Aria's hands trembled as she shut the front door behind her. The echoes of the press confrontation – Damien's firm voice defending her against the reporters' prying questions – still reverberated in her mind. What should have been relief instead churned her insides with anxiety. In the marble-floored foyer of the Blackwood estate, silence hung heavy between them. Damien had barely said a word on the drive home, jaw tight, one hand clenched on the steering wheel. Now, as Aria slipped off her heels with unsteady fingers, she could feel the tension crackling in the air.
Noah's laughter drifted faintly from the living room where Mrs. Halverson, the housekeeper, was minding him. At least Noah had been spared the media frenzy downtown. Aria swallowed, her throat dry. "Thank you… for what you did today," she began softly, not daring to meet Damien's eyes yet. "You didn't have to go that far."
Damien stepped further into the foyer, loosening his tie in a rare show of agitation. "Yes, I did," he replied, voice low. "They were out of line. I wasn't going to let them drag you through the mud."
Aria mustered the courage to glance up. Concern and anger warred on Damien's face – not anger at her, she realized, but at the situation. At the world that had forced their hand. "Even so," she said, wrapping her arms around herself, "it might have made things worse. They'll dig more now."
He took a breath, clearly trying to rein in his frustration. "So what if they dig? We have nothing to hide that we can't handle. The truth was bound to come out eventually."
"That's easy for you to say," Aria snapped before she could stop herself. Hurt and fear from the day's events were bleeding into her tone. "It's not your past being paraded as scandalous gossip."
Damien's eyes flashed. "Do you think I don't care about what this does to you? Or that I'm not affected? I meant what I said out there – we're in this together."
Together. The word should have comforted her, but Aria felt her control slipping. "We wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for me," she said bitterly. "If I hadn't—" She stopped short, heart pounding. If I hadn't run away from my family… if I hadn't walked into that bar and into your life… She pressed a hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry. I never wanted to bring chaos into your life or Noah's. You and he… you both deserve better."
Damien closed the distance between them in two strides. "Stop right there," he growled softly. His hands hovered near her shoulders as if he longed to grab hold, but he held himself in check. "Don't you dare say we deserve 'better.' Better than what? Better than you?"
Aria flinched. She hadn't even realized fully what she'd implied. "I just mean… I come with so much baggage, Damien. You shouldn't have to deal with the fallout of my past. Our arrangement was supposed to keep things simple—"
At that, Damien did grip her shoulders, gently but firmly. "Our arrangement?" he repeated, a dark frown creasing his brow. "Damn the arrangement, Aria. This stopped being just an arrangement a long time ago, and you know it."
Aria's lips parted in surprise. Her pulse roared in her ears. What exactly was he saying? They had never explicitly discussed it, but in the quiet moments co-parenting Noah, in the evenings where they shared laughter over their toddler's antics, something had shifted. Still, fear made her hold back. She eased out of Damien's grasp, stepping aside. "It's hard to know anything right now," she said, voice wavering. "The only reason you married me was because of Noah and because you… you're a good man who takes responsibility. I understand that. I never fooled myself into thinking it was… for any other reason."
Damien's face hardened, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "Is that truly what you believe? That I see you as nothing more than an obligation? A responsibility?" His tone was incredulous, tinged with hurt.
Aria looked away, unable to maintain eye contact under the intensity of his stare. A hot prickle of tears threatened her eyes, but she blinked them back. "What else am I supposed to believe?" she whispered. "Look at us, Damien. You're a billionaire CEO. I'm…" She laughed hollowly. "I'm the disgraced daughter of a ruined family, someone who lied about who she is. We made a contract so Noah could have a stable life. That's all this was ever meant to be."
Silence fell, heavy and pulsing. When Damien spoke again, his voice was low and controlled, but she could hear the slight tremor of raw emotion underneath. "Aria, look at me."
She hesitated, then obeyed. His eyes burned with an intensity that rooted her to the spot.
"I never, ever saw you as just an obligation," Damien said slowly, deliberately. "Yes, I wanted to give Noah a family – he's my son, and I'd move heaven and earth for him. But do you really think I'd have gone to these lengths, married you, brought you into my home, if I didn't…" He paused, searching her face, the words hanging in the charged air between them.
Aria's heart skipped. "If you didn't what?" she prompted, barely audible.
