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His Wife, His Mistake
Chapter Twenty-One: Don't Ask Me to Trust You
POV: Arya
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Damon didn't move.
Not after those words.
Not after I said I still loved him.
He just stood there, staring at me like I'd handed him a second chance wrapped in barbed wire.
And maybe I had.
Because I did love him.
God help me, I never stopped.
But trust?
That was something else entirely.
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"I mean it," he said gently, breaking the silence. "I'm not expecting forgiveness. Just your trust."
I laughed, bitter and broken. "You're asking for the hardest thing in the world."
"I know."
He took a small step toward me, hands in his pockets like he was trying not to reach for me.
"I've changed," he said. "I know that sounds like every man's last-minute line, but I swear to you, Arya—I'm not who I was four years ago."
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I turned away, wrapping my arms around myself.
"You think it's easy?" I asked. "Loving you has never been the problem. It's what loving you cost me."
"I know."
"No, Damon. You don't know. You weren't there. When I threw up alone in the bathroom every morning. When I held my own hand in the hospital. When I cried over Liam's crib, praying I could be both his parents because I didn't know if you'd ever care."
His breath hitched.
And still… I kept going.
"I gave you everything once. You threw it away for someone who didn't even stay."
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"I didn't love her," he said immediately.
"That doesn't matter," I snapped. "You didn't choose me. That's what matters."
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The silence was sharp.
He nodded, slow and steady.
"You're right," he whispered. "I didn't choose you when it counted. And I'll hate myself for that for the rest of my life."
He took a step closer.
"But I'm choosing you now. I'm choosing Liam. I'm choosing every missed moment. Every mistake. I want to fix what I broke."
I looked at him, eyes burning.
"And what if I can't let you?"
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He stepped in again — closer now. So close I could smell him. Cedar, rain, and something heartbreakingly familiar.
"Then I'll wait," he said softly. "But Arya, don't ask me not to try."
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I shook my head, tears sliding silently down my cheeks.
"You make it sound so easy."
"It's not," he said. "It's terrifying. For both of us."
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My heart pounded.
My walls were crumbling.
And still, I couldn't let go.
Not yet.
"I don't know if I can trust you again," I whispered.
"I know," he repeated.
His voice broke slightly.
"But try. Just once more. Put all your trust in me."
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"I don't know how," I whispered, trembling. "I've been angry for so long. Angry at you. At myself. At the world. I don't know how to be soft anymore, Damon."
He reached up, slowly, carefully, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Then let me be soft for you."
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My eyes snapped to his, and suddenly, there were no more lies. No more pretending.
Just two broken people standing in the middle of a gallery filled with memories and regrets.
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He leaned in closer, his forehead gently touching mine.
"I've been in hell without you," he whispered. "And I don't want peace unless you're in it."
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I could feel his breath on my lips.
I could feel my walls trembling, one by one.
My body leaned forward before my mind could catch up.
I was still angry.
Still scared.
Still unsure.
But I loved him.
Oh, God. I loved him.
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"I hate that I want this," I whispered.
"Then let me carry the hate for both of us," he murmured.
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And then he kissed me.
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It wasn't rushed.
It wasn't desperate.
It was slow. Painful. Deep.
Like an apology carved into skin.
Like a memory begging to be rewritten.
His hand cupped my face, steady and warm.
My hands gripped his shirt, pulling him closer like my heart had finally surrendered.
Tears fell between us.
He tasted like sorrow.
Like longing.
Like home.
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When we pulled apart, I was breathless.
Shaken.
Forever changed.
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He rested his forehead on mine again, both of us trembling from everything we weren't ready to admit.
"I love you, Arya," he said. "If it takes the rest of my life to earn back your trust, I'll do it."
I closed my eyes, feeling his breath against my cheek.
I didn't say "I love you" back.
I didn't have to.
He already knew.
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But trust?
Trust would take time.
And for the first time, he seemed willing to wait.
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