The air inside the interrogation room felt heavier with each second, the thick silence punctuated only by the sound of strained breathing and the faint rattle of chains. Three women knelt before Damien — Mira, Selena, and Amanda — bruised, bloody, and exhausted. But no one dared raise their eyes to meet his.
Damien stood tall, hands behind his back, his cold gaze fixed on the women who had once sneered at him like he was nothing. Now, the tables had turned, but revenge didn't feel as sweet as he thought it would. It tasted bitter.
The officer beside him cleared his throat but quickly silenced himself when Damien shot him a glance. This wasn't his show. This was personal.
Mira, her lip split open, was the first to break the silence. A dry laugh escaped her mouth, sharp and bitter. "Took you long enough, Damien. I was starting to think you ran like your mother."
Damien's jaw tightened at the mention of his mother, but he kept his composure. "Don't speak of her."
Mira grinned despite the blood trickling from her mouth. "Why? Afraid of the truth? You're just like him, you know. Same cold eyes. Same need for control."
"I'm nothing like him," Damien shot back, his voice a quiet threat.
"Keep telling yourself that," Mira mocked. "Standing there like some god, thinking you're different. You're not. You're his son. Flesh and blood. That's all you'll ever be."
Selena whimpered beside her, flinching at Mira's words but not daring to speak. Amanda remained quiet, her face pale and eyes hollow, as if she'd accepted her fate long before they were dragged into this room.
Damien finally stepped forward, his shadow casting over the women. "I brought you here because I want answers. Not to hear your pathetic whining."
Mira smirked. "Answers? From us? What makes you think we'll give you anything, boy?"
"You don't have a choice," Damien replied coldly.
The officer shifted nervously but stayed silent, sensing the thin line Damien was walking.
Mira spat blood onto the floor. "Go on then. Ask your questions, 'Master Damien.' See if you like the answers."
Damien's eyes narrowed. "Did you kill him?"
Mira laughed so hard it turned into a cough. "You really think I had the guts? You know better than that."
Damien didn't flinch. "You all had motive. Years of abuse. Years of scars. Emotional. Physical. Don't act like you didn't think about it every damn day."
Amanda finally spoke, voice trembling. "We... we dreamed of it. Every night. But dreams don't kill, Damien."
Selena nodded weakly. "We hated him... but we feared him more."
Mira's eyes gleamed with defiance. "What does it matter now? He's dead. You did what we couldn't."
Damien's gaze sharpened. "I never said I killed him."
The room fell silent. Even Mira's wicked grin faded as those words sank in.
"What?" Mira whispered.
"You heard me," Damien said evenly. "I didn't kill him. I said someone had to... but it wasn't me."
Mira shook her head, trying to read his expression. "You expect us to believe that?"
"I don't care what you believe," Damien snapped. "I'm telling you the truth."
Selena's lips trembled. "If not you... then who?"
Damien's face was unreadable. "Does it matter?"
"It does!" Amanda cried, her voice breaking. "We need to know, Damien. Who ended it?"
Damien's silence was the cruelest answer of all. Mira stared at him, eyes narrowing. "It was you. Whether your hands did it or not... it was you."
"Think what you want," Damien muttered. "He's gone. That's what matters."
Mira let out a shaky breath. "Why bring us here? Huh? To finish what he started? Beat us until we confess?"
"No," Damien replied calmly. "I wanted to see your faces. To see if there was even a shred of regret... or if you're just as dead inside as he was."
Mira chuckled bitterly. "Regret? The only regret I have is not killing him myself."
Selena sobbed quietly, shaking her head. "Don't... don't say that..."
Amanda remained silent, staring at the floor as if the answer was written there.
Damien crouched in front of them, his cold eyes level with theirs. "You all played a part in this. Maybe you didn't swing the blade... but you sharpened it every single day."
The officer flinched at the venom in Damien's voice but said nothing.
Mira sneered. "And what now? You kill us too? Or is this where you expect us to fall at your feet, begging forgiveness?"
"I don't need your forgiveness," Damien replied coldly. "And you won't get mine."
Amanda finally looked up, tears streaming down her face. "We suffered, Damien... we suffered just like you. Does that mean nothing?"
"It means everything," Damien admitted. "But it doesn't change who you became. You let him turn you into monsters."
Mira laughed, bitter and cold. "Monsters? We were victims."
"Victims don't become abusers," Damien snapped.
The words hung heavy in the air. Selena broke down completely, sobbing into her hands. Amanda closed her eyes, whispering prayers to a god that had long stopped listening.
The officer finally spoke, voice shaky. "Sir... what should we do?"
Damien stood slowly, his gaze never leaving the women. "Unchain them."
"But... they're suspects—"
"Unchain them," Damien growled, the command brooking no argument.
With trembling hands, the officer obeyed. The chains clattered to the floor, but none of the women moved.
"You're free to go," Damien said, his voice devoid of emotion. "But know this... I'll be watching. Slip once... just once... and I'll finish what he started."
Mira smiled weakly. "You already did, Damien. You became him."
"Maybe," Damien whispered. "But unlike him... I'll choose who deserves to die."
The officer looked pale as he followed Damien out of the room, leaving the three women kneeling in stunned silence.
As the heavy door closed behind him, Mira's voice echoed faintly, "You think you're free of him, Damien... but you're not. He's in you. Always will be."
Damien didn't turn back. He didn't need to. He already knew it was true.