Chapter 19 Aria POV I stared at my sister across the restaurant entrance, every muscle in my body tensed. “What do you want, Vivian?” I kept my voice low and controlled. She examined her manicured nails. “I’m here because of Damien. It’s pathetic, really. The great Damien Blackwood, reduced to

Chapter 18 Damien POV The whiskey tasted terrible. I stared at the contract documents spread across my desk. The Riverside Project. Lost to Aria Monroe. Lost to my wife. Ex-wife, I corrected myself. “Mr. Blackwood?” My assistant’s voice came through the intercom. “The board is waiting for your call p>

Chapter 17 Aria POV The glass doors of Ravenwood’s City Development Board gleamed in the morning sun. I adjusted my blazer, smoothing the burgundy fabric. Behind me, my assistant carried the presentation materials, her expression calm and professional. “Ready, Ms. Monroe?” she asked. “Always.” I stepped inside, my heels clicking

Chapter 16 Aria pov The morning sun felt too bright and cheerful for the knot of anxiety in my stomach. “Come on, Mama!” Noah tugged at my hand, pulling me toward the playground entrance. “I want to swing p> “Okay, okay.” I laughed despite my nerves, letting him drag me

Chapter 15 Aria pov The late afternoon sun streamed through the tall windows of Silver Springs Elite Academy as I waited in the parent pickup line. Other mothers chatted around me, designer bags and perfect highlights, discussing vacation homes and charity galas. I smiled politely when necessary, but kept my

Chapter 14 Damien POV The whiskey burned going down, but not enough to numb the ache in my chest. I stared at my phone screen, at the message I’d sent hours ago. Still no response. Just those three devastating words she’d typed earlier: You have nothing. My hand tightened around

Chapter 13 Aria POV “Fine.” I wiped at my eyes, angry at the tears that had escaped. “I’m fine p> But I wasn’t. Seeing Damien had cracked something open inside me. Something I’d sealed shut four years ago. And Lucas—kind, respectful Lucas—had reminded me what it felt like to be

Chapter 12 Aria POV The restaurant at the Grand was elegant. I arrived at seven exactly, wearing a deep red dress that hugged my curves and commanded attention. Lucas was already there, standing when he saw me with a smile that reached his eyes. “You came.” He smiled, genuine pleasure

Chapter 11 Aria POV The breakfast meeting was at seven AM in the hotel’s private dining room. I arrived at six forty-five, because I was never late. Six other CEOs were already there, including Martin Ross from Ross Industries and Jennifer Park from Park Enterprises. They were all power players,

Chapter 10 Damien POV I stood frozen in the hallway as she disappeared into the crowd. Aria. My wife. The woman I’d thrown out four years ago. “Mr. Blackwood?” My assistant’s voice cut through the chaos in my head, tentative and concerned. “The investors are waiting in Conference Room A

Chapter 9 Damien. She didn’t need to say it. My voice turned cold. “Then he sees what he threw away p> After we hung up, I stood at my window for a long time. Noah’s face floated in my mind—those ice-blue eyes that I saw every day, that reminded me

Chapter 8 One year later. “Happy birthday, Noah!” I clapped as Noah smashed his tiny hands into the small cake I’d baked. Blue frosting went everywhere—his face, his hair, the high chair tray. Olivia laughed from across my new flat’s kitchen table. “I think he’s enjoying it p> I grinned,

Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Chapter 7 – The Birth of a Fighter I nodded, my voice caught somewhere deep inside. Back at the café, I worked until closing. My feet screamed. My back ached as the baby kicked at my ribs. That night, in my studio apartment, I sat at

Chapter 6 Six months later. London in winter was nothing like Ravenwood. The rain here felt softer somehow, mixing with fog that turned everything grey and dreamlike. I’d grown to love it. My studio apartment in East London was tiny—one room with a kitchenette and a bathroom you couldn’t turn

Chapter 5 The rain didn’t stop. I walked for hours, my suitcase wheels catching on every crack in the sidewalk. My clothes clung to my skin as my shoes squelched with each step. I had nowhere to go. The cheap motel where I’d been staying had kicked me out this

Chapter 4 The taxi dropped me at the Monroe mansion gates just as the sun set behind the estate. I paid with crumpled bills from my purse. My hands shook as I counted them out. The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Are you okay, miss p> I

Chapter 3 She wouldn’t meet my eyes. The elevator ride felt eternal. My reflection stared back at me from the polished doors—pale, thin, exhausted. I’d barely eaten in days. The doors opened to reveal a sharp-faced woman in a designer suit. Her smile was professional. “Mrs. Blackwood.” She gestured down

Chapter 2 The whispers followed me back to the ballroom. I walked with my head high, my wedding dress trailing behind me like a burial shroud. Two hundred pairs of eyes tracked my every step. Camera phones pointed at me from every direction. Whispers floated through the air. “Did you

Chapter 1 Aria pov The champagne bubbles mocked me. I stood alone in the corner of the Blackwood Estate ballroom, watching two hundred guests celebrate a marriage that felt like a funeral. My wedding dress custom Vera Wang, paid for by my new husband’s assistant, felt like a beautiful cage.