All Chapters of I Saved Him And Paid For It : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The ballroom sparkled beneath crystal chandeliers, overflowing with expensive perfume, champagne, and fake smiles.At the center of it all stood Aria Cole.Or rather, Aria Jones.Because despite being married for five years, Damien Cole had never once truly allowed her to become part of his world.“Mrs. Cole, this way please!”“Look here!”“Smile!”Camera flashes burst across the grand ballroom of the Lancaster Hotel while reporters crowded near the stage. Tonight was supposed to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Damien and Aria’s marriage.Supposed to.Aria adjusted the sleeve of her silver gown quietly. The fabric looked luxurious, but against her skin it felt heavy. Suffocating.Maybe because she already knew how the night would end.The whispers had started before she even entered the ballroom.“She’s still here after ruining her own sister’s life?”“I heard Damien hasn’t shared a bedroom with her in years.”“Lily was the woman he truly loved.”“No one survives being hated by Dam

The rain started shortly after the banquet ended.Thin droplets tapped softly against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Cole mansion while the staff moved quietly through the halls downstairs.Aria stood inside the bedroom she had occupied for five years.Not their bedroom.Just hers.Damien had never shared a room with her after the first month of marriage.At first, she used to stay awake waiting for footsteps outside the door.Waiting for him to come in.Waiting for something to change.Eventually, she stopped waiting.Now the room looked less like a wife’s space and more like a temporary guest suite. Half the wardrobes remained empty. Most of the decorations were untouched. Even after five years, nothing here truly belonged to her.Aria pulled open a drawer slowly and removed a small notebook.The edges were worn from years of use.Whenever things became unbearable, she wrote instead of crying.Short thoughts.Dates.Things Damien said.Things she wished she could forget.She fl

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

Three days passed.Three frustrating days.For Damien, that was three days of receiving security reports about Aria whether he asked for them or not.Or at least that was what he told himself.He sat in his office on the top floor of Cole Group, staring at a document while his assistant stood nearby.“Mr. Cole?”Damien looked up.“You haven't turned that page in ten minutes.”“I’m reading.”The assistant wisely chose not to argue.A knock sounded against the office door.“Come in.”Noah entered carrying a folder.The moment he sat down, Damien asked, “What happened?”Noah raised an eyebrow.“With what?”“Aria.”The answer came so quickly that even Damien seemed to realize it afterward.Noah leaned back in his chair.“You could at least pretend you were asking about business.”Damien's expression darkened.“Report.”Noah opened the folder.“She’s been applying for jobs.”“And?”“Rejected.”“Why?”Noah gave him a look.“Seriously?”Damien's jaw tightened.Of course he knew why.The inte

The first week at Vale Innovations passed faster than Aria expected.For the first time in years, her days were filled with deadlines instead of survival.Meetings.Design reviews.Brand proposals.Product development sessions.Work.Actual work.Not once did anyone ask about Lily.Not once did anyone mention Damien.The change felt almost unreal.Almost.Because the outside world still existed.And the outside world loved gossip."You're trending again."Aria looked up from her laptop.One of her coworkers held up a phone.She winced immediately."Good or bad?"The woman laughed."When has it ever been good?"Fair point.Aria accepted the phone reluctantly.The headline filled the screen.DAMIEN COLE'S EX-WIFE JOINS RIVAL COMPANY. CORPORATE REVENGE OR COINCIDENCE?Wonderful.Just wonderful.She handed the phone back."I preferred not knowing.""I don't blame you."The coworker returned to her desk.Meanwhile, Aria's own phone buzzed quietly.An unknown number.Again.Lately, unknown