BACK HOME
IVY'S POV The flight from Europe to Los Angeles took forever, almost a whole day. I didn't plan on staying long, so I only packed a few things for me and Noah. I didn't want to spend more time here than I had to. When we finally got off the plane, everything looked so different from how I remembered it seven years ago. Nicer, somehow. We grabbed our bags and Noah couldn't stop bouncing with excitement. He's always wanted to be a pilot, says they get to travel the world and see so many places. I never argue with him about it. I just want him to be happy. I got us a cab to the hotel I booked. I wasn't about to stay at my dad's house, not when I knew I wasn't welcome there. Plus, I figured some of my aunts and uncles would be around. I didn't need them looking down their noses at me. It took me two days to work up the nerve to see my mom. She kept calling, asking if I was coming, but I couldn't bring myself to pick up. When I finally got to the house, I rang the doorbell and waited. You're not supposed to just walk in here if no one answers. It means you're not wanted. I nearly fell over when my brother opened the door. He didn't have that look he always used to give me, the one that made me feel about an inch tall. Maybe he didn't recognize me. Or maybe he forgot he hated me. I couldn't stop wondering about it until he spoke. "You can come in," he said. Just like that. My brother, inviting me inside. I half expected the sky to fall. The second I stepped through the door, my mom threw herself at me, sobbing like the world was ending. I couldn't believe it. She never wanted anything to do with me, and now this? I saw my aunts and uncles out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't really know them. They never wanted to know me either. The whole thing left me feeling like I'd walked into the Twilight Zone. I was so caught off guard, I almost forgot Noah was with me. I didn't plan on explaining him to anyone. As long as he behaved himself, which I knew he would, I figured we'd be okay. He wants to meet my family, but he knows it has to be on my terms. "Mom, is that my grandma?" Noah whispered from behind me. That's when my mom finally noticed him. "Did he just call you mom?" one of my aunts asked. Auntie Rose, I think. I've heard stories about her, but I didn't care to share. I ignored her and turned to my son. "Yes, Noah, but she wished I was dead." I said it loud enough for everyone to hear. I didn't care. "That's an awful thing to say to a child, Ivy. Whatever happened between you and your mother shouldn't involve him," my aunt scolded. I pretended she wasn't there. My mom looked like she might faint, all pale and weak, like she wanted me to feel sorry for her. But how could I, when she never once treated me like a daughter? Not even when I needed her most, when I was pregnant with Noah and had nowhere to go? "Ivy, I'm so sorry for everything. But please, don't keep me from my grandchild," she begged, tears in her eyes. Since when did I matter so much to her? If Noah was really her grandson, why did she throw me out when I was carrying him? "Your father and I, we know we treated you badly. But please, try to forgive us." She took a step closer, but I couldn't move. "I didn't come for your apologies. I came because I was told to, because he's dead. He wouldn't want me here if he was alive. I didn't even want to come." I stood my ground, my voice hard. "And Noah is nobody's business but mine. I don't owe anyone an explanation." But my mom wouldn't let up. "I understand you need time, Ivy. But I'm the only grandparent Noah has. Please, let me be part of his life." I knew she was trying to get to me, to find the girl I used to be. But I'm not that person anymore. I won't let myself be used like that again. "If there's nothing else, I'm leaving. I'll see you at the funeral." I turned to go, heading for the door even as they called after me. I didn't care anymore. I yanked the door open, ready to make my escape, and froze. Standing there, staring back at me, was the last person I ever wanted to see. "Ivy?" he said, his eyes wide with shock. But then his gaze landed on Noah, peeking out from behind me, and I saw the question in his eyes. My heart dropped straight into my stomach. No. Not him. Not now. I thought I'd never have to see him