Late that evening, Aria waited in the silent living room, heart pounding as she rehearsed how to tell Damien everything.
The front door opened. Aria shot to her feet as Damien walked in. He paused when he saw her, uncertainty flickering in his gray eyes. For a moment they simply looked at each other across the dim space.
"Hi," Aria managed, her voice a fragile thread.
Damien offered a tentative "Hi." He stepped forward into the lamplight, looking exhausted but resolved. Without taking his eyes off her, he set down his briefcase. "You waited up."
"We said we'd talk tonight," she answered softly.
A beat of silence. Then, as if by unspoken agreement, they moved toward each other and sat down side by side on the sofa. Aria's hands twisted nervously in her skirt, and Damien turned to face her, his arm nearly brushing hers.
"Aria," he began quietly, "before you say anything, I need you to know—" He swallowed. "I'm so sorry. For everything. I should have trusted you. And I'm sorry I let it get this bad before we talked."
She stared at him, stunned by the raw remorse in his tone. A damp laugh of relief escaped her before it turned into a sob. She quickly covered her mouth. "No, I'm sorry," she said brokenly. "I lied to you. You had every right to be angry."
His brow furrowed. "Angry or not, I had no right to say what I did. To make you feel you had to handle this alone." Gently, Damien reached out and took her hand between both of his. The contact unraveled something in Aria; she let out a trembling breath as tears blurred her vision.
"I was so afraid, Damien," she whispered. "Afraid you'd hate me if you knew everything. Afraid you'd see me as... as a burden or a fraud. I thought I could fix it on my own—protect you and Noah—and no one would ever have to know."
His hold on her hand tightened. "I could never hate you. Do you understand? Contract or not, you and Noah are my family." His voice turned fierce. "I just wish you'd trusted me enough to let me carry this with you."
A tear slid down Aria's cheek. "I'm ready to trust you now," she said, voice shaking. "I'll tell you everything—just please don't let it change how you look at me."
Damien lifted his hands to cup her face. "Nothing could change how I look at you," he murmured.
The quiet conviction in his words loosened the last knot of fear inside her. Aria drew a shaky inhale. It was time.
Haltingly, she began to talk—about her strict upbringing and the engagement to Victor her father had arranged, about Victor's charming façade that turned controlling. Damien listened in tense silence, jaw clenching when she described how they treated her like a bargaining chip.
She went on to recount how four years ago she seized a moment of freedom in a distant hotel bar and spent one reckless, life-changing night with a dark-haired stranger named Damien. Her voice trembled as she described discovering she was pregnant and breaking off her engagement without explanation.
"My father was furious," Aria continued. "He told everyone I'd gone abroad to 'find myself,' but really he sent people after me. I had to disappear."
Damien exhaled slowly, visibly struggling to contain his emotions. "My God, Aria..."
She mustered a faint, shaky smile. "I chose the surname Williams and started a new life. It wasn't easy, but I had Noah, and that was enough." Her smile faltered. "Then you found us. And I was terrified, because suddenly the past I'd run from was catching up. I never, ever wanted to hurt you by keeping Noah a secret. I truly thought I'd never see you again."
Damien shook his head, eyes shining. "If I'd known... I'd have—" He broke off, unable to finish. Gently, he pulled her into his arms. Aria went willingly, pressing her face to his shoulder as tears finally flowed freely.
Held safely against his warmth, she continued hoarsely, "Victor found me a few months ago. At the gala he demanded two million dollars—or he'd expose everything."
Damien tensed with anger beneath her cheek. "That bastard," he muttered, one hand stroking her hair. "I'll make sure he pays for doing this to you."
Aria clutched the front of his shirt tightly, words tumbling out faster now. "I was even considering paying him, I was so scared of the world finding out... of you finding out..."
Damien drew back enough to tilt her face up. His eyes blazed with protective fury. "Listen to me. You're my wife, Aria. You never have to buy my love or protection. If that snake thinks he can extort you, he's mistaken." He brushed his thumbs over her wet cheeks. "You have me now. We'll handle this together."
A choked sob of relief escaped Aria's throat. "I don't deserve you," she managed.
"You deserve so much more than what life's given you," Damien replied fiercely. Then his expression gentled, his gray eyes soft with wonder. "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you—brave, and strong, and..." He didn't finish, but Aria's heart skipped at the tenderness in his voice.
For a long moment they simply held each other on the sofa, her forehead resting against his as her tears subsided.
Eventually Damien spoke quietly. "I have to tell you—once I realized something was wrong, I did some digging." He took a breath. "If it comes down to it, I don't care what your father or anyone else does. We'll tell the world the truth ourselves if we have to. I'll stand by you, no matter what."
Tears filled Aria's eyes anew. "I believe you," she whispered.
He managed a faint smile, smoothing back a stray strand of her hair. "But hopefully it won't come to that. I already have people looking into Victor. With luck, we'll find leverage to shut him down."
Aria nodded, a fragile hope fluttering in her chest for the first time in days. They had a plan—or at least the beginnings of one—and she wasn't alone anymore.
"You must be exhausted," Damien murmured when he noticed her eyelids growing heavy.
"I am," she admitted. She felt lighter now, as if a crushing weight had finally been lifted.
"Come on, let's get you to bed." Damien stood and offered her his hand.
Aria slid her hand into his, and he pulled her gently to her feet. Neither of them let go. They climbed the stairs hand in hand.
At her bedroom door, Aria hesitated. "Damien... will you stay with me? Just until I fall asleep?" she asked in a small voice.
His smile was soft and reassuring. "Of course."
In the dim bedroom, Damien guided her to bed and drew the covers up around her. He stretched out atop the comforter beside her, their hands still joined in the darkness.
When Aria's eyes drifted closed at last, the final thing she felt was Damien pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
For the first time in a long while, she slept without fear.