Chapter 38
Damien POV
Dinner with my son was simultaneously the best and most terrifying experience of my life.
Noah was brilliant—there was no other word for it. He chattered constantly about everything from dinosaurs to space travel to why chocolate ice cream was scientifically superior to vanilla. He had Aria’s intelligence and quick wit, but also a warmth and openness that neither of us possessed. Somehow, despite everything, she’d raised a happy, confident child who wasn’t afraid to love freely.
“Daddy, do you like space?” Noah asked around a mouthful of pizza.
“Noah, chew first,” Aria corrected automatically, but she was smiling.
“I do like space,” I said, finding myself relaxing into the conversation in a way I never relaxed with anyone. “Do you want to be an astronaut when you grow up p>
“Maybe!” Noah swung his legs under his chair. “Or a dinosaur scientist. Or a pizza maker. I haven’t decided yet p>
“You have plenty of time to figure it out,” I assured him.
“Mama says I can be anything I want if I work hard enough,” Noah informed me seriously. “She says that’s how she made her company. With hard work and not giving up even when things are hard p>
My eyes met Aria’s across the table, and I saw the fierce pride in them, the determination that had carried her through three years of building an empire from nothing while raising a child alone.
“Your mama is the smartest, strongest person I know,” I said quietly, meaning every word. “You’re lucky to have her p>
“I know,” Noah agreed cheerfully. “Are you going to live with us now? So we can be a family like in my picture p>
“That’s something Mama and I need to talk about,” I said carefully, not wanting to make promises I couldn’t keep. “But no matter where I live, I’m always going to be your daddy. That means I’ll always love you and want to spend time with you p>
“But you’ll come back to visit?” Noah’s voice was suddenly small, vulnerable in a way that made my chest ache. “You won’t disappear like before p>
“Before?” I looked at Aria questioningly.
“I told him you were away for work,” she said quietly. “That you couldn’t come see us but that you would someday p>
“I will never disappear again,” I promised Noah, putting every ounce of conviction I possessed into the words. “I will come see you as much as your mama says I can. And I’ll call you every day if you want p>
“Even when you’re at work?” Noah’s eyes were wide.
“Even when I’m at work,” I confirmed. “You’re more important than any meeting or phone call or anything else I could possibly be doing p>
Noah seemed satisfied with this answer and went back to his pizza, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of his small hand reaching for mine, the trust in his eyes when he’d asked if I would disappear again.
I had so much to make up for. So many years I’d missed, so many moments I could never get back. His first steps, his first words, his first birthday—all of it had happened without me, and it was my own fault.
After dinner, Aria put on a movie for Noah while she cleared the dishes. I joined her in the kitchen, desperate for a few moments alone to talk about everything that had happened.
“Thank you,” I said quietly, picking up a dish towel. “For letting me stay. For giving me this time with him p>
“Don’t thank me yet,” Aria said as she rinsed a plate. “We still need to talk about Marcus. About the threats. About what happens next p>
“I know.” I dried the plate she handed me. “I’ve already contacted my lawyer about the restraining order. And my security team is working on tracking Marcus’s movements, figuring out where he’s staying p>
“And then what?” Aria turned to face me, her arms crossed. “You confront him? You try to reason with someone who’s spent years planning revenge p>
“I end this,” I said simply. “Whatever it takes p>
“That’s not an answer, Damien.” Her voice rose slightly, then dropped when she remembered Noah in the next room. “That’s a movie line. I need actual details about how you plan to keep our son safe p>
“The restraining order is step one,” I said, setting down the towel. “Step two is offering Marcus what he actually wants—a seat on the board, access to the family trust, whatever it takes to make him leave you and Noah alone p>
“You’d give him everything he wants?” Aria looked skeptical. “Just like that p>
“For Noah’s safety? Absolutely.” I met her eyes steadily. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t give up to protect him. Including my pride, my company, my entire fortune if necessary p>
“And what about when he decides that’s not enough?” Aria challenged. “What happens when he realizes that the best way to hurt you is through Noah? When giving him money and power doesn’t satisfy whatever twisted need for revenge he’s nursing p>
“Then I’ll deal with it,” I said, my voice harder than I intended. “But I won’t let him near either of you. Not while I’m alive to prevent it p>
“Mama?” Noah’s small voice interrupted from the doorway. “Why are you and Daddy talking angry p>
“We’re not angry, sweetheart,” Aria said immediately, her expression softening. “We’re just discussing grown-up things. Is your movie over p>
“Almost.” Noah padded into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Aria’s legs. “I don’t like when you sound upset p>
“I’m okay, baby.” She lifted him onto her hip even though he was getting too big for it. “Just tired p>
“Maybe Daddy could stay and read me a bedtime story?” Noah suggested hopefully. “That would make you happy, right p>
I saw the hesitation in Aria’s face, the war between what she wanted and what she thought was safe.
