All Chapters of The Night Before Christmas: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Aria’s POVAfter the lawyer’s call and reading Mark’s message, I sat in silence for a long while, the office noise fading into a distant hum. The glow of my computer screen blurred, words melting into each other as my thoughts circled the same conclusion again and again. I did not want to drag Hailey into this. No. She had already seen enough disappointment for a child her age. And I was not about to submit to Mark’s demands either. That version of me, the woman who bent herself into knots to keep the peace, no longer existed. I was no longer the naive wife he thought he could corner and control with emotional blackmail.“Mark, you asked for this,” I whispered under my breath, the words steady despite the tightness in my chest.I forced myself to focus on work, anchoring my mind to routine. Numbers, reports, timelines, things that obeyed logic when people did not. I executed my duties for the day with precision and sent my report to the HR manager, outlining my activities under the ch

Aria’s POVI went through all my bags again, emptying their contents onto the floor with shaking hands. Lipstick rolled away. Receipts fluttered like discarded evidence. Chargers, tissues, old notes, everything except what I was looking for. The report was gone. Each time my fingers closed around air, panic tightened its grip, coiling hard in my chest. I pressed the lock button on my phone again and again, the sharp clicking sound grounding me as my breathing grew shallow.Gone.The paternity report was gone.“Wow, what happened here?”The voice startled me so badly that I knocked over a pair of shoes. My heart slammed against my ribs as I lifted my head. Helina stood at the entrance of my walk-in closet, perfectly composed, her eyes sweeping over the chaos with mild disbelief.“Er…” I scrambled to my feet, brushing dust and lint from my palms. “I was just looking for my earring,” I said, managing a brittle smile, my gaze fixed firmly on the floor.“I see,” Helina replied slowly. “I t

Aria’s POVI returned to the ward and lowered myself into the chair beside Hailey’s bed, my body finally catching up with the exhaustion I had been outrunning all day. The machines hummed softly around us, their steady beeping the only proof that time was still moving.“Mummy,” Hailey’s thin voice called. “Are you mad at me?”The question landed harder than anything else had. I turned slowly towards her, and the look in her eyes undid me. She wasn’t just afraid of pain anymore. She was afraid of disappointing me. Guilt sat too heavily on a face that young.“No, sweetie,” I said, forcing steadiness into my voice as I reached for her hand. “Mummy can never be mad at you.”Her lips trembled as though she didn’t quite believe me. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, breathing in the faint scent of antiseptic and her familiar shampoo, grounding myself in it.“Mummy loves you,” I said softly. “And mummy will always want you safe. Always.” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “But tel

Aria’s POV“We can’t talk here,” I said quietly, though every muscle in my body was taut. My gaze flicked from Evans to Hailey, then back again. “And I want those two hawks of yours in shades out of this room.”The ward smelled of antiseptic and warm plastic, a sterile calm that now felt obscene. Hailey lay small and pale beneath the white sheets, lashes resting against her cheeks, chest rising in shallow, measured breaths.Evans didn’t answer immediately.He smiled instead.Slowly, deliberately, he shifted his attention to Hailey. The way a man studies an asset. Or a weakness.He reached for her medical file at the foot of the bed.“No,” I breathed instinctively, my hand twitching, but my body betrayed me. I stayed rooted to the spot, watching helplessly as he flipped it open.“Interesting reading,” he murmured, turning pages with lazy precision. “Children bounce back quickly. Remarkable things, really.”He closed the file and slid it neatly back into place.“I understand she’s dear

Aria’s POVThe waiter set our plates down with practised precision, the soft clink of porcelain echoing louder than it should have in the tense silence between us. Steam curled lazily from Evans’ plate, fragrant and rich. He picked up his cutlery without hesitation, as though we were just another couple enjoying a quiet dinner.I pushed my fork through the rice, separating grains, rearranging them, searching for something that wasn’t there. Appetite. Calm. A way out.Evans watched me for a moment, amused.“What?” he asked lightly. “You don’t like the food?”I lifted my head and met his gaze across the table. Candlelight caught in his eyes, making them look almost warm. Almost human.“You’re forcing me to date you,” I said evenly. “Marry you. Bear children for you. Don’t ask questions about my mood.”His mouth curved in a scoff, more entertained than offended.“Aria,” he said, cutting into his food, unbothered, “all I want is to make you my wife and the mother of my children. How you f