Aria pov
His voice was gentle. "You’re supposed to rember who you are. The woman who built an empire to provide for her son. Who faced down enemies with grace and strategy instead of cruelty. Who taught that revenge isn’t the sa as justice. That woman , He caught my hand. That woman is better than Vivian. Better than stooping to her level."
"You’re one to talk about stooping to levels," I said bitterly. "You destroyed your own brother."
The words made Damien flinch.
"You’re right," he said quietly. "I did. And it’s one of my deepest regrets. Marcus and I" He stopped. "We could have been family. Could have supported each other through our father’s abuse. Instead, I chose to survive. And now Marcus is so twisted by hatred that he’s trying to destroy everything I love. That’s what revenge creates, Aria. More revenge. An endless cycle."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to defend my actions. But deep down, I knew he was right. "She deserves to suffer," I whispered.
"Maybe." He pulled close. "But you don’t deserve to beco soone who takes pleasure in causing that suffering. That’s not who you are."
I buried my face in his chest, frustrated and confused and so tired of being the bigger person. His shirt was soft against my cheek. Warm. I could hear his heartbeat—steady and sure beneath the expensive fabric.
"I hate this," I said, my voice muffled against him.
"I know." His hand moved through my hair, gentle strokes that should have soothed but only made the frustration worse.
"I want her to pay." I pulled back to look at him. His face was half in shadow, half lit by the glow from the windows. Those ice-blue eyes were soft now with worry.
"She will." He kissed the top of my head, his lips were warm. "Through legal channels. Through natural consequences. But Aria, you are actively destroying her life—that’s not justice. That’s you becoming the villain in her story instead of the survivor in yours."
We stood there for a long ti, holding each other while the city humd below us. I could hear the distant sound of traffic. Car horns. The faint wail of a siren blocks away. The penthouse was too quiet. The air conditioning blowing through the vents, raising goosebumps on my arms. I shivered despite the warmth of Damien’s embrace.
"What do I do?" I finally asked.
"You let the legal system handle Vivian." His voice was firm. Strong. The CEO voice he used in boardrooms. "You focus on what matters—Noah, our family, our companies. You choose peace over revenge."
"And if she attacks again?" I traced the buttons on his shirt with one finger. Smooth mother-of-pearl under my touch.
"Then we defend ourselves." He pulled back to look at . His hands cupped my face, thumbs brushing my cheekbones. "But we don’t beco her, Aria. We don’t let hatred make us into people our son wouldn’t recognize."
I thought about Noah’s question earlier. The innocent confusion in those devastating blue eyes. About how he’d asked if Vivian was coming to his next party, hopeful and trusting. He’d been so excited to learn he had another aunt. Another piece of family he didn’t know existed.
And I’d had to crush that hope. Had to explain that family could hurt you. That blood didn’t an loyalty.The mory made my chest tight, made breathing harder. "He deserves better than having a mother consud by revenge," I admitted as my throat burned with unshed tears.
"He deserves the mother who taught about forgiveness," Damien said softly as his thumb caught a tear that escaped down my cheek. "The one who gave a second chance when I didn’t deserve it. Be that person, Aria. Not because Vivian deserves rcy, but because you deserve peace."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to defend my plans. To list all the ways Vivian had destroyed . How she’d smiled while seducing my husband. How she’d laughed when our parents threw out. How she’d spread lies about being unstable, desperate, pathetic.
But standing there, wrapped in Damien’s arms, I realized he was right. Revenge wasn’t making happy. It was making hard. Cold. Soone I didn’t recognize when I looked in the mirror. Soone with sharp edges and calculating eyes. Soone Noah might one day fear instead of love. "Okay," I whispered but the word felt like surrender. "I’ll stop."
"You will?" There was surprise in his voice, instant relief.
"I’ll stop actively destroying her life." I looked up at him. His face was so close I could see the faint stubble on his jaw. Could sll his cologne—cedar and sothing darker. "But I’m not reaching out. Not offering forgiveness. She gets natural consequences and legal prosecution, but nothing more."
"That’s fair." He smiled slightly. "That’s justice, not revenge."
