The honeymoon ended the way all beautiful things do—too fast, too perfectly.
Our jet touched down just after sunset, and within hours we were swept back into a world of luxury cars, whispered headlines, and diamond-tinted chaos.
Dominic had business meetings lined up.
I had something harder.
Family.
I hadn't seen my parents since the wedding.
Not in person.
They'd watched from the third row of the cathedral, wide-eyed and stiff, dressed in clothes they couldn't afford. My mother looked terrified the entire time. My father had shaken Dominic's hand like he was touching royalty.
Now I was standing in their modest home on the edge of the old neighborhood—still the same peeling paint, the same uneven porch steps.
But I wasn't the same.
Not anymore.
"Lila," my mom said, breath catching as she opened the door. "You look…"
"Expensive?" I offered, stepping inside.
She laughed nervously. "No. Just… different."
"I did this for you, you know and I'm glad. I don't regret it surprisingly."
I kissed her cheek and hugged my dad. They asked about Italy. The villa. The wedding. I gave short answers. I was never the daughter who overshared — especially not now, when my world felt like it ran on fire and secrets.
But after about twenty minutes of small talk, I needed air.
So I told them I was going for a walk.
That's when I saw him.
He was leaning against a black truck at the end of the block.
T-shirt, faded jeans, cheap cologne I could still smell on my skin if I let my guard down. His eyes lit up the second he saw me, like time hadn't moved at all.
Tyler.
The one who'd called me crazy for dreaming bigger. The one who cheated first and lied second and begged third. The one who showed up at my job with flowers the day I told him I was leaving.
He hadn't changed.
Still looked like he belonged in a dive bar, still wearing heartbreak like it made him interesting.
"Lila?" he said, like he didn't already know.
I crossed my arms.
"What are you doing here?"
"I saw your car. Thought I'd say hi."
"You should've thought harder."
He grinned, crooked. "Still got that sharp tongue, huh?"
I looked him over slowly.
"No," I said. "Now I've got security who'll crush your jaw if you waste my time."
His smile faltered. "You think you're better than everyone now just 'cause you married that asshole Blackwell?"
"No," I said coolly. "I think I was always better. You were just too scared to admit it."
He stepped closer.
"You really think that guy loves you? You're just a trophy, Lila. A showpiece."
I smiled — slow, dangerous.
"I'm not the trophy. I'm the game."
He blinked.
And that's when the matte black SUV pulled up to the curb behind me.
Door opened.
Dominic stepped out.
And suddenly the air went silent.
He didn't speak. Didn't ask questions. Just stood there in a custom navy suit, dark eyes fixed on Tyler like he was deciding how fast to make him disappear.
"Is this him?" Dominic asked me, voice calm.
Tyler looked between us, throat working.
"You don't own her, man."
Dominic tilted his head. "No. She owns me. But I do protect what's mine."
"Dom," I said gently, stepping toward him. "He's not worth it."
He stared Tyler down for one long, ice-cold second… and then smiled.
"I hope, for your sake," Dominic said, "you never forget how lucky you are that she told me to walk away."
Then he held out his hand for me.
And I took it.
We got in the SUV without another word.
As we drove off, Dominic's hand found my thigh.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said, leaning back. "He doesn't matter."
"No," he said, voice darkening. "But it pisses me off that he thinks he still does."
I turned to him slowly.
"You want to make me forget?
His eyes flicked to mine.
"In the car?"
I slid closer, lips grazing his ear.
"No. At home. On your desk. With the door unlocked."
His jaw clenched.
And suddenly, we weren't going to dinner anymore.