Chapter 144 One forty four
Chapter 144 One forty four
Damien’s POV
I walked toward her slowly, my steps cautious this time.
“Aria…”
Her name left my lips softer than before, careful, like I was afraid saying it too loudly might break something already fragile between us.
She was still holding her phone, but her grip looked loose now, like her strength had drained out of her. Her face…
Something was wrong.
I reached out, my hand moving toward her arm, intending to touch her, to ground her, maybe even ground myself.
But the moment my fingers got close…
She shifted.
Instinctively.
Like my touch burned.
I froze.
That one small movement hit harder than anything else she could have said.
Before I could react, she brought the phone back to her ear.
“I’ll call you back,” she said quickly, her voice controlled but distant.
Then she ended the call.
Silence settled between us immediately.
Heavy. Thick. Uncomfortable.
I swallowed slightly and moved closer, lowering myself onto the couch beside her.
“Aria…” I started again, but the words felt insufficient.
I hesitated for a second before reaching for her hands.
Maybe if I could just hold them…
Maybe if she would just look at me….
She pulled away.
Deliberately.
Like she didn’t want me anywhere near her.
My hand hovered awkwardly in the air for a second before I slowly dropped it back to my side.
That stung.
More than I expected.
I exhaled quietly and looked at her, really looking this time.
She wasn’t even facing me.
Her gaze was fixed somewhere else, her expression blank.
Like she had already built a wall I couldn’t see through.
“I’m sorry,” I said finally, my voice low and sincere. “For shouting at you earlier.”
Nothing.
No reaction.
Not even a glance.
It was like I was talking to thin air.
“I didn’t mean to lose my temper like that,” I continued, trying again. “You didn’t deserve that.”
Still nothing.
She just sat there, silent, her face turned away from me.
A flicker of frustration mixed with guilt twisted in my chest.
“Aria, please…” I said, my tone softening further. “Talk to me.”
That got a reaction.
She turned her head.
And when her eyes met mine, something inside me shifted.
Because the look she gave me…
was cold.
Cold enough to make my chest tighten.
For a second, I didn’t recognize her.
This wasn’t the Aria who argued with me, who challenged me, who refused to back down.
This was someone distant.
Someone guarded.
And before I could say anything else…
She stood up.
Just like that.
No words.
No explanation.
She simply walked away.
“Aria…”
But she didn’t stop.
Didn’t even hesitate.
She walked straight out of the sitting room like I wasn’t even there.
I sat there for a moment, staring at the space she had just occupied, a heavy feeling settling in my chest.
Damn.
I messed up.
I knew I did.
And now…
Now I was paying for it.
I ran a hand over my face, exhaling slowly as I leaned back against the couch.
Part of me wanted to go after her immediately.
To force her to talk.
To fix this.
But another part of me knew..
She needed space.
And honestly…
I deserved this.
A few minutes passed before I finally got up.
I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing.
Not when she was clearly not okay.
I followed the direction she had gone and found her in the kitchen.
She wasn’t doing much.
Just… standing there.
Lost in her own thoughts.
I didn’t interrupt.
I stayed back, watching her for a moment, trying to figure out what to say, how to say it without making things worse.
But nothing came.
So I stayed silent.
Eventually, after a while, she moved.
She turned and walked out of the kitchen.
That was my chance.
I stepped forward quickly, moving to block her path before she could get too far.
“Aria.”
She stopped.
But she didn’t look at me.
“Let’s talk,” I said, my tone firm but not forceful this time.
She let out a sharp breath, her patience clearly gone.
“Let me through,” she said.
Her voice…
It wasn’t loud.
But it was edged with something dangerous.
I hesitated for a second.
Then I stepped slightly closer.
“We can’t keep avoiding this…”
“Let me through,” she repeated, louder this time.
Her eyes finally met mine.
And there it was again.
That coldness.
That distance.
Something twisted in my chest.
I didn’t want to push her further.
Not right now.
So I stepped aside.
“Fine,” I muttered quietly.
She didn’t wait.
She walked past me immediately, heading straight for the stairs.
I watched her go, my jaw tightening slightly as frustration and concern battled inside me.
The moment she disappeared upstairs, I moved.
Instead, I turned back toward the kitchen.
If she wasn’t ready to talk…
Maybe I could at least do something small.
Something that didn’t involve pushing her.
I opened the fridge and grabbed what I needed, moving quickly and quietly.
A juice.
I poured it into a glass, my movements mechanical as my thoughts kept circling the same thing.
What did she hear on that call?
Because whatever it was…
It changed everything.
I picked up the glass and headed upstairs.
The door to the room was slightly open.
I pushed it gently and stepped inside.
And there she was.
Sitting on the bed.
Her gaze fixed on the wall like she wasn’t really seeing it.
Like she was somewhere else entirely.
“Aria…” I said softly as I walked in.
I set the glass of juice down on the bedside table and turned to face her fully.
For a moment, I just stood there.
Trying to understand what was going on inside her head.
Then I exhaled lightly.
“Okay,” I said finally, my voice steady.
“What do you want to know?”
She turned her head.
Her eyes met mine.
And this time, there was no hesitation.
No softness.
Just a direct, piercing question.
“How did you know my Auntie Gianna?”
The name hit me like a trigger.
My entire body stiffened.
My mind went blank for half a second.
Gianna.
Of course.
So that was it.
That was what the call was about.
A slow, uneasy feeling crept into my chest.
Because if she was asking that…
Then she already knew something.
I held her gaze, my jaw tightening slightly as a thousand thoughts raced through my head at once.