**1. The Gun Between Us**
Melanie's pearl-handled revolver didn't waver. The same hands that had pinned my bridesmaid dress this morning now gripped steel with terrifying ease.
"You weren't supposed to remember Miami," she repeated, her voice syrup-sweet. The veil framed her face like a ghost. "Three years of planning... and *Oliver* ruins it with one damn scar."
Oliver shifted, his back pressing against my chest. I could feel his heartbeat through his ruined dress shirt—fast, but steady. *Too steady.* Like he'd expected this.
"Put the gun down, Mel." His tone was ice. "You don't want to do this."
"Don't I?" Her laugh skittered across the marble floors. "You stole Lexi. Then Ethan. Now *her*?" The barrel swung to me. "Did he tell you how we met, Lila? At his father's funeral. He was *so* grateful for my comfort."
Oliver's muscles coiled. I grabbed his wrist before he could lunge.
#### **2. Flashback: Miami (Oliver's POV)**
*Three Years Ago*
The Delano's rooftop bar stank of salt and betrayal. I crumpled Ethan's ultimatum in my fist:
>> *Marry Lexi Santoro or lose your inheritance.*
Lexi appeared like a specter, offering a mojito. "To new alliances?" Her ruby nails matched the Santoro family crest tattooed on her wrist.
I drank.
The world blurred within minutes.
Through the haze: Lexi's whisper—*"Ethan says you need motivation"*—and the glint of a syringe. Then screaming. Running. *Lila floating in the pool, blood swirling like ink.*
I dove.
The gunshot tore through my arm as I hauled her out.
#### **3. Present: Truths Unravel**
Melanie's gun arm trembled. "Lexi promised you'd pay. She *promised*."
Realization punched through me. "You set up Miami." My voice sounded alien. "You tried to have me *killed* over a *man*?"
"Over *everything*!" Spittle flew. "The Santoros own half of Miami. One marriage, and the Harts would've been unstoppable. But *Oliver* refused." She cocked the hammer. "Now I'll take what's left."
Oliver's whisper grazed my ear: *"When I say run, take the fire exit."*
I dug my nails into his waist. "Not without you."
A shadow moved behind Melanie.
The gun fired.
#### **4. The Shot That Changes Everything**
Oliver spun us, shielding me—but the bullet wasn't for him.
Melanie gasped. Crimson bloomed across her chest. Behind her, Lexi lowered a smoking pistol, her Santoro tattoo gleaming.
"Oops." Lexi's smile was knife-sharp. "Should've checked your blind spot, Mel."
Oliver shoved me toward the exit. "Lila, *go*—"
Lexi's second shot shattered the chandelier.
**TO BE CONTINUED...**
*(Chapter 7 teaser: Lila's secret combat training emerges + Oliver's deal with Lexi revealed.)*