Chapter 29 – Noon Confessions
By the time Damien's car pulled up in front of Aria's building, her nerves were strung so tight she could barely breathe. The black sedan gleamed like a shadow in the midday sun, waiting.
She slipped into the passenger seat, careful to mask the storm inside her. Damien didn't greet her with a kiss or even a smile. Just a nod, his hand gripping the wheel as though he was holding something far more dangerous than a car.
The silence stretched until it hurt. Finally, he spoke.
"Last night… I shouldn't have lost control."
Aria turned, searching his profile. The sharp jaw, the focused eyes fixed on the road ahead. He didn't look like a man apologizing. He looked like a man preparing for war.
"Damien," she said softly, "I don't need perfect. I don't need control. I need honesty."
His fingers tapped once against the wheel, restless. "You're asking me for something I've never given anyone."
"Then maybe it's time you start."
That made him glance at her — quick, but sharp enough to cut. His gaze lingered for a heartbeat before sliding away. "If I open that door, you won't like what's on the other side."
Her pulse quickened. If you only knew how close I am to finding out anyway.
She leaned back, her voice steady. "Let me decide what I can handle."
The car slowed as he pulled into a quiet side street, far from the noise of the city. He parked and shut off the engine, leaving only the sound of their breathing.
Then Damien turned to her fully, eyes darker than the tinted glass around them.
"My father built an empire on blood. Every brick, every dollar, every deal — paid for with someone else's ruin. I told myself I'd walk away, build my own path. But his shadow doesn't let go. And every time you're beside me, I see the target it paints on your back."
Aria's chest tightened. This was more than he had ever admitted before. And yet… she knew it wasn't everything.
"Then tell me the rest," she whispered.
His lips pressed into a thin line. For a long moment, it seemed he might. But then his phone buzzed sharply in his pocket, shattering the fragile space between them.
Damien glanced at the screen, his jaw locking.
"Not now," he muttered, tossing the phone aside.
But Aria had already seen the name flash across it.
Professor Callahan.
Her stomach dropped.
Damien caught her stare, realizing too late. His voice hardened, steel returning to his tone.
"Stay away from him."
Her heart pounded. "Why? Because he'll tell me what you won't?"
The silence that followed was louder than his anger had been the night before.
Aria turned toward the window, her reflection pale against the glass. She didn't say it, but the thought rang clear in her mind.
Tomorrow, I'll meet him.