The next morning felt like the calm after a hurricane. Sunlight streamed into the penthouse, casting long golden stripes across the white marble floors. I stood in the kitchen barefoot, sipping coffee, watching Eli hum to himself at the breakfast counter as he built a tower of blueberries.
Liam walked in, his hair still damp from the shower, shirt half-buttoned, and grinned. "This is what heaven looks like."
I smiled softly. "It's not bad."
He kissed the top of Eli's head, then mine, before leaning against the counter. "I called Brian. Damien's arraignment is scheduled for Friday. No bail."
"And the board?"
"Full support," he said. "We're clear."
But the unease in my chest didn't vanish.
Because nothing ever stays perfect for long.
Later that afternoon, I walked into my office to find a small envelope sitting neatly on my desk—no address, no stamp. Inside was a photo. Eli at a carnival. And the name: Claire Borden.
The blood in my veins turned to ice.
Claire Borden.
I hadn't heard that name in years. Not since college. Not since the internship that changed everything.
She was my roommate. My friend. My rival. And the one person who knew the truth about that night. About Liam. About Eli—before even I fully understood what it meant.
I called Liam immediately.
"She's back," I said.
He went quiet. "How do you know?"
"She left a photo of Eli on my desk with her name on it."
His voice dropped. "Where are you?"
"In my office."
"Don't move."
Minutes later, Liam arrived with security. They swept the floor, reviewed camera footage—nothing. She'd been a ghost.
We sat together in the conference room, the tension between us electric.
"She knew things," I whispered. "Things I told her when I was scared and alone. I didn't know who you were then. I didn't even know I was pregnant."
"And she used it?" he asked.
"She disappeared after the internship ended. No trace. I never thought she'd come back."
Liam stood. "Then we need to find her before she does more than leave notes."
***
That night, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned, haunted by memories—of Claire's laugh, her piercing green eyes, her subtle jealousy masked as friendship.
Liam wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. "Talk to me."
I exhaled. "She hated how close we got that night. She was watching. I remember her saying something—'He was supposed to notice me.'"
Liam's fingers stiffened on my hip. "She wanted me?"
"She wanted your name. Your power. She used me to get to you. And when she couldn't… she vanished."
He sat up. "Do you think she's working alone?"
"I don't know. But she's back now. And she wants something."
Liam looked down at me, eyes unreadable. "We'll protect Eli. No matter what."
***
The next day, I received an encrypted email from an unknown sender. No text. Just an audio file.
I played it.
Claire's voice: "You thought you could erase me, Ava. You thought motherhood made you invincible. But I'm coming for everything. And I'm not alone."
I forwarded the file to Brian.
Five minutes later, he called. "Ava, that voice isn't just Claire's. It's matched to another person we flagged years ago during an internal breach."
"Who?"
"Lucien Morano. Former CTO of Grayson Tech. Fired for selling IP to foreign buyers. And Claire was his assistant."
Everything clicked. Revenge. Power. Control.
The wolves weren't just at the door.
They were inside the house.
***
That night, Liam and I sat in his office, the city glittering beyond the glass walls. He poured us whiskey, his hand brushing mine as he passed the glass.
"Do you regret it?" I asked.
"Regret what?"
"Everything. Us. Eli. This twisted fairy tale."
He leaned in, brushing my cheek with the back of his hand. "Never. You gave me a son. And somehow, a second chance."
I leaned into his touch. "Even if we're always running from ghosts?"
"Then let's run together."
The kiss was soft at first—gentle, reassuring—but deepened quickly. My fingers slid under his shirt, tracing scars and sinew. He lifted me onto his desk, spreading my legs as he stepped between them.
The tension shattered into fire.
His mouth found my neck, his hands pulling my dress higher. I gasped as his fingers grazed bare skin, slow and deliberate.
"You're mine," he murmured against my lips.
"Yes," I whispered. "Always."
He laid me back, the city watching through the windows as we reminded each other what love meant after war. It wasn't soft. It was searing. A collision of relief and desperation and want.
Afterward, we lay tangled, sweat cooling on our skin.
"I'll hire private security for Eli," Liam said. "And we'll set a trap for Claire and Lucien."
I nodded. "Let's finish this."
Outside, the wind howled like a warning.
And somewhere in the shadows, Claire watched the penthouse from a rooftop across the street.
Her voice cut through the static in her earpiece. "They think they've won. But we haven't even started."