All Chapters of RUTHLESS HEARTS COLLIDE : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Arielle didn’t sleep, She couldn’t. Her poverty photos spread across the internet like wildfire, retweeted, reposted, edited, mocked. Memes. Commentaries. Vicious captions like knives. “Damian married a charity case.” “She grew up in the slums. Class doesn’t lie.” “Gold digger. Social climber. Opportunist.” Every time she refreshed, there were more. By dawn, she sat curled on the couch in the dim living room, a blanket around her trembling shoulders, the blue morning light painting her face with ghosts. Her phone buzzed nonstop until she shut it off. She felt stripped bare. Exposed. A spotlight thrown on her ugliest years. She thought the worst part was the humiliation. But the real worst part was knowing Emma might see it. That the little girl she was fighting to save would now see her big sister dragged across the world like entertainment. Arielle buried her face in her hands. She didn’t hear Damian approaching until his shadow fell over her. He looked different. St

waking up tightly wrapped around Damian wasn't what she imagined, the guy is too cold for that.For a moment, she forgot where she was. All she felt was warmth, strong, solid, steady warmth, wrapped around her like a shield she didn’t deserve. Then the thunderless silence reminded her, the storm had passed. The nightmare had happened. And she had made a mistake. She had comforted Damian Blackwood.she's fully awake now , and there he was, asleep beside her in the dim light. The man who terrified CEOs, ruined business empires, and spoke to her like she was disposable… lay and hug her tightly like something fragile he was afraid to lose. His arm was over her waist. His breath, warm against her neck. His hand, God, his hand, gently resting on her stomach, as if even in sleep he was subconsciously holding her close. Her heart lurched. They were married on paper. Practically strangers. And yet he looked… peaceful. Vulnerable. Human in a way she had never seen before. Arielle careful

Arielle woke up with the feeling of something heavy sitting on her chest, not fear, not confusion, but the weight of what happened yesterday she keeps replaying Damian voice in her head, “Don’t leave.” His hands gripping her arms like a drowning man clinging to air. His body curling toward her as though she were the only safe thing he had. Arielle had barely slept after that. She spent the remaining hours convincing herself, over and over, that it meant nothing. That it was a moment of weakness he’d already forgotten. That the ice in him would return by today. It had to. She couldn’t afford softness. Not when Emma’s life depended on her keeping her head straight. Not when this entire marriage was a contract, not a romance. So she slipped out of bed early, careful trying not to wake him, and dressed quickly, No makeup, No fuss, She just needed to breathe. But when she stepped out of the bedroom, she stopped short. Damian was already awake. Sitting on the edge of the living

The doctor’s words kept echoing in Arielle’s skull long after he left the room. Fifty-fifty. Hope for the best… prepare for the worst. It felt like someone had reached into her chest and squeezed, not enough to kill, but enough to make breathing an act of sheer willpower. Emma slept peacefully, unaware of the storm waiting for her in the morning. The soft rise and fall of her little chest should have soothed Arielle. It didn’t. It only made her tremble harder. She wrapped her arms around herself, staring at the child she had raised, protected, fought for. The child she could lose. A hand touched her back. She startled, glancing up, and found Damian standing behind her, His eyes were darker than she had ever seen, He looks devastated. “Arielle,” he said softly. Almost gently. She swallowed. “I can’t… I can’t lose her. She’s my whole world. I...” Her voice cracked, and she turned away so he wouldn’t see. But Damian wasn’t the kind of man to let her hide from him. He stepp

Arielle didn’t stop walking until she reached the far end of the hallway, where the windows overlooked the quiet parking lot. The sunlight was too bright for how heavy her heart felt. She pressed her palms against the cold glass, exhaling shakily.How could he think that?How could Damian, of all people, accuse her of something so cruel, so ridiculous, today?Her chest tightened, fury and hurt swirling together until she couldn’t tell the difference.Behind her, footsteps approached… then stopped halfway, hesitant.Damian.She didn’t turn.He didn’t speak at first, That alone was strange. Damian was a man who filled silence because silence gave power to others.But now?Now he stood behind her, hands in his pockets, jaw clenched, breathing uneven.“I shouldn’t have said that,” he muttered finally.Arielle laughed once, bitterly. “You think?”He flinched, just barely, but she saw it in the reflection on the glass.“I was wrong,” he added, voice quieter.She turned slowly, He looked… di