Aria Cole had three years, one wedding dress, and a future she believed in completely. She lost all of it in a single text message. Thirteen minutes before the ceremony. From the man she was about to marry and her best friend. She did not cry. She walked out, found the nearest bar, and ordered whiskey. That was where she met Damien Cross. He was guarded, quietly powerful, and carrying his own reasons for needing a wife before the night was over. His offer was simple. Six months. A contract marriage. No feelings. A clean exit at the end. Aria said yes. What neither of them prepared for was everything that happens inside those six months. The walls that were never supposed to come down. The small, quiet moments that say more than either of them intended. The way two people who agreed not to fall in love can find themselves falling anyway, slowly and completely, before they even realise it is happening. Aria planned to leave. Damien planned to let her go. Neither of them planned for the truth.