Chapter 5

Aria’s POV 

“Maybe I should thank him.”

Ethan's words never left my head.

Maybe that was why, three days later, I stood in front of the mirror and barely recognized the woman looking back at me.

She did not look like the woman who signed divorce papers

She looked composed. Sharp. Untouchable.

That was exactly what I needed tonight.

Because tonight was not about heartbreak. Tonight was about power.

If I was going to walk into a room full of men who thought they owned the world, I was going to look like I could buy the ground they stood on.

Then my phone buzzed on the vanity. 

“The summit begins in forty minutes, Miss Vale. Everyone important is already arriving.”

I locked the screen.

“I know,” I whispered, tonight was the annual dignitaries business summit, a place where billionaires shook hands and stabbed each other with smiles.

A place for deals, influence and power.

A place Damien Blackwood would never expect to see me. Not as his ex-wife. Not as the woman he dismissed. Not as the wife he thought he had all figured out.

Tonight I went there as myself. Or almost. Not fully yet.

I picked up my bag and walked out.

When I arrived, the building was glowing with money and ego. Men in expensive suits. Women wearing diamonds and ambition. Waiters moving quietly between guests, glasses in hand. Low voices. Fake laughter.

I stepped out of the car and gave my invitation to the hostess. She looked at the name. Her expression changed immediately. She stood up straight.

“Welcome, Miss Vale.”

I gave her a small nod and walked in.

The room opened before me in a wash of light and conversation and for one second, I felt every eye turned.

Let them look, my heels tapped against the polished floor as I moved deeper into the room and I kept my shoulders straight.

Then I felt it, that stare, heavy, sharp and familiar, my body reacted before my mind did.

I turned and there he was… Damien.

Standing across the room in a black suit, one hand in his pocket, looking at me like I just walked into his private nightmare beside him stood Lila.

Of course she was there too and her hand was looped around his arm.

My chest tightened for one stupid second, but I crushed it quickly. Damien's eyes dragged over me slowly.

Not with desire. With disbelief. Like he couldn't understand what I was doing here. Like in his mind, I didn't belong in a room like this.

That thought almost made me smile.

Then he started walking toward me. Lila followed close behind. He stopped in front of me, close enough that I caught the expensive scent that once lived on my sheets.

His jaw tightened.

"What are you doing here?"

He was straight to it, no greeting, no manners, just suspicion and then I lifted my chin.

“Good evening to you too.”

His eyes darkened.

“This is not a social club, Aria.”

Before I could answer, Lila gave me one of those polished smile that made me wanted to slap her.

Her gaze moved over me from head to toe, it was sweet, cruel and calculated.

Then she said, “Some women really don’t know when they’re no longer wanted.”

The words landed hard but I did not flinch but inside, my nails bit into my palm and I smiled back at her.

“Some women are too eager to stand where they were never invited.”

Her smile flickered but Damien stepped in before she could reply and what he said next cut deeper than hers.

“This is not a place to chase relevance, Aria.”

For one second, I just looked at him because wow.

Even now, he still did not know who he was talking to. He still thought I was here because of him. That I could not move on. That I was chasing him.

The irony almost made me laugh. Almost.

I held his gaze. "You really think everything is about you, don't you?" I said quietly.

His eyes narrowed.

Lila let out a small laugh. "If it isn't about Damien, then what are you doing here?"

I opened my mouth. Then stopped.

Because something was shifting around us.

At first it was just one person. An older man near the champagne table. He looked at me and his eyes widened slightly.

Then a man from the far side of the hall started walking toward us. Mid-fifties. Power in every step. One of the most respected investors in the room.

A man Damien would never ignore, my pulse changed, because I knew him and he definitely knew me.

He got closer, and people nearby began to go quiet, and I could almost feel Damien’s confusion rising beside me.

The man smiled the moment he reached me, warm and respectful and then he said, loudly enough for the people around us to hear,

“Miss Vale, everyone has been waiting for your…”

My stomach twisted, hard, so hard that my breath caught and then I froze.

What is that?

My hand moved to my middle before I could think. Then the nausea hit, fast and hard, and my vision blurred.

For one second I thought I was going to faint. Right there in the middle of the room.

But then I covered my mouth quickly. The investor stopped talking.

“Miss Vale?”

I then shook my head.

“I’m fine,” I lied, though I am very much not fine.

Another wave hit me and it was worse this time.

No, I could not let this happen here, not in front of Damien and not in front of all these people.

I then forced a tight smile that probably looked terrible and stepped back.

“Excuse me,” I managed to say and then I turned and walked as fast as I could without actually running. By the time I reached the hallway, I was running straight to the restroom.

I then pushed through the door and rushed to the sink.

My bag nearly slipped from my hand as I gripped the edge hard.

My breathing became uneven. I stared at my reflection.

Pale face. Wide eyes. Shaking fingers.

My stomach turned again. I pressed a hand over my mouth and squeezed my eyes shut.

Then one thought entered my head. Terrifying. Quiet. Certain.

My period was late.

My whole body went still.

No. No. Another thought followed and it was worse, more dangerous and more terrifying.

“Please don’t let me be pregnant.”