Bound by One Night

Morning sunlight filtered into the quiet breakfast room. Damien sat with a neglected cup of coffee, his attention fixed on the woman across from him and the uneasy silence lingering between them.

Aria pushed a bite of fruit around her plate, barely eating. She'd been quiet all morning – understandably, after last night. Damien's jaw tightened remembering the fear in her eyes during that late phone call. Someone from her past had reached out, and a wall stood between them again.

He longed to bridge that distance, but she'd asked for time. Patience had never been his strength, but for her he would try.

At last Aria nibbled a piece of melon, her brows knit. Damien set down his cup with a soft clink, breaking the silence. "Did you sleep alright?" he asked gently.

Aria blinked, pulled from her thoughts. "Oh... yes. Fine," she lied. The faint shadows under her eyes said otherwise.

Damien swallowed the urge to reach for her hand. "You should eat a little," he urged softly. "Get some food in you."

She mustered a tiny smile. "I'm not very hungry, but thank you." Her tone was overly polite, painfully measured.

Small footsteps pattered in the hallway, and Noah burst into the room, teddy bear in one hand. "Mommy! Daddy!" he chirped, oblivious to the tension.

Aria's face lit up as Noah flew into her arms. "Good morning, my love," she cooed, lifting him into her lap. Noah giggled and proudly showed how Mr. Bear had slept beside him.

Damien stood and ruffled Noah's tousled curls. "Morning, champ."

Noah beamed up at him. "Are we still going to the park today? You promised!"

Damien caught Aria's eyes; clearly she'd forgotten that plan. He mustered a reassuring smile. "Of course we are. I never break a promise."

Noah cheered and scrambled off Aria's lap. "Mr. Bear wants to go too!" he declared, hoisting the stuffed toy onto the table.

Aria laughed softly. "Mr. Bear is absolutely welcome."

For a few precious minutes, the heavy atmosphere lifted. Noah chattered about the swings and slides he'd conquer and the ice cream he wanted. Damien nodded seriously at each grand plan, occasionally stealing a glance at Aria. The cloud in her eyes eased whenever she focused on Noah. The sight made his chest tighten with protectiveness.

Reality intruded soon enough. As Aria patiently helped Noah spread butter on his toast, a staff member appeared at Damien's elbow with a slim tablet. "Sir, the press briefing you requested," he murmured discreetly.

Damien's spine straightened. He had asked for overnight news on the engagement – especially any concerning Aria. With a nod of thanks, he took the tablet. Aria's face went a shade paler, her hand on Noah's shoulder going still. She knew what this was.

"Excuse me for a moment," Damien said lightly. He stepped a few paces away so the screen wasn't visible to Aria or Noah and opened the briefing.

As he feared, several articles had sprung up overnight. Damien skimmed the headlines, scowl deepening:

"Blackwood's Mystery Fiancée – Who Is Aria Lancaster?"

"Billion-Dollar Bachelor Off the Market – Meet the Woman Who Captured His Heart"

Those were tame. But then:

"Scandal Brewing? Rumors Emerge of Lancaster's Secret Past"

"Aria Lancaster: What Is She Hiding?"

His gut twisted. He opened one salacious piece citing "anonymous sources" from Millstone claiming Aria wasn't who she seemed. One line made his blood run cold:

"Miss Lancaster changed her name several years ago to distance herself from her disgraced family."

They know. Or at least they suspected enough to hint. Damien's grip tightened. He glanced over at Aria. She was dabbing butter off Noah's chin but kept casting furtive, anxious looks his way.

He forced a small reassuring smile toward her, then looked back at the screen. No specifics of the "disgrace" named, but hints of a financial scandal and a trial. Millstone. A disgraced family. A trial. The pieces clicked in Damien's mind.

He recalled years ago reading about a financial fraud case in Millstone – a family ruined, a trial. Lancaster… had that been her name, or one she took to escape the stain? Either way, she'd carried this burden alone for so long.

"Daddy?" Noah's small voice piped up. Damien hadn't noticed his son patter over. Now Noah tugged at his pant leg. "But you looked mad."

Damien blinked and crouched down, setting the tablet face-down. "No, champ," he said softly, smoothing Noah's curls. "I'm not mad at you."

Noah peered at him seriously. "Okay."

"Daddy was just thinking about work, sweetheart," Aria said gently, coming over. Damien stood, meeting her eyes. Even now, she was shielding Noah from worry.

Noah, satisfied, scampered back to his bear. As soon as he was out of earshot, Aria faced Damien, voice low. "They wrote about me, didn't they?"