again, that I'd left Rowan Douglas and all the pain he caused me far behind. But there he was, looking just as stunned as I felt. "Rowan," I managed to choke out, my voice barely above a whisper. "What are you doing here?" He blinked, shaking his head like he couldn't quite believe it either. "I... I came for your father's funeral. But Ivy, is that...?" I pushed Noah further behind me, shielding him from Rowan's searching gaze. "Don't. Don't you dare ask me about him." Rowan held up his hands, taking a step back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I was just surprised." "Yeah, well, I'm full of surprises," I snapped, the bitterness welling up like bile in my throat. How dare he show up here, today of all days? How dare he look at Noah like he had any right to know about him, about the piece of my heart that I'd protected from him all these years? I felt my mom's hand on my shoulder, trying to pull me back into the house. "Ivy, please. Let's just talk about this." But I shrugged her off, my eyes never leaving Rowan's face. "There's nothing to talk about. I came to bury my father, not dig up the past. And I sure as hell didn't come to see you." I pushed past him, dragging Noah with me down the steps. I heard Rowan call my name, heard my mother pleading with me to wait, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. If I did, I knew I'd fall apart right there on the sidewalk. Noah stumbled along beside me, confused and scared by the tears streaming down my face. "Mommy? Mommy, what's wrong? Who was that man?" "Nobody, baby. He's nobody." But even as I said it, I knew it wasn't true. Rowan Douglas would never be nobody, no matter how hard I tried to pretend otherwise. He was the man who'd shattered my heart into a million pieces, the man who'd given me the most precious gift in my life and then tossed us both aside like we were nothing. And now, after seven long years, he'd come crashing back into my world like a wrecking ball. I didn't know if I was strong enough to survive the rubble this time. All I knew was that I had to get away, had to get Noah away, before the truth came spilling out and destroyed the careful life I'd built for us. So I ran, my son's hand clutched tight in mine, Rowan's stricken face haunting every step. I ran from my past, from my pain, from the love that had almost ruined me. And I prayed that somehow, someday, I'd find the strength to stop running and finally face it all head-on. But not today. Today, I just needed to breathe. For Noah's sake, if not for my own. We'd come back to bury the past, but it looked like the past wasn't quite done with us yet. I just hoped I could make it through the next few days without losing myself completely again.HOSPITAL SIEGE Ivy’s POV The note he’d just been handed burned in my mind, its warning sharp after my collapse last night, the blood on my dress a terrifying sign of the baby we hadn’t known about. Rowan leaned closer, his breath warm on my cheek. “I’m locking this place down,” he said, his voice low, urgent. He stood, barking orders into his phone. “Cole, get guards on every exit. No one gets near her room.” His eyes flicked to me, softening for a moment, and he squeezed my hand. “You’re safe, Ivy. I swear it.” I nodded, my throat tight, but my eyes caught a nurse lingering by the door, her gaze darting away too quickly. Her name tag read “Clara,” but something about her stiff posture set my nerves on edge. “Rowan,” I whispered, my voice trembling, “that nurse—she’s acting weird.” He followed my gaze, his jaw clenching. “I’ll check it out,” he said, his hand brushing my cheek. “Stay put.” He was about to walk towards the door, when I grabbed his wrist, panic surgi
RACE AGAINST TIME Rowan’s POV Ivy’s collapse stopped my heart, her body crumpling in my arms, blood staining her dress as she clutched her stomach, her green eyes wide with pain. “Mom!” Noah’s scream from upstairs, echoed in my skull as I scooped her up, my pulse thundering, fear choking me. Gabe’s car trailing us, his note in Noah’s room, Bella’s shadow over everything—it all faded against the fear of losing her. I sprinted to the SUV, barking at my security team to clear the way, my voice raw as I laid Ivy in the backseat, Noah scrambling in beside her, his small hands clutching hers. “Dad, is Mom okay?” Noah sobbed, his eyes, brimming with tears. I floored the gas, the hospital ten minutes away, every second a knife in my chest. “She’s gonna be fine, buddy,” I lied, my voice cracking as I glanced at Ivy, pale and trembling, her hand gripping mine. “Hold on, Ivy,” I whispered, my throat tight. “I’m here.” Her engagement ring glinted, a promise I’d fight to keep. The ho
