Chapter 4: Cracks Between Us

The following weeks passed quietly inside the Monteverde mansion. Too quietly. Ariana slowly adjusted to her new life, but every single day still felt unnatural.

Every morning, stylists chose her clothes. Etiquette teachers corrected the way she walked, talked, and even held utensils. At night, she attended dinners and business gatherings beside Damien while pretending to be the perfect wife. It was really exhausting. She constantly felt like she was acting inside a world where she did not belong. But despite everything… One thing slowly began changing.

Damien.

He was still cold ,still distant and still emotionally unavailable. But little by little, Ariana started seeing cracks beneath his icy exterior. Like the way he silently waited for her whenever she walked too slowly in heels. Or how he always made sure she ate before long events. Sometimes, he even defended her from his family’s insults without making it obvious. Small things, tiny things. But enough to confuse Ariana’s heart. And that terrified her. Because Damien already warned her from the beginning.

Don’t fall in love with me.

Unfortunately… She was beginning to fail.

One rainy evening, Ariana sat alone inside the mansion’s library while sketching dress designs on paper. Designing had always been her escape. Her dream. One of the few things that still made her feel like herself. She quietly focused on her drawing until a deep voice suddenly interrupted her.

“You made those?”

Ariana looked up in surprise. Damien stood near the doorway holding a glass of whiskey.

She immediately straightened awkwardly. “I-I was just passing time.”

Damien slowly approached her. Without permission, he picked up one of the sketches. His brows furrowed slightly.

“These are good.”

Ariana blinked. “You think so?”

“I wouldn’t say it if they weren’t.”

She stared at him quietly. It was strange hearing compliments from someone like Damien. He studied another design.

“You wanted to become a designer?”

Ariana smiled faintly. “I still do.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

Her smile slowly disappeared. “Life happened.”

Damien remained silent. Ariana carefully took back the sketchbook.

“My parents died when I was young. After that, everything became about surviving.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Rain continued pouring outside the mansion windows.

Then Damien suddenly asked. “Do you hate me?”

Ariana froze. “What?”

“You had dreams. Now you’re stuck in this arrangement because of me.”

His voice remained calm, but she noticed something unusual in his eyes. Guilt. Ariana looked down at her sketchbook.

“I don’t know.”

Damien stared at her quietly.

“I hated you at first,” she admitted honestly. “You treated my brother’s life like a business deal.”

His jaw tightened slightly.

“But Lucas is alive because of you too.”

Silence filled the library. Then Ariana softly talk again.

“I think you’re not as cruel as you pretend to be.”

Damien immediately looked away.

“You’re wrong.”

Before Ariana could respond, his phone suddenly rang. The moment he saw the caller ID, his expression darkened.

Selene.

Ariana noticed the change instantly. “You can answer it.”

Damien declined the call immediately. But seconds later, another message arrived. And another. And another. Ariana tried ignoring the uncomfortable feeling inside her chest.

“Does she usually bother you this much?”

Damien’s voice became colder. “She doesn’t know when to stop.”

Ariana hesitated briefly before speaking again.

“Why did she come back?”

Damien took a slow sip of whiskey. “Money.”

Ariana frowned. “What?”

“Selene only loves power.”

His eyes turned emotionless again.

“She realized too late that nobody else could give her the life I gave her.”

Ariana looked at him carefully. “And if she asks for another chance?”

Damien laughed coldly.

“There are things even money can’t repair.”

Something painful flashed briefly across his face before disappearing again. Then Damien suddenly looked at Ariana.

“Don’t stay up too late.”

And just like always— He walked away before the conversation became too personal. Ariana stared at his retreating figure quietly. Her chest felt strangely heavy afterward. The next morning, Ariana woke up feeling dizzy. She slowly sat up while holding her forehead.

“Why do I feel so weird…”

She forced herself out of bed before heading toward the bathroom. But the moment she smelled the food downstairs— Her stomach twisted violently. Ariana immediately covered her mouth before rushing toward the sink. A few minutes later, she stared at herself in the mirror breathing heavily. Maybe it was stress. Or exhaustion. She had been overwhelmed lately. Trying to ignore it, Ariana went downstairs anyway. Inside the dining room, Damien was already eating breakfast while reading documents. Vanessa sat across from him scrolling through her phone lazily. The moment Ariana entered, Vanessa smirked.

