로그인The bathroom was silent except for the soft hum of the fluorescent light, and Aria sat on the edge of the tub, staring at the small plastic stick trembling in her hands. Two pink lines. Clear. Unmistakable. She had taken three tests just to be certain, and all three had given her the same answer.She was pregnant.Her hand drifted to her stomach, still flat and unchanged, yet something inside her had already shifted. There was a new life growing within her, a future she had never dared to imagine. Six months had passed since her wedding to Damien, six months of peace, laughter, quiet mornings, and learning what it meant to be happy without constantly waiting for something terrible to happen.She thought about the night she had fallen down those stairs, the blood, the pain, and the fear that had consumed her. She had believed she might have been carrying a child then, only to discover that the test was negative. She had mourned the possibility of a child that never existed, carrying a
The plane climbed through the clouds, leaving Washington behind as Aria pressed her forehead against the window. She watched the city shrink beneath her, the buildings growing smaller until they vanished beneath an endless stretch of white clouds. For the first time in years, she wasn't running from anything , she was simply leaving the past behind.Damien reached across the armrest and took her hand. "Nervous?""Happy nervous." She turned to smile at him. "I think that's going to be my default state from now on."He laughed softly. "I can live with that."She squeezed his hand. "Are you sure you don't regret marrying me?"Damien turned toward her, his expression instantly serious. "Not for a second."Warmth spread through her chest. For so long, she'd been afraid happiness was temporary, that if she relaxed for even a moment, something terrible would happen. But Damien was beside her, and this time, she wanted to believe in the future.---Their honeymoon villa sat on a quiet stretch
The morning of their wedding arrived beneath a sky washed in pale gray, a soft drizzle tapping against the penthouse windows. Aria stood barefoot beside the glass, watching the city blur into silver and light. She looked down at the diamond on her finger, the stone catching a faint ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds. The word "fiancée" still felt strange, beautiful, almost impossible.Behind her, the mattress shifted, and familiar arms slipped around her waist. Damien rested his chin against her shoulder. "You're awake early." She smiled at their reflections in the glass. "So are you.""I woke up and my fiancée wasn't beside me." She turned in his arms, laughing. "You couldn't survive five minutes without me?" "Apparently not." His fingers closed gently around hers. "The ring isn't going anywhere."Her eyes met his. "Neither are you?" His expression softened. "Never." For several seconds, they simply looked at each other. This quiet moment felt more precious than any grand ce
Aria woke the next morning with sunlight warming her face and Damien's arm still draped securely across her waist. For a few quiet seconds, she remained perfectly still, listening to his steady breathing. The events of the previous days felt strangely distant beneath the peaceful morning light. Victor. The danger. The losses. The fear. Everything seemed suspended for one fragile moment.Her gaze drifted toward the ring on her finger. She lifted her hand, watching the diamond catch the sunlight. A soft smile slowly reached her eyes. Fiancée. The word still felt unreal.She turned carefully in Damien's arms and pressed a gentle kiss against his jaw. "Good morning." Damien stirred, his eyes fluttering open. The moment he saw her, a slow, warm smile appeared on his face. "Good morning, fiancée."Aria laughed softly. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that word." "Then I'll keep using it until you do." He pulled her closer, and she rested her head against his chest. For several minutes,
Aria found Damien on the balcony one quiet evening, staring out at the city lights as the sky slowly faded from deep purple into black. She wrapped her arms around herself against the cool breeze and studied him for a moment before stepping closer, asking what he was thinking about.Damien turned toward her, his expression softening immediately as he answered, "You. Us. Everything we've been through." Aria smiled faintly and moved beside him, resting her arms on the railing as they watched Washington glitter beneath the darkening sky, and she noticed that he still looked tense despite the peace surrounding them."You're waiting for something to go wrong," Aria said, and he admitted that he kept expecting the next disaster, a feeling she understood more than she wanted to admit. She reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers, telling him that maybe they needed to learn how to become the new us, people who weren't always waiting for the next disaster."We survived Victor, the tr
The weeks after the trial passed in a strange, quiet rhythm. Aria woke each morning to sunlight streaming through the penthouse windows, the city sprawling below like a living, breathing thing. The fear that had once clenched her chest every morning had slowly faded, replaced by something softer, something that finally felt like peace. She had spent so many years afraid, running, and hiding, and now, for the first time, she could simply exist.Damien was always there when she opened her eyes, his arm resting around her waist, his breathing slow and steady. Sometimes she watched him sleep, tracing the lines of his face and memorizing the peaceful expression she rarely saw during their darkest days. She had almost lost him so many times that his presence still felt precious, and every morning she silently reminded herself that he was alive, safe, and beside her. She no longer wanted to take a single ordinary moment for granted.They spent their days rebuilding, not the company, but them
Victor Harrington found her in the lobby.Not by accident. Aria knew that immediately. He was standing by the security desk, dressed in a charcoal suit that cost more than her degree, holding two cups of coffee like an old friend waiting for a delayed train.He smiled when he saw her.Not Damien's
Aria lasted four hours before she realized something was wrong.Not with the job. The job was straightforward—emails, scheduling, a filing system so organized it felt almost obsessive. Lydia had trained her efficiently, answered every question, and disappeared exactly when Aria stopped needing her.
The car stopped in front of a building Aria didn't recognize.Not a home. Not yet. The sign above the entrance read Blackwood Enterprises in letters that caught the morning light like they were carved from something precious. She had never seen this place before. She had never heard this name befor
The silk beneath her fingers was the first warning.Aria's eyes snapped open before her mind caught up. Gold ceiling. Crystal chandelier. Sheets that cost more than her monthly rent. Nothing in this room belonged to her. Nothing in this room belonged to anyone she knew.She sat up fast. The sheet p







