13

NATHAN’S POV

The call came in while I was still halfway through a meeting.

“Sir,” my security guard’s voice crackled through the line. “Miss Amy just entered the penthouse. She said she was expected.”

I was already out of my chair before he finished the sentence.

“Don’t let anyone else in,” I snapped. “And don’t call me again until she’s out.”

Amy.

What the hell was she doing?

I sped through the city like a man possessed, barely waiting for the elevator to hit the top floor before storming out. My blood pounded in my ears, my jaw already tight. The last thing I needed was her pulling another one of her stunts. Not now. Not with Ivy there.

As soon as I stepped into the living room, I saw her—tall, confident, entitled. She looked like she owned the place. Like she belonged there.

I didn’t even spare Ivy a look. Not because I didn’t want to… but because I couldn’t. Not in front of Amy. Not with everything boiling inside me.

“Amy,” I growled.

She turned slowly, smile already tugging at her lips.

“We need to talk,” she said sweetly.

“In the study. Now.”

I grabbed her wrist and led her down the hall, slamming the door behind us.

The second we were alone, she was on me.

Her hands found my chest, then lower. “God, I missed you,” she whispered, leaning in, trying to kiss me.

I turned my face away, pushed her back. “Don’t.”

She didn’t stop. Instead, her fingers slid to my belt, unfastening it like she had every right.

“Amy.....” I warned.

“I want you,” she murmured, her hand pressing against me. “Right here. Right now.”

Her palm grazed places she had no business touching. The boldness, the entitlement—it set something ugly off in me.

I grabbed her wrist and yanked her hand away. Hard.

“What’s wrong with you?” I snapped. “Didn’t I make myself clear last night?”

Her eyes widened in shock.

“I told you,it’s over. I didn’t stutter. I don’t want to waste your time, Amy.”

“But...”

“I can feel it,” I said through clenched teeth. “Whatever I felt for you… it’s vanishing. And I can’t stop it. I don’t even want to.”

She stared at me, stunned.

“I’m not over you, Nathan,” she whispered.

I stepped back, breathing heavy. “That’s your problem. Not mine.”

She reached for me again, desperate, angry. “You still want me. I know you do. You’re just pretending.......”

“Stop,” I cut her off, voice low and firm. “Stop trying to seduce me. It won’t work. Just like it didn’t work last night.”

Her face crumbled. “Nathan.”

“No,” I said, voice final. “This? It’s over. You showing up here, rubbing yourself on me like this,it's not going to change anything. You’re humiliating yourself. Stop.”

The silence that followed was thick.

She looked at me like I’d slapped her.

I didn’t care anymore.

Amy stood there, eyes glassy, lips trembling but it wasn’t sadness. It was entitlement masked in desperation.

“So that’s it?” she asked, voice rising. “Because of her?”

I didn’t answer.

I didn’t need to.

But then her hand reached for me again, lower this time, deliberately brushing over my zipper. Her voice dropped to a purr, the same voice that used to wrap me around her finger.

“If you sleep with me one last time…”

Her fingers pressed firmer.

“I’ll go.”

I paused.

“What?” I said sharply, stepping back.

“One night,” she whispered, stepping closer again, her hand unrelenting. “That’s all I’m asking. One last night. You and me. Like it used to be. Then I’ll disappear, I swear.”

She smiled like she thought she was doing me a favor.

I stared at her. Disgust crawling up my throat.

“Are you out of your mind?”

She blinked, confused. Her hand still hovered close.

“I’m not a toy you bargain with, Amy. You think offering your body is going to fix this?”

“You didn’t complain before.....”

“Before doesn’t exist anymore!” I snapped, raising my voice for the first time.

I backed away fully, snatched open the study door, and without sparing her another glance, said coldly, “Let yourself out.”

Then I walked out.

Walked away from her.

From the chaos she carried like perfume.

And for the first time in a long time… I didn’t feel even a little tempted to look back.

******

IVY’S POV

I had been glancing at the clock every ten minutes like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. My heart was practically doing cartwheels in my chest. Tonight wasn’t just any night,it was Brian’s concert.

The Brian.

The one whose voice made heartbreak sound like a lullaby. The one who, for the past two years, had been my not-so-secret obsession. And tonight? I was going to see him live.

