26. Isabelle
CHAPTER 26
ISABELLE
H e’s soaking wet. His hair, his shirt, his coat all cling to him like the weight of every choice he’s ever made, and still he looks at me like I’m the only thing he’s ever wanted.
His apology—raw, broken, and real—echoes in the air between us.
For a second, I want to fall into him, wrap my arms around him, and pretend it’s all finally behind us.
But I can’t. Not yet.
“Damian,” I whisper, stepping back just enough to breathe. “I believe you love me. I do.”
His throat moves as he swallows. “I do too. For so long. I know I haven’t been the best at showing it always, but… I love you, and I always will.”
“I believe that too,” I say, “but loving me isn’t enough if you’re still married to something else.”
He flinches.
“Your company. Your empire. That world you built to survive… it still owns too much of you.”
He opens his mouth.
I raise my hand. “I’m not asking you to walk away from everything you’ve built. I’m not that na?ve or selfish, but I am asking you to make a choice.” I step closer again. My voice is quieter now but firm. “Not between me and the company. Between control… and connection. Between building walls and building us. I need to know—truly know—that you won’t keep choosing power at the cost of people. At the cost of us.”
He stares at me like he’s looking at the edge of a cliff.
I press my hand against his chest and feel the erratic beat beneath it. “I won’t be second to anything. Not to your ambition. Not to your fear. I won’t be something you circle back to when the smoke clears.” I draw in a breath, steady even as my voice trembles. “I love you, Damian, but I won’t love you halfway, and I won’t be loved that way either.”
He looks at me like I’ve gutted him. I hope he recognizes that this isn’t cruelty. It’s clarity. It’s the cost of truth.
I’ve made my choice.
Now it’s time for him to make his.