Damien’s POV
But I knew the answer. I'd been blind. Arrogant. Cruel. I'd destroyed my marriage to a woman who actually loved me, thrown away a partnership that could have been something beautiful, all for what? For Vanessa? For freedom that turned out to be just another cage? For the illusion of control when I'd never been in control of anything?
My father had known. That's what hurt the most. Robert Cross had known exactly what would happen. He'd built that clause into the marriage contract because he knew his son was too stupid, too selfish, and too short-sighted to see the trap he was walking into.
And now I was paying for it. Every single day, I was paying for it.
I thought about texting Aria again. Begging her to meet with me. To talk. To find a way to fix this disaster. But what
