CHAPTER FOURTEEN AZ: THE PROMISE DAMIAN WOULD NOT MAKE

Yvette asked Damian whether he believed they would still be together a year later.
They were sitting in his apartment after a long day, with rain tapping against the windows.
Damian said he hoped they would, but he could not promise what neither of them had lived through yet.
Yvette said she had once been surrounded by people who promised certainty whenever she expressed doubt.
She had mistaken those promises for affection.
Damian asked what she wanted from him instead.
Yvette said she wanted him to tell her when something was difficult rather than become distant and pretend everything was fine.
Damian admitted that he sometimes withdrew when he felt ashamed of being hurt.
He said he had done that during the final months of his marriage.
Yvette asked whether he would tell her if he needed space.
He said he would try to explain it instead of making her guess.
She said she would do the same.
They discussed small things that had begun to matter.
Damian preferred quiet mornings before work.
Yvette liked talking over breakfast and often forgot that other people needed silence.
He laughed and said they could probably negotiate a reasonable breakfast policy.
She suggested coffee first and conversation after the second cup.
Damian agreed.
The conversation felt more intimate than the dramatic declarations they had once imagined making to their former spouses.
Yvette leaned against his shoulder and listened to the rain.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN BA: THE CALL FROM THE REPORTER

A reporter contacted Damian after learning that his company had inspected the foundation’s unfinished warehouse.
She asked whether he would confirm that Cedric had knowingly diverted charitable funds.
Damian said he could describe the condition of the building he inspected but could not make claims about decisions he had not witnessed.
The reporter asked whether his relationship with Yvette had influenced his conclusions.
Damian said the relationship was relevant to understanding his position, and his technical observations should be independently checked.
He offered to provide the public portion of his inspection summary through the foundation’s authorized contact.
The reporter asked whether he regretted becoming involved.
Damian said he regretted the harm done to people who had been promised services.
He did not regret telling the truth about an unfinished building.
After the call, he told Yvette what had been asked.
She thanked him for not speaking on behalf of the foundation.
Damian said he had learned how easily a personal story could swallow the people the investigation was supposed to help.
Yvette said she was still learning that lesson herself.
They agreed not to read every online comment about the scandal.
Damian returned to a customer estimate while Yvette prepared for a meeting with the independent administrator.
Their work continued even when the reporter’s article appeared that evening.