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Chapter 97 – Arya's POV
"The Door Cracks Open"
It was strange… how something as simple as a man kneeling and choosing to stay could shake the foundations of a broken heart.
Damon's words echoed in my chest like a soft storm, gentle but impossible to ignore.
> "You're not alone, Arya. Not now. Not ever again."
He hadn't begged.
Hadn't cried.
Hadn't pushed.
He just told the truth.
And for the first time in weeks, the walls I had built didn't feel so safe anymore. They felt cold. Empty.
I had shut him out to protect myself, but now I wondered…
Was I also keeping the healing out, too?
---
That night, I sat in bed, propped against the headboard, my fingers lightly grazing my belly.
The baby fluttered softly beneath my palm.
Not a strong kick, just a reminder.
"I'm still here, Mom."
I swallowed thickly, blinking back tears.
I'd been so lost in my pain that I forgot I wasn't just protecting myself — I was shaping the world this child would enter.
And that world was dim.
Silent.
Heavy.
Because I had made it that way.
---
Damon's voice came back to me again.
> "I miss the way you laugh when Liam tells a bad joke. I miss you waking me up at 2 a.m. for pineapple slices dipped in chocolate…"
A part of me wanted to scoff.
Another part wanted to cry.
Because I missed me too.
---
I heard a soft knock on the door. Damon's knock.
Quiet. Respectful. Always giving me the choice.
"Come in," I said, barely above a whisper.
He stepped inside with a warm cup of ginger tea and a blanket.
"You okay?" he asked gently.
I didn't answer right away.
Instead, I scooted over slightly on the bed. A gesture.
An invitation.
His eyes widened a little in surprise. Not from victory—but relief.
He walked over and sat beside me, leaving space between us but closer than we'd been in weeks.
I took the tea from him and held it in both hands.
The warmth soaked into my fingers.
Slowly… like his presence was starting to soak into the cracks in my soul.
---
"I didn't forgive you," I said.
He nodded. "I know."
"But I don't want to hate you either."
His breath caught slightly. "That's enough for me."
We sat there in silence, the kind that didn't hurt this time.
The kind that wrapped itself around us like a fragile truce.
---
"I was scared," I admitted after a while. "Seeing Sophia in that picture, being reminded of the past… I thought it was happening again. That I was about to lose everything again."
"You're not," he said softly, instantly. "Not this time."
I looked at him.
Really looked.
He had dark circles under his eyes. His jaw was tight with guilt and exhaustion. But there was something else too.
Determination.
He wasn't leaving.
Not even when I asked him to.
---
"I was angry that you didn't tell me," I said.
"I was afraid telling you would hurt you."
"It hurt more not knowing."
"I know."
He didn't make excuses.
He didn't defend himself.
He just listened.
---
I looked down at my belly and placed a hand there again.
"Do you think I've already damaged them?" I whispered. "The baby, I mean."
"No," he said quickly. "You're doing your best. And I'll help you with the rest."
I turned to him, surprised by how steady his voice was.
"I'll cook for you," he said. "Make you sleep on your left side, rub your feet even when you bite my head off, and find mangoes at 3 a.m. if I have to. But I won't let you go through this alone."
My eyes burned again.
Not from pain this time… but from the tenderness I had tried to shut out.
---
He didn't reach for me.
He just sat there.
Like a lighthouse waiting for the storm to pass.
And I realized then…
Maybe I didn't need to rebuild everything right now.
Maybe I just needed to rest.
To breathe.
To let him hold part of the weight.
Even if I hadn't fully forgiven him.
Even if trust still had splinters.
He was here.
He came back.
And that meant something.
---
So I did the only thing I could manage.
I leaned into his shoulder.
Just a little.
Just enough.
And for the first time in weeks… I felt like maybe I wasn't drowning anymore.
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End of Chapter 97 – Arya's POV