"And he sent Liliana to infiltrate your life?" she whispered, horrified.

"Yes," Damian answered, his voice dropping to a pained rasp. "But there’s more. August claimed that Roman is his..." He stopped, the final word catching in his throat, too heavy to speak.

"No, that can’t be possible," Eilika murmured, shaking her head in denial. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"I don’t know the truth yet. August said it himself. But if it’s true, how am I going to protect Roman? He’s just a child," he explained, his composure finally fracturing. "The court won’t let him survive a scandal like this. Everything, his future, his safety, his life, will be ruined."

Eilika blinked rapidly, her mind racing to find a flaw in the logic. "Maybe August is saying it intentionally just to hurt you further. We have to confront him. Liliana isn’t here to defend herself, what if August is lying about her entire history?"

Damian shook his head, his expression grim. "Maurice was the first one to find out. He knew it was unbelievable, so he didn’t come to me until he had evidence. He found an old parchment in Liliana’s childhood home and presented it to me."

He walked over to the heavy oak cupboard, pulled the doors open, and retrieved a small chest. From it, he drew a weathered piece of parchment.

He stepped back to Eilika and held it out.

"I wanted it to be false. You know how much I loved her. After my father passed and I was buried under the weight of this title, I was entirely alone. That was when she appeared. I believed we were two halves of one soul. But this..." he gestured to the ink, "this made me realize I was merely a pawn in August’s game. They were the ones in love."

"This is sick! August... How could he send the woman he loved to befriend you, then stand by while she married you?" Eilika’s voice hitched as she scanned the intimate words on the page. "I still don’t understand how someone could be so cruel. I—I..."

She stuttered, her breath catching as she reached the end of the letter.

Her eyes snapped up to meet Damian’s, seeing the shattered pride of a man who realized his happiest memories were built on a foundation of malice.

Eilika stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Damian," she whispered, simply saying his name as if to pull him back from the edge of his own thoughts.

Her hands found the broad expanse of his back, caressing it in an attempt to soothe the tension there.

"August is scheming, there is no doubt of that," Damian muttered, his voice muffled as his chin finally came to rest on her shoulder. The weight of his world seemed to lean into her. "Liliana isn’t here to defend herself, so perhaps I will eventually find a way to bury this. But it won’t be easy. Living with these doubts is a special kind of torment. August has truly dragged me into a hell of his own making."

Eilika pulled back just enough to look into his eyes, her expression fierce with protectiveness. "You spent years with Liliana, Damian. You knew her heart in ways August never could," she asserted firmly.

"I don’t think you should trust a single word that comes out of his mouth until the absolute truth is brought to light. From what I’ve seen of him, he doesn’t just want to win, he loves to dismantle people’s emotions for sport. Don’t let him win this."

Eilika reached up, her thumbs gently brushing his cheekbones. "Let’s focus on Roman’s birthday for now. He is your son, Damian. No matter what that man says, look at him, his eyes are exactly like yours."

Damian let out a long, shuddering breath, the hard lines of his face finally softening as he looked down at her. "Thank you, Eilika. You have a way of grounding me even when the world feels like it’s collapsing," he admitted, his voice low and sincere.

He took her hands in his, squeezing them gently. "I must say it again, you are a remarkable woman. If anyone else were in your position, they might have used this to disparage Liliana’s memory or found a reason to push Roman away to secure their own place. But you... you protect him as if he were your own blood. I am more grateful to you than I can put into words."

"You are also a great father. Even after everything, despite the doubts August tried to plant, your first instinct was to worry for his safety," she pronounced. "Now, get ready. I’ll meet you in the main hall."

She offered him one last encouraging look before taking a few steps back and disappearing from his sight, heading toward her own chambers to prepare for the long day ahead.

Damian stood in the quiet of the room for a moment, the heavy weight that had been crushing his chest since Maurice’s revelation finally feeling manageable.

Discussing the darkness of the past with Eilika had brought a surprising peace to his heart.

With a deep breath, he turned toward the washroom, determined to make the day everything Roman deserved.

After the warmth of the bath, Damian stepped into the dressing area, where a meticulously tailored outfit had been laid out for him. He pulled on the trousers and slipped into the crisp shirt, leaving it half-fastened as he reached for a towel to briskly dry his damp hair.

The scrubbing of the towel was interrupted by a knock on the heavy oak door.

"Come in," Damian asserted, his voice projecting easily through the room as he draped the towel around his neck, expecting one of the valets but it was Eilika.

"Did the dress fit you?" she asked, checking the white shirt and black trousers that he had put on.

"Yes. You chose this outfit!?"

"Yes. A few days ago I asked the tailor to make it for you," Eilika answered. "Shall I help you dry your hair?"