The door of the party slammed behind them, as if the building itself were relieved to throw them out. The muffled music still vibrated from the other side — a distant pulse of bass and laughter that suddenly felt like it belonged to another world. Outside, the cold London night wrapped around them, making Isabella cross her arms over her chest, irritation rising through every fiber of her being. Damon was breathing hard, chest rising and falling quickly as he wiped the blood at the corner of his lip with the back of his hand. Liam kicked a loose pebble down the sidewalk, muttering something under his breath. Isabella looked at the two of them — one on each side, panting like angry strays — and let out the deepest, most exhausted sigh she’d given in weeks. “You two…” She began, closing her eyes for a second. “You two are a nightmare. My own personal nightmare.” Liam raised his eyebrows, offended. “He started it.” He said, pointing at Damon like a five-year-old tattling. Damon lifted his hands in a mock surrender. “I was just talking. He's the one who can’t handle basic civility.” “Civility?” Liam scoffed. “You called my mom—” “Both of you shut up.” Isabella ordered, softly, yet with the precision of someone who had yelled far too much in her life. They froze. She spun on her heel and headed for the car, her boots hitting the pavement with sharp, steady steps. They followed her, still glaring at each other like two feral cats ready to pounce if she turned her back for a second. When Isabella started the engine, silence filled the car — a heavy, thick silence, almost tangible. Damon, sitting in the passenger seat, stared out the window, though his eyes kept drifting back to her reflection in the glass. Liam, in the back seat, watched the nape of her neck, that one strand of hair that always slipped from behind her ear, and felt something tighten in his chest. They both loved her, but neither had the courage to say it. Isabella believed the biggest tragedy between them was the fighting; she had no idea the real chaos was older and deeper.