Ashes of Pride

Damon did not sleep. Not at all.

He lay on his back in the dark bedroom, staring at the ceiling. The house was quiet, but his mind screamed. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the same moment over and over again.

Sylvie. Standing there in her black dress. Calm. Unbothered. Holding the paddle. Raising it with that slow, deliberate precision.

“Twenty-five million.”

The entire room had turned to l