Chapter One Hundred and Two - A Bit Broken - Maya's POV

My thoughts are jumbled. There's too many of them going around in my mind and some kind of squeezing feeling in my chest. Part of me even feels shame for ever thinking differently of him. In ways, I think I wanted to scream at him and fight back, maybe even blame him. It would be nice to push all this weight I've been carrying onto someone else's shoulders just so I could breathe and feel lighter for a few seconds. And now? Well, it feels like a punch to my very soul. He leans forward, elbows resting on his knees, his head drooping down. His hands go through his hair and he leaves them there. He's tired. And suddenly he looks so much older than his physical age. It's from grief. 'I know what it cost you to be here," he repeats, softer this time. 'Oh, how I know. You're just human and that has been thrown in my face more times than I can count. It's not easy for you to accept all of this." I shift in my seat, the blanket around my shoulders slipping down, but I don't bother fixing it. My skin's hot even though the air in the room is cool. My fingers tremble slightly as I reach for him, almost touching his head. 'I had no idea you felt that way," I whisper. Damian doesn't move or lift his head. Silence stretches between us for several seconds. 'I shouldn't have," I begin, then stop myself from going further. My voice feels too loud and too unlike my own. Maybe it would be best if I was quiet. 'You shouldn't have what?" He asks, finally looking up at me, though his hands are still on his face. His eyes are rimmed red and his expression is blank. 'Trusted you," I say, then the words catch in my throat, so I shake my head. 'That's not what I meant. I shouldn't have wanted to. It felt safer with you when you were just someone who I looked at as the one who caused my issues. This is different and harder." His gaze sharpens with understanding. 'You think I don't hate myself for how this started? But the truth is, fate was going to bring us together one way or the other. At least I didn't have to find you in some man's house and kill him for laying hands on you or anything else. Who knows what would have happened if I didn't have the money to buy you? I thought I could make it up to you and make it better after it was over." I flinch. Though he means well, it's hard to make things up to someone. 'You can't fix being sold by your father, Damian. It can't be undone. It's not something you can love away and it will never be there." His mouth opens like he wants to say something, but the words never come. I slowly rise from the chair, the blanket pooling around my ankles. My whole body aches from all the things I'm holding back. 'I want to hate you," I say, my voice low. Damian looks up at me, his eyes filling with tears. 'But I don't, which scares me more than anything else. I know I'm never leaving you and that I'm here for good. Yet a small part of me wants to fight." Damian rises slowly, his hands falling from his face. His expression is still blank. 'You should fight. I'd deserve it. I'd take every blow if it meant that you'd feel lighter by the end." His voice cracks toward the end, and it guts me. I don't want him to be in pain and I want my own to stop. But it's like they're tangled. 'It's not you I should hate. Fate set this up, but also my father," I say, breathing out a slow breath. 'I don't want to fight you. What I need is to fight the world that put me in your hands like I was simply a possession or a tool to end something. And oddly, I'd even want to hate your father simply for having you, because I think I may love his son." The words hang between us, both of our eyes wide with shock. Damian's breath catches in his throat and he takes one single step toward me. His hand reaches out, but he doesn't quite touch me. He just lets it hover near my arm, like he's waiting for me to say yes. 'You do?" He asks, his voice barely above a whisper. 'You love me?" 'Yes," I say, a single tear rolling down my cheek. I hadn't even realized that there were tears burning there, but they were. 'Yes, I do, but this is terrifying." I lean forward, letting his hand touch my arm. 'It's not about making it up to me," I say, my voice trembling. 'It's about walking beside me while I put myself back together. If you want me to be willing to break the prophecy, then let me heal." His fingers brush my skin, causing me to suck in a breath. 'Then that's what I'll do. Hopefully, everything will calm down and we can get some kind of normalcy, if you can call it that." 'I'd love that," I say, almost choking on a sob. Damian's arms move slowly, like he's afraid that I'll shatter if he moves too fast. Then he wraps them around me, and I collapse into his warm embrace. It's not safety yet, but it's something good. Maybe the beginning of it. I press my forehead against his chest. His hand cradles the back of my head like I'm something precious. 'We can go slow," he says quietly. 'It's not like I've pushed, but I can be even more gentle if necessary. You'll still need to train." I nod against him, my throat too tight with emotion to speak. My fingers land on his bare chest, trying to hold on to him. We stay like that for a long time without either being able to speak. Eventually, I pull back just to look at him. 'I don't think we'll ever have normal. Not when there is danger at every turn and your crazy beta." He laughs. 'Well, I will deal with him once I figure out what is going on." I nod as he pulls me back in and let him hold me. For now, this has to do until we can have peace.