The air inside the mansion felt heavier than it ever had before.
The chandelier that once shimmered above their engagement dinner now hung dull and silent, casting long, distorted shadows across the marble floor, as if the house itself was holding its breath.
Ivana sat at the far end of the table, her fingers cold, restless.
She tapped them softly against the polished surface, her gaze fixed on her parents faces.
Something was wrong. She could feel it deep in her chest.
The tension between her parents and Kacy's parents was impossible to miss.
The coldness.
The distance.
The silence that spoke louder than words.
Her eyes lingered on them for a moment before drifting back to her husband, who sat across from her, uncomfortably close to his parents.
Kacy leaned back in his chair, jaw clenched, eyes unfocused. He wasn't really seeing anything in front of him.
His thoughts were elsewhere.
Heavy.
Uneasy.
It was the very same place his wife had once told him about.
The room where she had sat beside her parents, facing his parents.
the night their engagement was discussed,
their futures negotiated under polite smiles and quiet promises.
The memory burned.
Something about this meeting felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Why does this silence feel dangerous?
The thought crossed his mind just as he lifted his gaze.
Ivana's eyes collided with his.
For a brief second, the world narrowed to just them.
She flushed instantly and turned her face away. Kacy let out a quiet, humorless chuckle.
After what felt like an eternity, someone cleared their throat.
That was when Kacy truly noticed it.
The four people seated before them were the same ones who had once believed this marriage would unite two powerful families.
A calculated alliance dressed in luxury, sealed with smiles and promises.
Now, that bridge was cracking.
He could feel it.
The silence shattered when a rich, commanding voice finally spoke.
"I think it's high time we tell you children why we called for this meeting." Mr Louis Moore's said calmly, no void of emotions in his eyes.
Ivana's throat tightened.
She lifted her head slowly, eyes darting between her parents. No smiles. No warmth. Just unreadable expressions that made her chest ache.
"Dad…"
Her voice came out small. Fragile.
"What's going on?"
Fear curled in her stomach as the last word fell into the heavy air.
"There's a breach of contract," her mother, Mrs Amira Moore's blurted out sharply.
"What?" Ivana and Kacy spoke at the same time.
"Just that? Mrs Amira,"
Mrs Diva Lillard's scoffed, delicately inspecting her perfectly manicured nails as she wiped them with a neatly folded napkin.
"Mum and Dad, what's going on?" they asked again, annoyance creeping into their voices.
"Good thing you asked, son,"
Mr. Jason's voice cut through the room, sharp and cold.
His fingers tapped hard against the table.
once.
twice.
A warning disguised as patience.
The meeting had begun.
And whatever was about to be said
would leave nothing untouched.
"The Moores went out of their way and tangled with the wrong empire," Mr. Jason Lillard said coldly.
"They should face the consequences. Instead, they plan to drag us down with their foolishness."
There was no remorse in his voice.
Only ice.
"How dare you speak like that, you swindlers!" Mrs. Amira shouted, rising from her seat.
"Oh please," Mrs. Diva Lillard scoffed, laughing softly as she continued cleaning her perfectly manicured nails.
"No one forced you and your foolish husband to cross the wrong man."
"You will not speak to my wife that way...."
And just like that, everything spiraled.
Voices rose.
Chairs scraped.
Four powerful adults reduced to chaos, posturing and glaring like children.
Kacy and Ivana watched in silence as dignity bled out of the room.
Then control snapped.
"The fuck is going on here?"
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The room froze.
His eyes alone forced them back into their seats, hands withdrawing, glares turning sharp and bitter.
He smacked his lips slowly, rubbing his palms together in restrained irritation.
"Tell me now," he said evenly.
"Are we in a kindergarten or watching children fight?"
No one answered.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"Tell me. Now."
Even Ivana's gaze could not soften him.
"Someone speak," he continued, eyes cutting into each of them.
"Or I'll leave you all here to destroy yourselves."
Silence.
He waited.
Then scoffed, standing.
"Shameful," he muttered under his breath.
"Kacy… please, just sit," Ivana begged softly.
