Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Harper

I barely slept.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the photograph again.

My mother.

Richard Blackwood.

And the woman who looked exactly like me.

Nothing about it made sense.

By morning, my head hurt from thinking.

I walked into the kitchen and found Damian already there.

Fresh suit.

Coffee in hand.

Serious expression.

The usual.

He looked up when I entered.

“You didn’t sleep.”

I crossed my arms.

“You didn’t either.”

“Fair.”

For a moment we simply looked at each other.

The strange thing was how normal this felt now.

Like sharing mornings had become routine.

Like we had been married for years instead of weeks. 

The thought was dangerous. Very dangerous.

Damian poured coffee into another cup.

I accepted it automatically.

His mouth twitched.

“What?”

“You didn’t even ask.”

“Ask what?”

“If I wanted coffee.”

I shrugged.

“You always make me one.”

The words slipped out before I realized it.

Something changed in his expression.

Not much.

Just enough to make my heart beat faster.

“Yeah,” he said quietly.

“I do.”

The room suddenly felt smaller.

Before either of us could say anything else, small footsteps appeared.

Lily ran into the kitchen.

“Good morning!”

Her energy should have been illegal.

Especially this early.

Damian smiled immediately.

“Morning.”

Lily looked between us.

Then grinned.

“You had breakfast together.”

“We literally just got here,” I said.

“Still counts.”

Damian laughed.

I groaned.

“She’s impossible.”

“She’s observant.”

Lily climbed onto a chair.

Then pointed at us.

“You like each other.”

I nearly dropped my coffee.

Damian looked far too amused.

“No one asked for your opinion.”

“I know.”

She smiled proudly.

“I’m giving it anyway.”

The little traitor looked exactly like her father when she smiled like that.

A few minutes later, breakfast arrived.

For the first time since the fake marriage started, the three of us ate together without tension.

Without pretending.

Without thinking about cameras.

It felt natural.

That scared me.

Because nothing about this situation should feel natural.

Especially not this.

Especially not us.

Halfway through breakfast, Lily suddenly looked at me.

“Are you coming to my school event next week?”

I blinked.

“What event?”

“My family day.”

The smile immediately disappeared from my face.

Family day.

Dangerous words.

Very dangerous words.

I looked at Damian.

He looked just as uncomfortable.

Lily frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly.

She didn’t look convinced.

“Then you’ll come?”

I hesitated.

The problem wasn’t attending.

The problem was what it meant.

Every day I became more involved in their lives.

Every day leaving became harder.

Finally I nodded.

“Of course.”

Lily cheered.

Then she hugged me so suddenly that I nearly spilled my drink.

The simple gesture made my chest ache.

Across the table, Damian watched quietly.

Our eyes met.

Neither of us looked away.

The same thought seemed to pass between us.

This was getting complicated.

Much too complicated.

After breakfast, Lily left for school.

The moment the door closed, the mood shifted.

Reality returned. The photograph. The messages. The meeting.

Damian set his coffee down.

“We need to talk.”

“I know.”

He leaned against the counter.

“About today.”

I nodded.

The anonymous person wanted us both there.

Bring your wife.

The words still echoed in my head.

“What if it’s a trap?”

“It probably is.”

I sighed.

“That’s comforting.”

His lips twitched.

“You married me. You should be used to danger by now.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You have an answer for everything.”

“Usually.”

The conversation slowed.

Then something unexpected happened.

Damian stepped closer. Not enough to touch me. Just enough to make me aware of him.

Very aware.

“Harper.”

My pulse quickened.

“Yeah?”

“If anything happens today…”

I immediately interrupted him.

“Don’t.”

His jaw tightened.

“Let me finish.”

“No.”

“Harper.”

“No.”

The thought alone made me sick.

Something happened to him. Something happening to us.

I hated that reaction.

Because it revealed far too much.

Damian studied my face.

Then his expression softened.

“There you are.”

I frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“It definitely means something.”

A small smile appeared.

“Maybe my wife worries about me.”

Heat rushed into my cheeks.

“Your fake wife.”

The smile remained.

Neither of us believed that anymore.

And that was the problem.

The elevator suddenly opened.

Mason stepped inside.

“Ready?”

Damian nodded.

“As ready as we’re going to be.”

The drive across the city felt longer than usual.

Forty minutes later we arrived at an old hotel near the waterfront.

The place looked abandoned.

I didn’t like it.

Not even a little.

“This is creepy.”

Mason nodded.

“Agreed.”

Damian moved closer to me. Instinctively and protectively.

The gesture shouldn’t have affected me. It did. A lot.

We entered the building.

The lobby was empty and silent 

Dust covered everything.

“This better not be a prank,” Mason muttered.

Then a voice echoed through the room.

“You’re late.”

All of us turned.

A man stepped out of the shadows.

Tall. Mid-thirties.m, with sharp eyes, dressed in Expensive suit.

Recognition hit me instantly.

I had seen his face before.

In newspapers. Online articles. Television interviews.

My stomach dropped.

“Noah Hayes.”

The investigative journalist smiled.

“Hello, Harper.”

Damian immediately moved in front of me.

Protective. Possessive. Pure Damian.

Noah noticed. His smile widened.

“I see the marriage is becoming real.”

Damian’s expression turned deadly.

“Talk.”

Noah laughed.

“Straight to business.”

“You have thirty seconds.”

The journalist pulled a thick folder from his briefcase.

Then placed it on the table.

My heart started racing.

“What is that?”

Noah’s eyes found mine.

“The truth.”

Nobody moved. Slowly he opened the folder.

Photographs spilled across the table.

A birth certificate.

Noah tapped the document.

Then looked directly at me.

“Before we discuss your mother,” he said quietly.

“You need to know who your real father is.”

The world stopped. And Damian’s hand tightened around mine.