"Fine." I stepped back. The loss of his warmth made feel exposed. "But if she cos after us again"
"Then we end her," Damien said flatly. "Together but until then, we take the high road."
"I hate the high road," I muttered.
"I know." He laughed but the sound broke so of the tension. "But Noah’s watching and he needs to see us choose right over easy."
"When did you get so wise?"
"I had an excellent teacher." He pulled back for a kiss. His lips were warm,tasting faintly of the wine we’d had with dinner. "A brilliant, strong, occasionally terrifying woman who showed that being better is harder than being bitter."
"Flattery will get you everywhere," I said against his lips.
"Good to know." He deepened the kiss, drawing closer. His hands slid down my back, settling on my hips before moving lower. He squeezed gently, possessively, and I couldn’t help the small moan that escaped.
"Damien" I broke away, breathless. "No. Stop with the seduction tactics. Noah could walk in."
He laughed, low and dangerous as the sound sent shivers down my spine. "Or are you scared you won’t be able to control yourself?"
"You’re such a bad boy." I pushed lightly at his chest, trying to create distance even as my body betrayed by leaning into him.
He caught my hands, holding them against his chest. His heart was racing under my palms. He pouted—actually pouted—looking ridiculously attractive and far too pleased with himself."If I rember correctly," he said, his voice dropping an octave, "you called daddy the last ti."
Heat flooded my face. "I—you—that’s"
He grinned at my sputtering, clearly enjoying my embarrassnt.
I laughed despite myself, the tension from monts ago dissolving into sothing lighter. "You’re impossible."
"You love it." He kissed my forehead, finally releasing .
"Unfortunately, I do." I stepped back, smoothing my clothes and trying to regain so composure. "But seriously, Noah has a habit of appearing at the worst possible monts."
"Fine." He sighed dramatically. "I’ll behave for now."
"For now," I agreed, smiling.
We went back inside, and I made a call to Roberts."Cancel the eviction," I said. "Vivian stays in the apartnt."
"But Ms. Monroe, the back rent"
"Set up a paynt plan with reasonable terms. She pays what she owes over ti, she stays." I paused. "And Roberts? This stays confidential. She doesn’t need to know I’m the one who gave her the reprieve."
"Understood, Ms. Monroe."
After I hung up, Damien smiled at ."That was hard for you," he observed.
"Incredibly hard." I sank onto the couch. "But you’re right. I don’t want to be the villain. Even if she deserves it."
"She’ll face justice eventually," he said. "When the DA finds her, when the conspiracy case goes to trial—she’ll pay for what she did."
"I know." I leaned against him. "I just hope it’s enough."
"It will be." He kissed my head. "Because unlike revenge, justice actually brings closure."
We sat in comfortable silence, and I tried to let go of the anger that had been driving . It was hard. Harder than I’d expected.But for Noah—for the mother I wanted to be, for the family we were building—I would try.
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number."Heard you called off the dogs. Disappointed. I was enjoying watching you beco . —V"
I stared at the ssage, fury building again.
"Vivian?" Damien asked, seeing my expression.
"Yeah." I showed him the text. "She’s taunting ."
"Delete it." His voice was firm. "Don’t engage. That’s what she wants—to pull you back into the cycle."
"But"
"No." He took my phone, deleted the ssage, and blocked the number. "You chose the high road. Stick with it. No matter what she says."
"She’s going to keep pushing," I said.
"Probably." He handed back my phone. "But we’re not playing her gas anymore. We’re focused on us. On building sothing she can never touch."
"Our family," I said softly.
"Our family," he agreed.
Later that night, after Damien was asleep, I checked on Noah. He was curled up with his stuffed T-Rex, peaceful and innocent."You deserve better than having parents who destroy each other," I whispered, brushing hair from his forehead. "You deserve parents who choose love over hate. Who chooses building over destroying. Who chooses peace."
I kissed his head and made a promise:
I would be that parent.
No matter how hard it was.
No matter what Vivian did.
I would choose peace.
For him.
For Damien.
For myself.
But as I left Noah’s room, my phone buzzed again. Different unknown number.
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