“Well, the charity case is awake.”

Ariana ignored her and quietly sat down. But as soon as the maid placed food in front of her. Nausea hit again. Strong and sudden. Ariana immediately stood up and rushed toward the nearest bathroom.

Vanessa blinked in surprise. “What was that?”

Damien frowned slightly while staring toward the hallway. Several minutes later, Ariana returned looking pale. Damien quietly observed her.

“You look sick.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

Vanessa suddenly gasped dramatically.

“Oh my God.”

Both Damien and Ariana looked at her. Vanessa smirked slowly.

“Don’t tell me she’s pregnant already.”

The entire room became silent. Ariana froze completely. Pregnant? The word echoed loudly inside her mind. No. Impossible. Right? Damien’s expression darkened instantly.

“Vanessa.”

“What?” she shrugged. “It happens.”

Ariana quickly shook her head.

“N-No. I’m probably just tired.”

But even she no longer sounded convincing. Because deep inside… Fear was slowly creeping in. Later that afternoon, Ariana secretly went to a pharmacy alone. She wore sunglasses and a cap to avoid attention. Her hands trembled while paying for the pregnancy test.

The cashier smiled politely. “First baby?”

Ariana nearly choked. “N-No!”

The cashier laughed lightly. Ariana quickly left the store feeling completely nervous. Back at the mansion, she locked herself inside the bathroom while staring at the small box in her hands. Her breathing became uneven.

Please no… Not now. Not like this.

With shaking fingers, she finally took the test. Then waited. Every second felt endless. Painful and terrifying. Ariana stared at the result while her entire world stopped moving.

Positive.

Her knees weakened instantly.

“No…”

Tears slowly filled her eyes.

Positive.

Ariana covered her mouth shakily. She was pregnant. Pregnant with Damien’s child. Her mind became chaotic instantly.

How?

Then suddenly— That night came back to her memory. Three weeks ago after a business celebration, Damien had returned drunk for the first time. He looked exhausted and broken. Ariana tried helping him to bed, but Damien suddenly grabbed her wrist and kissed her unexpectedly. At first, she pushed him away. But Damien kept whispering things that sounded painfully vulnerable.

“Don’t leave me again…You promised…”

Ariana knew he was mistaking her for someone else. Probably Selene. But somehow… That broken side of Damien shattered her defenses too. And that night— Everything between them changed.

The next morning, Damien barely remembered anything. He simply acted colder afterward. As if hd was regretting it happened at all. Ariana never brought it up again. But now… There was a baby.

Ariana slowly sat on the bathroom floor while tears fell silently. What was she supposed to do now? Would Damien think she trapped him intentionally? Would he hate her even more? Fear consumed her completely.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the bedroom door outside.

“Ariana?” It was Damien.

She immediately panicked. “A-A minute!”

“You’ve been inside there for almost an hour.”

Ariana quickly hid the pregnancy test inside the drawer. Then she washed her face repeatedly before finally opening the bathroom door.

Damien frowned the moment he saw her red eyes. “You were crying.”

“No.”

“Ariana.”

“I’m fine.”

But Damien clearly didn’t believe her. He studied her carefully. Pale face, shaking hands and swollen eyes.

“What happened?”

Ariana forced herself to stay calm. She shook her head. “Nothing.”

Damien stepped closer. “You’ve been acting strange all day.”

Her heart beat faster from panic.

“I said I’m fine.”

The sharpness in her voice surprised even herself. Damien’s expression hardened slightly. Silence filled the room. Then he spoke calmly again.

“If something’s wrong, tell me.”

For a brief moment, Ariana almost told him. Almost. But fear stopped her. Because Damien already made one thing clear from the start. This marriage had no room for emotions. No room for love. And definitely no room for a child. Ariana lowered her gaze.

“I’m just tired.”

Damien stared at her for several seconds longer before finally nodding once.

“Get some rest.”

Then he walked away toward his office area inside the room. Ariana quietly released the breath she was holding. But that night, she barely slept. Because while Damien worked only a few feet away from her… Ariana secretly placed one trembling hand over her stomach. And for the first time since discovering the truth— Fear mixed with something else. Something softer. Something warm. A tiny life was growing inside her. A child who had done nothing wrong. Tears slipped silently down her cheeks. Because no matter how complicated everything became Ariana already knew one thing. She would protect this baby. Even if she had to do it alone.