Absolutely — here is CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO, crafted with the same emotional depth, strong pacing, and urban-romance tension you've built so far.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE SHIFT SHE DIDN'T EXPECT
The apartment was too quiet.
Too still.
It wasn't the comfortable silence Aria was used to — the softness of Eli's cartoons humming in the background, or the steady rhythm of her own breathing when she worked late at night.
This silence felt weighted.
Heavy.
Charged.
Because Damien had just left.
And he had kissed her.
Not a full kiss — no.
Just the light brush of his lips against her forehead, warm and gentle, yet powerful enough to shake every truth she'd been clinging to.
She pressed her fingers against the spot, heart pounding.
What was happening?
She wasn't supposed to let him in this far.
She wasn't supposed to feel this again.
She wasn't supposed to—
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft rustle behind her.
Eli stood in the hallway rubbing his eyes, hair messy from his nap.
"Mommy…" he mumbled, voice small and sleepy. "Where's Daddy?"
Aria's heart clenched.
"He went home, baby. But he'll come back later. Okay?"
Eli nodded slowly and stretched his little arms up for her to carry him. She lifted him, his warm weight settling against her chest. His head rested on her shoulder, and his fingers curled against her shirt.
"Daddy is coming tomorrow?" he asked.
Aria hesitated.
"Yes. He said he is."
Eli smiled, eyes already closing again.
"I like Daddy."
Aria swallowed hard.
"Yeah," she whispered.
"I know."
That evening, after putting Eli to bed, Aria sat at the small dining table with her laptop open. The glow of the screen lit her face, but she wasn't really reading the spreadsheet in front of her.
Her mind was full — of Damien.
His voice.
His promises.
His eyes when he looked at their son.
His kiss — even if it was barely a kiss.
She closed the laptop.
It was useless pretending she could focus.
A knock came at the door.
Aria stiffened.
It couldn't be Damien.
He'd left barely two hours ago. He wouldn't come back—
Unless he would.
She approached the door slowly, her heartbeat thudding hard and unsteady.
When she opened it, the sight startled her.
Damien wasn't standing there.
A woman was.
Tall, perfectly dressed, expensive perfume drifting in the air, hair styled in waves so glossy they could've been in a commercial.
Her expression was sharp, practised, calculated — the kind of face that didn't accept "no" from anyone.
"Aria Collins?" she asked.
Aria nodded slowly. "Yes. Can I help you?"
The woman offered a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I'm Vanessa Hale," she said. "Damien's fiancée."
Aria felt the world tilt.
Her fingers tightened around the door.
"His what?"
Vanessa stepped forward as if she owned the hallway.
"I think we need to talk."
Aria's pulse hammered painfully.
"Fiancée?" she repeated, her voice a rasp.
"That— that can't be right. Damien never—"
"Oh, he wouldn't have told you yet," Vanessa interrupted smoothly, stepping inside without being invited.
"He's always been terrible with communication. But yes — Damien and I are engaged."
Aria felt faint.
Her mind spun.
Her chest tightened.
Every piece of progress she and Damien had made today snapped in half like fragile glass.
"He's lying to you," Vanessa added, walking around the living room with cool curiosity. "Whatever fantasy he's selling — reconciliation, co-parenting, emotional bonding — trust me, he's playing you."
Aria swallowed hard, trying to find her voice.
"What do you want?"
Vanessa turned, eyes icy.
"To protect what's mine."
Aria bristled.
"He doesn't belong to you."
"Well," Vanessa said with a faint laugh, "he certainly doesn't belong to you."
Aria's jaw clenched.
"Why are you here?"
Vanessa stepped closer, heels clicking sharply against the floor.
"I'm here," she said softly, "because Damien will always choose me. We fit. We come from the same world. Same status. Same expectations."
Aria's stomach twisted.
"And you?" Vanessa continued, looking her up and down cruelly. "You're a woman he slept with years ago. A temporary mistake that apparently came with a… souvenir."
Aria's eyes burned.
"You don't get to talk about my son," she whispered dangerously.
Vanessa raised a brow but didn't apologize.
"I'm giving you a chance," she said instead. "A clean break. Tell Damien to take responsibility financially, and you stay out of the way. Your son will have everything he needs — trust me."
Anger surged through Aria's veins.
"He doesn't just need money. He needs a father."
"And I need a husband," Vanessa snapped.
"A focused one. A loyal one. Not one distracted by his little… side family."
Aria stared at her, stunned.
Vanessa leaned forward.
"So end this. Whatever… connection you're trying to rebuild? Cut it. Before Damien decides to do it himself."
Aria felt the threat like ice in her bloodstream.
"Is that all?" she whispered.
Vanessa smiled sweetly.
"For now."
She turned toward the door.
"Do the right thing," she said over her shoulder.
"For everyone."
And then she left.
Aria stood frozen in place long after the door closed.
Her throat tightened.
Her hands shook.
Tears pricked her eyes.
Damien's fiancée.
His fiancée.
He had lied.
He had to have lied.
But the worst part wasn't that Vanessa had said it.
It was that Aria… believed her.
And her heart cracked open painfully, silently, hopelessly.
Because if Damien was engaged…
Then everything they'd been building — everything she'd started to feel again — was nothing but a beautiful illusion.
Her phone buzzed suddenly, vibrating on the table.
Damien.
On my way back.
I forgot something.
Aria stared at the message through blurred vision.
She wiped her tears fast.
Because when he arrived, she already knew what she was going to say.
She had to protect herself.
She had to protect Eli.
And she had to make Damien leave…
Before she fell apart completely.