Chapter 5

ARIANA’S POV

The silence in the house felt heavier than ever before. I stood by the phone long after the line went dead, my hand still gripping the receiver, my mind replaying every cold word he’d spoken. A mistake. A moment of weakness. Nothing has changed. But his voice — it wasn’t the voice of a man who’d changed his mind. It was the voice of a man who was terrified. Terrified for me.

I paced the living room, my thoughts racing. He’d told me to lock the doors. Not to let anyone in. Then he’d called and pushed me away, all while sounding like he was holding his breath, like someone was listening. He’s not doing this because he wants to. He’s doing this to protect me.

That realization hit me harder than any heartbreak ever could. And with it came a fierce, unshakable resolve. If he was fighting something alone — something dangerous — I wouldn’t let him. Not anymore.

I grabbed my phone and dialed his number. Straight to voicemail. I tried again. Same result.

“Damon,” I said into the recording, my voice steady despite the tears threatening to fall. “I know you’re lying. I know something’s wrong. Whatever it is — whatever you’re facing — I’m not walking away. Not after last night. Not ever. Tell me where you are. Please. Let me help you.”

I hung up and stared at the screen. Then I remembered — the night before, when he’d come home hurt, he’d mentioned business rivals. People who wanted what he had. People who wouldn’t hesitate to use me against him. That’s it. They threatened him. Threatened me. And he pushed me away to keep me safe.

I grabbed my coat and my keys. I wasn’t staying here, waiting like a damsel in distress. I was going to find him.

The drive to his office felt endless. The city lights blurred past me, streaks of gold and red against the darkening sky. Every turn, every red light, felt like it was keeping me from him. When I finally pulled up to the towering Sterling Corporation building, the lobby was nearly empty — only the night security guard sat at the front desk, looking surprised to see me.

“Mrs. Sterling?” he asked, standing up quickly. “Is everything all right? Mr. Sterling said no one was to be admitted.”

“I know,” I said, my voice firm. “But I need to see him. It’s an emergency. Please.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Top floor. His private office. But be careful, ma’am. He’s… he’s not himself tonight.”

I took the elevator up, my heart pounding in time with the rising numbers. Top floor. That’s where he is. That’s where I’ll find the truth.

The doors opened into a quiet, luxurious hallway. His office door was slightly ajar, and from inside, I heard voices — low, angry, and unmistakably dangerous.

“…if you don’t end it now, Sterling, we’ll make her regret ever signing that paper. You know we can. We have people everywhere.”

It wasn’t Damon who spoke. It was a stranger — cold, threatening, and completely calm.

Then Damon’s voice — sharp, furious, and filled with a fear I’d never heard from him before. “Don’t you dare touch her. If anything happens to her, I’ll destroy you. Every single one of you. You know I can do it.”

“Maybe,” the other man replied, sounding amused. “But will you risk her life just to satisfy your pride? End the marriage. Send her away. Break her heart so she leaves on her own — and we’ll leave her alone. That’s the deal. Take it, or watch her suffer.”

I stood frozen in the hallway, my hand over my mouth to muffle the sound of my breathing. Send her away. Break her heart. That’s why he called. That’s why he said those things. He was trying to save me — by losing me.

Damon was silent for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice was broken — quiet, defeated, and heartbreakingly raw. “Fine. I’ll do it. But if you hurt her — if you so much as look at her — I will hunt you down. And I won’t stop until every last one of you is gone.”

“Smart choice,” the other man said. “You have until the end of the week. Don’t disappoint us.”

Footsteps approached the door. I stepped back, pressing myself against the wall, and watched as a tall, well-dressed man walked out — cold eyes, cruel smile, looking entirely too pleased with himself. He didn’t see me. He walked straight to the elevator and disappeared.

For a long moment, I stood there, trembling. Then I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Damon stood with his back to me, his head bowed, his hands clenched into fists on his desk. He looked like a man who had just lost everything.

“Damon,” I said softly.

He spun around, his eyes widening in shock — then in panic. “Ariana? What are you doing here? I told you to stay home!”

“I heard everything,” I said, walking toward him slowly. “Every word.”

His face paled. He took a step back, shaking his head. “You don’t understand —”

“I understand perfectly,” I interrupted, stopping only when I was right in front of him. “They threatened me. So you decided to push me away. To break my heart so I’d leave and be safe. You took all the pain on yourself… just to protect me.”

He looked away, his jaw tight with suppressed emotion. “It was the only way. If you hate me, you’ll go. And if you go… you’ll be safe. That’s all that matters.”

I reached up and cupped his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. “You thought I’d leave? Just because you told me to? After everything we’ve been through? After last night — after you told me I was the only thing that mattered?”

“Ariana, please —”

“No,” I said firmly, my voice steady and sure. “We don’t run. We don’t hide. Not anymore. You said you wanted me. You said this was real. And it is. So we face this together. Whatever they want — whatever they’re threatening — we face it as husband and wife. As partners.”

He stared at me, hope and fear warring in his eyes. “You don’t know what you’re asking for. They’re dangerous. They won’t stop.”

“Then let them try,” I said, and I meant every word. “Because I’m not the fragile thing they think I am. And I’m not leaving you. Not for them. Not for anyone.”

Damon let out a shaky breath, and then — finally — he pulled me into his arms, holding me so tightly it hurt, as if he were afraid I’d vanish if he let go. “How are you this strong?” he whispered into my hair. “How did I get so lucky?”

“Because we’re equal, Damon,” I said against his chest. “You protect me. I stand by you. That’s how this works. That’s how love works.”

He pulled back to look at me, his eyes shining — bright, fierce, and overflowing with emotion. “Love? You love me?”

“I do,” I said simply. “And I’m not afraid to say it. Not anymore.”

He kissed me then — deep, desperate, and full of promise. It wasn’t a goodbye. It was a vow. A promise that whatever came next, we would face it side by side.

“Then we fight,” he said when we pulled apart, his voice strong and sure, the old fire returning to his eyes. “Together. And we win. Because nothing and no one is going to take you away from me.”

 TO BE CONTINUED