CHAPTER EIGHT: The Woman He Chose
1028 Words
Aria POV
I hated press conferences.
I hated cameras.
I hated reporters.
And at this moment, I especially hated Luca De Luca.
The television mounted on the wall inside Damian’s penthouse displayed Luca’s face in perfect high definition while every major news network in London carried the broadcast live.
My stomach twisted.
Across the room, Damian stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. His posture remained relaxed, but I was beginning to understand something important about Damian.
The calmer he looked
The more dangerous he actually was.
His hands were tucked into the pockets of his dark trousers while his attention remained fixed on the television.
Watching.
Waiting.
Calculating.
The penthouse itself was breathtaking.
Modern.
Elegant.
Cold.
Exactly like its owner.
I still couldn’t believe I was here.
After the disaster outside De Luca Holdings earlier, Damian had refused to let me return to my apartment alone.
I had argued.
Naturally.
He had ignored every single argument.
Naturally.
Now I was sitting on an impossibly expensive cream-colored sofa while my soon-to-be ex-husband prepared to destroy me publicly.
“Are you sure you want to watch this?” Damian asked quietly.
I folded my arms.
“No.”
His eyes shifted toward me.
“Then don’t.”
I almost laughed.
The solution sounded ridiculously simple when he said it.
Unfortunately, reality wasn’t that simple.
“If he’s talking about me, I need to know.”
Something dark flickered behind Damian’s eyes.
“I already know what he’s going to say.”
My chest tightened.
Because so did I.
The broadcast officially began.
Reporters filled the room.
Camera flashes exploded.
Luca stepped onto the stage wearing a navy-blue suit and an expression carefully crafted to look heartbroken.
The performance nearly made me sick.
“Good afternoon,” he began.
Immediately, questions erupted from the crowd.
He raised a hand dramatically.
“I’d like to address recent events.”
Liar.
The word appeared instantly inside my mind.
Everything about him looked rehearsed.
Calculated.
Manipulative.
For years I had mistaken that confidence for charm.
Now I saw it clearly.
And I hated myself a little for not recognizing it sooner.
Luca lowered his gaze.
“I’ve remained silent because I wanted to protect my wife.”
I laughed bitterly.
Damian’s attention shifted toward me immediately.
Concern flickered across his face.
Briefly.
Before disappearing.
Back on screen, Luca continued.
“Unfortunately, there have been many false narratives circulating online.”
False narratives.
Interesting choice of words for a man whose mistress was carrying his child.
The reporters listened attentively.
Hooked.
Exactly as Luca intended.
Then came the first blow.
“Aria has been struggling emotionally for some time.”
My entire body went still.
There it was.
The beginning.
The first lie.
Heat flooded my face instantly.
I couldn’t believe he was actually doing this.
Publicly.
Without hesitation.
Without guilt.
“I tried everything possible to save our marriage.”
Another lie.
“Professional counseling.”
Lie.
“Private support.”
Lie.
“Patience.”
Lie.
Lie.
Lie.
Every word made me angrier.
Stronger.
Less heartbroken.
Because suddenly I wasn’t mourning my marriage anymore.
I was seeing the truth.
The real Luca.
Maybe for the first time.
“Some situations become impossible to fix.”
The crowd nodded sympathetically.
I wanted to throw something at the television.
Then a reporter asked the question.
The question.
“What about Isabella Moretti?”
The room fell silent.
My pulse accelerated.
Luca hesitated.
Good.
For the first time since the conference began, he looked uncomfortable.
Then “The relationship developed after my marriage had already broken down.”
I stared in disbelief.
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
He wasn’t even denying it.
He was rewriting it.
Repackaging betrayal as romance.
My hands clenched tightly.
Across the room, Damian looked ready to kill someone.
A frightening realization struck me.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
If Damian and Luca were alone together right now…
I wasn’t entirely convinced Luca would survive the conversation.
The thought should have alarmed me.
Instead, it was oddly comforting.
Then came the question that changed everything.
A female reporter stood.
“What about the rumors involving your brother?”
The room exploded instantly.
Questions flew from every direction.
Microphones rose.
Cameras zoomed.
Every network wanted the answer.
Luca’s jaw tightened visibly.
Good.
For once, he wasn’t controlling the narrative.
“What rumors?” he asked coldly.
The reporter didn’t back down.
“Rumors that Damian De Luca has become involved with your wife.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
My heartbeat hammered inside my chest.
Beside the window, Damian became perfectly still.
Dangerously still.
On screen, Luca laughed.
But it sounded forced.
Artificial.
“Those rumors are ridiculous.”
I exhaled slowly.
Then Luca continued.
And everything changed.
“My brother has never shown interest in Aria.”
The words hit strangely.
Not painful.
Just… strange.
Because suddenly I found myself wondering if that was true.
Had Damian never been interested?
Not once?
Not ever?
My thoughts drifted immediately toward the way he watched me.
The way he noticed everything.
The way he always seemed to appear whenever I needed help.
The way he looked at me.
No.
Luca was wrong.
Even if I couldn’t define it yet
Something existed there.
Something undeniable.
Then Damian’s phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
A humorless smile appeared.
The expression immediately made me nervous.
“What?”
He answered without taking his eyes off the television.
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then “Tell them I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
My stomach dropped.
“Where?”
Damian ended the call calmly.
Then he turned toward me.
His grey eyes locked onto mine.
Steady.
Certain.
Dangerous.
“The press conference.”
I blinked.
“What?”
His expression never changed.
“Since Luca wants to control the story…”
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Not quite a smile.
Something far more dangerous.
“We’ll give the media a better one.”
My pulse stumbled violently.
Because suddenly, for the first time
I realized Damian wasn’t planning to defend himself.
He was planning to choose a side.
And somehow…
That side was me.
- Writer
