The CEO's Rejected Wife And Secret Heir novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Confession

Aria pov

"Will be picked apart and used against me. I know." I stood up, pacing. "But silence makes me look guilty. Like I was hiding Noah out of shame or manipulation. I need to tell my side before Damien tells his."

"What is your side?" Olivia asked carefully.

I stopped pacing. "The truth. That I was thrown out while pregnant. That I built a life for my son because I had no other choice. That I came back to this city for business, not for Damien. That Noah is my priority, and anyone who threatens him will have to go through me."

"That’s... actually pretty good." Olivia stood up too. "But you need to be careful. Don’t attack Damien directly. Don’t give them anything that makes you look vindictive or unstable."

"I am vindictive," I muttered.

"I know. But they don’t need to." She squeezed my arm. "Let me call my PR friend. She handles crisis communications for celebrities. If anyone can help you navigate this"

"Mama!" Noah’s voice interrupted us, high and excited. "Mama, come look!"

I went to the living room, grateful for the distraction. Noah had set up all his stuffed animals in a circle, with his lion in the middle.

"It’s a family meeting," he explained seriously. "Like what you do for work. The lion is the boss, and everyone has to listen."

"That’s very creative, baby." I sat down on the floor with him. "What’s the meeting about?"

"About being safe." His small face was solemn. "The lion is telling everyone how to stay safe from bad guys."

My heart clenched. He’d been listening this morning. He’d understood more than I’d thought.

"And what does the lion say?" I asked gently.

Noah made the lion hop forward. "He says stick together. Stay close. And if you’re scared, call for help."

"That’s very smart advice."

"Mama?" He looked up at me with those devastating blue eyes—Damien’s eyes. "Is Damien a bad guy?"

The question hit me like a punch. How did I answer that? How did I explain to a three-year-old the complicated truth about his father?

"No, baby. Damien isn’t a bad guy." The words felt terrible, but they were true. Damien had done terrible things, but he wasn’t evil. He was broken and trying to fix himself. "He made some mistakes, but he’s trying to do better."

"Does he love me?"

Oh God. "Yes, Noah. He loves you very much."

"Do you love him?"

I froze. Olivia, standing in the doorway, froze too.

Noah was watching me with innocent curiosity, waiting for an answer that I didn’t have. That I didn’t want to have.

"It’s complicated, baby," I finally managed.

"That means yes," Noah said matter-of-factly. "You always say things are complicated when you don’t want to explain."

From the mouths of babes.

Before I could respond, my phone rang. Damien. I almost didn’t answer, but Noah was watching me, and I didn’t want him to think I was avoiding his father.

"What?" I answered curtly.

"Turn on the news." Damien’s voice was strained. "Channel Seven. Now."

I grabbed the remote and flicked on the TV. Channel Seven was showing a live press conference. And there, standing at a podium in front of Blackwood Tower, was Damien.

He looked devastated. Raw. Nothing like the cold CEO the world knew.

"I’m here today to address the reports about my son," he said, his voice steady but his eyes haunted. "And to tell the truth about what happened years ago. Because the woman who bore my child deserves that. And my son deserves a father who’s honest about his failures."

"Oh my God," Olivia breathed. "He’s really doing it."

On screen, Damien took a breath and continued. "years ago, I made the worst mistake of my life. I threw my pregnant wife out of my life based on lies and manipulation. I accused her of trapping me. I told her to get rid of our child." His voice broke slightly. "I destroyed the woman I’d married and turned my back on my own son before he was born."

The reporters erupted with questions, but Damien held up his hand.

"Aria Monroe is not a gold-digger or a manipulator. She’s a brilliant businesswoman who built an empire from nothing while raising our son alone. She’s a survivor who overcame my cruelty and my family’s toxicity. And if there’s a villain in this story, it’s me."

I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Noah had climbed into my lap, watching the screen with wide eyes.

"That’s Dad I mean Damien," he said. "Why does he look so sad, Mama?"

"Because he is sad, baby," I whispered.

On screen, Damien looked directly at the camera. "Aria, if you’re watching this—I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I know I don’t deserve to be Noah’s father. But I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to earn that right. And anyone who comes after you or our son will have to go through me first."

He stepped back from the podium as reporters shouted questions, but he ignored them all. He just walked away, leaving the world with his confession.

The news anchor came back on screen, already analyzing what had just happened. The scandal had just doubled in size.

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