damian roared, instantly dropping his defensive posture and throwing his body over Claire and the baby as gunshots ripped through the cabin’s outer walls.
