Chapter 27: The Uninvited Guest

The silence of the morning was shattered by a sharp knock at the door.

Ivy, still in her robe, paused mid-step. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Her fingers clenched around the edge of the door as she opened it cautiously.

Standing there, with dishevelled hair, bloodshot eyes, and the weight of a thousand secrets in his gaze, was Killian.

She staggered back. “You’re supposed to be—”

“Dead?” Killian’s voice was hoarse, haunted. “I know.”

Her lips parted, but words failed her.

“I don’t have long,” he said, stepping inside before she could stop him. “And you need to hear the truth.”

Truth Always Has a Cost

The door shut behind him with a soft click. Ivy’s breath caught in her throat. Every instinct screamed for her to run. But she stood frozen, her mind racing.

“How—how are you alive?” she finally asked.

Killian’s smile was broken. “A question I’ve asked myself every day for the last six months. The answer is… complicated.”

“Try me.”

He pulled something from beneath his jacket—a thin, worn envelope. Ivy reached for it cautiously.

As she opened it, her eyes skimmed over the contents. A birth certificate.

Name: Aeron Vale.

Mother: Ivy Vale.

Father: Killian Thorne.

Her vision blurred. “This is a lie.”

“It’s not,” he said quietly. “Ivy… you were drugged that night before the wedding. You don’t remember, but we—”

“No,” she snapped. “I would remember something like that!”

“You were set up, Ivy. They didn’t want you with Aiden. They wanted you tied to me. Someone made sure of it.”

---

Meanwhile – Aiden Was Watching

Unbeknownst to Ivy, a security feed from her hallway was being watched in Aiden’s office.

His jaw tightened as he saw Killian walk in.

His eyes narrowed when he saw Ivy’s face—pale, stunned, and somehow... not angry.

He didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his keys and headed for her apartment.

---

Back in the Apartment

Ivy sank into the couch, trembling. “Why are you here, Killian?”

He sat across from her, his posture stiff. “To warn you. About the twins. About what’s coming.”

“I only have one child,” she whispered.

“No,” Killian said. “You have two.”

Time stopped.

“Ivy… you’re pregnant again.”

Her hands went to her stomach instinctively. “That’s not possible.”

He reached into his coat again and, this time, pulled out a medical report. The ultrasound showed two small figures—one heartbeat strong, the other… flickering.

“You were marked,” he said. “There’s something dark inside you. One of the twins will carry that darkness. And someone’s coming to claim them.”

The Real Twist? Ivy Never Had One Baby

“I need you to remember,” Killian urged. “There was a day—six weeks ago—you collapsed in the hallway. You thought it was stress. But they did something to you.”

Her lips trembled. “No… I…”

“You were implanted. You’re not just pregnant,” he said. “You’re a carrier. And they want what’s growing inside you.”

Ivy doubled over, the weight of his words breaking her. “Who are they?”

Killian’s eyes darkened. “The Syndicate. And they’re already here.”

Then Came the Knock

Before Ivy could respond, a slow, deliberate knock echoed through the apartment.

Killian’s hand flew to the weapon beneath his coat.

Ivy’s breath hitched.

She approached the door, heart pounding. But before she could reach it—the door burst open.

And there stood Aiden.

His gaze swept the room—Killian standing tense, Ivy pale and clutching her stomach.

“What is this?” he growled.

“I can explain—” Ivy started.

“No, let him,” Aiden said, eyes locked on Killian. “Let the dead man explain why he’s in my fiancée’s home.”

“I’m here to protect what’s mine,” Killian said coolly.

Aiden’s jaw twitched. “You mean my family.”

“No,” Killian said softly. “I mean Ivy. And the child she’s carrying.”

The words hung like poison in the air.

Aiden turned to Ivy slowly. “You’re… pregnant?”

She looked at him, tears threatening. “I didn’t know. Not until just now.”

Truth. Painful, Brutal Truth

Aiden stepped back as if struck. “And it’s his?”

“No,” Ivy said quickly. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

“But you don’t know,” he said, voice low, bitter.

Killian stood. “We don’t have time for this.”

Aiden rounded on him. “Make time.”

And then, Ivy screamed.

The Baby Reacts

A ripple of heat exploded across the room. Every lightbulb shattered.

A hum filled the air—a strange, electric vibration that made their bones ache.

Ivy clutched her stomach, collapsing to her knees. Killian caught her, eyes wide with alarm.

“It’s starting,” he murmured.

“What is?” Aiden demanded.

“The split,” Killian said. “She’s carrying two. But only one is human. The other is… something else.”

That night, Ivy lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Her body felt foreign. Her heart was torn.

The door creaked open—and a figure stepped inside.

Not Killian. Not Aiden.

A woman in red, her eyes glowing faintly violet.

“I’ve come for my child,” she said.

And then Ivy blacked out.