All Chapters of Married Again: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The next morning, Aria stirred to the sound of her phone vibrating against the nightstand.A string of missed calls.Three from her mother.One from Daniel.Her stomach knotted.Daniel.The name alone opened a door she thought she’d locked months ago.She slipped out of bed quietly, careful not to wake Sebastian. He was stretched out on his side, the sheet low on his waist, his face peaceful in the morning light. Powerful. Untouchable.And yet... hers.Padding into the hallway, Aria answered her mother’s latest call.“Mum?”“Aria, why haven’t you called? Daniel came to the house yesterday looking for you.”Her breath hitched. “Why?”“You know why. He still thinks this marriage is a show. He says you’re being used.”Aria exhaled slowly. “It’s not his business anymore.”“He’s worried. He said—”“I don’t care what he said,” Aria snapped. “He lost the right to worry when he left me for someone who couldn’t threaten his ego.”A pause.“You really love this Wolfe man?”Aria glanced toward t

The morning after the gala, Aria awoke alone.The sheets beside her were cold.The city skyline peeked through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but the light felt dull—muted. Something in the air was off.She wrapped Sebastian’s robe around her and padded into the living room.He was there.Standing still. Silent.In front of the fireplace.A small picture frame sat in his hand.She moved closer and saw it: a photo of him and a woman with golden hair, laughing in the garden behind Wolfe Manor.His first wife.Aria’s stomach twisted.He didn’t look up. “I don’t keep this out often.”“Why now?” she asked softly.“Because she would’ve loved you,” he said without hesitation. “That terrifies me more than anything.”Aria stepped closer, the weight of his words settling deep.“Terrifies you how?”He exhaled. “Because she was the last person who had the power to undo me. And now… here you are. Undoing me all over again.”Aria reached for the frame, gently turning it down on the mantle. “You don’

The next morning, Aria woke before the sun.She didn’t wake because of Sebastian’s touch or the soft hum of the city.She woke because of intuition.Something had shifted.Quietly, she slipped out of bed, pulled on one of Sebastian’s shirts, and padded into the kitchen. The penthouse was eerily still—except for the low murmur of voices coming from the study.She stopped short.The door wasn’t shut all the way.“…she’s already in too deep,” Julia’s voice said.“She doesn’t need to know everything,” Sebastian replied.Aria’s breath caught.“Veronica’s reaching out to old allies,” Julia continued. “She’s trying to paint Aria as a manipulative gold digger who seduced you while the grief was still fresh.”“She’s grasping,” Sebastian muttered. “No one’s going to listen.”“She has access to the estate trust, Sebastian. She knows about the Italy property. If she connects it to the Veritas fund—”“She won’t,” he snapped. “She doesn’t have the reach anymore.”A pause.“Then why haven’t you told

The morning sun was soft over the villa, casting shadows that danced across the stone floors.Aria sat at the breakfast table in a silk robe, a croissant untouched on her plate. Sebastian stood at the espresso machine, the steady hiss and grind filling the silence.But between them, something colder stirred.She watched him pour coffee into her cup, his movements practiced, calm.Calculated.Just like the man himself.Just like the call she’d heard last night.“Sleep well?” he asked.“Like a baby,” she lied.He kissed her forehead, his lips warm but somehow… distant.She smiled back, perfectly poised.Because now, she was keeping secrets.---Later that day, while Sebastian took a call on the terrace, Aria wandered through the villa’s small private library.It was old—dusty but well-loved. Shelves lined with leather-bound books, some marked with Wolfe family crests.She ran her fingers along the spines, thinking.Contingency clause.Secondary account.What the hell was he protecting?

Rome was chaos in motion—horns blaring, heels clicking, voices rising under the sun-soaked sky.Aria stepped out of the black car, clutching the small silver key in her hand.Suite 413.She hadn’t told him she was coming.She wanted him unguarded.Wanted to look him in the eyes and see whether the man waiting on the other side of the door was still clinging to control… or finally ready to let go.The hotel was luxury draped in marble and gold, the kind of place designed for people who never had to ask for anything.She took the elevator in silence, her reflection sharp in the mirror: black jumpsuit hugging her curves, her hair swept back, red lips like a warning sign.She wasn’t walking into this room as the girl who once trembled under Sebastian Wolfe’s gaze.She was walking in as the woman who knew her worth.And demanded to be met there.The key slid into the lock with a soft click.When the door opened, she found him seated near the balcony, back turned, sleeves rolled up, drink i