His throat worked, and for a second Damien Blackwood looked almost uncertain. "If I didn't care about you," he finished gruffly. "I care about you, Aria. Deeply. More than I probably should."
Her breath caught. He… cares? She had suspected, of course – his actions so often betrayed more than simple duty. But hearing it said out loud made her chest ache. A part of her blossomed with warmth, but another part – the one that held onto years of guilt and doubt – recoiled.
Aria stepped back until her shoulders met the door, needing its support. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself as if that could hold in the surge of feelings threatening to break free. "You say that now," she said, voice trembling, "but you don't know everything. If the full truth comes out… you might not feel the same. What happens when the headlines get uglier? When they dig up every sordid detail of the Callahans' downfall? You have a company, a reputation. This could hurt you. It could hurt Noah."
Damien's expression softened even as frustration knit his brows. "You think I care about the company or my reputation right now? Aria, my priority is you and Noah. Let the board members clutch their pearls; I'll handle them. And Noah's fine – he's too young to understand any of this, and I'll shield him from it as long as I have to."
He took a step closer again, and this time Aria didn't move away. Gently, he tilted her chin up with his fingers, forcing her to meet his gaze. His touch was warm, steadying. "I know enough about your past to be sure of one thing: whatever happened back then, you were not at fault for your father's sins."
A tear escaped down Aria's cheek before she could stop it. Damien caught it with his thumb, wiping it away. Her voice came out cracked. "But I still lied to you. I should have told you who I really was."
"You were trying to survive," he said fiercely. "Trying to protect your child. I don't fault you for that. What I can't accept is you thinking so little of yourself, or of me, that you believe I'd walk away when things get hard." His hand cupped her cheek now, thumb brushing her skin in a tender caress that made her eyes flutter shut. "I meant what I said: I'm not going anywhere, Aria. Not now, not over this. But I need you to meet me halfway."
Her eyes opened, confusion knitting her brow. "Meet you halfway?"
"Trust me," Damien said, voice almost a plea. "Let me in. Stop shutting me out whenever you're scared." There was pain in his eyes now – pain she realized she had put there with her secrecy. "Do you know how it felt, seeing that man from your past corner you and not knowing what he wanted? Watching you jump every time your phone buzzed, but you refused to tell me why? I've been going out of my mind worrying about what you were facing alone."
Aria's chest constricted. "Damien… I never wanted to worry you. I just – I thought I could handle it. I thought if I told you, it would make it too real, or you'd take action and things would spiral even more out of control." Her voice broke as she admitted the next part. "And I was afraid… afraid you'd look at me differently. Like I was tainted or – or a burden."
"Damn it, Aria," he swore under his breath, suddenly pulling her into his arms. The warmth of his body enveloped her, and she stiffened in surprise. But his hold was gentle, giving her the chance to pull away. She didn't. "How could you ever think that?" he murmured into her hair. She felt his heartbeat thundering against her ear through his shirt. "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."
Aria's resolve crumbled. The fight was seeping out of her, leaving behind raw vulnerability. She pressed her forehead to his chest, hands clutching the front of his jacket as tears slipped free. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, Damien."
His arms tightened around her, one hand cradling the back of her head. "Shh," he soothed, his lips against her hair. "I didn't mean to yell. I'm sorry too." His voice was a rough whisper, full of remorse and something that sounded like relief. "I hate that you felt you had to face any of it alone… but you're not alone anymore."
They stood locked together in the quiet foyer, the anger of moments ago melting into an intense hush. Aria could hear the strong, steady rhythm of his heart beneath her ear and the soft sigh he let out as she relaxed in his hold. In that silent truce, something was mending between them – a fragile new understanding forming in the space of their embrace.
Eventually, Aria drew back slightly, looking up at him through damp lashes. "Damien… the man you saw me with, the one who started all this… his name is Victor Hayes." The name tasted bitter on her tongue. "He knew my family from before. He's the one who's been blackmailing me."
A dangerous light flared in Damien's grey eyes at the mention of Victor's name. "Blackmailing you?" he repeated, anger simmering beneath each word.
Aria nodded, ashamed. "He threatened to expose my identity if I didn't… use my connection to you to benefit him. He wanted me to help him land some business deal through your company. I didn't know what to do. I was terrified he'd follow through, and I thought I could stall him or reason with him on my own. That's why I met with him in secret."