"It's either you come with me," he replied calmly,
"or you stay and listen to their rubbish all night."
She saw it then.
Behind his calm gaze, something dark and cold stirred.
"Fine," his father finally spoke, breaking the tension.
"I think we've pretended long enough."
His voice was steady.
Final.
"The contract has served its purpose. It's time for you both to go your separate ways."
Ivana felt her world collapse.
Her fingers trembled as she unbuttoned the top of her gown, gasping for air that refused to come.
Her hand flew to the small gold necklace resting against her chest.
The red rose charm. Kacy's gift. Her thumb pressed into it as if it could anchor her.
She couldn't breathe.
She was suffocating.
The way his father said it, so calmly, with that same composed expression, was maddening.
Cruel.
She realized then where Kacy inherited that controlled, calculated gaze.
From his father.
The difference was simple.
Kacy fucking cared and most especially about her.
Clutching the rose tighter, she forced herself to remember his piercing blue eyes.
Calm.
Intense.
Endless like the ocean.
And finally that did the magic.
She breathed.
She looked up at her husband.
He stood frozen, lost in thought, the weight of the words pinning him in place.
Speechless.
Still.
She tried to speak.
Nothing came.
Tears slipped silently down her cheeks as memories flooded in....
Their wedding day.
Forced smiles.
Camera flashes.
Hollow vows that were never truly theirs.
Yet somewhere in the pretending, she had fallen deeply in love with him.
With his silences.
His storms.
His world.
Kacy moved at last, sinking back into his chair. His eyes locked onto his father, his hand curling into a fist.
"So this is how it ends," he said quietly.
His voice was dark. Heated.
"You make the rules," he continued,
"and now you break them."
Both fathers lowered their heads, unable to meet his gaze.
His mother exhaled softly, avoiding his eyes.
When she spoke, her voice was calm, controlled, and edged with quiet manipulation.
"Kacy," she said evenly,
"don't make this harder than it already is."
She paused, just long enough to let it sink in.
"This isn't about you and Ivana anymore. Not now. What matters is containing the damage and saving what's left of both families before it turns ugly."
The words were fresh.
Recent.
Still bleeding.
Ivana snapped back to herself, her chest tightening as reality crashed in. She lifted her head, her voice finally finding its way out.
"And what about us?" she asked quietly.
Her question lingered in the air, raw and unanswered.
Then her tone shifted, sharper, edged with hurt and anger. She clicked her tongue, teeth smacking together as she hissed.
"You used us to build your empire".
Her eyes burned as she lifted her chin, defiant.
"So what are we now".
She scoffed softly, bitterness bleeding into the word.
"Collateral?"
No one answered.
The silence spoke louder than anything.
After a long, suffocating silence, Kacy pushed back his chair and stood. Rage simmered beneath his skin, sharp and unforgiving.
He was done with their nonsense.
"You don't have the fucking right", he said cooly, each word deliberate.
"To decide when this marriage starts or ends just because it pleases you".
He scoffed, lips curling in disdain.
"So what if there's a breach of contract, Mr and Mrs Lillard's",
He spat his parents title like poison, his eyes burning with rage as he continued.
"And you don't want to help the Moore's? Fine. That's your mess to deal with. Not ours. Not your children's".
His voice dropped, heavy with authority and venom.
"You don't get to choose when this ends. Not unless i say so".
The room fell silent under the weight of his words. Even Ivana was speechless, staring at him in stunned admiration.
How dare they think they could decide the fate of his marriage?
Who the hell gave them that right?
Never.
Not in his widest dreams.
This would only end if they were ready for war.
She's mine.
She's fucking mine and mine only.
No one and he meant No fucking one would take her from him.
Blood meant nothing in the face of his wrath.
If anyone dares, he would burn everything they loved to the ground without hesitation.
Then, with chilling calm, he spoke again.
His voice was Soft. Predatory. Final.
"Dare me and see".
He pointed at them once, a silent promise of destruction, then grabbed Ivana's arm and pulled her with him.
