Amelia didn't sleep after the men left.
She sat in the living room, wrapped in a blanket, watching Ethan repair the door. He worked in silence, his movements efficient, his face unreadable.
When he finished, he sat down across from her.
"It's almost morning," he said.
"I know."
"You should rest."
"I can't."
He nodded slowly, as if he'd expected that answer.
Then he began to talk.
"There's a man named Victor Rossi," he said. "He runs a network—illegal, powerful, connected to people you've never heard of and probably thought of. Your father owed him money... A lot of money."
"My father?"
"Not just money. Information. Your father worked for Rossi years ago. When he tried to leave, Rossi said no. Your father ran anyway. Rossi has been looking for him—and for you—ever since."
Amelia's hands tightened around the blanket. "Why me?"
"Because you're leverage. Rossi doesn't just want money. He wants control. And the best way to control someone is to take what they love most."
"So my father sold me to you to protect me?"
"Yes."
"And you? Why did you agree?"
Ethan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His eyes held hers.
Because I've been looking for you," he said quietly. "Long before Rossi. Long before any of this. There's a connection between our families—something old, something neither of us chose. And when I found out you were in danger, I made your father an offer he couldn't refuse."
"What offer?"
"Marry you. Protect you. In exchange, he gives me something I've wanted for a long time."
"What?"
Ethan was quiet for a moment.
Peace," he finally said. "The chance to stop running."
Amelia stared at him. The room was silent except for the faint sound of the fan—her fan, she realized, the one she needed to sleep. He'd put it in her room without her asking.
"You should have told me," she whispered.
"I know."
"Tomorrow," she said. "You're taking me to your office. I want to meet your colleagues. I want to see your world."
Ethan's brow furrowed. "Why?"
"Because I'm your wife. And I'm tired of being kept in the dark."
He studied her for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly.
"Tomorrow," he agreed.
Outside, the first light of dawn began to creep across the sky.
And for the first time since that night at her window, Amelia felt something other than fear—
She felt ready.