Chapter 13: Torn Between Two Hearts
857 Words
The silence between Ariana and Damian lasted for days.
Not the peaceful kind—but the heavy, suffocating kind that filled every corner of the penthouse. They moved around each other like strangers, careful, distant, and painfully aware of everything left unsaid.
Ariana buried herself in work, hoping it would quiet the storm inside her. But no matter how many meetings she attended or decisions she made, her thoughts always drifted back to one thing.
Damian.
His betrayal.
And the truth he had finally admitted.
It started that way.
Those words echoed in her mind like a wound that refused to heal.
“You can’t keep doing this to yourself.”
Ariana looked up to find Lucas standing in her office doorway again, concern written all over his face.
“I’m fine,” she said automatically, though her tired eyes betrayed her.
Lucas stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “No, you’re not.”
She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I just need time.”
“To figure out Damian?” he asked gently.
Ariana hesitated. “To figure out everything.”
Lucas nodded, then moved closer. “Then let me make it easier for you.”
She frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
“Choose peace,” he said simply. “Choose something that doesn’t hurt you.”
Her chest tightened.
“And you think that’s you?” she asked quietly.
“I think I’ve always been there for you,” Lucas replied. “I’ve never lied to you. Never used you. Never made you question where you stand.”
His words were calm—but they carried weight. Truth.
Everything Damian had failed to give her.
“Come with me,” Lucas continued softly. “Leave all of this behind. The contract, the lies, the pain. You don’t need it.”
Ariana looked at him, really looked at him. He was offering her something simple. Safe. Certain.
A life without chaos.
Without heartbreak.
So why did her heart hesitate?
That evening, Ariana returned to the penthouse earlier than usual. She found Damian in the living room, his sleeves rolled up, his tie loosened—yet he still looked composed, controlled.
Untouchable.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Damian broke the silence. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
Ariana crossed her arms. “You’ve been giving me reasons to.”
He nodded slightly, as if he expected that answer.
“Fair enough,” he said. “But we can’t keep going like this.”
“Then what do you suggest?” she asked.
Damian took a step closer. “We talk. Honestly. No more lies.”
Ariana let out a small, bitter laugh. “Now you want honesty?”
“I should have told you the truth from the beginning,” he admitted. “I know that.”
“Yes, you should have,” she replied sharply.
Silence followed, thick with tension.
“But that doesn’t change what I feel now,” Damian added quietly.
Her heart skipped—but she quickly steadied herself. “And what is that?”
He met her gaze, something raw finally breaking through his usual control.
“You.”
The single word hit harder than anything else.
Ariana shook her head, taking a step back. “Don’t.”
“I mean it,” he said, his voice low but firm. “This isn’t about revenge anymore. It hasn’t been for a while.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?” she demanded. “When everything we have is built on a lie?”
“Because I’m still here,” Damian replied. “If this was just about revenge, I would have walked away already.”
She hesitated.
“And you didn’t,” she said quietly.
“No,” he admitted. “Because I can’t.”
The vulnerability in his voice made her chest ache.
But the pain was still there too.
“So what now?” she asked, her voice softer but uncertain.
Damian took another step closer, careful this time.
“Now… I fight for you,” he said. “Even if you don’t choose me.”
Her breath caught.
“You’re asking me to trust you again,” she whispered.
“I’m asking you to give me a chance to earn it,” he corrected.
Ariana looked at him, her emotions tangled, her heart pulled in two different directions.
Lucas offered peace.
Damian offered something else entirely.
Something complicated.
Something painful.
Something real.
“I don’t know if I can,” she admitted.
Damian nodded slowly, though the tension in his eyes didn’t fade.
“Then I’ll prove it to you,” he said.
Later that night, Ariana stood by the window, staring out at the city lights.
Her mind was no clearer than before.
But her heart…
It was louder.
More confused.
More conflicted than ever.
Two paths stood before her.
One safe.
One dangerous.
And the hardest part was—
She didn’t know which one would truly make her happy.
Across the room, Damian watched her quietly.
He had made his choice.
Now…
It was her turn.
- Writer
