Dante's POV
Aria collapsed.
I caught her before she hit the floor, lifting her into my arms. She was so light. Too light. How much weight had she lost in just two days?
"Aria!" Sophie rushed over, checking her pulse. "She's in shock. Damn it, this is too much!"
"Get her water," I ordered Marcus, carrying Aria to the leather couch. Her face was paper-white, her breathing shallow.
I'd broken her.
The truth about her mother's murder, her father's betrayal—I should've waited. Should've eased her into it. But there wasn't time. Victoria was downstairs with a gun. Julian was getting desperate. And Aria needed to understand exactly what kind of monsters surrounded her.
She needed to know why she had to choose me. Now.
Her eyes fluttered open. "My mother..."
"I'm sorry." I brushed hair from her face. "I'm so sorry, Aria."
"My father helped kill her?" Her voice cracked. "He knew?"
I wanted to lie. Wanted to protect her from this pain.
But she deserved the truth.
"Yes. Victoria wanted your mother's money. Your father wanted Victoria. They poisoned her slowly over six months. Made it look like cancer."
Aria's tears fell silently. "I was twelve. I watched her die. I held her hand and told her everything would be okay."
My chest ached. This beautiful, broken woman had been fighting alone for so long.
"She left you everything," I said gently. "A trust fund worth five billion dollars. It unlocks when you turn twenty-five—which is in thirty days. Your grandfather has been searching for you ever since she died. Victoria and your father hid you from him."
"Why didn't he find me sooner?"
"They changed your last name legally. Erased your mother's family connections. Your grandfather only discovered the truth six months ago when he hired me to investigate."
Aria sat up slowly, her hand on her stomach. Protecting the baby even now.
"You've known for six months?"
"Yes." I wouldn't apologize for it. "I've been watching you. Making sure you were safe. Waiting for the right moment."
"The right moment?" Her laugh was bitter. "You mean waiting for me to be destroyed enough to say yes?"
The accusation stung because it was partially true.
"I mean waiting until you needed me as much as I needed you."
Sophie handed Aria water. "Dante, maybe you should give her space—"
"No." Aria's voice was stronger now. "No more space. No more waiting." She looked at me with those doe eyes that had haunted me for five years. "Tell me everything. Right now. Every secret you're hiding."
I should've deflected. Should've kept some cards close.
But she asked. And I'd promised myself I'd never lie to her.
"I was nineteen when my parents died," I started. "Car accident. Except it wasn't. My father's business partner sabotaged the brakes because he wanted full control of our tech company."
Marcus shifted uncomfortably. He knew this story. Knew how dark it got.
"I spent three years living on the streets, building my company from nothing. Then one morning, I was ready to give up. Ready to just... stop fighting. And you appeared."
Aria's eyes widened. "At the coffee shop."
"You bought me breakfast. Gave me money. But more than that—you saw me. Really saw me. Like I was still human." My voice roughened. "You told me things get better. You smiled at me like I mattered. Then you walked away before I could even ask your name."
"I remember you were crying," she whispered.
"I spent two years searching for you. When I finally found you, you were engaged to Julian Cross. Happy. Loved. I thought... maybe I was too late."
"So you just watched me?"
"I protected you." The distinction mattered. "I made sure Julian's business deals went through so he wouldn't stress you. I had security follow you at night so you'd be safe. I investigated everyone in your life to make sure nobody hurt you."
"That's obsessive," Sophie muttered.
"Yes," I agreed simply. "It is. But I don't care. Aria saved my life. I owed her everything."
"You don't owe me anything," Aria said firmly.
"Then I'm not doing this because I owe you." I took her hands. "I'm doing this because in five years of watching you, I fell in love with your kindness. Your strength. The way you smile at strangers and work until you collapse and sacrifice everything for people who don't deserve you."
Her breath caught. "Dante..."
"Marry me, Aria. Not because you're desperate. Not because you need protection. Marry me because I will spend every day proving you made the right choice."
The room was silent.
Sophie's phone buzzed. She checked it and went pale.
"Um, guys? You need to see this."
She showed us her screen. A video was playing. Julian and Celeste's wedding reception—live-streamed on Instagram.
Julian stood at the microphone, looking devastated.
"I need to confess something," he said to the crowd. "I made a terrible mistake. The woman I really love... isn't here. Aria, if you're watching—I'm sorry. Come back. Please."
Celeste screamed, throwing her bouquet at him.
The video cut off.
"He just confessed at his own wedding reception," Marcus said slowly. "That's... actually insane."
My phone rang. Unknown number.
I answered. "Blackwood."
A cold, cultured voice spoke. "Mr. Blackwood, this is Judge Harrison. I understand you need an emergency marriage license?"
"Yes, sir. Can you come to my office?"
"I'm afraid I cannot." He paused. "I've just been informed that Miss Aria Montgomery is under investigation for embezzlement from her family's company. There's a warrant being issued for her arrest. I cannot marry a woman facing criminal charges."
My blood turned to ice.
"That's impossible. She built that company—"
"Nevertheless, the charges are filed. I'm sorry, Mr. Blackwood. Perhaps in a few months, after the investigation—"
I hung up.
Looked at Aria's trusting face.
"We have a problem," I said quietly. "Your father just filed embezzlement charges against you. The police are coming."