55. In the Shelter of Memories

Lia, observing the peculiar treehouse surroundings, asked, "How did you find this place?" Damon, his eyes fixed on the treehouse as if reminiscing, finally spoke, "I built it." Lia, taken aback, gasped, "You built this?" Damon nodded, a mixture of pride and vulnerability in his expression. "After Beatrice's death, I was a mess. I'd drink all the time, and it was destroying me. Jacob, he suggested building something, anything to help me channel that pain differently. This treehouse became my makeshift rehab, a place where I could try to rebuild myself." Lia, intrigued by this unexpected revelation, asked, "How did it help?" Damon sighed, "Every plank, every nail – it was a distraction from the darkness. It gave me something to focus on other than drowning my sorrows. Slowly, it became a place where I could remember Beatrice without drowning myself in guilt." He continued, his voice carrying the weight of those difficult times, "Jacob and I spent countless nights here. We shared st