Chapter 240 You’re just a replacement
Aria’s POV
Finally, he pulled me back against his chest, one hand pressed firmly against the back of my head.
"I understand," he murmured. "You love me as a person. Even if I turned out to be completely broken."
It was meant as a joke, but I could hear the genuine melancholy underneath. "What’s wrong? You’ve seemed so down all day."
"Nothing’s wrong," Damian said quietly. "Being with you makes me happy."
But his arms tightened around me even as he spoke.
I could feel that he didn’t want to talk about it, so I swallowed the questions on the tip of my tongue.
Maybe feeling physically unwell just made people more emotionally vulnerable. Whatever was bothering him—if he wanted to tell me, he would when he was ready.
Before bed, Damian brought up the topic of where we’d live after the wedding.
He’d been using his recovery time productively—he’d had Rick scope out several estates. All of them were relatively close to V&A Group headquarters, with beautiful surroundings and excellent privacy.
"Though if I’m being honest," he admitted, "I’d rather find somewhere remote enough that we could disappear for weeks and no one could find us. These are all far too convenient for you to work."
I laughed and scrolled through the videos Rick had taken on Damian’s phone. Every property looked stunning in its own way. I genuinely couldn’t choose.
"Let’s go see them in person once you’ve recovered," I suggested. "There’s no rush."
Besides, we couldn’t move right now anyway. Damian’s recovery would take at least weeks. We could wait until he was fully healed, and then after we moved... maybe go ahead and have the wedding ceremony too.
"Seeing them in person sounds good," Damian agreed, though I could hear the disappointment threading through his voice. "Once we have the house, there’s still the wedding to plan. I don’t want to make you wait too long."
He’d seen right through what I hadn’t said out loud.
I felt my face heat up.
Thinking about the wedding made my heart race in a way I’d never experienced before.
Even back when things had been good with Ethan, when he’d suggested skipping a big ceremony, I’d felt nothing. I’d told myself it was just a formality anyway.
But now I understood—even if it was just a formality, sharing that experience with the person you truly loved gave it meaning beyond measure.
I wanted to be a real bride. I wanted to be Damian’s bride—the most beautiful, most cherished bride he could imagine.
"You just focus on getting better," I said firmly, taking the opportunity to reinforce my point. "That’s the only way I won’t have to wait long."
I launched into my usual reminders about maintaining a positive attitude, getting enough sleep, taking his medication on schedule, following the doctor’s orders.
I wasn’t sure if Damian actually absorbed any of it, or if the medication was just kicking in—but within minutes of us lying down together, he’d drifted off with his arms wrapped around me.
Meanwhile, thinking about the wedding had my nerves buzzing with excitement. I couldn’t fall asleep at all. I stayed perfectly still though, just watching him, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing.
Gradually, drowsiness began to creep over me. My eyelids were just starting to flutter closed when I heard Damian make a sound—low and troubled, like he was caught in a nightmare.
I immediately pressed my palm against his back, trying to soothe whatever tension was gripping him.
That’s when I heard it. Two words, barely audible.
"...Vanessa... don’t..."
My hand froze against his spine.
---
The next day at noon, I sat in my V&A Group office staring blankly at the computer screen in front of me.
I didn’t even notice Jennifer knocking until she’d pushed the door open and walked halfway across my office.
"Aria."
Her voice snapped me back to reality. I blinked hard, forcing myself to focus on her face instead of the loop of thoughts that had been playing in my head all morning.
"Sorry, what do you need?"
"The documents you asked me to bring up." Jennifer held out a tablet, concern flickering across her features. "I emailed them earlier for your approval."
"Right. Of course." I took the tablet from her hands, scrolling through the files quickly.
But even as I scanned each page, I found myself pressing my finger against each line to track where I was reading—a habit I only fell into when my concentration was completely shot.
I signed off on each document mechanically, barely registering what I was approving.
When I handed the tablet back, Jennifer didn’t immediately leave. Instead, she hesitated near my desk, studying me with that careful attentiveness she’d developed over the months we’d worked together.
"I’m fine." I forced what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "Just thinking through some things."
Jennifer didn’t look convinced, but she knew better than to push. She gathered the tablet and quietly saw herself out.
The moment she disappeared into the hallway, I let out a long breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
My hands came up to press against my cheeks—a pathetic attempt at snapping myself out of this spiral.
*Focus, Aria. You have work to do. Stop overthinking things that probably mean nothing.*
Damian had mumbled something in his sleep. That was all. People said all kinds of random things when they were dreaming. It didn’t necessarily mean anything significant.
Except... I couldn’t quite convince myself of that.
Because what I’d heard—what I was almost certain I’d heard—was a name.
*Vanessa.*
Two syllables that had cut through the darkness of our bedroom like a blade.
"Vanessa... don’t..."
His voice had been thick with sleep, rough with some emotion I couldn’t identify. Distress, maybe. Or longing. I didn’t know.
And that uncertainty was eating me alive.
I’d lain awake for hours after that, my hand still resting on Damian’s back where I’d tried to soothe away whatever nightmare was tormenting him.
His breathing had eventually evened out again, his body relaxing back into peaceful sleep.
But I’d remained wide awake, staring at the ceiling while my mind raced through every interaction I’d ever witnessed between Damian and Vanessa.
My gala. The deliberate wine incident. Vanessa’s obvious history with him—a history he’d only given me the barest outline of.
And then there were the things Vanessa herself had said to me at the gala.
*"You think you know him? You don’t know anything about what we shared."*
*"He’ll always come back to me, Aria. He always has. Twenty years, and no matter who passes through his life—in the end, it’s me he returns to."*
And then there were the things Vanessa herself had said to me weeks ago, during that confrontation outside the restroom.
*"Look at yourself, Aria. Then look at me. Don’t you think it’s interesting how similar we are? Same coloring, same build, same..."*
She hadn’t finished that sentence. But the implication had hung in the air between us, ugly and poisonous.
*You’re just a replacement. A substitute for what he really wants.*
I’d dismissed it at the time. Written it off as the desperate manipulation of a jealous ex trying to create doubt where none existed.
But now, lying in bed listening to Damian murmur another woman’s name in his sleep... I couldn’t quite silence that poisonous little voice anymore.
What if Vanessa had been right?
What if I really was just—
*No.*
I shook my head sharply, physically trying to dislodge the thought before it could fully form.
This was ridiculous. I was being ridiculous.
Damian had chosen me. He’d pursued me with an intensity that still sometimes took my breath away.
He’d fought for me, protected me, stood beside me through every challenge the supernatural world had thrown at us.
None of that would make sense if I was just some replacement for a woman he’d lost years ago.
But then why had he said her name like that? With that particular tone of voice—almost pleading?
*"Vanessa... don’t..."*
Don’t what? Don’t leave? Don’t go?
My phone buzzed on the desk, making me jump.