LOGINCASSIANTwo days had passed since I agreed to Everett’s deal, and every hour felt heavier than the last. I knew what I had to do tonight. The pressure from Everett had grown stronger with every message he sent — short, sharp reminders that my time was running out. One more recording. One exclusive video of Ivy, and then he would help us disappear. No more hiding. No more looking over my shoulder for Claire, her father, or Noah. Just me and Ivy in a new place where no one knew our names.But the fear never left me. If Ivy found out what I was planning, everything would be over. She would stop trusting me. She would look at me with the same pain and anger she had before the accident. I would lose her forever. That thought haunted me like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. She had become my whole world again — soft, trusting, letting me hold her, kiss her, touch her in ways that made my heart race. I couldn’t let that slip away.That night, I waited until the house grew quiet. I walk
CASSIANI pushed open the heavy door to Everett’s office without knocking, my blood already running hot. The room smelled of expensive wood and fresh coffee, but all I could focus on was the man sitting behind the big desk, flipping through papers like he didn’t have a care in the world. My fists were clenched at my sides as I walked straight toward him.Everett looked up with that calm, almost amused smile he always wore. “Oh, Cassian, what are you doing here? Is there something you want to talk about? I’m still a little busy with some files.”I stopped right in front of his desk, my voice low and sharp. “Ivy doesn’t know anything about her past. Not even the accident. I’m here because you promised to help me get out of my old life with Ivy, so you better not make her remember what happened in the past.”Everett leaned back in his chair and laughed softly, like I had told him a joke. “Cassian… Cassian… you’re so funny. Are you that panicked when I bring up something you never told Iv
IVYThe moment I stepped back into my new room, the heavy door clicked shut behind us. Cassian followed me inside without a word. I sat down on the edge of the big bed, my legs still a little tired from the walk around the stables. The room felt too quiet after everything that had happened today. My mind was spinning with questions I couldn’t quite put into words yet.Cassian knelt in front of me, taking both of my hands in his. His palms were warm and steady, the way they always were. He looked up at me with those deep eyes that made my heart feel both safe and nervous at the same time.“Are you okay?” he asked gently. “I know you’re trying to remember your past, but for now, it’s better to enjoy what’s happening now. I’m sure you’ll remember it sooner or later.”I looked down at our joined hands. His thumbs stroked the back of my fingers in slow, soothing circles. “Yeah, I know,” I said softly. “I’m not trying to force anything here. I’m just confused about the situation. Who Everet
IVYLunch felt strange from the very first moment we sat down at the long dining table. The room was beautiful, with high ceilings and soft light coming through big windows, but the air between the three of us felt heavy. Cassian sat on my right, close enough that his knee brushed mine under the table. Everett sat directly across from me, watching me with a calm, steady gaze that made my skin prickle. I tried to focus on the food — fresh salad, grilled chicken, and warm bread — but every time I looked up, Everett’s eyes were still on me. It wasn’t rude, but it wasn’t comfortable either. I felt awkward, caught between the two men, like I was missing a big piece of the story that everyone else already knew.Everett finally broke the silence after a few minutes. He set his fork down and looked straight at me.“I never thought you’d survive, Ivy.”His words hit me like cold water. I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth. “I never thought I’d be here either,” I said quietly. “It’s a mir
IVYThe morning air felt different when Cassian finally helped me into the wheelchair and pushed me toward the hospital lobby. My bag was packed, sitting on my lap, and my heart beat with a mix of excitement and nervousness. I kept telling him I could walk on my own now, that my legs were strong enough, but he just smiled and insisted. “Let me take care of you a little longer,” he said softly. I didn’t argue. His care made me feel safe, even if part of me wanted to prove I was getting better.When we reached the lobby, a luxury black car waited right outside the entrance. It looked expensive, shiny under the sunlight, with dark tinted windows. I didn’t remember ever seeing it before, but I assumed it was Cassian’s. Everything in my life right now seemed tied to him, so I didn’t question it. I just let him help me from the wheelchair into the back seat. He buckled my seatbelt carefully, his fingers brushing my arm, sending that familiar warm flutter through me.As the car pulled away
CASSIAN I stood by the window, staring at the city lights flickering in the distance while Ivy slept peacefully behind me. The business card in my hand felt heavier than it should. Everett’s offer kept playing in my head like a bad song I couldn’t turn off. I didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. I knew how he worked — there was never a clean end, only more demands, more control. But the truth was simple and brutal: I needed him. If I wanted any chance to disappear with Ivy and start over, Everett was the only one who could make the arrangements fast enough. Claire, her father, Noah — they were all closing in. I could feel it. I glanced back at Ivy. She looked so small and innocent in the hospital bed, her breathing steady, one hand curled under her cheek. My chest tightened with a mix of love and guilt so strong it almost hurt. She trusted me completely now. She let me hold her, kiss her, touch her in ways that made her body respond even when her mind was still blank.
I couldn’t sleep that night, no matter how hard I tried. The apartment was quiet, the kind of quiet that presses in on you when your thoughts won’t shut up. I tossed and turned, the sheets tangling around my legs, my mind replaying everything on an endless loop. Noah’s easy smile on the beach, the
The apartment kitchen smelled like garlic and fresh herbs, the sizzle of shrimp in the pan mixing with the low hum of the city outside the open window. Cassian moved around the stove with that easy confidence he always had when he cooked—shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, dark hair still damp from
I slipped back into the aisle between the tall biography shelves, the cart rattling softly behind me, my cheeks still warm from Cassian’s kiss in the stairwell. The taste of him lingered on my lips—coffee, mint, and that faint, dark edge that always made my stomach flip. I could still feel the pres
I was still deep in sleep, the kind that feels like floating in warm black water, when the knock came.It was soft at first—three quick taps—then louder, insistent. I groaned, burying my face deeper into the pillow, hoping whoever it was would go away. The clock on my nightstand glowed 6:47 a.m. To