THE STALKER’S RETURN Ivy’s POV Gabe’s car trailing us felt like a nightmare. Noah’s scream—“It’s Uncle Gabe!”—still rang in my ears as we sped through L.A.’s dark streets, the black sedan’s headlights glaring in the rearview mirror. Rowan’s hands gripped the wheel, his jaw tight, his gray eyes flicking between the road and me. My heart pounded, the photo of my real mother—a Kelly heiress, murdered—burning in my pocket, tying Bella’s vendetta to my past. I clutched Noah’s small hand in the backseat, his wide eyes locked on the window, and I fought to keep my voice steady. “Rowan, lose him,” I said, my voice sharp, fear clawing my chest. “He’s not getting near Noah.” Rowan swerved the SUV, tires screeching as he cut through a side street, the sedan vanishing into the night. “He’s gone,” he said, his voice low, but his knuckles were white, his body tense. “For now.” He glanced at me, his hand reaching for mine, the touch sparking heat despite the panic. “You okay?” I nodded,
THE KELLY LEGACY Rowan’s POV The photo of Ivy’s real mother burned in my mind, her green eyes and blonde hair a mirror of Ivy’s, her face eerily like a Kelly heiress I’d met years ago at a charity gala. Standing in Ivy’s mother’s living room, the album still open on the floor, I wondered what this meant. Ivy clutched the photo, her hands trembling, and Noah’s small frame pressed against her, his eyes wide with confusion. My heart pounded—Bella’s note, the brick through our window, now this photo. It was all connected, and I’d be damned if I let it tear my family apart. I grabbed my phone, dialing my private investigator, Marcus, my voice low to keep Ivy calm. “I need you to dig into Ivy’s background,” I said, stepping away from her and Noah. “Start with the Kelly family—old money, L.A. elite. I think her mother was one of them.” “On it, boss,” Marcus said, his tone clipped. “Kelly’s a big name. You sure about this?” “Dead sure,” I snapped, ending the call. I turned to Ivy,
GHOSTS OF THE PAST Ivy’s POV “Ivy, we need to talk. It's about Noah.” came a message when I refused to pick the call. But the name attached to the end of the message had chills running down my spine. My hand froze on the device, the unknown number flashing like a warning as Rowan’s gray eyes burned into me, his body tense beside me in the mansion’s living room. “Ivy, who was it?” Rowan asked, his voice sharp, his hand grabbing mine, his touch warm but possessive. I swallowed, my voice trembling. “It was Gabe,” I said, barely above a whisper. “He… he wants to meet. Says it’s about Noah.” My stomach twisted, the memory of Noah’s secret call to “Uncle Gabe” during the fashion show stinging like salt in a cut. Rowan’s jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with something dark—jealousy, maybe, or raw protectiveness. “He’s not getting near you,” he growled, pulling me closer, his hand sliding to my waist. “I’ll track him down myself. He’s working with Bella, I know it.” His breath was
THE ENEMY WITHIN Rowan’s POVThe note burned in my hand, as I shielded Ivy and Noah from the shattered glass littering the mansion’s living room. “Stay back,” I growled, pushing them behind me as I scanned the dark windows, my gun heavy in my hand. My pulse thundered, my mind racing between Bella and Maddox, both vipers circling my family. “Security’s coming,” I said, my voice low, trying to keep them calm. But my heart pounded—Bella was free, and she’d already breached our fortress.Ivy’s hand gripped my arm, her touch grounding me despite the chaos. “Rowan, who did this?” she whispered, her voice shaking but fierce. “Bella? Maddox?”“I don’t know yet,” I said, my jaw tight. “But I’ll find out.” I turned to her, my free hand brushing her cheek. “Get Noah upstairs,” I told her, my voice softer. “I’ll handle this.”She nodded, her fingers squeezing mine before she guided Noah toward the stairs. “Come on, buddy,” she said, her voice steady for him, but I caught the tremor in it. “Le