All Chapters of One Night One Chance : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Julie's POVThe sound of my alarm woke me up, and I groaned, rolling over to shut it off. Today was the day of the interview I had been waiting for. My heart pounded with a mix of excitement and anxiety as I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling.Taking a deep breath, I forced myself out of bed and stretched. "You got this, Julie," I whispered to myself.I walked to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face to shake off the lingering sleepiness. As I stared at my reflection, I noticed the nervous energy in my eyes. I picked up my toothbrush and began brushing my teeth."Okay, no overthinking," I muttered. "Just get dressed, look confident, and don’t mess this up."After a quick shower, I stood in front of my wardrobe, debating what to wear. Should I go for a formal black suit or something slightly more relaxed? I wanted to look professional but also feel comfortable. After a few minutes of indecision, I finally settled on a white blouse tucked into a navy-blue pencil skir

Damien’s POVHalf an hour later, I was in the car, heading to the airport. Cindy sat beside me in the back seat, arms crossed, her face locked in a deep frown. She hadn’t said much since we left the hospital, and honestly, I didn’t care. Her silence was a blessing.My mind was full.I needed to see Ariana.I needed to know if she was okay, if she was safe. I needed to know the truth , not secondhand lies.Up front, I caught Alex’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He looked worried. He gave me a quick, forced smile before turning his eyes back to the road.“Damien,” Cindy finally spoke, her voice soft but tense, “you don’t have to do this. You just woke up. You’re not even close to fully healed.”I didn’t answer. I stared out the window, jaw tight. The passing buildings blurred together.She shifted beside me. “Grandpa brought you here to recover. He’s going to be furious. You were in a coma for a month. You need to rest.”Still, I said nothing. Her voice became background noise.“I though

Ariana’s POV “Stop staring like you've seen a ghost and answer my question?” His voice cold and sharp snapped me out of shock. There he was. Standing right in front of me in a deep blue shirt, the first two top buttons undone, black pants, like the picture I saw on the news. My eyes traveled over him, not believing what I was seeing. Damien. Alive. My eyes met his and everything else faded. My breath caught. My throat tightened. I didn’t think. I couldn’t. "Damien.." I whispered and closed the distance between us in two quick steps and threw my arms around him, like my body moved before my mind caught up. I held him tight, burying my face in his chest. My fingers gripped the back of his shirt. It was real. He was real. He didn’t move. He didn’t hold me back. He stood still, cold as stone. His silence echoed louder than any words, and the only thing I could hear was his heartbeat. Slowly, he peeled me off him and looked down at me. “What’s wrong?” I asked, confu

Julie's POV As soon as I pulled my car into the company garage and turned off the engine, my brain went straight to yesterday. The way Charles looked at me when he found out Ariana was my best friend... yeah, I caught that look. I’m not that clueless and stupid. His eyes basically screamed, “So this is the best friend you were talking about? The one that was in a contract marriage ?” His eyes looked like they held so many questions. I groaned and dropped my head back against the seat. “Uhhhhhhhhh, I’m such an idiot. Why did I have to drink so much that night?” I mumbled, my voice cracking a little as I gave myself a sad little cry. I exhaled. “Okay... okay... relax, Julie. It’s fine. Just breathe. You got this job yesterday. Don’t ruin it today, don’t lose it yet,” I said under my breath, trying to pull myself together. “Nghhh... haaaannn.” I took in a deep breath and let it out like I was doing a guided meditation or something. “Alright. It’s simple. If he says anything, just

Ariana’s POV I entered my room and locked the door behind me, my chest pounding so hard I thought it might crack open. I didn’t make it to bed. I just slid down onto the floor, right behind the door, and let the silence close in around me. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks one after another, and I didn’t bother wiping them away. How did it get to this? Why did I fall for Damien in the first place? Why didn’t I just stick to the “no real feelings” rule of the contract? I curled my arms around my legs and dropped my forehead to my knees. My wrist still ached, and I noticed it was getting more swollen now, but I didn’t even care. The real pain was somewhere deeper. Buried in a place I didn’t know how to reach. My heart. How could a man who had risked his own life to save me hurt me like this? He hated me now and he made that very clear. He wasn't hiding it. I knew he was always cold and arrogant, but not like this. I wouldn’t even call it coldness anymore. This was wickedness. Pu