Damien’s pov
I stood there in front of her, staring down at her lips before I could stop myself.
The red lipstick she put on earlier was almost gone, just a faint outline left after the long day.
Every instinct I had told me to close the distance, to just lean in and kiss her deeply like I used to.
To see if she would still taste like the woman I once woke up beside.
But I didn’t, because I had no right.
So I stepped back, cleared my throat, and looked away at the water.
Looking at her was too much, it made so many memories come up.
“We should head back,” I said, trying to sound normal.
Nothing about tonight was normal.
“Yeah,” she agreed softly.
“We should.”
We started walking toward the hotel, our footsteps echoing against the quiet harbor.
The silence between us was thick and awkward.
My mind wouldn’t shut up, it kept dragging me back to places I didn’t want to go, places I had no right going to anymore.
I tried not to think about her that way.
She wasn’t mine anymore, she hasn’t been for a long time now.
And yet, standing beside her like this, it was easy to forget about all that.
I remember the exact moment I realized just how badly I’d messed up.
I was in my apartment, half watching some game highlights, half scrolling through my phone, just trying to shut my brain off.
And then I saw it.
A photo of Elena at some basketball game, wearing Caleb Harding’s jersey.
My stomach sank.
The cameras had caught her smiling, that open carefree smile I hadn’t seen in years.
Not since our wedding day.
That night, I stared at that photo like an idiot, zooming in on her face, on how her eyes lit up.
Something ugly twisted in my chest, jealousy probably.
Ridiculous.
I had no right to feel that way toward her.
I destroyed what we had.
I pushed her away.
After knowing I was the one thing keeping her from being CEO, I couldn’t do it anymore.
I had to let her go.
But seeing her with him made me want to punch something.
Made me want to drive to her place and demand what?
I didn’t even know.
So when Adrian called about this trip, I said yes before he even finished talking.
I didn’t think it through, I didn’t really care.
I just knew I wanted to be here with her, away from home.
Just us, even if it was only for work.
Earlier today, when the clients assumed we were still married, something in my chest… settled.
I was happy.
Pathetic, but true.
“I’m glad today’s over,” Elena said suddenly, pulling me out of my head.
“Yeah. You were… incredible in there,” I said, relieved to talk about anything else.
She chuckled.
“You said that already.”
”I know.
Still true.”
She smiled but didn’t answer, and we kept walking.
We walked in silence again, but this one felt different, softer, almost lighter.
The city lights reflected off the water, turning everything a soft blue that shimmered against her skin.
She looked effortlessly beautiful.
“Singapore’s beautiful,” I said, reaching for something, anything, to fill the quiet.
“It is,” she said with a faint smile.
“Have you been here before?” I asked.
“No, first time.” She glanced up at me.
“You?”
I looked away, staring straight ahead.
I couldn’t hold her eyes.
“Once. Conference thing. I didn’t really get to see the city though. Mostly hotel halls and stale coffee.”
“Oou, sounds thrilling.”
I chuckled, glancing at her.
“About as thrilling as it sounds.”
She tilted her head as she walked, watching the water, smiling softly.
Just like she did at the altar on our wedding day.
That day, we smiled so hard our cheeks hurt.
Before I could stop myself, I asked, “Do you ever think about the future? Like… where you see yourself in a few years?”
”Sometimes,” she said carefully.
“Why?”
”I don’t know,” I lied, my chest felt tight.
“Just curious.”
The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“I used to imagine being a father,” I said quietly.
“Back when we were married, I thought maybe one day we’d have kids. A family. The whole thing.”
Elena froze, going completely still.
Her breathing became tight and uneven, and her eyes turned glossy, like she was staring at something far away.
I stopped walking.
“Elena? What’s wrong?”
She blinked quickly, forcing herself back together, and gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
”You’re not fine,” I said softly.
“Did I say something wrong?”
”No, I just…” She shook her head, stepping ahead of me, faster now.
“I’m tired, that’s all.”
I caught up to her and reached out, gently holding her arm.
“Hey. Talk to me, please.”
She yanked her arm back immediately like my touch burned her, shooting me a glare that told me to back off.
“I’m tired, Damien,” she repeated.
“That’s all.”
”Elena…”
But she turned and walked off, wrapping her arms around herself as she headed back to the suite.
I followed behind her, confused and uneasy.
The elevator ride up was painfully silent.
She stared straight ahead at the doors, her jaw tight.
I kept glancing at her, trying to understand what I said that got her angry.
One minute we were fine, and the next…
When we reached the suite, she moved away from me quickly, like she couldn’t wait to get away from me.
She didn’t say a word, she just went straight to her room without looking back.
“Elena!” I called after her, but the door shut before I could even finish.
I stood there in the living room, staring at her closed door while the city lights spilled across the floor.
And for the first time all night, I felt it, the cold, unmistakable feeling that something was wrong.