didn’t dare.31
t was Damian who finally pulled back. As we parted, his long fingers traced a path from my chin to the corn- er of my eye. He wiped something away, then showed me his fingertip.
Crying again,” he said.
Again?
When else had I cried in front of him?
As if reading my confusion, a faint smile touched the corner of Damian’s lips. It was barely there.
8/15
Cheiner 2
“That night, at Davies‘ estate. You saw me at the entrance.”
Mr. Davies… the host. He was talking about the gala, the first time I saw him. How I had started crying with ut even knowing why,
“Why?” I asked him. Why was he here? Why did he kiss me?
The hospital was preternaturally quiet. In this small, moonlit world, it felt like it was just the two of us.
He gently tapped my forehead, “I wanted to ask you the same thing.” His fingers found the small red mole b my ear. “Everyone thinks this is just a birthmark. But it’s a scar.”
His next words shattered my world, “It’s from when you were fourteen, in America. We were attacked, an you pushed me out of the way.” He said, “A bullet grazed your ear, leaving this. I found so many doctors fc you. The scar faded over time, but it left this permanent red mark.”
His finger tapped the spot gently, “And it’s a permanent reminder of how weak I was then. I couldn’t eve
protect you,”