"Son of a—" Damien bit off the curse, visibly reining in his temper for her sake. His hands slid down to hold her arms, keeping her steady. "Aria, you should have told me. I could have handled him from the start."
She lowered her eyes. "Maybe. But you have so much to worry about already. I didn't want to add to it. And I was scared if I told you about the blackmail, you'd demand to know why he had leverage… then I'd have to reveal everything about my past. I wasn't ready." She forced herself to meet his gaze, her own brimming with remorse. "I underestimated you. I'm sorry."
Damien exhaled slowly, some of the hardness in his expression easing into something like regret. "I understand why you were afraid," he said quietly. "But please, Aria, no more keeping me in the dark. We face this together, alright? I don't care what comes out about your past – you're my wife." His voice caressed that last word. "And I protect what's mine."
A tremor coursed through Aria that had nothing to do with fear. His. Did he really see her that way? The possessive warmth in his voice strangely soothed her; she realized she wanted to be his – not as part of a contract, but as something real and cherished.
"I promise," she whispered. "No more secrets." She managed a shaky smile. "Well, no more big secrets. You might still not know where I hide the good snacks from Noah."
To her relief, Damien huffed a soft laugh. "Deal. And for the record, I do know. You're not as sneaky as you think."
A surprised giggle bubbled out of her, and just like that, the taut atmosphere lightened a fraction. They stood there, still enfolded in each other's arms, a few remnants of tears on Aria's lashes but also a hint of smiles on both their faces.
From the living room doorway, Noah's sudden voice broke the spell: "Mommy, Daddy! Are you home?" Their little boy bounded into view, clutching Mr. Bear, with Mrs. Halverson trailing behind with an apologetic smile.
Damien and Aria gently separated, though Damien kept one steadying hand at the small of her back. "We're here, sweetheart," Aria called, wiping the dampness from her cheeks quickly. She hoped her son wouldn't notice her red eyes.
Noah zoomed toward them. "You're back!" he cheered. But his happy grin faltered as he looked up at them closely. "Were you crying, Mommy?"
Aria opened her mouth, but before she could answer, Damien crouched down to Noah's level, drawing the boy's attention. "Mommy's okay, champ," he said warmly. "We both just had something in our eyes, that's all." He offered a conspiratorial wink.
Noah looked skeptical for a moment. He reached a small hand toward Aria's face, and she leaned down to let him brush his fingers over her cheek. "Your eyes are all red," he observed solemnly.
Aria's breath hitched. "They feel better now," she assured him softly. "Especially since I have you here. You always make me smile."
That earned a grin from Noah. He looped his free arm around Aria's neck, effectively pulling both his parents into a clumsy group hug. "I love you, Mommy," he declared.
Emotion swelled thick in her chest. Aria kissed Noah's temple, holding him and, by extension, Damien – who still cradled their son – in the circle of her arms. "I love you too, my sweet boy," she whispered.
Noah then turned and planted a kiss on Damien's cheek. "I love you, Daddy," he said with the unabashed affection only a child could have.
Aria felt Damien's quiet chuckle reverberate against her. He pressed his lips to the crown of Noah's dark curls. "We love you more than anything, little man," Damien said softly.
Noah giggled, delighting in the attention. "Group hug!" he cheered, squeezing both of them tighter. Mr. Bear got squished between them, but no one seemed to mind.
They stayed like that, a tangle of arms and unconditional love, for a few precious seconds. Aria closed her eyes, committing the warmth of this moment to memory. The fears that had threatened to break them apart earlier had instead brought them closer. She felt lighter than she had in ages.
Over Noah's shoulder, she met Damien's gaze. In it she saw promise and determination – and something deeper that made her pulse quicken. He had bared a piece of his heart to her tonight, and she to him. There would be more trials to come, but in that moment, they were united.
Aria offered Damien a small, genuine smile, hoping he saw the gratitude and budding trust behind it. His answering smile told her he did.
Whatever storms awaited them, at least now she knew one thing for certain: she wasn't facing them alone.
The fissures between them had cracked wide open – but instead of falling apart, they were letting the light in. And that light would guide them through whatever darkness yet to come.