Damien pov
"After months." Aria’s laugh was bitter. "It took you months to question whether your wife was a lying manipulator."
"I hired investigators." I continued. "They found the audio engineer Vivian had paid to fake your voice, found the bank records showing paynts to witnesses who claid to have seen you with other n." I stopped. "Everything was a lie, it was manipulation."
"And you didn’t co after ?" Her voice rose. "You knew the truth and you just—what? Stayed in Ravenwood?"
"I tried to find you!" I stood. "Do you think I just accepted it? I hired every investigator I could. Traced your credit cards, your phone—but you’d gone completely off grid. It was like you’d disappeared into thin air."
"I had to." She hugged herself. "I thought—I thought you’d try to take the baby. Force into an abortion or worse."
The words hit "I would never" I started.
"You told to get rid of it!" Tears stread down her face. "You laughed at ! You said—" Her voice broke. "You said I was nothing. That the baby was nothing, how was I supposed to know you’d change your mind?"
"You weren’t." I moved closer slowly. "You had every reason to run. Every reason to hate and Aria—" I cupped her face gently. "You still do, but I’m asking—begging—for a chance to prove I’m not that man anymore."
"People don’t change, Damien." But she didn’t pull away. "Not fundantally."
"Then I’ll prove you wrong." I wiped her tears with my thumbs. "Every single day for the rest of my life if I have to. But Aria—I’m learning now, how to love, how to be present. How to be the man you and Noah deserve."
"Are you?" She moved to the window. "Or are you just saying what you think I want to hear?"
"I don’t know what you want to hear." I followed her. "But I know what I need to say. That I love you, that I’ve loved you since the day you walked into my office years ago with your ridiculous marriage contract terms."
"What terms?" She turned, confused.
"You wanted a clause that said we’d have dinner together at least twice a week." A smile tugged at my lips. "And another that said I had to rember your birthday. And one that said—" I paused. "That said if we had children, I had to be involved. Really involved. Not just financially."
"I didn’t think you’d read those." Her voice was soft.
"I read every word." I moved closer. "And I thought—this woman is either the smartest person I’ve ever t or the most naïve. Demanding emotional involvent from soone who’s never given it."
"I was naïve." She looked down. "I thought—if it was in writing, you’d have to care. Like I could force you to be human by making it a contract term."
"It worked." I tilted her chin up. "Maybe not right away. But Aria—you made want to be human. I want to be better. Even when I was fighting it every step of the way."
Her eyes searched mine. "So when I confronted you about the baby. You were so cold, so cruel. Was any of that real? Or were you just"
"Terrified." I cut her off. "I was terrified of losing control. Of caring too much. Of" My voice cracked.
"So you decided never to love anyone." Understanding dawned in her eyes. "To stay in control."
"Yes." I cupped her face. "Until you. Until I couldn’t control it anymore. And that scared more than anything Marcus could ever do."
"I’m scared too." She admitted. "Of trusting you, of believing this is real. Of letting Noah get attached only to have you"
"I won’t leave." My voice was absolute. "I won’t push you away. I won’t choose anything over you and Noah ever again. I swear it, Aria. On my life, on everything I have."
"You swore things before." But her hands ca up to cover mine. "At our first wedding, you made vows."
"Vows I didn’t an." I held her gaze. "Because I didn’t understand what they ant but now" I pulled her closer. "Now I know. Love isn’t control, it’s surrender. It’s choosing soone every day even when it’s hard. It’s showing up even when you’re terrified."
"Pretty words." Her voice was thick with tears. "But Damien—how do I know you an them?"
"You don’t." I rested my forehead against hers. "Not yet but I’ll prove it. Every day, every choice. Every mont until you believe ."
She was quiet for a long mont. Then"Tell about Sophia." Her voice was soft. "After I left, were you with her?"
I’d been waiting for this question. Dreading it. "Once." I admitted. "A few months after you disappeared."
