Chapter 5

Aria pushed through the stairwell door just as the man disappeared down another flight of stairs.

The hospital corridor spun slightly from how fast she moved, but she forced herself forward anyway.

Her medical report was still in his hand.

The pregnancy report.

If that information reached the wrong person—

No.

She shoved the thought aside and hurried downstairs.

The man in the black cap moved quickly through the emergency exit and into the back parking lot behind the hospital.

Rainwater covered the pavement from last night’s storm. Cars passed loudly on the street nearby while nurses and delivery workers crossed the alley without noticing anything unusual.

“Hey!” Aria shouted again.

The man glanced back briefly.

Then started running.

Aria clenched her jaw and followed despite the sharp ache building in her chest.

“Miss!”

A security guard near the back entrance noticed the situation immediately.

But before he could react properly, a black motorcycle suddenly stopped beside the man.

The stranger jumped onto the back seat and tossed something into a puddle before speeding away into traffic.

Aria reached the spot seconds later.

Her medical papers floated in dirty rainwater.

Half soaked.

Half torn.

She picked them up quickly with trembling fingers.

The security guard approached her cautiously. “Miss, are you alright?”

Aria nodded immediately. “I’m fine.”

“You should report this.”

“No.” She folded the ruined documents carefully. “It’s okay.”

Because deep down, she already knew something worse:

That man wasn’t a random thief.

He specifically targeted the pregnancy report.

Which meant someone knew.

Or suspected.

Her phone vibrated in her hand again.

Damien.

Still on the call.

Aria had forgotten completely.

“Aria?” His voice came sharply through the speaker. “What happened?”

She looked toward the busy street where the motorcycle had disappeared.

“Nothing.”

“That didn’t sound like nothing.”

“I said I handled it.”

Damien’s patience snapped instantly. “Where exactly are you?”

Aria closed her eyes briefly.

Even now, his controlling tone still affected her automatically.

Maybe five years was enough to train someone into obedience.

She hated that realization.

“I’m leaving the hospital,” she answered finally.

“Why were you there?”

The question lingered.

Aria looked down at the damaged pregnancy report in her hand.

Then toward the reporters gathering near the front entrance downstairs.

If Damien discovered the pregnancy now, everything would become complicated again.

Lily had just returned.

The divorce wasn’t finalized.

And Damien still hated her enough to publicly humiliate her.

A baby would only become another battlefield.

“Food poisoning,” Aria lied calmly.

Silence.

Then Damien said coldly, “You sound terrible.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m sending a driver.”

“No.”

“That wasn’t a request.”

Aria almost laughed.

Some things really never changed.

Before she could argue again, Damien disconnected first.

Aria stared at the phone for a moment before slipping it into her bag.

Then she froze.

The bag.

Someone had opened it during the chase.

Her wallet remained inside.

Phone too.

But the hospital envelope containing the original blood test paperwork was gone.

A cold feeling settled heavily in her stomach.

The man didn’t just want the report he grabbed from the floor.

He searched her bag too.

Carefully.

Deliberately.

Aria tightened her grip on the torn papers before leaving the alley quickly.

By evening, exhaustion had settled deep into her body.

The apartment remained quiet except for occasional traffic sounds outside the window.

Aria sat cross-legged on the floor surrounded by job applications, unopened bills, and her old sketchbooks.

The reality finally hit properly.

She had almost no savings left.

Most of her personal accounts were frozen under Cole family legal review until the divorce finalized completely.

Another one of Damien’s precautions.

Not cruel enough to leave her homeless.

Not kind enough to make her independent either.

Just controlled.

Always controlled.

Aria looked toward the small notebook beside her.

Inside were dozens of fashion sketches she drew secretly over the years.

Dress designs.

Fabric concepts.

Luxury packaging ideas.

Things she created quietly during lonely nights inside the Cole mansion.

Damien never knew.

Nobody did.

Because somewhere along the way, survival became more important than dreams.

Her phone buzzed again.

This time from an unknown number.

Aria hesitated before answering.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Cole?”

The male voice sounded unfamiliar.

“This is Daniel from Blackwood Security. Mr. Cole assigned private surveillance around your apartment temporarily.”

Aria sat upright instantly. “What?”

“It’s only for your safety, ma’am.”

Of course.

Damien assigned people to watch her.

Not because he cared.

Because Damien Cole hated losing control of anything connected to him.

“I don’t need security.”

“I understand, ma’am, but our orders are strict.”

Aria rubbed her forehead slowly.

Wonderful.

Even after signing divorce papers, Damien still found ways to monitor her life.

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Mrs. Cole”

She ended the call immediately.

A few seconds later, she walked toward the curtains carefully and peeked outside.

A black sedan sat across the street.

Two men inside.

Watching the building.

Unbelievable.

Aria let the curtain fall shut again.

Then suddenly—

A sharp knock hit the apartment door.

Her body stiffened instantly.

Nobody knew this address except Noah.

The knock came again.

Slower this time.

Aria moved quietly toward the door without making noise.

Another knock.

Then a woman’s voice spoke softly outside.

“Delivery.”

Aria frowned.

She never ordered food.

Carefully, she looked through the peephole.

A delivery woman stood outside holding a paper bag and wearing a cap low over her face.

Something felt wrong immediately.

The woman kept glancing down the hallway instead of toward the apartment door.

Aria didn’t move.

After nearly thirty seconds, the woman sighed impatiently.

“Miss?”

Still silence.

Then suddenly the woman pulled out her phone and muttered quietly—

“She’s inside.”

Aria’s stomach dropped.

The hallway went silent again.

A few seconds later, heavy footsteps approached from somewhere farther down the corridor.

More than one person.

Aria stepped back instantly.

No.

Absolutely not.

She grabbed her phone quickly and dialed Noah first.

No answer.

The footsteps outside grew closer.

Fast.

Then the doorknob moved violently.

Aria’s heartbeat slammed against her ribs.

Someone was trying to force the lock open.

She backed away immediately while clutching her stomach instinctively.

The baby.

The thought hit her hard enough to clear every distraction from her mind.

Another violent shake hit the door.

The fake delivery woman whispered harshly outside, “Hurry up.”

Aria grabbed the nearest thing within reach— a metal lamp from beside the bed.

Her hands tightened around it.

The lock cracked loudly.

Then suddenly—

Voices exploded outside the apartment.

“Move away from the door!”

A struggle erupted in the hallway.

Heavy footsteps.

Someone shouting.

The doorknob stopped moving instantly.

Aria stood frozen inside the apartment.

Then a familiar voice called sharply through the door.

“Mrs. Cole!”

One of Damien’s security men.

Silence followed for several seconds before another voice spoke.

“Ma’am, it’s handled. Please open the door.”

Aria didn’t move immediately.

Her breathing still sounded uneven in the small apartment.

Finally she unlocked the door carefully.

Two security guards stood outside restraining the fake delivery woman while another man lay unconscious near the staircase.

One of Damien’s men looked furious.

“Are you hurt?”

Aria shook her head slowly.

The guard’s expression darkened. “They specifically asked for your bag first.”

The hallway suddenly felt colder.

“Did they say who sent them?” Aria asked quietly.

The guard hesitated, then said quietly,

“No.”

But his expression afterward said enough. And for the first time since leaving the mansion, Aria realized this was no longer just about a divorce.