WRITER'S POV:
The car ride back to the estate was quiet.Cassius sat beside Ivy, his fingers loosely linked with hers, his expression unreadable. his grip never loosened.And Ivy didn't let go.
The moonlight spilled across the car's leather interior, washing everything in silver silence. She should've been afraid. Or angry. Or confused.Ivy didn't flinch. Yet Instead, she was thinking.
About staying.About Marcie."You look very... polished," Gina continued. "For someone who came from coach."About all the things she never planned for, like falling for a man with a blood-soaked family tree and a voice that could disarm missiles.
When they reached the estate, Ivy didn't go to her room.
She followed Cassius to his.
"I wonder how long it'll take before he forgets your name. Or how he got you. Maybe he already has." Gina's word played faintly in Ivy's head .
He didn't question it.
Just opened the door and let her in like he'd been waiting for it.
Inside, she turned to him.
"I need answers."
He looked at her. "Ask.""If I stay," she said, "you protect Marcie. Relocate her. Keep her out of this."
"Done."" And I'm not your prisoner. I need freedom. A job. A purpose. I can't just exist in your world like some quiet doll you dress up and tuck away."
He stepped closer."You're the least quiet person I've ever met." Cassius muttered, sliding his hands under her arms, resting it on her waist as he inhaled her hair scent.
"I'm serious, Cassius."Cassius didn't look away."So am I."
He reached out, touched her jaw gently. "You want freedom? I'll give you as much as I can. You want truth? I'll drown you in it. But I can't let you go."Her throat tightened."Then show me," she whispered.His breath caught. Cassius leaned in and then he kissed her.
Not rough. Not rushed.
Slow. Deliberate. Like the world had paused.
His hands traced down her sides, pulled her in. Hers curled into his shirt, tugging, grounding, needing.
They moved toward the bed without looking.
Clothes shed like old versions of themselves.She turned to look at himAnd when he laid her down, it wasn't dominance—it was devotion.His expression had shifted.The kind that hummed. The kind that said, I'd burn for you.His touch was fire and forgiveness.Just... real And hers? Hers was a challenge. A vow. A dare.
They didn't speak for a long time.
Because everything they needed was already between them.Breathless. Bare.
And for the first time since Ivy entered this world, she didn't feel like she was surviving it.She felt like she was choosing it