Aria's POV
I froze, completely caught off guard by his question.
I set down my fork slowly, staring directly into those intense dark gray eyes through the screen. Instead of answering right away, I countered with my own question.
"Would you ever lie to me? Betray me?"
"No." Damian's answer came without a single heartbeat of hesitation. Absolute. Unshakeable. "That day will never come."
Something warm bloomed in my chest.
I smiled then—a real smile, the kind that felt like spring thaw after a brutal winter. Full of trust. Full of surrender.
"Then I won't either."
My answer was just as decisive. "My ruthlessness—my vindictiveness—I only save that for people who betray me. Who hurt me."
I paused, letting my voice soften. "But you? You're the person I'll stand besi
