The words didn't just land—They shattered something.
"My family."
Helena stared at Marcus, her mind struggling to catch up with what he had just said.
"No," she said instinctively.
A step back.
"That doesn't make any sense."
Marcus didn't move.
Didn't soften it.
Didn't take it back.
"It does," he said quietly.
Her chest tightened.
"Why would your family want me dead?"
Silence stretched for a second too long.
Because the answer—Wasn't simple.
"They don't want you dead," Marcus said finally.
A pause.
"They wanted you erased."
That felt worse.
Helena let out a shaky breath, her thoughts racing.
"Those aren't the same thing."
"They are," he replied, "when you know too much."
Her eyes sharpened instantly.
"What do I know?"
Marcus stepped closer now, his presence heavier than before.
More serious.
More dangerous.
"You were never supposed to remember that night," he said.
Her stomach dropped.
"But you did."
Images flickered through her mind—Fragments.
Broken pieces she had always pushed away.
The night everything fell apart.
The betrayal.
The escape.
The fear.
But now—It felt different.
Incomplete.
"What aren't I remembering?" she whispered.
Marcus held her gaze.
"Everything."
The word echoed between them.
Helena shook her head slowly.
"That's not possible."
"It is when someone makes sure of it."
Her breath caught.
"Someone… erased my memory?"
Marcus didn't answer directly.
But his silence said enough.
Her pulse spiked.
"No," she said again, more forcefully now.
"That's insane."
"Is it?"
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"Or does it explain why you've been running from something you can't even name?"
That hit.
Hard.
Because it was true.
Helena had always felt it—That something was missing.
That something didn't add up.
But she had never questioned it deeply enough.
Until now.
"Your family did this?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Marcus's expression darkened.
"Because you were never supposed to survive what you saw."
Her heart pounded.
"What did I see?"
Marcus didn't answer immediately.
And that hesitation—That was enough to tell her it was worse than she thought.
"Marcus," she said, sharper now.
His eyes locked onto hers.
"You saw them."
A pause.
"Exactly as they are."
A chill ran down her spine.
"And what does that mean?"
Marcus exhaled slowly.
"It means you saw power no one is supposed to witness."
Her mind raced.
"This doesn't make sense," she whispered.
"It will," he repeated.
A step closer.
"They don't just control companies."
Another step.
"They control governments."
Helena froze.
No.
No, that was—
"They control everything that matters," Marcus finished quietly.
The weight of it pressed down on her instantly.
This wasn't just about revenge anymore.
This wasn't just about survival.
This was something bigger.
Something dangerous on a scale she hadn't imagined.
"And you're part of that," she said slowly.
It wasn't a question.
Marcus didn't deny it.
"Yes."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"Then what does that make me?"
His gaze softened slightly—just for a second.
"That depends on what you choose to be."
Silence fell again.
Because now—The choice was real.
Walk away.
Or step into something she could never escape.
Helena took a slow breath.
"You said they wanted me erased," she said.
"Yes."
"Then why now?"
Marcus's expression shifted again.
Colder.
More focused.
"Because now they know you're with me."
Her stomach dropped.
"And that makes me a threat?"
"It makes you a weakness."
The words were quiet.
But brutal.
Helena held his gaze.
"And you don't like weaknesses."
"No," he said.
A pause.
"I eliminate them."
Silence.
Her heart skipped once—Hard.
But she didn't look away.
Didn't step back.
"Then why am I still here?" she asked.
Marcus stepped closer.
Close enough that she could feel the heat of him again.
The tension.
The truth.
"Because you're the one weakness I won't get rid of."
Her breath caught.
And just like that—Everything changed again.
Because this—This wasn't just danger.
This was something far more dangerous.
Choice.
Trust.
Power.
And something neither of them could control anymore.
Helena exhaled slowly.
"Then we don't run," she said.
Marcus's gaze sharpened.
"We don't hide."
A step closer.
"We fight them."
Silence.
Then—A slow smile formed on Marcus's lips.
Dark.
Dangerous.
"Careful," he said quietly.
A pause.
"You're starting to sound like one of us."
Helena met his gaze without hesitation.
"Maybe I already am."
And that—That was the moment she crossed the line.