I zipped up my fitted black dress, touched up my gloss, and fluffed my curls in the mirror one last time. “Okay,” I whispered to my reflection, “try not to scream like a possessed banshee when you see him.”

My phone buzzed.

Tina: “Outside. Don’t keep me or your man waiting 😏🎤👠”

I giggled, then slipped into my heels, grabbed my purse, and hurried downstairs. Theresa was arranging flowers in the hallway and looked up as I approached.

“I’ll be heading out with my friend for the evening,” I said, trying to sound calm when my insides were screaming in glittery chaos. “Concert.”

Theresa smiled knowingly. “Got it. Enjoy yourself. Should I tell Mr. Blake?”

“Uh…” I hesitated, then shook my head. “No need. I doubt he’d care.”

She gave a polite nod, and I walked out like my life wasn’t about to change in the next two hours.

Tina didn’t even come in. She was parked out front, window down, sunglasses on even though the sun had literally just set.

“You look hot,” she called out, scanning me head to toe. “Penthouse perks look good on you, babe.”

“Shut up,” I laughed, slipping into the passenger seat.

As soon as I buckled up, Tina hit the gas and we were off.

“Ready to lose your voice tonight?” she asked, grinning wickedly.

“I’ve been ready since the day Brian released Oxygen.” I said, clutching my chest dramatically.

She cackled. “Girl, I’ve missed you.”

I looked out the window, watching the city blur by as we made our way to the venue.

“I’ve missed me too,” I said softly.

Tonight, I wasn’t Mrs. Blake.

I wasn’t the girl in a fake marriage, surrounded by confusion and cold stares.

I was just Ivy.

******

AT THE CONCERT

“BRIANNNN! I LOVE YOUUU!”

I didn’t even care if I sounded crazy.

I screamed with every fiber of my being, hands waving wildly in the air, eyes glued to the glowing stage where the man of my dreams stood, looking like sin and salvation in one black leather jacket.

Tina laughed beside me, shaking her head. “You’re so embarrassing. He can’t even hear you!”

“He felt it in his soul, Tina!” I shouted back, jumping up and down as the beat dropped.

The whole arena shook with the sound of fans losing their minds, and I was right there in the middle of it all!

But then…

The drinks caught up with me.

I winced, grabbed Tina’s arm. “Okay, bathroom. Now.”

She smirked. “Hurry back, groupie.”

I handed her my phone, laughing. “Hold this. I might need two hands to fight my way through the crowd.”

I slipped away from the screaming chaos and followed the signs to the restroom.

But the farther I went… the quieter it got.

The hallway was dim, unusually empty for a packed concert. My heels clicked against the tiled floor, and an eerie chill crept up my spine.

That’s when I felt it.

A presence.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw a man. Tall. Hood up. Following.

I picked up my pace.

So did he.

Crap.

I took a sharp turn down another hallway, trying to lose him, but he mirrored every move.

My breath hitched.

I turned again....

And he was suddenly in front of me.

“What!”

A rough cloth slammed over my nose and mouth. The scent was sharp, chemical, overwhelming.

I tried to scream. To fight.

My arms failed.

My knees buckled.

And then… darkness.

TINA’S POV

It had been twenty-six minutes.

Twenty-six long, nerve-wracking minutes since Ivy left for the bathroom and still hadn’t returned.

I glanced at the stage. Brian was still singing, the crowd still screaming but my focus was gone.

She wouldn’t just disappear like that.

Ivy loved Brian. She wouldn’t miss even a second of this concert willingly, not unless something was wrong.

“Ivy, where are you?” I muttered under my breath, gripping her phone tighter.

I pushed through the crowd, making my way toward the restroom area, calling out her name a few times but no answer.

Then something caught my eye.

Right there by the side hallway…

I froze.

It was the placard.

The silly sign Ivy had made in our Uber ride,"BRIAN, YOU STOLE MY HEART!" was lying facedown on the cold floor like someone had dropped it in a hurry.

Panic gripped my chest.

No. No, no, no.

She wouldn’t leave without telling me. Her phone was still with me. And Ivy? She wasn’t the type to wander off not in a place like this.

I picked up the placard with trembling hands, glancing around quickly. The hallway near the restrooms was strangely deserted.

“Ivy?” I called again, louder this time.

Still nothing.

A sick feeling bloomed in my gut.

Something had happened.

Something bad.