The days following Victoria's sentencing felt surreal.
Aria kept expecting to wake up and find it had all been a dream—the trial, the verdict, the eight-year sentence. But every morning she woke in Damien's arms, in their penthouse overlooking the city, with the knowledge that Victoria was in prison and could never hurt her again.
It was real, finally, and truly over.
The media coverage had been intense for a few days. Headlines screamed about the "Evil Stepmother" and the "Billionaire's Brave Wife." Aria had ignored all of it, staying off social media and letting Jennifer handle any press inquiries.
By the end of the first week after sentencing, the news cycle had moved on to other stories. The reporters stopped calling, the cameras went away, and Aria could finally breathe.
It was a
