LOGINThe car ride stretched into silence, broken only by the soft, uneven breathing of sleeping children in the backseat. Aurelia’s head rested against Elijah’s shoulder, his small hand curled protectively around hers. The city lights blurred past the windows, fading as night slowly surrendered to dawn.Morning crept in quietly, pale and colorless. The whole night had passed like this, unspoken tension, words swallowed, memories pressing against Ivy’s chest until breathing felt like work.She broke the silence without looking at him.“Don’t think for one second,” she said flatly, “that you’re going to have any husband rights over me.”Asher’s eyes stayed on the road.“Don’t try to get close to my kids,” she continued, voice sharpening with every word. “Stay away from me. Stay in your lane. This-...” her hand lifted weakly between them “-...doesn’t change anything.”Each word landed like a blade. Asher absorbed them without reaction, his jaw locked, knuckles whitening around the steering wh
AT THE HOTELThe elevator doors slid open to the top floor suite, and Ivy stepped out first, her pace quick and rigid. Her spine was straight, shoulders tight, every movement controlled as if she were holding herself together by sheer will alone. The carpet beneath her heels felt too soft, too quiet. Behind her, Asher followed, his presence heavy and unmistakable, like a shadow she could not shake no matter how fast she walked.She had barely taken three steps down the corridor when a familiar voice called her name.“Ivy.”Christina came rushing toward her from the other end of the hall, worry written openly across her face. Her eyes scanned Ivy from head to toe, panic flaring the moment she noticed her pale complexion and red rimmed eyes.“Oh my God,” Christina breathed, reaching her in two strides. “Where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried we were?”Before Ivy could answer, Christina wrapped her arms tightly around her, holding her as if afraid Ivy might disappear agai
“Be my wife.”The words hit her like a slap.For a second, Ivy could only stare at him, her breath catching painfully in her chest. Then anger surged up, fast and violent, burning through every fragile thread of control she had left.She laughed, sharp and disbelieving. “Have you lost your mind?”Asher did not flinch. His face remained carved from stone, his eyes dark and unyielding, as if he had already decided the outcome and was merely informing her of it.“You were my contracted fiancée first,” he said evenly. “Now you will be my contracted wife.”Her hands trembled at her sides. “You think you can just rewrite my life like a clause on paper?” she snapped. “You think after everything you did, I would even consider-...”She broke off when he reached into his pocket.The soft sound of paper sliding free cut through the tension.Asher stepped forward and tossed a pen and a folded document onto the bed in front of her. The papers landed with a quiet finality, as if sealing something i
THE COLE MANSIONThe Cole mansion felt unsettled long after Riley and her parents had left.The grand living room, usually pristine and composed, now carried a strange heaviness, as though the walls themselves were listening. The faint echo of the front door closing still lingered in the air, followed by the soft rush of servants retreating back into the corridors, careful not to draw attention to themselves.Velvet sat rigidly on the cream velvet sofa, her posture immaculate but her fingers clenched tightly in her lap. Her perfectly styled hair did not hide the tension in her face. Beside her sat Mrs Cole, her back straight and hands folded, eyes distant as if she were replaying the earlier conversation over and over in her mind.Hayden sat across from them, one ankle resting on his knee, phone in hand. His expression was calm on the surface, but his jaw was set tight, a subtle sign that things were not sitting well with him either.“They left in such a hurry,” Velvet said sharply, b
"What game?” Ivy asked, her voice sharp, brittle with restrained fury.Asher’s eyes did not leave her face. He stood too close, close enough for her to feel his warmth, his presence pressing against her senses.“I want you to stop pretending to be Eva Stone,” he said calmly, dangerously so, “and be with me.”Something inside her snapped.Her hands curled into fists, shoulders tensing as anger surged up her spine. “You don’t get to decide that,” she snapped, breath quickening. “You don’t get to tell me who I am or what I do with my life.”Her voice rose, fury spilling out before she could stop it.Before the sound could fully leave her throat, Asher moved.His hand came up fast, firm, covering her mouth. His other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against his chest, restraining without hurting. His grip was solid, unyielding.“Don’t,” he said low against her ear. “Shouting and getting hyper is not good for you.”Her eyes burned with rage as she glared at him, chest rising
Asher stood rigidly behind the doctor, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the office couch where Ivy lay unconscious.An hour had passed.An entire hour of silence that felt heavier than any argument, heavier than her screams, heavier than the weight of everything he had buried for three years.The room still looked exactly like it had frozen in the moment she collapsed. Pillows on the floor. Bedsheets are messy. A lamp knocked sideways. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic, fear, and something unbearably familiar.Guilt.Downstairs, Adrian had been pacing like a caged animal when Asher had stormed down moments after Ivy lost consciousness. His voice had been sharp, clipped, unyielding.“Call the doctor,” Asher had ordered, eyes dark, hands fisted at his sides. “Now. The one on retainer for the Cole Group. Tell him it’s urgent.”Adrian had not argued. One look at Asher’s face had been enough. He had already been dialing before Asher finished speaking, his worry barely concea







