All Chapters of The Night Before Christmas: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Aria’s POVInside my room, I slipped into one of my office dresses, blue-black, fitted, professional, and tied my hair into a neat bun. The reflection in the mirror showed a woman composed on the surface, but beneath it, my chest felt too tight, my breathing measured. I grabbed my office bag and stepped out of my room, only to nearly collide with Hailey.“Mummy, are you going to the office?” she asked, staring at me. Steve was standing just behind her. “I thought you said you would go back to work when I resume school.”I bent down to her height, forcing a smile I didn’t fully feel. I couldn’t tell her where I was really going. I couldn’t tell her that when I came back, everything would be different.“Sweetheart, mummy is just going to…” I paused. The words caught in my throat. I would be coming back with a marriage certificate. “…pick a document from the office. Just getting ready.”Her eyes brightened for a moment. “Can I come?”“No, sweetie,” I said gently, and her shoulders droope

Aria’s POVThe morning arrived too quickly, like it had been waiting just outside the door all night.One more day. Just one more day until my wedding to Evans.The thought sat heavy in my chest as I stared at the ceiling, listening to the quiet hum of the house coming alive. The distant murmur of staff, the soft whirr of machines, the muted click of doors opening and closing. Everything sounded too normal for a life that had tilted so violently off its axis.So much had happened in such a short time. Mark’s betrayal. The shattering revelation that Hailey was not Mark’s daughter. And now, the resurrection of my marriage to Evans, dragged back from the grave like something unfinished and dangerous.I had once feared my family discovering the truth about Hailey’s paternity. That fear had lived with me since I found out Mark wasn't Hailey's father, quiet but constant. Yet somehow, that particular window had slammed shut with Mark’s death.And speaking of Mark’s death, my mother had used

Aria’s POVFor a moment, no one moved.The air felt suspended, thick, stunned, unreal. The priest’s mouth hung open mid-breath. The petals at my feet lay crushed and forgotten. Even the cameras seemed to hesitate, as though the lenses themselves needed a second to understand what they were witnessing.Desmond stood at the edge of the aisle, tall and immovable, four police officers flanking him. He wasn’t shouting. He wasn’t angry.He was calm. And that frightened me more than anything else.“What is this nonsense?” Evans scoffed, his laugh sharp and forced. “This is a private ceremony. Remove him.....”One of the officers stepped forward.“Sir, please step away from the bride.”The word bride landed like a slap.Evans turned slowly, disbelief flickering across his face. “Do you have any idea who I am?”“Yes,” the officer replied evenly. “Which is why we’re here.”Murmurs rippled through the guests, spreading like a contagion. I heard my name whispered. Heard Evans’s. Heard Desmond’s s

Aria’s POVWe stayed at the theme park long after the laughter began to feel forced.Hailey was glowing, sugar-flushed and fearless, but my mind never truly left the carousel. It kept circling back to a dark-haired boy standing alone. To the way he vanished.To the way Desmond’s voice had sounded that morning when he agreed to wait.By the time I requested a car, dusk had begun swallowing the sky.Hailey fell asleep the moment we settled into the back seat, her small body warm and heavy against me. I scrolled through the photographs from the day, blurred smiles, sticky fingers, wind-tangled hair.No David.I should have taken one. Even his full name would have been something. Instead, I had a face in my memory and a feeling I couldn’t shake.A notification slid across my screen.Breaking: Update on Evans Grant Bigamy CaseMy pulse shifted.I opened it.The Howard family has released a formal statement confirming that Mr Desmond Howard’s marriage to his wife was conducted privately in

Aria’s POVThe report from Jay was the first thing on my mind when I woke. I reached for my phone. 6:02 a.m.“Hailey.”I bolted upright, panic already flooding my veins. I need to get her ready for school.I hurried down the corridor and pushed her bedroom door open.“Hailey, darling, wake up. You’ll be....”I stopped.“Mummy!” she beamed. “Ms Caroline got me a new wristwatch for school.”Ms Caroline sat on the edge of the bed, adjusting Hailey’s collar with careful fingers.“There,” she said warmly. “Perfect.”I forced a smile. “Ms Caroline… thank you.”“No need. She’s like my granddaughter.”There was something deliberate in the way she said it.She stood. “The driver, Marcus, isn’t answering his calls. I’ve arranged another driver, Peter. He’s already waiting.”“Oh. Thank you.”“You’re resuming work today. Go and get ready. I’ll handle Hailey.”I nodded and left, though unease prickled at the base of my spine.In my room, I dressed in a grey office dress and left my hair down. Pull