Lila Chen stared at the glowing screen of Damien's phone, the photo of the woman with silver-streaked dark hair standing outside the Blackwood building filling her vision until the rest of the world blurred.
Her fingers tightened around the phone until the edges dug into her palm. She didn't blink. She didn't breathe for what felt like forever.
Damien stood right in front of her in the middle of the penthouse living room, his white shirt still open from earlier, chest rising and falling fast. "Lila," he said, reaching for her, hand closing gently around her wrist. "Baby, look at me. Put the phone down and look at me."
She yanked her wrist free, eyes still locked on the photo, and took one step back, then another, until her back hit the cool glass of the window. "Who is she?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper as she turned the phone toward him. "Tell me right now, Damien. Who is this woman standing outside our building and why does the message say she's my real family?"
Damien dragged a hand through his dark hair, fingers gripping the strands for a second before he let go. He closed the distance between them again, palms sliding up her arms until he cupped her face. "She's your mother, Lila. Your biological mother. Elena Voss. I've known for years."
Lila's breath left her in a rush. She pressed her palm flat against his chest, right over his heart, feeling it hammer under her fingers. "You've known? You've known this whole time and you never said a word to me?"
He leaned in, forehead pressing to hers, thumbs stroking her cheeks. "I knew before I hired you. I knew before we ever met in person. I knew before I fell in love with you through that damn app. But I married you anyway, Lila. I married you because I wanted you, not because of her."
She pushed against his chest, not hard enough to move him, just enough to feel the solid wall of him. "You married me knowing I had a whole other life I didn't know about? You stood in front of me and said 'I do' while you were carrying that secret?"
Damien's hands slid down to her waist, pulling her flush against him. "Yes. Because the second I saw your face in real life I didn't care about any of it. I only cared that you were the woman who made me laugh at three in the morning with one message. The woman who made me want to lock every door in the world so no one else could ever have you."
Lila's fingers curled into his open shirt, bunching the fabric tight. "Then say it again. Say you married me knowing everything and you still chose me. Say it while you're touching me so I can feel it."
He walked her backward until her back met the window again, cool glass pressing through her thin robe. "I married you knowing everything," he said, voice rough as he untied the belt of her robe and let it fall open. "I married you because you're the only woman I've ever wanted to call my wife." His hands slid inside the robe, palms warm against her bare skin. "I married you because I'm selfish, Lila. Because I wanted you for myself."
She gasped, head tipping back against the glass as his mouth found her throat. "Keep talking," she whispered, hands shoving his shirt off his shoulders. "Don't stop. I need to hear my husband tell me why he kept this from me."
Damien groaned against her neck, sucking lightly as he lifted her, legs wrapping around his waist. "I kept it from you because I was terrified you'd walk away," he admitted, carrying her toward the bedroom. "I was terrified the second you knew the truth you'd look at me differently. But I couldn't let you go. I couldn't."
He laid her down on the bed, robe falling completely open, and settled between her thighs, mouth crashing down on hers. "Tell me you still want me," he panted between kisses. "Tell me my wife still wants her husband even after finding out I kept something this big."
Lila tugged his pants down, fingers wrapping around him, guiding him right where she needed him. "I want you," she breathed, legs locking around his hips as he pushed inside her in one deep thrust. "I want my husband. I want the man who married me anyway. I want you right now, Damien."
He thrust deep and slow, hands pinning hers above her head. "Like this?" he asked, hips rolling, eyes locked on hers. "Like a man who's been in love with you for years and was too scared to lose you?"
"Yes," she moaned, back arching off the bed. "Harder. I need to feel every inch of my husband. I need to feel why you chose me over the truth."
Damien released her hands, gripping her thighs instead, pulling her closer with every thrust. "Because you're the only thing that's ever felt real to me," he groaned, pace quickening. "Because the second you walked into my office on your first day I already knew I was going to marry you. I didn't care about your mother. I didn't care about the plan she had. I only cared about you."
Lila cried out, nails dragging down his back. "Say her name. Say you knew about Elena Voss and you still put that ring on my finger."
"I knew about Elena Voss," he panted, leaning down to kiss her deep and messy. "I knew she wanted to use you against my family. And I still married you. I still made you my wife because I love you more than I hate any of them."
She came with his name on her lips, body tightening around him, fingers clutching his shoulders. Damien followed right after, burying himself deep, groaning against her mouth as he spilled inside her.
They stayed locked together, breathing hard, his weight warm and solid over her.
He brushed damp hair from her face, kissing her forehead, her closed eyelids, the tip of her nose. "I love you, Lila Chen-Blackwood. I love my wife more than anything in this world."
Lila wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for another slow kiss. "I love you too. My husband. The man who chose me anyway."
They lay tangled for a long time, whispering soft words, trading gentle kisses, hands stroking each other's skin until their breathing finally slowed.
Damien rolled to the side, pulling her against his chest, fingers tracing lazy circles down her spine. "We'll figure this out together," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. "You and me. Like we always do."
Lila nestled closer, leg sliding over his. "Together," she whispered, kissing the center of his chest. "My husband and me."
The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the city outside the windows.
Then Lila's phone rang on the nightstand, the sound cutting through the silence like a blade.
She reached for it, screen lighting up her face.
The caller ID read: Victor Blackwood.
She answered, pressing the phone to her ear.
Victor's voice came through, low and soft, almost gentle. "
I think it's time we had a private talk about your mother, Lila."