LOGINToo quiet.The kind of quiet that pressed against her ears and made her skin prickle before her mind even registered what was wrong.For a moment she just lay there, blinking up at the ceiling, disoriented. The pale morning light filtered in through the curtains, soft and gentle, completely at odds with the sudden unease crawling up her spine. The sheets were tangled around her legs, warm from sleep.But the other side of the bed was empty.Her heart skipped.Her hand slid across the mattress without thinking, fingers brushing over the pillow beside her.Cold.Her breath caught.No.Her chest tightened sharply, like a fist closing around her lungs. Her heartbeat sped up, thudding hard and fast in her ears as memories surged up without permission.Waking up alone.The hollow space.The way silence had once meant abandonment.Her fingers curled into the fabric of the sheet as panic bloomed fast and violent in her chest.Not again.Her breathing turned shallow, uneven. The room felt sudd
“I can’t do without you,” he murmured. “Not tonight, not ever.”Ivy’s heart tightened at the words, emotions tangled, raw, and undeniable. “Then don’t,” she whispered, letting herself be pulled fully into him.Without a word, Asher wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her effortlessly into his embrace. Ivy's legs instinctively curled around his hips, her arms looping around his neck as she nestled against his chest. She could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, strong and reassuring, as he carried her toward the hallway leading to the bedroom. The motion was smooth, protective, his hands supporting her with a firmness that spoke of possession, as if she were the most precious thing he held.Ivy pressed her cheek to his shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the subtle musk of his skin. “I've missed holding you like this,” she whispered, her breath warm against his neck. Asher's response was a soft hum, his lips brushing the top of her head in a ten
SOMEWHERE IN THE DARKThe room was swallowed by darkness, the kind that pressed in on the skin and made every breath feel heavier than it should. Only a thin line of moonlight slipped through the narrow window, barely enough to outline two figures seated across from each other.One of them leaned back, fingers steepled, voice calm but edged with something vicious. “She’s becoming a problem.”A low chuckle answered him from the shadows. “Problem is an understatement. Ivy is the reason Asher keeps slipping through our fingers.”Silence stretched for a moment, thick and deliberate.“She has a support system,” the first voice continued, slower now, as if weighing every word. “Too many people watching her back. Friends, allies, men willing to bleed for her without hesitation. Asher is only the most obvious one.”The second figure shifted, the faint scrape of a chair echoing softly. “Support systems crack,” he said smoothly. “Especially when you hit them from the right angle.”“You’re under
The night air was thick with lingering music and the faint scent of expensive perfume. Ivy leaned against the hood of Asher’s car in the dimly lit parking lot, arms crossed, her eyes scanning the rows of vehicles. She was waiting for him. The party had been long, crowded, full of eyes and whispers she had no interest in. He was finishing up some last minute handshakes.Her thoughts barely had time to settle when a sharp, mocking voice cut through the night. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Samantha stepped out from behind a black SUV, her high heels clicking against the asphalt. The grin on her face was cruel, triumphant.Ivy did not flinch. She rolled her eyes at the pathetic attempt to intimidate her. “We? As in you and your fragile ego?” Ivy replied, her perfectly arched eyebrows lifting in sarcastic challenge.“Bitch, I'm going to destroy you again. Worse than last time.” Samantha hissed, she was acting like a wounded cat. Ivy’s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile.
A sharp force shoved Samantha backward.Her heels screeched softly against the marble as she stumbled, barely catching her balance. A few gasps rippled through the nearby guests. Samantha looked up, startled and indignant, ready to lash out.And froze.Ivy stood between her and Asher now.Her spine was straight, shoulders squared, every inch of her radiating something cold and unyielding. One hand was pressed flat against Asher’s chest, fingers spread as if drawing a line no one was allowed to cross. She did not raise her voice. She did not need to.“Stay away from my husband,” Ivy said clearly.The word husband sliced through the air.For a brief moment, it felt as if the music dimmed, the laughter faded, the entire room holding its breath around them.Samantha stared at Ivy as though she had seen a ghost claw its way out of the grave. The color drained from her face so quickly it was almost frightening. Her lips parted, trembling.“You…” Her voice came out unsteady, barely louder th
Asher stopped just inside the doorway.For a brief moment, he did not move at all. His gaze took in the room with a soldier’s precision. Ivy stood near the bed, one hand resting on the edge of the mattress as if she had just steadied herself. Jason was a little too close, his body angled toward her in a way that immediately set something dark and possessive off in Asher’s chest.His shoulders squared slowly.“What’s going on?” he asked.His voice was calm, but the stillness in his posture carried weight. The kind that made people choose their words carefully.Jason straightened at once, as if pulled upright by instinct. He ran a hand down the front of his trousers, wiping his palms, grounding himself. Whatever raw emotion had been there earlier was gone now, locked away behind composure.“Nothing,” he said evenly. “We were just talking.”Asher’s eyes flicked to Ivy immediately, searching her face. Not Jason’s. Hers. He read tension in the tightness of her mouth, the way her fingers cu







