Lucien moved before Ivy could breathe.
He pulled her back so hard she stumbled into his chest, his arm locking around her shoulders—not protective.
Possessive.
"Behind me," he said.
Daniel Cross chuckled softly, unfazed. "Still the hero, Vale. Still pretending you can control the outcome."
Lucien's eyes never left him. "You shouldn't have come here."
Daniel spread his hands. "On the contrary. I've been waiting for this reunion."
Ivy's pulse roared in her ears. "Lucien… he's dangerous."
"I know," Lucien replied flatly. "That's why he's still alive."
Daniel's smile twitched. "Careful. Your wife is listening."
Lucien tightened his hold just enough for Ivy to feel the warning.
"She listens," Lucien said. "She doesn't speak."
Ivy bristled—but stayed silent.
Not because she was afraid.
Because she was learning.
Daniel took a slow step closer. "You've dug up things that don't belong to you. Old fires. Old corpses."
"You killed my mother," Lucien said.
Daniel tilted his head. "I survived that night. Your mother didn't. Tragic imbalance."
Lucien lunged.
The punch came fast—controlled, devastating.
Daniel staggered back, shock flashing across his face as blood spilled from his lip.
Ivy gasped.
First blood.
Daniel wiped his mouth and laughed darkly. "There he is. I wondered how long you'd last."
Lucien didn't respond.
He struck again.
Daniel barely blocked, crashing into a pillar. Dust rained down. The air crackled with violence held just short of chaos.
"Stop!" Ivy shouted.
Both men froze.
Daniel looked at her with interest. "You see, Lucien? She remembers more than you think."
Lucien turned slightly. "Get to the car. Now."
Ivy hesitated. "If I leave—"
"If you stay," Lucien cut in, "you become leverage."
That decided it.
She ran.
As Ivy reached the exit, her phone buzzed violently.
A message.
You were never meant to survive that night.
Neither was she.
Her blood turned to ice.
Behind her, a crash echoed—metal against bone.
Security swarmed.
Daniel was dragged back, still smiling.
"This isn't over," he called out. "She's the key, Vale. And you married her right into my hands."
Lucien stood still, chest rising slowly, eyes burning.
"You touch her," Lucien said, voice deadly calm, "and I will erase you."
Daniel laughed as he was pulled away. "You already started a war."
Lucien turned to Ivy.
For the first time, there was no calculation in his gaze.
Only resolve.
"You're not safe anymore," he said.
Ivy swallowed hard. "I never was."
They locked eyes.
Two people bound by a lie.
United by a truth.
And hunted by the same enemy.
Lucien took her hand.
Not gently.
Not tenderly.
But like a vow.
"From now on," he said, "no secrets."
Ivy nodded.
Because whatever this marriage had become—
It was no longer just a contract.
It was survival.