Chapitre 339: Chapter 339: Shadows of the Past

"You mean—" The first thing Svetlana said was soft and careful.

He cut her off, though, and his words came out like a dam breaking.

"I try. I've tried to ignore it, and most days, I can. It doesn't happen much."

His shoulders were tense and his eyes were still on the ocean.

"But he's always there," Damon went on, his voice low and shaking with emotion. "I hide it. When I fight, he's in my head. When I train, he's there. And when I sleep… he's there too."

Svetlana's face softened, but she didn't say anything. She let him talk.

"I don't have nightmares," he added, shaking his head. "But I don't dream either. It's just… nothing. But somehow, I still feel like he's watching. Like… this, everything, this family I found, this peace my mom and I finally have… fighting, all of it. Like he's gonna show up, and all this would've been just a fleeting dream. A futile escape from him."