Ariana woke before the sun.
Not because she had slept early—
but because something pulled her awake.
A heaviness in the air.
A tightness in her chest.
An echo of last night's fear still lingering in her dreams.
She blinked slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the soft dim glow of the room.
Her gaze drifted—
And she froze.
Damian was sitting upright on the couch, elbows on his knees, head bowed slightly…
but awake.
Watching.
Guarding.
It hit her like something warm and heavy in her chest.
He hadn't slept.
At all.
Ariana pushed the blanket aside quietly.
"Damian…?" she whispered.
His head lifted instantly, sharp and alert—
then softened the moment he saw her.
"Did I wake you?" he asked gently.
"No," she said, stepping closer.
"You didn't sleep."
"I was resting," he lied.
She shook her head.
"Damian, I saw you. You were awake the whole night."
He looked down at his hands.
"I needed to stay alert," he admitted.
"I won't risk someone getting close to you."
Ariana's throat tightened.
"But you can't protect me if you're exhausted."
His eyes flickered up to hers, slow and intense.
"For you, I would stay awake for a week."
Her heart almost stopped.
"Don't say things like that," she whispered.
"It's true."
They held each other's gaze.
Neither looked away.
****
Breakfast… Together
Ariana insisted he come downstairs with her.
"You need to eat," she said.
Damian didn't argue.
Not today.
The kitchen staff froze when they saw both of them enter—
Damian had never joined anyone in the kitchen… ever.
But Ariana treated it like it was normal.
She pulled out a chair for him.
Damian blinked.
"You don't need to—"
"I want to," she said quietly.
He slowly sat.
Ariana prepared two simple plates—bread, eggs, fruit—feeling his eyes on her every movement.
When she placed the plate in front of him, he murmured:
"No one has ever served me breakfast before."
Ariana paused.
Not even Lena?
But she didn't ask.
She didn't want to know.
Instead, she sat across from him.
"Then you should get used to it."
Damian's eyes softened—so subtly that only someone paying close attention would notice.
They ate in quiet, comfortable silence.
But then—
Damian spoke without looking up:
"Ariana."
"Yes?"
"You don't have to stay by my side out of fear. Not because of last night. Not because of danger."
She frowned softly.
"I'm sitting here because… I want to."
He finally lifted his eyes.
The expression in them made her breath catch.
Something deep.
Something warm.
Something rare.
****
His Phone Rings
The moment felt fragile.
Soft.
Almost romantic.
Then—
Ring — Ring — Ring.
Damian's phone lit up with a secure line number.
His entire demeanor shifted.
From soft…
to steel.
He answered sharply:
"Report."
A pause.
His eyes narrowed.
"When?"
Another pause.
"Show me."
He stood instantly.
Ariana felt her heart race.
"What is it?"
Damian turned to her, jaw clenched.
"They found one of the men."
A chill ran through Ariana's blood.
"Found him? As in… caught him?"
"Yes."
Ariana's voice trembled.
"Damian… what will you do?"
He stepped closer to her.
Close enough that she felt the intensity radiating from him.
Close enough that she felt the threat wasn't to her—
but to whoever hurt her.
"I will question him," Damian said simply.
Ariana's stomach twisted.
"You're angry," she whispered.
He shook his head slowly.
"Ariana… this isn't anger."
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice to something cold and devastating:
"This is what happens when someone touches what's mine."
Ariana's breath caught.
Mine.
He had said mine.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
"Damian… don't go alone."
His expression softened again—
as if only she could bring him back from the edge.
"I won't."
He placed a hand lightly behind her head, fingers gentle in her hair.
"I'll return soon."
Ariana swallowed hard.
"Please… be careful."
Damian's eyes flickered—
with something warm, something protective, something she couldn't name.
"I will."
He stepped back.
The moment he turned, his presence shifted again—
from the man who gently tucked a blanket around her…
to the man the world feared.
The man who would confront whoever dared target his wife.
The man walking straight into the storm
for her.
The door closed behind him.
Ariana wrapped her arms around herself, whispering:
"Damian… come back safe."
She didn't know it yet—
But this chapter would be the turning point.
The moment where love began to replace fear.
The moment she realized how deeply he had already claimed a place in her heart.