The silence between them stretched, heavy and unrelenting.
Damien's gaze was fixed on her, unwavering. There was no judgment in his eyes yet, but there was a wariness — as if he were bracing for something that might change the way he saw her forever.
Aria's breath hitched. The words she'd spoken moments ago — the bare outline of her past, the family name she'd tried so hard to bury — still seemed to hang in the air, echoing around the study like an accusation. Her hands trembled slightly, but she clasped them together tightly in her lap, forcing herself to stay still.
Damien's voice, when it came, was quieter than she expected. "You're telling me that you are Aria Lancaster. The daughter of Gregory Lancaster."
It wasn't a question.
"Yes." The admission felt both like a release and a noose tightening around her neck. "That was my name… before."
His expression didn't shift immediately, but she saw the flicker of recognition. "The Lancasters," he repeated slowly, as if tasting the word. "The same family whose scandal dominated the business pages five years ago."
Her throat went dry. "Yes."
"Your father was accused of embezzlement. Your mother disappeared from public view. And you—" he stopped abruptly, his jaw tightening. "You vanished."
Aria nodded, swallowing hard. "I had to."
For a long moment, Damien said nothing, his sharp mind clearly connecting dots she had spent years scattering to keep apart. She could almost hear the faint tick of the grandfather clock in the hall marking each second that passed.
Finally, he leaned back slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. "Why didn't you tell me?"
The question wasn't harsh, but it was weighted.
Aria dropped her gaze to her lap. "Because I knew what it would mean. That name… it's poison, Damien. Anyone associated with the Lancasters is tainted. My father's choices destroyed more than our fortune. They ruined our credibility. They—" She stopped herself before her voice cracked. "I couldn't let that shadow fall on Noah. Or on you."
Damien's brow furrowed at that, but his voice was steady. "You think I'd care more about the gossip columns than the truth?"
"It's not just gossip." Her voice sharpened, a tremor running through it. "It's half-truths, speculation, and outright lies. My father wasn't the only one to make mistakes, but he took the fall for all of them. People love a scandal. And when the scandal involves wealth, betrayal, and a family name people recognize—it never dies."
His gaze softened almost imperceptibly, but his tone remained measured. "So you chose to run."
"Yes." She forced herself to meet his eyes. "I left, changed my name, cut ties with everyone and everything. I worked jobs that barely covered rent. I didn't tell anyone who I was, because the second they knew, it would be all they saw. I thought I'd buried that life for good."
Damien was silent again, watching her. She could feel his scrutiny, the way his mind was turning over every word, every pause. She hated that he could see her so clearly now — hated and feared it in equal measure.
Finally, he asked, "And Victor Hayes? Where does he fit in?"
Aria's stomach clenched at the name. "He knew me back then. Not well, but enough to recognize me now. And enough to know there's a price for my silence."
Damien's eyes hardened instantly. "Blackmail."
She nodded once. "He's been pushing for a meeting with you. For a… partnership. He wants me to be the one to make it happen."
Damien's expression darkened, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "And you thought it was better to deal with him alone rather than tell me."
Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I thought I could handle it. I didn't want you to think—"
"To think what?" Damien's tone sharpened, cutting into her thought.
"That I was using you," she finished, her voice breaking slightly. "That this marriage was just another way to claw back into the world I left behind."
Damien exhaled slowly, his gaze steady. "Aria… I married you for Noah's sake, yes. But I've never once thought you were here for anything other than him. And I'd like to believe that by now, you'd know you could come to me with something like this."
Her lips parted, but she found no words. She wanted to tell him that she had wanted to — that there had been a hundred moments when she'd almost told him everything. But fear had always been stronger.
Damien's voice softened. "I don't care about your father's crimes, or what the press thinks they know about you. What I care about is you hiding something that puts you — and Noah — at risk."
The knot in her chest loosened slightly, but the guilt was still there, heavy and unyielding. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I never meant to put you in that position."
He studied her for a moment, then rose from his chair. Crossing the short distance between them, he crouched in front of her, his height folding easily. "Then we deal with this together. No more secrets. Agreed?"
Her heart thudded against her ribs. "Agreed."
Something flickered in his eyes — something she couldn't quite name — and then he stood, his expression settling back into controlled determination. "First, we deal with Hayes. Then, we deal with whoever thought it was a good idea to leak your name to the press."
Aria froze. "What?"
Damien's jaw tightened. "It hasn't broken yet. But it will. I have contacts who monitor the media — a story is being shopped around. Your name, your past. The question is whether we control it, or let them run it."
A wave of cold swept over her. "Damien—"
"We'll control it," he said firmly, leaving no room for debate. "If we get ahead of it, we set the tone. We decide what they know and what they think they know."
Her pulse quickened. "And if we don't?"
His eyes locked on hers, unyielding. "Then they decide for us. And they'll do it in the worst way possible."
For a long moment, she could only stare at him. The thought of her past being dragged out into the open again was almost enough to make her sick. But the way Damien spoke — the certainty, the protection in his voice — kept her grounded.
He stepped closer, his voice lower now. "I'm not asking you to trust the media. I'm asking you to trust me."
Her breath caught. "I do."
He studied her for another moment, then nodded once, decisive. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow, I'll have my PR team draft a statement. You'll review it with me. And Hayes…" His eyes went cold. "Hayes will learn what happens when he threatens someone under my protection."
Aria didn't doubt for a moment that he meant it.
There was a knock at the door, and before either of them could answer, Noah's small voice piped up. "Mommy? Daddy?"
Damien's expression softened instantly. "Come in, buddy."
The door opened and Noah padded in, clutching his ever-present stuffed dinosaur. "Can we have pancakes tomorrow? With extra syrup?"
Damien glanced at Aria, and for the first time that night, her lips curved into a small smile. "We'll see," she said gently.
Noah beamed and trotted over to hug her before turning to Damien. "You'll eat with us, right?"
"Of course," Damien said without hesitation.
As Noah chattered about the cartoon he'd been watching, Damien caught Aria's gaze over their son's head. There was something in his eyes — a silent promise that whatever storm was coming, they'd face it together.
And for the first time in years, Aria allowed herself to believe it.