LOGINCHAPTER Seventy EightSomeone Inside the MansionScarlett’s POVThe mansion had never felt so quiet.Ever since I received the anonymous letter at the cemetery, everything around us had changed. Ryan ordered more security around the estate, and within a single afternoon, guards were stationed at every entrance. New cameras were installed along the hallways, the gardens, and the gates. Every visitor had to be identified before stepping inside, and every member of the staff had their identification checked again.No one complained.Everyone understood that something was wrong.Ryan tried not to let the changes affect me, but I noticed the way he looked over his shoulder whenever we walked through the garden. I noticed how his eyes searched every room before I entered it. Even during dinner, he quietly observed the servants bringing food to the table.He trusted very few people now.I reached across the table and rested my hand over his.“You’ve barely eaten.”He looked up at me and gave
CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINEThe WarningScarlett’s POVThe mansion was unusually peaceful the next morning, yet I could not shake the feeling that something had changed. Ever since Gomez returned with the old envelope, the air around us seemed heavier. Ryan tried his best not to let me see how worried he was, but I knew him well enough to notice the small changes in his expression. He smiled whenever he looked at me, but the smile never reached his eyes for very long before his thoughts carried him somewhere else.Breakfast was quiet.Ryan sat across from me, stirring the coffee in his cup without taking a single sip. Every few moments, his eyes drifted toward the envelope resting beside him on the table.I watched him for a while before reaching across the table and placing my hand over his.He looked up immediately.“You’ve been thinking all morning.”He let out a quiet breath before turning his hand over and holding mine.“I have.”“You hardly touched your breakfast.”“I wasn’t hungry.”I
CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHTThe Truth She KeptRyan’s POVFor the first time in many years, I thought I finally understood my own story.I believed the questions that had followed me since childhood were finally answered. I believed the missing memories, the lost records, and the necklace had all led me to the same place.Scarlett.After everything we had discovered, I thought the hardest part was behind us.I was wrong.The past had a way of opening doors that should have remained closed.A week had passed since we visited my grandmother, and life had finally started to feel normal again. Scarlett and I spent our days together without fear or uncertainty hanging between us. We were no longer trying to figure out where we belonged in each other’s lives because we already knew.She belonged beside me.I belonged beside her.But peace never lasted as long as I wanted it to.That afternoon, I was in my office when I received a message from the front gate.The guard’s voice came through the pho
CHAPTER SEVENTY Five Meeting the FamilyScarlett’s POVThe days after everything changed felt strangely peaceful.For so long, my life had been filled with questions that I didn’t have answers to. I wondered where I truly belonged, why certain memories felt incomplete, and why I always felt like there was a part of myself I could not reach.Now, I finally knew.I had been connected to Ryan long before either of us understood it.The little girl from his childhood memory had been me.The necklace I had protected all my life had been part of a promise between us.The past that I thought I had lost had never truly disappeared.It had been waiting.And somehow, the person who helped me find it was the same person who had been searching for me all along.Ryan But even after discovering the truth, things between us did not suddenly become perfect.They became better.We talked more, we laughed more.We stopped being afraid of the silence between us.There were still moments when I woke up
CHAPTER SEVENTY Four The Place It All Began Scarlett’s POV The afternoon passed more quickly than I wanted. Ryan and I had spent hours walking through the town, laughing over little things that probably would not have mattered to anyone else. We talked about food, hockey, books, and the strange habits we had noticed about each other over the months. There was no pressure between us anymore. Neither of us was trying to explain the past or fix yesterday. We were simply enjoying today. As we walked back toward the car, I looked up at the sky. The sun had already started moving lower. I thought we were going back to the mansion. Instead, Ryan opened the passenger door for me and smiled. “We’re not done yet.” I looked at him curiously. “We’re not?” He shook his head. “I have one more place I want to show you.” I climbed into the car. “Where are we going?” “You’ll find out.” I laughed softly. “You’re not going to tell me?” “If I tell you now, it won’t b
CHAPTER SEVENTY Three Our First DateScarlett’s POVThe morning felt different from every other morning I had spent at the mansion. The air seemed lighter, the sunlight looked warmer, and for the first time in a long while, I woke up without a heavy feeling in my chest. Everything that had happened over the past few days still felt unbelievable, but instead of confusion, I felt peace. I had finally learned the truth about my past, and Ryan had finally stopped searching for someone who had been standing beside him all along.After getting dressed, I walked downstairs expecting another quiet breakfast. Instead, I found Ryan waiting in the living room. He was already dressed, but unlike his usual formal clothes, he wore a simple shirt and dark jeans. The relaxed look suited him, and for a moment I simply stood there looking at him.He noticed me and smiled.“You finally woke up.”I folded my arms with a playful smile.“I’ve been awake for a while.”“Then I owe you an apology.”I laughed
CHAPTER ONE — My Opponent Scarlett's POV This was the last game of the season and I kept telling myself not to think too much about it, but my mind wouldn’t stop going there no matter what, like it was stuck on a loop I couldn’t break out of.The last game meant everything or nothing for me, ther
CHAPTER FIVE — Scarlett POVI was asleep when my phone started ringing.At first, I didn’t want to open my eyes. My body felt too heavy, and my mind was still stuck in everything that had happened over the past few days. The ringing continued anyway, sharp and persistent, until I finally forced my
CHAPTER fourRyan POVI took her home last night.Even now, sitting alone in my office, I still could not understand why.Bringing Scarlett Hayes to my pack had never been part of my plans.In fact, if anyone had asked me yesterday morning what I would be doing today, this would have been the last
CHAPTER TWOScarlett POVToday was the announcement, I was supposed to run awayI did not run this time.Maybe I should have.Maybe if I had left before the announcement started, I could have kept pretending there was still a chance that something would change.But I didn’t.So I sat there with eve







