The Devil's Contractual Bride-Chapter 21: Another Evidence

Aria’s POV

The penthouse was too quiet after the courier left. The thick white envelope was lying on the coffee table between us like a live grenade.

Neither of us had touched it again after the first reading. The words were already carved into my brain:

**Pending results, for public purposes, the defendants are prohibited from announcing the unborn child as that of the first defendant, herein known as Lucian Voss. Failure to comply will result in immediate custody proceedings initiated by petitioner Ethan Caldwell.**

I sat on the couch with my knees drawn up and arms wrapped around them, staring at the paper as if it might catch fire if I glared hard enough.

Lucian stood by the window, backing me. His shoulders rigid with hands clenched at his sides.

After long minutes of deafening silence,Lucian finally turned.

He crossed the room in three strides, snatched the envelope.and tore it in half. Then in half again. The pieces fluttered to the floor like confetti from a funeral.

"They can’t do this," he said angrily. "They can’t take our child’s name before it’s even born."

"They already did Lucian,there is no point" I whispered.

He looked at me then and suddenly dropped to one knee in front of me and took both my hands in his.

His knuckles were still bruised from last night but touch was gentle, like he was afraid I’d break.

"We fight it," he said. "We go public Aria. We tell the world the baby is ours. Let Ethan and his cohorts try to silence us. I want to see them try to take what’s mine."

I searched his face. "If we announce it, he gets custody the moment the baby is born. The order says so. Going with your option is just stupid, it’s more or less like handing the baby to him even before it’s born."

Lucian’s grip tightened. "Then we make sure he never gets the chance."

I pulled my hands free,stood and walked to the window.

"I can’t breathe in here anymore," I said. "Every time I think we’re getting somewhere, something worse happens. First the arrest,then the pregnancy leak and now this. I feel like I’m drowning."

Lucian came up behind me and slid his arms across my waist.

"I know," he said quietly. "And I hate that I’m part of it."

"That’s not the point Lucian,I’m keeping the baby," I said. "But I don’t know how to do this with you. Not when every step forward feels like two steps back."

Lucian’s eyes softened. "Then let me show you I can change."

"How?" I asked. "By beating Ethan again? Getting arrested again? Or locking me in this penthouse ’for my safety’?"

"No," he said. " I’ll do so by standing beside you while we fight him together legally or publicly. Whatever it takes."

I searched his face and for the first time, I didn’t see the devil who’d caged me. I saw a man who was terrified of losing something he hadn’t even known he wanted until it was threatened.

"Okay," I whispered. " Let’s do it together."

He exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for years.

I stepped closer and let him wrap his arms around me. His heartbeat was fast like he was scared too.

"Are you certain we should go live again? I mean the last time was catastrophic" I said against his shirt.

Lucian pulled back just enough to look at me."You go on with the live.I have another plan up my sleeve that will show him who runs this city".

"I hope it’s not risky Lucian. Remember the court order—"

"Screw the court order," I said. "If we let him silence us, he wins before the test even happens."

A slow, proud smile curved his lips,the first real one I’d seen in days.

"Together," he said.

I set up my phone on the coffee table and hit record.

The red light blinked,I took a breath and started.

"Hi. This is Aria Voss." My voice shook at first, then steadied. "I know I have been in all your faces for a while now but I need all to intervene as justice is about to be thwarted here."

I looked straight into the camera.

"I’m six weeks pregnant and the baby is Lucian’s. The baby was conceived on our wedding night and Ethan Caldwell has no claim to this child. He’s lying. He has attacked Lucian and I and now he’s trying to take my baby away before it’s even born."

I held up the court order—blurred enough to hide sensitive details.

"This is the order Ethan got that bans us from publicly announcing our child as ours. It threatens custody proceedings against us if we disobey. This isn’t justice but control and I’m done letting him win."

I ended the live and posted the video.

Within seconds, notifications exploded.Likes, shares and comments.

"Queen Aria fighting back!"

"Finally the truth!"

"They’re lying to protect Voss."

"Protect the baby at all costs!"

"Ethan’s done. This is over."

"Our justice system is just fucked"

Lucian pulled me into his arms and held me tight as he took the phone off my hands.

"You were incredible," he whispered against my hair.

I buried my face in his chest. "I’m terrified."

"I know," he said. "But we’re in this together."

My phone buzzed again and immediately snatched it from the table where Lucian had kept it.

Another video was trending online.

**"Ethan Caldwell Interrupts with Emergency Live Stream: ’Aria & Lucian Are Lying.Why not agree to a pregnancy dating test if they’re so sure’"**

We both looked at the screen.

Ethan appeared looking devastated and frustrated "Aria," he said, voice calm, almost sad. "You think you can destroy me with a live stream? You think the world will believe you?"

He held up a piece of paper.

"I have a fertility test result with me here," he said. "This test result shows that Aria has a fertility disease that prevents her from conceiving at the time she claims she did. Aria is unfit. Even if the baby is not mine,it only means Aria cheated while we were still married because I’m sure as hell the baby does not belong to Lucian"