Aria Pov
"Years ago, I was my father's son. Cold. Empty. Incapable of loving anything but power." His eyes met mine in the darkness. "You changed that. Noah changed that. You both showed me what actually matters."
I shouldn't ask. Shouldn't open this door. But the words came anyway. "What if we'd never gotten pregnant? What if I'd just been the quiet, convenient wife you thought you married?"
"Then I'd probably still be that empty shell of a man." He turned fully toward me. "Which is a terrifying thought. Because it means I needed to lose you to understand what I had."
"We should go back to bed," I said, not moving. "Noah's fine. We need to rest."
"I can't." Damien's voice cracked. "Every time I try to sleep, I think about all the things that could have gone wrong today. If the FBI hadn't found him in time. If Marcus had" He couldn't finish.
Before I could think better of it, I reached for his hand. "But they did find him. And Marcus didn't hurt him, Noah is safe."