Damien considered sparing her, but he owed her honesty. "Yes," he said softly. "They suspect you changed your name. They hint at a trial." He held her gaze. "No details yet, but they're sniffing around."

Aria sucked in a breath, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. "I never wanted this to touch you or Noah. I thought I could leave it behind."

Damien stepped closer and took her cold hands in his warm grip. "Listen to me," he murmured, low and firm. Across the room Noah was busy making his bear dance, oblivious. "You have nothing to apologize for. Whatever happened then – it's not your fault that vultures are dredging it up now."

Her eyes shone with tears. "If the whole story comes out... you might not look at me the same," she whispered.

He squeezed her hands. "Try me."

Aria opened her mouth, but a knock on the doorway interrupted. One of Damien's security detail hovered. "Sir, ma'am," he said apologetically. "Reporters are at the main gate. Quite a few since early morning."

Aria paled. Damien's temper ignited. So it begins. He forced a reassuring smile at her, then nodded to the guard. "Keep them off the property. No one gets in."

"Yes, sir," the guard nodded. "Also, one left a letter addressed to Ms. Lancaster at the gate. We retrieved and screened it." He held out an envelope.

Damien took it, and Aria flinched at the looping script on the front – it wasn't Aria Lancaster written there, but another name.

"Thank you," Damien dismissed the guard. The man left quietly.

Aria stared at the envelope, breath quickening. "It's my father's," she whispered.

Damien felt a jolt. Her father – alive, and reaching out now. He gently offered her the envelope. "Do you want to read it?"

Her hand shook as she took it. After a brief hesitation, she slid a finger under the flap and pulled out a single sheet. Damien watched her eyes flit across the page, her knuckles whitening as she clutched it.

After a long moment, Aria exhaled shakily and lowered the letter. Silently, she passed it to Damien. He scanned the handwritten lines swiftly:

My dearest Aria, it read. I saw the news. We need to talk before the media twists our story further. Please grant me a chance to explain and apologize. I will be at Millstone Park this Friday at noon. Whether or not you come is your choice. Just remember, the truth will emerge with or without us. I'd rather you hear it from me first. All my love, Dad.

Damien's heart pounded by the time he finished reading. Aria was hugging herself, tears shining in her eyes. He closed the distance and wrapped her in his arms. She stiffened briefly, then sagged against him, pressing her face into his shoulder.

Oblivious across the room, Noah hummed as he played. Damien held Aria tighter. "We'll get through this," he murmured into her hair.

She trembled in his embrace. "He wants me to meet him... Friday," she whispered brokenly. "I haven't seen him in years. Not since—" She cut off, voice fraying.

Damien could fill in the blank: not since everything fell apart. "You don't have to go," he said firmly. "But if you choose to, you won't go alone."

Aria pulled back enough to search his face. "You'd... come with me?"

"Try and stop me," he said with quiet steel, brushing away a tear on her cheek. "I'm not letting you face this alone – reporters, fathers, anyone."

For the first time that morning, Aria managed a tiny, genuine smile. "Thank you," she whispered.

They were still wrapped in each other's arms when Noah's curious voice piped up, "Mommy, are you sad?" He stood clutching Mr. Bear, concern scrunching his small brow.

Aria quickly wiped her eyes and turned in Damien's embrace, leaning back against his steady warmth. "Mommy's okay, honey," she assured softly. "Just some grown-up stuff making me a bit sad."

Noah toddled over and thrust Mr. Bear up toward Aria. "Here, Mommy. Hug Mr. Bear. He makes me feel better."

A watery laugh escaped Aria. She knelt and enveloped Noah (and Bear) in a hug. "Thank you, my angel. Mommy feels better already," she whispered, kissing his temple.

Noah nodded solemnly, then looked to Damien. "You'll come to the park too, Daddy? Then Mommy will be happy, right?"

Damien crouched and rested a hand on Noah's shoulder. He caught Aria's gaze over their son's curls – he saw newfound resolve there, and a swell of pride warmed him. She was stronger than she knew.

"Yes, buddy," Damien answered, eyes on Aria. "We're all going together. We'll have a great time." The rest – everything else – they would deal with later.

Aria seemed to understand the promise beneath his words. She rose and slipped her hand into Damien's, squeezing gently. She wasn't running anymore; she was choosing to stand by his side.

Whatever came next – scandal, confrontations, secrets laid bare – they would face it as one.

Noah cheered and scampered off to fetch his shoes. Damien lifted Aria's hand and pressed a tender kiss across her knuckles. Storm clouds might be gathering, but in that sunlit moment, they stood united as a family. And together, they would weather whatever storm came their way.