She barely had time to react, scrambling to grab her purse as she hurried after him.
She threw a quick bow over her shoulder, murmuring an apology as she matched his pace out of the mansion.
Behind them, their parents could only stare at each other, frozen in shock and fear, not a single word daring to leave their lips, The room swallowed whole by silence.
After they stepped out of the mansion, they stopped beside the fountain near the gate.
The sound of running water filled the silence between them.
Ivana pulled her hand free and turned to face him.
Her emerald eyes lifted to his, piercing and searching, as if she was trying to read every thought buried behind that blue stare.
She didn't speak.
She just watched him, waiting.
The silence stretched.
She was about to clear her throat when he moved first.
In one swift motion, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest.
Ivana froze, startled, her hands stiff at her sides, unsure, afraid to move.
Then his lips found hers.
The kiss was slow at first, then deepened, stealing her breath, unravelling her thoughts.
It was intoxicating, overwhelming, until her body betrayed her hesitation and her arms wrapped around him on their own.
When he finally pulled back, he didn't let go.
His arms stayed firm around her waist as he lowered his forehead to hers and whispered, slow and raw.
"I love you so much Ivy, i fucking love you".
His voice trembled.
"Please don't leave me, promise me you won't. No matter what".
His words fractured halfway out, emotion flooding his eyes before he could stop it.
His gaze drifted to her throat, lingering there with a possessive hunger, drawn to the small rose necklace resting against her skin.
The one he had given her on their honeymoon.
The one she still wore.
Seeing it nearly undid him.
His fingers reached for the delicate rose, wrapping around it slowly, almost reverently, as if touching it anchored him.
He toyed with it absentmindedly, his thumb brushing over the petals while he leaned in, pressing a kiss to her neck.
Then another.
And another, trailing down to her collarbone.
He inhaled deeply, her scent filling his lungs, grounding him, steadying him.
In that moment, it felt like she was the only thing holding him upright, the only thing keeping him from falling apart.
She gasped softly, her heart pounding.
"Promise me you won't divorce me, Little moonlight", He whispered softly against her neck.
"I'll fix everything. I'll help your parents, even if it cost me everything I have. Just promise me you won't walk away".
He pulled back just enough to look at her, his gaze calm yet dangerously possessive.
"You're mine little moonlight, only mine".
Ivana could only stare at him speechless, fear curled in her chest, not fear of him but fear of losing him.
She was terrified to promise, yet even more terrified of what it would mean to let him go.
He caught it.
Just for a heartbeat.
The hesitation in her eyes.
The flicker of doubt she tried to hide too quickly.
He saw it anyway.
Damn it, he fucking saw it.
Her thoughts scattering in a hundred directions, walls rising where trust should have been.
Lost in that realization, he missed the truth buried deeper. The fear in her gaze, the terror of losing him, the way her heart was already aching for him even while she struggled to believe.
Then her voice broke through his spiraling thoughts.
"I promise, Kacy".
Those three, soft, intoxicating words spoken by his wife snapped him back to reality. He froze, staring at her like the world has tilted.
Tears gathered at the edges of his eyes as a slow, beautiful smile broke free, raw and unguarded.
"Say it again, Little moonlight". He said hugging her tighter, almost laughing through the emotion.
"I promise baby", she repeatedly softly.
"I'll never leave you. No matter what. We're in this together. I fucking promise you".
He exhaled shakily, overwhelmed.
"Oh... My little moonlight. I love you".
He released her just enough to bend down, pressing a gentle kiss to her stomach, tapping it softly with a smirk.
"And you too, my little snowdrop".
"It's not a she, baby", she protested softly, a happy smile curving her lips.
He only smiled back, slow and sure, confidence settling into his gaze like a promise.
"Of course, she is", He said calmly, almost smug. "I trust my instincts".
Ivana didn't argue again.
She simply looked at him, warmth filling her chest, her fingers tightened around his hand as she leaned closer.
And in that quiet moment, standing there with him, she let herself believe in the future he was claiming so fiercely and she silently wished with everything in her, that this fragile happiness would last.