Chapter 85 – Arya's POV
"A Picture and a Past"
The notification came just as I was pulling a tray of cookies from the oven — one of Liam's weird cravings-for-Mom he'd insisted I bake, "so the baby can smell something sweet."
My phone buzzed again.
At first, I ignored it. I'd been trying to stay off social media, off my feet, and away from stress — doctor's orders. But something about the third buzz made my fingers itch.
When I picked it up, the message was from an unknown number.
No text.
Just an image.
I tapped it open, and immediately my breath caught.
It was a photo.
Damon's office.
And standing outside his door, walking in with that all-too-familiar walk, was Sophia.
Sophia.
My stomach twisted as nausea rose, and this time, it had nothing to do with the pregnancy.
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I hadn't seen her in person in a long time. But I'd remember her anywhere.
Long legs. Silky blonde hair. Expensive heels. The kind of woman who wore her confidence like perfume. And in the photo, she was tilting her head, smiling at Damon like she knew she belonged there.
My mind spiraled.
What is she doing there?
Why didn't he tell me?
Why is someone sending me this?
I sat down slowly, placing a hand on my stomach.
The oven beeped behind me, but I didn't move.
Seven months ago, if someone had sent me this picture, I would've thrown my phone across the room. Maybe I still wanted to.
But now I was carrying Damon's child. Our second chance. Our fresh start.
And yet…
My heart was pounding with something I hated admitting:
Fear.
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I hated that her face still had power over me.
Sophia. The woman Damon had once chosen over me. The woman he used to run to when things with us got hard. The woman I tried not to think about whenever he kissed my forehead and promised I was his future.
But this? This was proof that she was back.
And worse… that she still had access to him.
I stared at the photo again.
Why didn't he tell me she visited?
Why didn't he even mention it?
---
I tried to shake it off. Damon wasn't that man anymore. I knew that. He'd shown me that.
He was attentive. Supportive. Present. He talked to my belly like the baby could hear him and massaged my back when the nights got hard. He made an effort.
But all it took was one photo to make my hands shake again.
I wanted to believe he was different now. But the past didn't disappear just because we chose to move forward.
He forgot me once. For her.
What if he did it again?
---
That night, I barely touched my dinner.
Damon noticed right away. "Not hungry?"
I shook my head. "Just tired."
He leaned over, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "Want a foot massage later?"
"I think I'll just go to bed early."
He studied me for a second longer, his brow furrowing. "Everything okay?"
I looked up at him — at those dark eyes that once made me feel like I was the only girl in the world… and the same eyes that used to turn cold when Sophia called.
"I'm fine," I said quietly.
But I wasn't.
---
I lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling.
The picture wouldn't leave my head. I kept replaying it. Wondering what they said. Wondering if she touched his arm like she used to. Wondering if he smiled at her.
And wondering why he didn't tell me.
I wasn't angry.
Not yet.
I was hurt.
Because keeping secrets — even small ones — was how we fell apart the first time.
He promised we'd never go back to that.
He promised to tell me everything.
So why didn't he?
---
I finally grabbed my phone, staring at the number again.
Who sent it?
Why?
Was it someone trying to stir trouble? Or someone who knew my history and wanted to protect me?
The message had no words.
Just a timestamp and a photo that had now carved a wedge between me and the man I loved.
My hand instinctively touched my belly again.
"I won't let history repeat itself," I whispered.
Even if it meant asking questions I didn't want to hear the answers to.
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End of Chapter 85 – Arya's POV