Married For Vengeance, Pregnant With His Secret

Morning in the safe house felt too still.

Aria sat curled on the edge of the sleek gray couch, the same mug of untouched tea growing cold in her hands. Outside, the Vermont forest swayed gently in the wind, but she barely registered it.

Today, everything would change.

Today, she would tell Damien the truth.

The one secret that still stood between them.

The truth about how this baby came to be. About why she'd seduced him that night.

About what she never meant to happen and what she feared already had.

The door opened softly.

She didn't look up. She knew it was him.

Damien crossed the room without a word and sat across from her, his elbows resting on his knees. The tension in the space was suffocating. Neither of them spoke for a long time.

Finally, he broke the silence.

"Are you ready to tell me?"

Her throat closed.

But she nodded.

"Okay," she whispered. "Then listen."

Three Months Ago Flashback Begins

The gala had glittered with wealth and grief.

It was the first public event Damien had attended since Elena's death, and Aria knew he'd be there. Dressed in his signature black suit, hair slicked back, jaw tight.

Grieving.

Powerful.

Alone.

And she had worn red.

Not just any red Elena's favorite shade. The color she used in every painting, every dress, every lipstick.

Aria had stood at the top of the marble stairs, watching him from above. Watching the man who ruined her sister.

That night, she had a goal: get close. Get under his skin. Get what she needed.

She hadn't been pregnant yet. But she had already made her decision.

He noticed her the moment she descended the steps. His eyes flicked to her bare shoulders, the way the silk clung to her body. But what caught him what froze him was the necklace she wore.

Elena's locket.

He didn't speak as she approached him.

"Damien," she had whispered, her voice soft, trembling.

He blinked once. "Aria."

"I didn't expect you to come tonight."

"Neither did I."

She waited, then added, "I miss her."

He looked away. "I do too."

Those words, fragile and quiet, broke something between them. For the first time, they weren't enemies. Just two people who had lost the same person.

The rest of the night blurred drinks, conversations, music. But what she remembered most was the way his walls began to crumble.

By midnight, he was on the balcony alone. She followed.

"I can't sleep in her apartment," she said, meaning it. "I see her in every mirror."

Damien turned to her, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. "I know the feeling."

"I hate this," she whispered.

He stepped closer. "I hate it too."

Then she looked at him. Really looked.

And kissed him.

They didn't speak as he pulled her into the guest suite upstairs. They didn't make promises. He didn't ask questions. Neither did she.

Because that night wasn't supposed to be about feelings. It was supposed to be about control.

She told herself she was reclaiming power. That her plan was working.

And when she left in the morning without a word, she told herself she'd won.

Until two weeks later, when the test turned positive.

Until she realized this wasn't revenge.

It was a life.

Back to Present

Aria's voice trembled.

"I planned it, Damien. That night. I came to the gala knowing I'd seduce you. I wore Elena's color. Her necklace. I wanted you… vulnerable. I needed something to anchor the plan."

Damien didn't speak.

She looked up slowly, her vision blurring with tears.

"I didn't plan to keep the baby. Not at first. It was leverage. Nothing more. Just part of the strategy. Part of what I thought would destroy you."

A long silence passed.

Damien sat back, expression unreadable.

She continued anyway.

"But something happened after that. I couldn't let go. I went to the first appointment alone. I heard the heartbeat. And everything changed."

Her voice broke.

"I realized it wasn't just a tool anymore. It was real. He or she… was real. And so were the feelings I never meant to feel for you."

Still, Damien said nothing.

Aria stepped closer.

"I've hated you. I've loved you. I've wanted to break you and hold you in the same breath. But if you want to walk away after this… I won't stop you."

Damien's eyes finally lifted to hers.

"You think I didn't know?" he said, voice low.

She froze. "What?"

"I've always known that night wasn't an accident." He exhaled slowly. "You think I didn't recognize Elena's locket? Her dress color? I'm not blind."

Her breath caught.

"I didn't know why you did it," he admitted. "I didn't want to believe it. But I knew something was off. I just didn't want to hear it from your mouth."

He stood, walked to the window.

"When you told me you were pregnant, I thought it might have been a trap. For a moment. But I didn't care."

She swallowed. "Then why—?"

"Because you were carrying something that mattered." He turned back to her. "Someone that mattered."

The air between them hung heavy.

"I'm angry, Aria," he said quietly. "I'm angry because you didn't trust me with the truth. I'm angry that you turned something that could've meant something… into another lie."

She looked away, blinking fast.

"But I'm still here."

That pulled her gaze back.

"I'm still here," he repeated. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Aria's knees buckled slightly, the relief and guilt crashing into her all at once. Damien caught her before she fell, his arms solid around her.

"I don't forgive you," he whispered. "Not yet."

She nodded against his chest.

"But I still want this. You. The baby. Us. I want to figure out if it can be real after everything."

Her hand gripped his shirt tightly. "So do I."

Later That Night

Aria sat by the window alone, watching the clouds drift across the sky.

Damien had gone downstairs for a call. But she knew this wasn't over.

They had crossed a threshold no longer enemies, not quite lovers. Somewhere in between.

Somewhere uncertain.

And it terrified her.

Because now, she had more to lose than ever.

Meanwhile

In a hidden room within the Voss Tech headquarters, a monitor blinked with a red light.

A recorded video played on a loop a flashback from the gala three months ago. A woman in red. A man in black. A balcony.

The timestamp was clear.

The angle security cam.

The voice on the audio feed: unmistakable.

Damien. And Aria.

A shadowed figure stood watching.

A smile formed.

"Well," the man whispered. "Let's see how long this illusion lasts."

And then: DELETE VIDEO.

Click.

Gone.