The city was quiet that evening, too quiet.
Ava gripped her coat tighter around her as she hurried down the back alley behind the flower shop she used to work at. She hadn't planned on going out tonight, but the florist's owner had called, saying they'd found something that belonged to her from the past, something about an old letter with Lucien's handwriting.
She couldn't ignore that.
But now, as she moved deeper into the alley with no one in sight and shadows stretching longer than they should, a chill crept down her spine.
Something wasn't right.
She turned around, and froze.
A tall man stepped out from behind a dumpster, face partially hidden beneath a cap.
"Long time, Ava," he said, his voice familiar… and terrifying.
Her blood ran cold.
"Carlo."
The ex-bodyguard.The one who used to work for Lucien's uncle, the same uncle who had tried to split her and Lucien apart the first time. The same man who knew about the secret wedding. The same man who disappeared right after Lucien's accident.
"What do you want?" she asked, her voice steady despite her racing heart.
"Funny," he sneered. "Still acting brave, even now. You ruined a lot of plans, sweetheart. And now you're getting too close again. This time, I'm here to clean it up... permanently."
A glint of metal flashed under his coat.
Ava turned to run, but he grabbed her, yanking her back.
She screamed, fought, kicked, but he was too strong.
"You think he'll save you again?" Carlo hissed. "That rich bastard doesn't even remember you exist."
Suddenly,
A roar of tires. A car door slamming. Footsteps.
Then a voice, sharp and furious:
"LET HER GO."
Carlo turned just in time for a fist to collide with his jaw.
Lucien.
He launched at the man like a storm, punching with brutal precision. Ava collapsed to the ground, watching through blurred vision as Lucien fought like a man possessed.
Not like a CEO.
Like a husband protecting his wife.
Carlo tried to fight back, but Lucien was faster. Stronger. Angrier.
He pinned him against the brick wall. "Who sent you?" he growled. "Tell me!"
Carlo spat blood. "You'll never find out in time."
Then, he slammed his own head back against the wall, knocking himself unconscious.
Lucien cursed.
Ava whimpered.
Lucien turned to her at once, rushing to her side. "Ava. Ava, are you hurt?"
She shook her head, tears finally spilling over. "I-I'm okay. Just… shaken."
He pulled her into his arms without hesitation, holding her tightly.
She could feel his heart pounding against hers.
"You saved me," she whispered.
Lucien pulled back just enough to look at her. His hands cupped her face. "Of course I did. I don't know what you are to me… but when I saw him grab you, I felt like I was losing everything."
Ava bit her lip.
"What is happening to me?" he asked, almost to himself. "Why does it hurt to think of you in pain? Why do I dream of your voice? Why do I keep seeing flashes of us together, like a life I never lived?"
She didn't answer.
Because maybe, just maybe, he was finally getting close to remembering.