Chapter 171: Choose me
"You’re here!" Olivia’s voice cut through the silence like a blade. Her eyes blazed with fury, and her words were sharp as daggers. "So you broke my engagement, shattered everything I’ve worked for. You’ve ruined it all, Damon!"
For the first time since her rebirth, Olivia didn’t bother to hide the burning rage that churned inside her. It was rare for her to lose control, but when she did, it was like a storm unleashed, and there was no holding it back.
"What have you done?" she demanded, her voice thick with accusation. "Do you even know what you’ve done? What have you cost me?" Her voice broke on the last word, a bitter edge to the syllables. She stood up from the chair where she’d been sitting, the book she had been reading tumbling to the ground, forgotten. Without a second thought, she started toward him, each step punctuated by the sharp click of her heels against the cobblestones.
The sound reverberated through the room, the tension thickening with every step she took. Damon stood rooted to the spot, his breath caught in his chest as he watched her. He was used to Olivia being calm, composed, even distant at times. But now... now she was something else. Something more dangerous. The fury in her eyes was like a wildfire. Her anger, a tempest he hadn’t anticipated.
"I’m sorry, Olivia," he said, his voice quieter than he intended. His words felt like a half-hearted attempt at an apology, one that he wasn’t sure he believed in himself. "I never wanted to hurt you—"
"Lies!" She snapped, cutting him off before he could finish. "Everything you’ve done has been to hurt me! To hurt all of us! You think I can’t see it?"
Her hands balled into fists at her sides, and for a moment, Damon thought she might strike him. But instead, she stood there, trembling with the weight of her rage. Her breath came in sharp, uneven gasps.
The words Rhistel had spoken echoed in his mind, uninvited, like an insistent drumbeat. You have caged a storm. Not a dove. Damon swallowed hard. Whistle had been right. Olivia wasn’t just a woman—she was something far more dangerous. But what terrified him more than her fury was the realization that, somewhere deep inside him, he didn’t want to cage her. He didn’t want to control her.
He wanted her.