She stiffened but didn’t pull away. "Tell ."
"I was drunk." I closed my eyes. "Drowning in guilt and whiskey and self-loathing, Sophia found at a charity event. Offered—" I paused. "She offered to make forget you."
"And did she?" Aria’s voice was carefully neutral.
"No." I opened my eyes. "We went back to my place. Started kissing. And I—" Sha flooded through . "I couldn’t do it. I kept seeing your face. Hearing your voice I realized" My voice cracked. "I realized I didn’t want to forget you, I wanted to find you."
"So you stopped." She pulled back to look at .
"I told her to leave." I t her eyes. "She was furious. Said I was pathetic for pining after a woman who’d left but Aria" I caught her hands. "I couldn’t be with anyone else. Didn’t want to be. Because even hating myself, even believing you’d betrayed —I still loved you."
"That’s" She stopped. "That’s not healthy, Damien."
"I never said it was healthy." A bitter laugh escaped. "I said it was real. And it is. This all-consuming, probably obsessive, definitely unhealthy love I have for you—it’s the most real thing I’ve ever felt."
"You’re insane." But she was almost smiling.
"About you? Absolutely." I pulled her closer. "I’ve been celibate for years, Aria. Do you know how many won have thrown themselves at ? How many opportunities I’ve had?"
"And you’re telling you never" She looked skeptical.
"Not once." My voice was firm. "Not with Sophia after that first failed attempt, not with anyone. Because they weren’t you and I didn’t want anyone who wasn’t you."
"That’s" She struggled for words. "That’s actually kind of pathetic."
"I know." I grinned slightly. "But it’s true, ask anyone. Ask my assistant. She spent years fielding calls from won I wouldn’t even et with."
Aria’s voice was wondering. "You really"
"Really." I pulled her against my chest. "Because even when I thought you’d betrayed , even when I was convinced you were everything Vivian said—my body knew the truth, my heart knew. It was only my stupid, damaged brain that couldn’t accept it."
She was quiet for a long mont, her ear against my heartbeat.
"I believe you." She finally whispered. "About everything,"she paused. "About lies and manipulation."
Relief flooded through . "Thank you."
"But Damien" She pulled back. "Believing you and trusting you are different things. I believe you were celibate, I believe Vivian lied. But trusting you not to hurt again" Her voice cracked. "That’s harder."
"I know." I wiped her tears. "Take all the ti you need. I’ll wait. I’ll prove myself, whatever It takes."
She studied my face for a long mont. Then she stood on her toes and kissed . When she pulled back, her eyes were wet but clear.
"Okay," she whispered.
"Okay?" I didn’t dare hope.
"Okay, I’ll marry you." She touched my face. "For real this ti. Not as a trap for Marcus, not for Noah but because" She paused. "Because I want to believe in us. In the possibility that broken things can be fixed."
"Aria" My voice cracked.
"But" She held up a hand. "If you ever, ever hurt like that again—if you ever believe soone else’s lies over my truth—if you ever make feel like I’m nothing."
"I won’t." I pulled her close. "I swear on everything I am. I won’t."
"You better not." She buried her face in my chest. "Because Damien—I don’t think I’d survive it a second ti."
"You won’t have to." I held her tight. "Because I’m never letting you go again."
We stood there, wrapped in each other, the engagent party planning forgotten. Just two broken people trying to build sothing whole.
"Damien?" Her voice was muffled against my shirt.
"Yes?"
"When this is over—when Marcus is caught and we’re actually safe" She pulled back to look at . "Can we just be normal? For a little while? No drama?"
"Yes." I smiled. "We can be so normal it’s boring."
"I like boring things." She smiled back. "Boring sounds perfect."
"Then boring it is." I kissed her again. "After we trap my psychotic brother and probably save a hundred people from explosions."
"Just another Tuesday for the Blackwoods." But she was laughing now.
"Just another Tuesday." I echoed.
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