Normal life resumed quietly.
Work schedules returned. Meetings stacked up again. Emails flooded in.
Aria threw herself into work the way she always did when she wanted clarity.
She had told Leo clearly after the proposal:
"I want to work for a while before settling into wedding preparations."
And he respected that.
No pressure. No rush. No pushing dates.
The ring stayed on her finger. The promise stayed between them. But life continued.
Sometimes in the mornings, Leo would look at her while she got ready and smile to himself.
"What?" she'd ask.
"Nothing. I just like seeing my fiancée run a company."
She'd roll her eyes.
But she liked it.
They were stable. Calm. Focused.
Until one afternoon.
Vanessa appeared.
Not through a message. Not through a rumor.
In person.
Aria was leaving a work meeting when she saw her standing near the entrance.
Elegant. Composed. Watching.
Aria was shocked to see her.
Because Aria never thought she'd show up.
Vanessa smiled when their eyes met.
"Aria....."
Aria didn't flinch.
"And you must be someone who doesn't know when to move on."
Vanessa's smile tightened slightly.
"I didn't think you two would last."
Aria adjusted her bag calmly.
"And yet here we are."
Vanessa's gaze dropped briefly to the engagement ring.
Something dark flickered in her eyes.
"A proposal," she said softly. "Interesting."
Aria's voice remained steady.
"Yes. It was."
Vanessa stepped closer.
"You really think he's changed?"
"I don't think," Aria replied smoothly. "I know."
Vanessa let out a soft laugh.
"We'll see."
Aria didn't respond.
She walked away.
But something about the encounter lingered.
That evening, she told Leo.
"I saw her."
His expression changed instantly.
"Where?"
"Outside my office."
His jaw tightened.
"What did she say?"
"Nothing important."
But it was important.
He stood up immediately.
"I'll handle it."
"No," Aria said firmly. "Don't escalate it."
"She approached you."
"And I handled it."
He studied her.
"She's not stable."
"She's not my problem."
But Leo didn't look convinced.
Days passed.
Nothing happened.
No calls. No messages. No appearances.
Aria almost convinced herself it was nothing.
Until the night everything shifted.
She was driving home, phone connected to the car's Bluetooth.
Leo was on the line.
"You sound tired," he said.
"I am. Long day."
"Come straight home."
"I always do."
She smiled slightly.
Traffic was light.
Streetlights passing steadily.
Then-
Headlights flashed suddenly in her rearview mirror.
Too close.
She frowned.
"Leo, hold on-"
There was a sharp sound.
Her car jerked.
Her voice cut off.
"Aria?"
Silence.
"Aria?"
On the other end, Leo sat upright.
The line was still connected.
He could hear movement.
Struggling.
A muffled sound.
Then a voice.
Not Aria's.
His blood ran cold.
"Vanessa," he whispered.
The call ended.
Leo didn't think.
He moved.
Tracked her phone immediately.
Called the police. Activated every security contact he had.
His hands were shaking - not from panic.
From fury.
From fear.
When he saw the location ping on the map, his chest tightened.
Abandoned warehouse district.
He arrived alongside police units.
Lights flashing. Officers moving into position.
His heart was pounding violently.
Inside, Vanessa stood in front of Aria.
Aria's hands were restrained.
But her eyes were steady.
"I never believed he'd choose you this seriously," Vanessa said, pacing. "I thought it was temporary. I thought you'd be another phase."
Aria's voice was calm despite everything.
"This isn't love. This is obsession."
Vanessa's expression snapped.
"You think you won?"
"There was no competition."
Outside, officers positioned themselves.
Leo refused to stay back.
He moved in with them.
"Aria!" he shouted the moment he saw her.
Her head lifted.
Relief flooded her face.
Vanessa turned sharply.
Everything happened fast.
Too fast.
A loud sound.
A gunshot.
Silence followed.
Leo's world stopped.
Aria collapsed.
Officers rushed forward immediately. Vanessa was restrained within seconds.
But Leo was already on his knees.
"Aria. Aria. No. No."
He pressed his hands against her, panic rising violently.
"Stay with me," he whispered desperately. "Stay with me."
Her eyes fluttered weakly.
He lifted her into his arms as paramedics rushed in.
"I'm here," he kept saying. "I'm here. You're not leaving me."
At the hospital, everything blurred.
Doctors. Nurses. Bright lights.
Surgery.
Leo sat in the waiting area, hands clasped, staring at nothing.
He had never felt that kind of fear.
Not business losses. Not threats. Not enemies.
Nothing compared to this.
Hours later, a doctor approached.
"She's alive."
Alive.
But critical.
She had lost a lot of blood.
They stabilized her.
But then-
Complications.
She slipped into a coma.
Leo stood beside her hospital bed that first night, staring at her still face.
Machines beeping steadily.
He took her hand gently.
"You don't get to do this," he whispered. "You promised me forever."
Days turned into weeks.
Weeks into months.
Three months.
He never left for long.
He worked from the hospital.
Slept in a chair.
Read to her.
Talked to her.
Sang quietly sometimes, even though he couldn't sing.
He told her about work. About her mother visiting. About Noah trying to act strong but breaking down once in the hallway.
He prayed.
He begged.
"Come back to me," he whispered every night. "Please."
Vanessa was arrested immediately that night.
Charged.
Jailed.
But Leo didn't care about revenge.
He cared about the woman lying in that bed.
On the ninety-second day-
Her fingers twitched.
He froze.
"Aria?"
Her eyelids fluttered slowly.
And then-
She opened her eyes.
For a second, she looked confused.
Then she saw him.
Leo broke.
He leaned forward, holding her face gently.
"I'm here," he whispered shakily.
Tears streamed down his face openly.
She tried to speak.
He kissed her forehead carefully.
"You scared me."
Her voice was weak.
"I'm sorry."
He laughed softly through tears.
"Don't ever do that again."
She squeezed his hand faintly.
And for the first time in three months-
Hope felt real again.
