AriaThe first thing I feel is the cold. Not the kind that comes from the air conditioning or the windows cracked open, but the kind that settles beside you when someone who was there hours ago suddenly isn’t.Damon’s side of the bed is empty. Cold. Undisturbed for hours now, judging by the way the sheets are smoothed back into place.I roll over and stare at the ceiling for a while. The room is quiet, save for the hum of the fridge in the mini kitchen and the distant traffic outside the penthouse windows.Great. Another morning, another mystery. He's disappeared again.I eventually crawl out of bed, stretch, and pad barefoot toward the bathroom. On my way, I spot a note on the kitchen island:“Meeting. Back in two hours. Don’t wander off. — D.”I blink."Don’t wander off? What am I, his damn cat?" I mutter to myself. And what the hell is 'D'?I pick up the note, shake my head, and toss it back on the island. But something catches my eye again—a second note, taped to the fridge:"We
DamonThe moment Kingsley says, "Holy shit" my jaw tightens.I don't answer.Not right away.Because what the hell am I supposed to say?Yeah, Kay. Tall, friendly, charming enough to get Aria to keep in touch. And she was out there, right by the car lot, holding his coffee or whatever that was, laughing like her world hadn't been hell these past few months. Like, she isn't living under the same roof as me. Like whatever we shared—whatever that night was—didn’t matter. At all.But, then again, I wrote it off. Called it nothing. A mistake even, if I remember correctly.I rub a hand down my face, lean back against the cold steel of the treadmill, and stare at the ceiling like it might give me an answer. It doesn't."Damon," Kingsley prods.I exhale. "His name’s Daniel. He’s a corporate lawyer. Divorced. Got two girls. She met him on one of her shopping runs, and they kept in touch. Clearly."He whistles low. "Wait… she told you that?"I nod, even though he can’t see me. "Told me like she
DamonThe door shuts behind me with a quiet click, but the silence it leaves behind is anything but peaceful. It presses against my shoulders as I walk to the elevator, every step a little heavier than the last. I hit the button.She's everywhere.A.She was curled up beside me just hours ago. Her head tucked beneath my chin. Her body folded into mine like it belonged there. Then this morning, she moved like it never happened.Of course she did.Because she’s not mine. Because this marriage isn’t real.Because I wanted a reset. But I’m not resetting. I’m unravelling.Every time she walks past me in those damn sweatpants. Every time she stares me down like she’s waiting for me to flinch. Every time her voice softens when she talks to someone else. And especially when she goes quiet.It’s getting harder to pretend I’m indifferent.But when I saw her with that man in the car lot...No. Not going there.The elevator dings, and the doors slide open. I walk out, nod at the attendant, and ma
AriaThe door shuts behind us like a full stop at the end of a sentence neither of us finished.I set my coffee cup on the counter with a soft clink and slide my phone onto the couch cushion. Damon doesn’t say a word after opening the door. Doesn’t even look at me. Just walks a few steps ahead, jaw locked, back straight, like he’s holding something in that’ll burst if he loosens his grip on it even a little.So I do the only thing I know how to do in awkward silences lately—I pretend like I don’t notice.I kick off my sneakers, stretch my toes against the cold floor, and gather my items littered by the closet. I pack them to the couch, kneel, and start arranging slowly. Deliberately. Waiting for something. A glance. A breath. A reaction. Anything.Still nothing.My chest tightens, but I ignore it. I’m not going to beg for conversation. Not today. Not after the good morning I just had.He disappears towards the bedroom. I hear the closet door slide open, the faint sound of a zipper, t
DamonI don’t stick around to watch whatever the hell that is. My feet start moving before my mind catches up. Back through the lot. Back toward the hotel. Back inside this building that feels like a fucking simulation at this point. My head is spinning.Two little girls. Him. A.What the hell was that?They're not hers, obviously. But the ease. The way she crouched, smiled, and smoothed the hoodie over one of their tiny shoulders like she'd done it a thousand times.And then the man.He walks up, and it's like watching a scene I have no business interrupting. The rhythm. The ease. Like they were a family.Like she belongs there.My chest tightens, and I tell myself to shut it down. You're not her husband. Not really. You can't claim what isn't yours. Especially when you're the one who built a damn fortress between you both.We’ve got a year left, if it’s even still up to that. Maybe less. Then she’s out. Free.So why the hell does it feel like something's slipping away?The elevator
