The silence between them was suffocating, the weight of the unspoken pressing down like a storm cloud waiting to break. Ashton stood near the door, his body rigid, his face unreadable. Vivie could still feel the ghost of his words lingering in the air—proof. Proof that everything she thought she knew was a lie.

She took a slow breath, steadying herself as she turned back to the documents spread out in front of her. Pages upon pages of notes, reports, and hidden truths that had been locked away in this room for who knew how long. Every piece of paper screamed betrayal, and yet, she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

Her fingers hovered over a photograph—one of her father, standing with men she didn’t recognize. There was something in his expression that unsettled her, something calculating. Something secret.

“Why do you have this?” she asked, her voice low.

Ashton didn’t answer right away. When he did, his voice was controlled, measured. “Because I needed to know the truth before you did.”

Vivie snapped her head toward him. “And you decided you got to be the one to keep it from me?”

His gaze darkened. “I decided to protect you.”

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “Protect me? You trapped me in this marriage. You took away my choices. How is that protection?”

Ashton took a step closer, his presence like a force of gravity pulling her in. “Because the alternative was worse.”

A chill ran down her spine. “What alternative?”

He didn’t speak right away. Instead, he moved to the board, fingers brushing against the red strings that connected everything. When he finally spoke, his voice was lower, edged with something unreadable. “Your father owed more than money, Vivie. He owed lives. He made deals he couldn’t keep, promises he couldn’t afford to break. And when it all came crashing down, there were people who wanted their payment.”

Her throat tightened. “And that payment was me?”

Ashton’s silence was answer enough.

Vivie turned away, her hands clenching into fists. Anger, betrayal, confusion—they all swirled inside her, a storm she couldn’t contain. “So what? You decided to be the lesser evil?”

He let out a breath, sharp and tired. “I decided to keep you alive.”

She spun back around, her frustration bubbling over. “You don’t get to act like a hero, Ashton! You don’t get to make choices for me and then pretend you did it for my sake!”

For the first time, something in his expression cracked. Just for a second. Then it was gone, buried beneath the same cold mask he always wore.

“You’re right,” he said quietly. “I don’t get to be the hero. I never was.”

The admission sent a strange pang through her chest, unexpected and unwelcome. She hated him. She hated him for everything he had done. But she also hated that a part of her wanted to understand him.

Silence stretched between them, heavy and unresolved.

Vivie turned back to the table, her eyes scanning the documents again. So much information, so many secrets. And yet, it still felt like there was more he wasn’t saying. More he wasn’t telling her.

She looked back at him, her voice quieter this time. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Ashton met her gaze, his eyes unreadable. Then, after a long moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out another file. He placed it on the table and slid it toward her.

Vivie hesitated before reaching for it. When she flipped it open, her breath caught.

Inside were more photos. But these weren’t of her father.

They were of her.

Her as a child. Her as a teenager. Pictures taken from a distance, as if she had been watched for years without ever knowing.

Her blood ran cold. “What is this?”

Ashton’s voice was quiet, almost careful. “Proof that this didn’t start with me.”

Vivie’s hands trembled as she turned the pages. There were notes alongside the pictures. Names she didn’t recognize. Dates that spanned years.

She looked up at him, her heart pounding. “Who took these?”

His expression was grim. “The people who wanted you dead.”

Her stomach twisted, nausea rising. “And you knew?”

“I found out too late.”

Vivie closed the file, her breath shaky. She had spent so much time hating Ashton for trapping her, for taking her choices. But now, as the truth unraveled in front of her, she realized something far worse.

She had never been free to begin with.