THE PRICE OF A BILLIONAIRE’S LOVE のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

The next morning came slowly. Aria barely slept, her head resting beside Damon’s arm while her hand remained locked in his. Sunlight slipped through the blinds, casting soft stripes across his pale skin. He hadn’t woken yet, but his breathing was steady, peaceful. Aria sat up, stretching her stiff neck. She studied his face—the faint scruff on his jaw, the dark lashes resting against his cheek, the faint crease between his brows even in sleep. He looked so strong. So powerful. Yet so breakable in this moment. A man the world feared. A man the world whispered about. A man lying helpless in a hospital bed, trusting her with his vulnerability. Her heart squeezed painfully. She brushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead. “I’m right here,” she whispered. As if he heard her, Damon’s fingers twitched. Aria smiled through tired eyes. Before she could speak, the door opened and Ethan walked in, holding a paper cup of coffee and wearing the exhaustion of someone who hadn’t sle

Aria didn’t move for a long moment. Her forehead rested against Damon’s, their breaths mingling softly. His heartbeat pulsed weakly beneath her palm, steady but fragile. Damon closed his eyes, taking in her warmth like it was the only thing tethering him to the present. Aria slowly pulled back just enough to look at him. “Damon… thank you for trusting me with that,” she whispered. He blinked up at her, his voice low but firm. “You’re the only one I can trust.” Her heart faltered. “You have Ethan.” Damon shook his head faintly. “Ethan is loyal. You…” His fingers brushed the side of her wrist. “You’re something else.” Aria’s breath hitched. The sincerity in his eyes stole her words completely. Before she could say anything, the door opened and a doctor walked in, clipboard in hand. “Good morning, Mr. Reed,” he said, scanning the monitors. “Your vitals are stabilizing nicely.” Damon didn’t look away from Aria, but he answered, “Define ‘nicely.’” The doctor chuckled lightly.

The room felt colder after Ethan’s warning. Aria could feel Damon’s heart racing beneath her palm, each beat a reminder of everything he was trying to protect… and everything he feared losing. She sat quietly beside him, her fingers intertwined with his. Damon stared at the ceiling for a long moment, jaw clenched so hard the muscles trembled. Finally, he spoke. “I should’ve killed him,” he said quietly, voice low and terrifyingly calm. Aria stiffened. “Damon—” “I should’ve ended it the moment he threatened you.” His eyes were dead serious, no hesitation. “Then he wouldn’t be out there right now, hunting you like a damn obsession.” Aria exhaled slowly. “You didn’t kill him because you’re not a monster, Damon.” He scoffed. “If hurting him meant keeping you safe, I’d do it without blinking.” Aria swallowed, her heart squeezing painfully. “I know.” His eyes snapped to hers. “Then why aren’t you afraid of me?” “Because I know your heart,” she whispered. “And I know how hard you

Adrian’s voice slithered through the darkness like a serpent. Aria froze, the hair on her arms rising. Damon tightened his grip on her hand, and even weak as he was, the protective fury radiating off him was unmistakable. Ethan raised his gun, eyes fixed on the black hallway beyond the cracked-open door. “Adrian,” he called out, voice cold, steady. “Step into the light.” A soft chuckle answered him. “I’m already here.” Aria swore her heart stopped. She instinctively moved closer to Damon’s bed. The shadows shifted. A figure finally stepped into the faint strip of light from the imaging room—tall, lean, head tilted slightly like he was listening to voices no one else heard. Adrian. His eyes landed directly on Aria, and something twisted in his sick, delighted expression. “There you are,” he whispered. “My pretty little inspiration.” Damon snarled. “Look at me, you coward.” Adrian did. Slowly. A smile stretched across his face—too wide, too calm. “Oh, Damon… you look awful

For a long moment, Damon and Aria just held each other—breathing the same air, sharing the same trembling quiet that followed their confessions. Love. The word hung between them like a fragile miracle. Then the hospital lights flickered back to life, bright and loud against the intimacy of the moment. Security voices echoed from the hallway, and Ethan returned, this time with two armed agents behind him. “We need to move,” Ethan said gently, his tone softer than usual when he saw their linked fingers. “Now.” Aria wiped the last tear from her cheek and nodded. Damon didn’t let go of her hand even as they lifted him back into the rolling hospital bed. Every time the orderlies touched him, he winced, but he said nothing—his eyes stayed locked on Aria as if she was the only thing keeping him grounded. As they wheeled him through the hall, Adrian’s unconscious body lay sprawled on the floor. The sight sent a cold tremor through Aria. Damon noticed immediately. “Don’t look at him,”