Aria The first thing I notice when I wake up is how warm the bed still feels.The second? Damon’s still asleep.He’s facing the other way, one arm folded under the pillow, the other draped over his chest. The blanket’s slipped down his torso, exposing just enough skin to send a flood of images racing through my already too-busy mind.I close my eyes for a second and exhale. Right. Last night.It comes back slowly — the way I rolled into him like the boundaries no longer existed, the way I literally pulled his hand over my waist like he owed me comfort. What the hell was that? Was I high? Drunk?Then it hits me.Dinner with Daniel. The wine.That damn bottle of wine I picked — rich, smooth, with a punch strong enough to mess with my better judgment.Still, that doesn’t explain why some pathetic part of me needed to feel his arms around me last night. Especially after everything; Gina showing up like some scene from a soap opera, his usual ice-cold responses, and the silence that alway
DamonThe staring contest lingers longer than it should.My gaze locks with hers, and for a second, neither of us flinches. It’s stupid—childish even—but neither of us gives. And that says more about us than any argument we’ve ever had. We’re both too damn proud to blink first. Too wrapped up in whatever this cold war is between us to just end it.But eventually, I give in.With a grunt, I tear my eyes away, jaw tight, and push myself up from the edge of the bed. I head straight to the kitchen without another word. Maybe if I move, breathe, distract myself, this feeling—whatever the hell it is—will pass.I rinse the glass I brought over, toss her empty meds packaging in the bin, and stand there with my hands braced on the counter, willing my thoughts to just stop spinning. Then I head to the bathroom, stripping off my shirt and jeans on the way, and let the cold water hit my face harder than necessary. Fresh clothes. No more talking. Just silence and sleep.Back in the bedroom, the li
DamonIt’s past seven.The soft tick of the clock is all I hear, that and the faint hum of the city leaking through the glass walls. I check my phone again, screen lighting up like it's got a better answer than the last five times.Still nothing.I set the phone back down.If I wanted a reset so bad, now’s the time to take it. Silence. Distance. Detachment. Isn’t that what I asked for? But my mind is doing the exact opposite. Picturing her. Wondering if she’s warm enough. Wondering where she went, who she’s with, why the hell it’s taking her this long to get back.She was sick just yesterday.So where is she?I reach for my phone again, thumb hovering over the keyboard, debating whether or not to shoot off a text. Then I hear the knock. Better.I stand immediately, cross the room in three long strides, and yank the door open.She’s standing there, arms full of shopping bags, looking exactly like someone who forgot time existed.She doesn’t say anything. Just bends to pick up her bags.
AriaThe moment Damon walks toward the balcony, I shift on the stool by the kitchen island and just sit there, watching his retreating figure disappear behind the glass. He slides the door shut behind him and vanishes into the skyline, just like he always does when things get a little too real.There’s a whole woman outside, dressed like she walked out of a damn catalog, and he has nothing to say to me. I didn't ask what that was. I didn’t ask who she was. A part of me already knows. Or at least, knows enough to not want to dig further.I sit back down on the stool by the kitchen island and let my body lean forward. Elbows on the counter, cheek resting against the cold marble. I don’t have the strength to overthink this right now. I’m still a little weak, still running a slight fever, and stress is the last thing I need to add to the mix.I check my phone. One minute passes. Then two. Then three. I feel the pressure build up inside me, but I fight it off. I won’t spiral. Not today. No