“Please, Mama?” Noah deployed the devastating puppy-dog eyes that probably got him everything he wanted. “Just one story p>
“One story,” Aria agreed finally. “And then Daddy has to go home p>
Twenty minutes later, I found myself in Noah’s bedroom reading “Goodnight Moon” for the third time because he kept insisting I was going too fast. The room was small but perfect—painted with stars and planets that glowed in the dark, shelves full of books and toys, photos of Noah and Aria at various ages covering one wall.
This was their life. The one they’d built without me, the one I’d had no part in creating.
“Daddy?” Noah’s voice was sleepy now, his eyes half-closed. “Will you still be here when I wake up p>
“Not tomorrow morning,” I said gently, brushing hair back from his forehead. “But I’ll come see you again soon. I promise p>
“Okay.” He yawned, then grabbed my hand with his small one. “I’m glad you came back. I missed you even though I didn’t know you yet p>
The words hit me like a punch. This child, this perfect, innocent child had missed me without knowing me, had carried an absence he couldn’t name because I’d been too broken and damaged to be the father he deserved.
“I missed you too,” I said, my voice rough. “Every single day p>
Noah’s eyes drifted closed, his breathing evening out into the deep rhythm of sleep. I sat there for another few minutes, just watching him, memorizing the curve of his cheek, the way his dark curls spread across the pillow, the small smile that played at his lips even in sleep.
When I finally emerged from the bedroom, Aria was standing in the hallway, her arms wrapped around herself in a protective gesture I recognized all too well.
“He’s asleep,” I said quietly.
“I heard.” She didn’t move from her spot. “You’re good with him p>
“I’m trying.” I shoved my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching for her. “Aria, about what Noah asked”
“You can’t stay here,” she said quickly. “I know that’s what you want, but it’s not—we’re not”
“I know.” I took a careful step closer. “But I meant what I said earlier. About the divorce papers. About you still being my wife p>
“Damien.” She closed her eyes briefly. “Even if that’s technically true, it doesn’t change anything. We’re not married in any way that matters p>
“Aren’t we?” I asked softly. “We have a son together. We’re in each other’s lives whether we want to be or not. And if you’re honest with yourself, there’s still something between us. Something that never went away no matter how much we both tried to kill it p>
“That’s not” She stopped, opened her eyes, and looked at me with an expression that was part anger, part fear, part something I couldn’t quite name. “You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to show up and be perfect with Noah and say things that make me question everything I’ve spent three years building p>
“I’m not trying to make you question anything,” I said, though that was partially a lie. “I’m just telling you the truth. I never stopped p>
The sound of shattering glass cut me off mid-sentence.
We both froze, our eyes meeting in shared alarm. The sound had come from the living room.
“Stay here,” I ordered, already moving toward the noise.
“Like hell,” Aria hissed, right behind me.
I reached the living room and my blood turned to ice. The window overlooking the street was shattered, glass scattered across the hardwood floor. And in the center of the room, surrounded by shards, was a brick wrapped in paper.
“Don’t touch it,” I said sharply when Aria started forward. “It could have fingerprints p>
But even as I said it, I knew it wouldn’t. Marcus was too smart for that.
I carefully picked up the brick using my sleeve to protect any potential evidence, then unfolded the paper. The message was typed, impersonal, terrifying in its simplicity:
Nice family dinner. Noah seems like a sweet kid. Be a shame if something happened to him. You know what I want, little brother. Time’s running out. —M