Chapter 7

Amelia

The brass door handle turned with a smooth, sickening click.

Time felt like it slammed into slow motion. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs as the door began to swing open. Five years of secret shifts, hidden birth certificates, and desperate lies were about to crumble in a single second under Lucian Rhodes’ control.

No. I can’t let him see him. I can’t let him take my boy.

Adrenaline hit my blood like ice water. Before the door could open more than a few inches, I threw my weight forward, slamming my hands against the wood and forcing the door shut with a loud bang.

The air in the hallway went quiet.

Lucian’s hand was still wrapped firmly around the handle, his knuckles white against the brass. He didn't flinch. He slowly lifted his head, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that burned right through me. His tall frame completely blocked out the light, casting a shadow over me.

"Amelia," he whispered, his voice dropping into a razor-thin rumble. "Step away from the door."

"No," I choked out, my voice shaking even as I tried to hold it steady. I pressed my back hard against the wood, my hands gripping the frame behind me. "You don't get to do this, Lucian. You don't get to march into my life, buy out my family's debts, and then force your way into my private life!"

Lucian took a step closer, closing the distance between us until his suit nearly brushed my dress.

The faint smell of sandalwood and rain filled my lungs, violently pulling up memories I had spent five years trying to bury.

"We are married, Amelia," he said softly, leaning down until his jaw was inches from my ear. "In the eyes of the law, in the eyes of the press, and on the paper you signed in Suite 402. You accepted my money to save your parents. In return, I expect honesty. I don't tolerate secrets. And I definitely don't tolerate lies."

"This isn't a lie!" I gasped, looking right into those cold eyes. "It’s my life! The contract said nothing about you invading my past or my apartment!”

Inside the apartment, the sound of fast footsteps pattered toward the entryway, followed by Maya’s low, panicked whisper.

"Theo, wait! Don't open—"

My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't let Lucian open that door. I couldn't let his eyes land on a four-year-old boy who carried his exact jawline, his hair, and those unmistakable dark eyes. If Lucian saw Theo for even a second, he would piece the timeline together immediately. He would realise that the woman from that bar was standing right in front of him, and he would claim him without a second thought.

"Please," I whispered, the word breaking on my lips as hot tears finally spilt over my eyelashes.

It was the first time I had shown real weakness in front of him.

Lucian froze.

His dark eyes tracked the tear as it ran down my cheek and dripped onto my collar. A subtle shift crossed his face—the icy stone of his expression cracking just enough to show a flicker of something raw underneath. His grip on the door handle loosened slightly.

"Please, Lucian," I begged, reaching out with a shaking hand and pressing my palm against his chest, right over his beating heart. "Give me ten minutes. Just ten minutes alone inside. If there's anything left... I'll bring it out myself. I'm asking you, as my husband... give me this one boundary."

The silence in the hallway stretched between us like a wire ready to snap. Lucian stared down at my hand against his chest, his jaw set tight. He was a man who owned towers, who commanded boardrooms with a single word, who never gave an inch to anyone.

For three agonising seconds, I was sure he was going to shove past me and push the door open anyway.

Instead, he slowly let go of the handle.

He took a step back, giving me space, though his gaze never left my face.

"Ten minutes, Amelia," Lucian said, his voice cold, flat, and absolute. "If you aren't out here in ten minutes, I'm coming in. And if I find out you're hiding something that threatens my name, nobody will protect you."

"Thank you," I breathed, not waiting for him to change his mind.

I turned around, unlocked the door, slipped inside, and shut it behind me, sliding the doorbolt into place with a sharp click.

The second the lock caught, my knees gave out. I slid down against the door, burying my face in my hands as a quiet sob racked my chest.

"Amy!"

Maya rushed down the hall, her face pale. She dropped to her knees beside me, grabbing my shoulders. "I'm so sorry! My phone was on silent while I was packing Theo's bag—I didn't see your text until I heard footsteps!"

"Is he... is he okay?" I gasped, looking up.

"He's in the bedroom playing with his blocks," Maya whispered frantically, pulling me up. "Amy, who was that outside? Was that... was that him?"

"It was Lucian," I said, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand and forcing myself to focus. "He found a pharmacy receipt for kids' vitamins. He knows a child has been living here, Maya. He thinks it's my nephew, but he came here to check for himself."

