All Chapters of Surrendered Desires: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Ariana’s POVThe day after the court delay, I didn’t get out of bed. Not out of sadness, but because I needed the silence. The kind that stretches through your bones and dares you to listen. To remember. To stop surviving long enough to feel. Luca had stepped out to run errands. He kissed me on the temple before leaving, said nothing about the court, the journal, or Daniel’s stunt. He just said:“Rest. You’ve earned it.”So I did. But my body didn’t rest. It remembered. I don’t know exactly when I began to disappear in that marriage. It wasn’t dramatic.There was no shouting, no breaking of plates, no affairs or slammed doors. Just… a gradual dimming. Like someone slowly turning the volume down on a song I used to love.********Flashback: Six Years AgoWe’d just moved into the apartment Daniel picked. The one with white furniture and cold marble floors. It looked like a catalog page, not a home.“You’ll love it once you get used to it,” he said, smiling.I laughed. “It’s a little ste

Ariana’s POVI almost canceled, twice. The therapy appointment sat on my calendar like a dare. A line in my schedule I kept hovering over, as if ignoring it long enough would erase it, but Evelyn insisted. And deep down… I knew she was right. The courtroom would require facts. But my body still carried memories no document could hold. And they were beginning to leak out — in flashbacks, in silences, in the way I still flinched when someone said Daniel’s name with too much nostalgia. So I went.********The office was small. Warm. Nothing clinical. No white walls or framed degrees shouting from behind glass. Just soft-toned furniture and the quiet smell of lavender and old wood. The therapist’s name was Dr. Selene Monroe.She looked like a woman who didn’t ask things twice — and didn’t need to. We sat across from each other. She didn’t smile in that artificial, “tell me your story” kind of way. She just watched me, and waited. I broke first.*******“I’ve never done this before,” I sai

Ariana’s POVThe microphone sat on the desk like a mirror, sleek. Quiet. Watching, the red light blinked softly — waiting, and me? I sat there with my heart in my throat.Not because I didn’t have the words, but because I knew what they could cost.******Luca stood in the hallway, half-shadowed. He didn’t say anything. Just leaned against the doorframe with a mug of tea in hand and a calm I both envied and needed.“I’m here if you want me in the room,” he said.I looked at him. Then at the mic.“Not this time.”He nodded once and walked away. The silence that followed was loud, but I welcomed it. I opened my notebook and read the first few lines again.// “This isn’t a confession, this isn’t revenge, this is reclamation.”I closed my eyes, pressed record and began.Still Her — Episode 1“My name is Ariana. You know parts of me. The ones in magazine interviews. The ones in press releases. The ones in scandal headlines, but you don’t know the girl who used to sit on her bathroom floor

Ariana’s POVThe second file came at 6:04 a.m. no greeting. No context, just a subject line:“I told you there were others.”I sat up in bed and opened it before I could talk myself out of it. Luca was still asleep beside me, one arm curled loosely around my waist, the room was dim. Still, but what I read… set everything on fire.*******FILE: Complicity Report — Unofficial// Name: Jordan ReeceRole: Luxe Group PR DirectorStatus: Active2018 — Met with Daniel and board members to privately manage Ariana’s miscarriage coverage. Suggested it be handled “quietly, respectfully, and without Ariana’s emotional involvement.” Internal quote: “We’ll frame this as a medical loss and pivot into her return to work. No public mention of pregnancy unless she brings it up — which she won’t.”“She responds well to being useful. Keep her busy.”// Name: Dr. Miranda KlineRole: Ob/Gyn (Private)Status: RetiredCoordinated Ariana’s D&C procedure. Records show that Daniel signed the consent form before

Ariana’s POVThe USB drive felt heavier than it should have. As if it carried not just files… but pieces of the woman I used to be. I sat in the corner of the living room, headphones on, Luca beside me in silence. Then I pressed play. And the truth spoke for itself.// [AUDIO FILE — TRANSCRIPT EXCERPT]Daniel:She’s spiraling. I can see it in her eyes. The miscarriage was… unfortunate, but it might give us time to reset her public image.Jordan Reece:We’ll frame it as personal leave. Soft language. Nothing too emotional. If she wants to speak, we pivot toward gratitude and resilience. Those are palatable.Daniel:Exactly. She’s too unpredictable when she starts writing those journals. You’ve seen what she fantasizes about. That’s not the image we need right now.Jordan:Understood. I’ll pull quotes that sound dignified. Maybe something about strength. Quiet pain. Makes her look elegant.Daniel: Just keep her busy. Keep her tired. She functions better when she thinks she’s being helpf