Chapter 80 Chapter Eighty

Chapter 80 Chapter Eighty

CHAPTER 80

The large Cross family house was finally quiet. For the first time in many years, there were no news reporters standing outside the big front gates.

Three weeks after the arrest, Damian went to look for his wife. He found Aria sitting all by herself on a wooden bench in the green garden.

She was far along in her pregnancy now, and her belly was quite large. She held one hand over her stomach to protect the growing baby. With her other hand, she traced slow, quiet circles on the side of the wooden bench. She looked up and smiled when she saw him walking toward her.

"Are you finished with your business meeting?" she asked.

"Yes, I am finished," Damian said.

He sat down right next to her on the bench. Neither of them spoke a word for a few minutes. In the past, staying silent felt strange and awkward. But now, they liked the silence. It was comfortable and very peaceful.

Damian reached out and gently put his hand over hers. "You are thinking too much again."

Aria laughed quietly. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Yes, it is," Damian smiled. "You always wrinkle your nose when you think hard."

"I do not do that!"

"Yes, you do."

Aria rolled her eyes in a fun, playful way. "I married a man who notices every little thing."

"You did," Damian said.

Then, Aria’s beautiful smile slowly went away. She looked down at her lap, looking a bit sad. "I have been thinking about your mother, Evelyn."

Damian’s face became very soft and serious. "What are you thinking about her?"

"I do not think she likes having me live here in this house," Aria said, looking over at the giant mansion. "I have tried very hard to be her friend."

"I know you have," Damian said gently.

"I really have tried," she whispered. "But every time I feel like we are becoming close, something changes. She becomes cold again."

Damian looked up at the huge house where he grew up. That house held all of his old memories. He remembered his childhood birthdays, happy family dinners, loud laughter, and the sad times when people died. It was his home for his entire life.

Yet lately, it did not feel like a real home anymore. It did not feel like a good home for Aria, and it did not feel like a good place for the new family they wanted to build together.

He sat in silence for a very long time. Then, he looked into Aria's eyes. "What if we leave this place?"

Aria blinked her eyes in surprise. "What did you say?"

"We do not have to live here," Damian explained.

"But this is your childhood home," she said.

Damian smiled and touched her face. "My true home is wherever you are."

Aria's eyes filled with happy tears. "Would you really leave this big house because of me?"

"I am not leaving just because of you," Damian said. "I am leaving for us. I am leaving for our future."

The decision to move away surprised everyone in the family. It surprised his mother, Evelyn, most of all.

Later that evening, Evelyn walked into the old study room. This room used to belong to Damian’s father. She saw Damian standing by the desk, putting old, framed pictures into a cardboard box.

"What are you doing, Damian?" she asked.

He looked up from the box. "I am packing my things."

"I can see that," Evelyn said, walking deeper into the quiet room. "But why are you doing this?"

Damian carefully wrapped another family picture in soft paper. "Aria does not feel happy or comfortable living in this house."

Evelyn’s face changed. She looked hurt. "So you are moving out of our family home."

"Yes," Damian replied.

A heavy silence filled the room between mother and son.

"I never told you to leave," Evelyn said in a low voice.

"You did not have to say it," Damian answered. His voice was not angry at all. If anything, he just sounded sad.

Evelyn looked around the old room. "This house has belonged to our family for many generations."

"I know that, Mother."

"Your father wanted you to raise your own children in this house," Evelyn said, trying to make him change his mind.

Damian smiled a little bit. "My father also wanted me to protect my family. He wanted me to make sure they are safe and happy." He closed the top of the cardboard box. "And that is exactly what I am doing now."

Evelyn looked down at the floor. For the first time in many years, she did not know what to say. She felt bad. "I was very hard on her," Evelyn admitted.

Damian nodded his head. "Yes, you were."

"I thought..." Evelyn stopped to swallow her tears. "I thought I was helping her. I thought I was preparing her."

"Preparing her for what?" Damian asked.

"Preparing her to be part of this important family," Evelyn said.

Damian walked across the room and stood close to his mother. "Mother, you cannot prepare someone for a family by making them feel like they do not belong here."

Evelyn’s eyes filled with deep regret. "I know that now. I was wrong."

Damian put his arms around her and held her tight. She waited for a second, and then she hugged her son back.

"I am not leaving because I hate you, Mother," Damian whispered.

"I know," she said.

"I am leaving because my wife needs to wake up every single morning feeling safe and loved."

A tear fell down Evelyn’s face. "I hope one day she can forgive me for being so mean."

Damian smiled gently. "You do not have to worry. She has already forgiven you."