Maya gasped, her eyes wide. "What are we going to do? He's standing right outside the door! If he sees Theo—"

"I won't let him see my son," I said, my voice hardening. "We have seven minutes before he breaks that door down. You need to take Theo out through the back door entrance in the kitchen right now."

"The back door entrance?" Maya repeated, looking toward the alley window. "Amy, where do I take him?"

"Take him to that quiet hotel near the botanical gardens—the one I booked under your name last week," I said, grabbing Maya by the arms and dragging her toward the back bedroom. "Use cash only. Turn off your location. I will call you from a burner phone tonight."

We burst into the small bedroom. Theo was sitting on the rug in a little red hoodie, stacking wooden blocks into a tower. When he saw me, his face lit up with a huge smile.

"Mommy!" he cheered, leaving his blocks and scrambling up. "You came back!"

"Hi, my sweet boy," I choked out, dropping down and pulling him into a tight hug. I buried my face in his hair, breathing in his smell, holding him like the world was ending.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Theo asked softly, reaching up to pat my hair. His huge, dark eyes looked into mine with pure worry—eyes so terrifyingly identical to the man standing twenty feet away on the other side of the wall.

"Mommy is just happy to see you, baby," I whispered, kissing his cheeks. "Listen to me, Theo. Auntie Maya is taking you on a fun adventure right now, okay? You're going to stay at a big hotel near the gardens."

"With dragons?" he asked, his eyes brightening.

"With lots of dragons," I promised, forcing a smile through my tears. "You have to be very quiet and very brave for Auntie Maya, okay?"

Theo nodded hard, puffing out his chest. "I'm very brave!"

"I know you are," I murmured, kissing his forehead one last time before standing up and handing his small backpack to Maya. "Go. Now. Through the kitchen."

Maya took Theo’s hand, looking back at me with deep worry. "Be careful, Amy. He isn't a man you can fool easily."

"I know," I said softly. "Just keep my son safe."

I watched them slip out the kitchen door onto the back door entrance, listening until the sound of their steps faded into the alley below. The apartment went dead silent.

I took a deep breath and walked through the rooms.

I grabbed a small cardboard box from the closet and quickly threw in a few random things—an old textbook, a framed photo of my parents, and a pair of running shoes. I picked up the small blue plastic dinosaur from the entryway floor and shoved it deep into my dress pocket.

Then, I unlocked the doorbolt and pulled the front door open.

Lucian was leaning against the hallway wall, his arms crossed, his suit unwrinkled, his face completely blank. The second the door opened, his eyes snapped to mine. He glanced down at his watch.

"Eight minutes and forty seconds," Lucian said, his voice smooth and empty of emotion.

"I told you I just needed to grab a few personal things," I said, holding out the box. "There's nothing else here. You can look if you want."

Lucian didn't look at the box. He stepped past me into the apartment, his leather shoes echoing against the floorboards. He walked slowly through the small living room, his sharp eyes scanning the bare walls, the empty couch, and the hallway.

He stopped at the bedroom doorway.

My heart climbed back into my throat as he stepped inside the room Theo had been in just moments ago. Lucian stood in the centre, looking down at the wooden blocks scattered on the rug, then toward the open window where the sheer curtains blew in the breeze.

He walked over to the window, looking down into the narrow alley below.

I stood in the doorway, my knuckles white as I held the box against my chest, waiting for everything to blow up.

Lucian turned around slowly. He didn't ask about the open window. He didn't ask about the blocks on the floor. He just walked toward me, stopping inches away, his dark eyes searching my face with a terrifying weight.

"Your nephew left," Lucian said quietly.

"Yes," I lied, keeping my chin up. "My sister picked him up from the back entrance while I was packing."

Lucian stared at me for a long, agonising moment.

Then, he reached out, his fingers gently picking a short strand of hair off the lapel of my dress—a hair far too short to belong to me. He rolled it between his thumb and index finger before letting it drop to the floor.

"Let's go home, Amelia," Lucian said softly, his voice carrying a quiet weight. "My uncle Arthur will arrive for dinner in two hours."

He turned and walked out of the apartment, leaving me standing alone in the doorway, knowing with absolute certainty that while I had survived today, the war had only just begun.