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NEW BEGINNINGS

Penulis: ABY
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-11-02 13:35:54

Ariana's Pov

Sunlight spills across the sheets, painting soft gold lines over Elio’s crib beside the bed. He’s still asleep, one tiny fist curled against his cheek. For a moment, I just watch him, the steady rhythm of his breathing, the tiny rise and fall of his chest and it feels like the world has finally exhaled with us.

The clock says 7:12 a.m. I can’t remember the last time I woke up without panic in my throat.

I roll over slowly. Damian’s there, on his side, arm flung over the pillow where I was lying a second ago. He’s still in yesterday’s T-shirt, hair a mess, jaw rough with stubble. He looks younger in sleep , less like the man who built empires and more like the boy I never got to meet before all the chaos began.

His hand twitches like he’s searching for me, and I smile.

I slide closer until our foreheads touch. He stirs, breath catching, then his eyes open — still hazy, soft, full of something that makes my heart twist.

“Morning,” I whisper.

He blinks, then smiles, that qu
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  • THE WRONG MAN'S BABY   EPILOGUE

    Ariana’s POVFive years later.The villa looks different now — warmer, fuller, lived in. Flowers climb the stone walls, laughter spills from the garden, and the faint scent of cinnamon and sea salt lingers in the air.It doesn’t feel like a fortress anymore. It feels like home.I’m sitting on the porch swing, a book half-forgotten in my lap, when the sound of running feet pulls me from my thoughts.“Mommy!”I barely have time to look up before Elio barrels toward me, curls bouncing, eyes bright. He’s five now — wild, fearless, and every bit his father’s son.“Slow down, baby!” I call, but he’s already leaping into my arms.He giggles as I catch him, breathless and full of sunshine. “Daddy said we can go to the beach!”I smile. “Did he now?”“Uh-huh!” He nods fiercely. “He said if you say yes.”Behind him, Damian appears — older maybe, but somehow softer. His hair is a little longer, his smile a little easier. He’s holding a picnic basket and shaking his head fondly.“You always sell m

  • THE WRONG MAN'S BABY   WEDDING BELLS

    Damien's Pov My wedding dress hangs near the window, white silk, simple but elegant, nothing like the extravagant one from our first wedding. That one had been a performance, a cage wrapped in luxury. This one feels like freedom.I sit up slowly, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. My reflection in the mirror looks softer than I remember. Not because I’m flawless, the faint scars on my wrist, the tired lines near my eyes but because I look alive.A knock on the door breaks my thoughts.“Come in,” I call.Hale steps inside, dressed neatly in a charcoal suit, holding a bouquet of pale roses. “You ready to make an honest man out of my boss?”I laugh quietly. “He’s already honest now. That’s what scares me.”Hale grins. “He’s been pacing since dawn. I think he’s more nervous than you.”“Good,” I say, smiling faintly. “It’s his turn.”He chuckles, handing me the bouquet. “You look beautiful, Ariana. Really. You deserve this.”The words hit somewhere deep. I swallow, blinking back the

  • THE WRONG MAN'S BABY   FAMILY APPROVAL

    Damian’s POVIt starts with a phone call I never expected.I’m in the study, sorting through contracts when Hale knocks once and steps inside, phone in hand. His expression tells me everything before he even speaks.“Your mother,” he says quietly.The pen slips from my fingers. “What?”He nods, offering me the phone. “She asked to speak to you. Said it’s important.”For a moment, I just stare at the screen, the name I haven’t seen in years glowing back at me like a ghost. Mother.My throat goes dry. The last time we spoke, her words were final.“You’ve disgraced this family, Damian. We can’t support your choices.”I’d told her she could keep her approval. I’d walked away and never looked back. Until now.Ariana steps into the doorway, hair tied up, a faint trace of flour on her cheek from baking with Elio. “What’s wrong?”I swallow. “My mother’s on the line.”Her eyes widen a little, then soften. “After all this time?”“Apparently.”Hale sets the phone down and leaves, closing the do

  • THE WRONG MAN'S BABY   HEALING TOGETHER

    Damien's Pov Ariana sits beside me. She looks… peaceful. Or maybe she’s just better at pretending. Her hand rests on her lap, fingers brushing against the edge of Elio’s pacifier she carries everywhere. I want to reach for her hand, but something in me hesitates.Dr. Langley, the therapist, clears her throat softly. “Thank you both for coming in today. First sessions are always the hardest.”I almost snort. Hardest? She hasn’t seen hard. Hard was watching Ariana get taken. Hard was holding her afterward, blood on both our hands, whispering promises I wasn’t sure I could keep.Ariana beats me to a response. “We’re… trying,” she says quietly. Dr. Langley nods. “That’s a good place to start.” She looks at me next. “Damien, what made you agree to come?”Her tone is gentle. Too gentle. It grates on my nerves.I shift in my seat, leaning forward, elbows on my knees. “Because she asked me to.”Ariana glances at me. Dr. Langley hums. “And what do you want to get out of being here?”I want

  • THE WRONG MAN'S BABY   THE SENTENCE

    Ariana's Pov Damian’s grip on my hand is firm, grounding. He hasn’t spoken in a while, but his thumb moves slowly against my skin. The judge clears his throat. “Will the defendant please rise.”Adrian stands. His cuffs rattle faintly, the only sound in the room.He looks different now, a bit subdued. The foreman stands, paper trembling slightly in her hand. “We, the jury, find the defendant, Adrian Cole, guilty on all counts.”The words hang in the air.Kidnapping.Endangerment.Assault.Conspiracy.Each one lands like a nail sealing the coffin of a man who once thought himself untouchable.I exhale shakily. Damian’s shoulders sag, the tension leaving his body in a slow wave. Hale, standing near the door, closes his eyes for a brief moment — silent relief.The judge speaks again, voice even. “Given the nature and gravity of these crimes, this court hereby sentences the defendant to thirty years without the possibility of parole.”There’s a murmur, reporters scribbling, the audience

  • THE WRONG MAN'S BABY   ADRIAN'S TRIAL

    Ariana's Pov Damian’s hand rests lightly on my back as we walk through the double doors, past the swarm of reporters and flashing cameras.“Just keep your eyes forward,” he murmurs.I nod, though my pulse thunders loud enough to drown him out.Inside, the courtroom feels colder than it should. Polished wood. White walls. Rows of strangers waiting to witness the end of something evil.And in the center of it all, him.Adrian sits at the defendant’s table, wrists cuffed, a faint smirk on his face. He’s wearing the same expression he wore when he cornered me with— calm, detached, superior. His eyes find mine.For a heartbeat, it’s like we’re back there, the room, the baby’s cry, the terror. My chest tightens, but Damian’s fingers slide into mine, grounding me.“Don’t give him power,” Damian whispers. “Not anymore.”I inhale slowly. Exhale. And when I look back, I meet Adrian’s gaze without flinching.He blinks, surprised. Then the smirk fades.The bailiff calls for silence. The judge e

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