The CEO's Rejected Wife And Secret Heir novel Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Later that night

Aria pov

"Damien." I stopped him. "Thank you, for all of this. For not pushing. For respecting my boundaries while still... still being here."

"I meant what I said at the press conference," he replied, his eyes intense. "I’ll spend the rest of my life making this up to you, to Noah. However long that takes."

A scream from Noah’s room had us both running.

But it wasn’t fear—it was delight. Noah had discovered the toy chest and was now buried in stuffed dinosaurs, laughing as they "attacked" him.

"Mama! Daddy! Come play!"

Damien looked at me, asking permission.

"Go ahead," I said. "I’ll be there in a minute."

I watched from the doorway as Damien sat on the floor, letting Noah pile dinosaurs on him, roaring and growling and making my son laugh. Really laugh, not the scared whimpers from the warehouse, but genuine joy.

This was what I’d wanted years ago. A family. A father for my son. Love and safety and belonging.

I’d just never imagined it could happen with Damien.

My phone buzzed with a news alert.

BREAKING: Billionaire CEO Damien Blackwood Transfers Empire to Brother in Exchange for Son’s Safety - Son Found Safe, Marcus Blackwood Still at Large

The press conference was everywhere. Our confessions, our tears, our desperate pleas—all of it dissected and analyzed by millions.

But Noah was safe, that was all that mattered.

Another buzz. This time, a text from an unknown number.

My blood ran cold.

Well played, brother. You gave me everything I wanted and still got your son back. But don’t celebrate yet. This isn’t over. Blackwood always pays his debts, and you still owe me blood.

I deleted the text immediately but didn’t show Damien.

Not tonight. Tonight, we were just a family having McDonald’s and playing with dinosaurs.

The threats could wait until tomorrow.

"Mama!" Noah called. "You have to be the mama triceratops! She’s brave and she protects everyone!"

I joined them on the floor, letting Noah assign me a role in his dinosaur game, letting the nightmare of the last two days fade—just for a moment—into the background.

Damien caught my eye over Noah’s head, and mouthed two words: Thank you.

I nodded, for Noah’s sake.

Damien POV

Noah was finally asleep.

It had taken three stories, two lullabies (both from Aria—my voice had made him cry again), and an hour of lying beside him in the race car bed before his eyes finally stayed closed.

I stood in the doorway now, just watching him breathe. Making sure he was really here and safe.

"He’s okay." Aria’s voice came from behind me. She’d changed into pajamas—soft cotton that made her look younger, more vulnerable. "You can stop watching him like he’ll disappear."

"Can I?" I didn’t look away from Noah. "Marcus is still out there. Still threatening, how do I sleep knowing that?"

"The same way I have for years." She moved beside me, looking at our son. "One day at a time, one breath at a time. Trusting that you’re strong enough to protect him when it matters."

"I failed him once."

"You were there when he needed you most." She looked at me then, her expression softer than I’d seen in years. "At the press conference. You gave up everything without hesitation, that matters."

"It doesn’t make up for three years."

"No," she agreed. "But it’s a start."

We stood in silence, watching Noah sleep.

"I meant what I said," I told her quietly. "No expectations. No pressure. You can leave tomorrow if you want and I won’t fight you."

"I know." She wrapped her arms around herself. "That’s why I’m not leaving at least not yet. Noah needs stability, he needs to know his father isn’t going away."

"And you?"

She didn’t answer right away. When she did, her voice was barely a whisper.

"I don’t know what I need years ago, I needed to hate you to survive. Now..." She shook her head. "Now I just need my son to be safe. Everything else is secondary."

"Fair enough."

I pulled Noah’s door mostly closed, leaving it cracked so we could hear if he woke. Aria and I walked together down the hall toward the guest room.

"Damien?" She stopped at her door. "Tomorrow, when Agent Sarah comes for statements... Noah is going to have to talk about what happened."

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