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His Wife, His Mistake
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Truth You Never Knew
POV: Arya
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The gallery was quiet.
Too quiet.
Liam was upstairs with Miriam. The door was locked. No interruptions. Just Damon and me — and everything we'd avoided for four years sitting between us like a ghost.
He stood by the window, fingers nervously tapping the sill. I sat on the edge of the couch, staring at the floor.
My hands were shaking.
I didn't know how to start.
But I couldn't keep it buried anymore.
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"I was pregnant when I left you."
His head snapped toward me so fast I flinched.
"I didn't know it then," I said quickly. "Not exactly. But that morning, I felt… off. Tired. Sick. My chest ached in a way that wasn't just from crying."
Damon didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Just watched me.
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"I took the test the next day," I continued. "I had already filed the divorce papers. I was halfway out the door. And then—two pink lines."
I let out a breathless laugh.
"It was cruel, in a way. Like life wanted to test how strong I could be. How alone I could really feel."
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Damon took a shaky step forward. "Arya…"
"I didn't tell you," I cut in, looking up. "Because I didn't want you to come back out of guilt. Or obligation. Or worse—because of pride."
He opened his mouth, but I shook my head.
"I needed you to be gone. I needed space to breathe without your shadow choking me."
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Tears slid down my cheeks, but I didn't wipe them away.
"You weren't there when I passed out from morning sickness in the grocery store. Or when I drove myself to the hospital during a snowstorm because I was cramping and thought I'd lose him."
Damon's face was pale now.
"I wasn't perfect," I whispered, voice trembling. "There were nights I hated you so much, I'd scream into a pillow just to stay sane. And then I'd hold Liam and cry because I didn't want him to carry that hate."
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"I didn't know," he said, voice raw.
"No," I said. "You didn't. Because you weren't there. And maybe that was my choice. Maybe it was selfish. But I didn't trust you to love me again… not after her."
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He sat down slowly across from me, elbows on his knees, hands trembling in his lap.
"I didn't love Sophia," he said quietly.
"But you chose her."
"I didn't even know I was choosing," he said. "She was there when things got messy. She made it easy to forget the hard parts. But it wasn't love, Arya. It was cowardice."
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I stared at him for a long moment.
"You stopped touching me," I said. "Long before Sophia."
He looked away.
"You stopped seeing me. I'd dress up, hoping you'd notice. I'd try to talk to you at dinner, and you'd barely look up from your phone."
"I thought we had time," he whispered.
"Well, we didn't."
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We were both quiet then.
Grief settling over us like dust.
He finally spoke again. "I missed everything."
"You missed his first word. It was 'mama.' His first steps. His first cold. The first time he drew a picture and said it was 'our family.' And he only drew two people."
Damon's shoulders shook.
"I wasn't ready to let you be his father again," I said. "But he deserves to know you. That's why I let you stay."
He looked up, eyes red. "Do you think he could ever forgive me?"
"I don't know," I said honestly. "But he's yours. And he's gentle. Like me. He's got your stubbornness, though. He won't say it out loud, but he watches you. Every time you come near."
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Damon nodded slowly.
"I should've fought harder," he whispered. "When I saw you leaving that day… I should've run after you."
"Why didn't you?"
"I thought you'd come back."
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I laughed again — but it wasn't bitter this time.
"Of course you did."
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"I thought what we had was too strong to end over one mistake."
"It wasn't one mistake, Damon," I said. "It was a thousand little ones. The way you stopped listening. The way you let me disappear in my own home. Sophia was just the final straw."
He lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
"You should be."
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He looked up.
"I still love you, Arya."
"I know."
He leaned forward slightly.
"But do you still trust me?"
I didn't answer right away.
Trust wasn't built in a day. It wasn't earned with one kiss or one dinner or one apology.
But maybe…
Just maybe…
This was a start.
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"I don't know if I trust you," I said. "But I trust what I saw in your eyes last night."
"And what was that?"
"Regret. Love. And… the man I used to know."
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He moved closer now, hands reaching for mine.
I didn't stop him.
His fingers trembled against mine, and I realized…
Mine trembled too.
"I want to do better," he said. "For Liam. For you. For myself."
I nodded.
"Then start now."
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We sat there for a long time.
Saying nothing more.
Just two people who had finally, finally stopped running.
And maybe… just maybe…
We were ready to begin again.
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