Contractual Marriage With My Arrogant Boss 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 31 - 챕터 40

That night, Damian sat in the back of his car, a glass of whiskey in his hand. His head leaned against the cool leather, his eyes hollow.Clara sat beside him, her hand resting delicately on her stomach. She looked the part of a glowing mother-to-be. But inside, Damian’s soul was empty. He hadn’t touched Clara. He didn’t believe her. Yet everywhere he turned, his mother’s voice and the weight of duty pressed down on him.He downed the whiskey in one swallow, his throat burning. His mind, however, saw only Emery. Her laughter. Her touch. The way she’d looked at him with fire and tenderness.His chest ached. He pressed a fist against it, but nothing eased the hollow gnawing inside.Clara leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling at the cameras outside. Damian didn’t move. His eyes were cold, staring out the window, silently screaming a name he could never say aloud.Emery.---Back in her room, Emery lay curled on her bed, her hand resting gently against her stomach. Her tears had dried

FIVE YEARS passed by within the blink of an eyeMorning sunlight spilled into the small but cozy apartment, golden beams stretching across the cream-colored curtains. The faint sound of birdsong seeped through the window, mingling with the soft laughter of a child. Emery stirred awake at the sound, her body heavy from the previous day’s work but her lips curving into a small smile as she turned her head toward the source.“Adrian…” she whispered, voice groggy with sleep.Her four-year-old son was already awake, sitting in the middle of the bed in his tiny pajamas, curls sticking out in every direction. His little hands clutched a toy car as he pushed It across the blanket, making exaggerated “vroom” sounds. When he noticed his mother’s eyes on him, his face broke into the widest grin.“Mommy!” he squealed, bouncing toward her with arms outstretched.Emery laughed and caught him, pulling him close against her chest. His warm little body fit perfectly against her, and for a moment, she

The night was far too quiet. Damian lay in his king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling, but sleep refused to come. Clara was next to him, curled on her side, her hair spilling over the pillow in an image of perfection but he felt nothing. Not warmth. Not comfort. Not peace. Only that gnawing emptiness that had been eating him alive ever since that afternoon when he saw him. That boy. Those eyes. That face that mirrored his own childhood photographs so painfully it made Damian’s chest tighten like a vice. He turned restlessly, throwing the sheets aside. Clara stirred slightly, blinking half-awake. “Damian?” her voice was thick with drowsiness. “It’s past midnight. Come back to bed.” “I have work,” he muttered, his tone clipped, cold. “You always have work,” she whispered, reaching for his hand. But Damian pulled away before her fingers could brush his skin. Clara froze, hurt flashing across her face. She tried to say something more, but when she met his stone-hard gaze,

The file sat unopened on Damian’s desk, but its weight was unbearable. It wasn’t the paper, the ink, or the glossy photographs that burdened him. It was the truth inside — a truth he had denied, ignored, lost, and now rediscovered.Adrian. His son.He hadn’t slept in days. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he saw was a small boy’s smile, a boy who carried his face. His heir. His blood.Tonight, the city outside glittered under moonlight, but Damian sat in darkness, his whiskey untouched. He had spent years building walls around his emotions, but now every stone had been torn down by the image of one child.A knock at the door broke through his thoughts.“Enter,” his voice came out sharp.Marcus stepped in. “They left the house an hour ago. Emery, Ethan, and Adrian. She took him to school in the morning, picked him up in the afternoon, and they stopped by a bookstore. They just returned home.”Damian’s hands gripped the arms of his chair. “And?”Marcus hesitated for the first time. “Sir

A soft knock at her door startled her. Patricia stepped in quietly, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Ethan was behind her, holding a sleepy Adrian. “Emery…” her mother’s voice was soft, tentative. “You’re pale. What happened?” Emery swallowed, forcing her lips into something that looked like a smile but wasn’t. “Nothing. Work was just… long.” Patricia didn’t buy it. She sat down next to her daughter, fingers curling around hers. “You saw him today, didn’t you?” The mask shattered. Emery’s eyes filled with tears, her throat tightening painfully. She looked away, blinking rapidly, but it was too late. “I had to,” she choked out. “Gabriel invited me to dinner. I didn’t know Damian would be there. And when he saw me—” Her voice cracked. “—I had to pretend, Mama. I had to pretend I didn’t know him.” Patricia’s hand squeezed hers gently. “You did what you had to, baby. For Adrian. For yourself.” Emery shook her head violently, strands of hair clinging to her damp