The room fell silent.
Ivy stared like the walls were spinning. Chase’s jaw locked tight, hands curled into fists at his sides.
“Ash,” Chase said, voice low. “Can I talk to you. Now.”
Ash didn’t move.
Ivy stepped forward instead. “What are you doing?” she snapped. “This is insane.”
Emery blinked slowly, dazed on the outside but inside, fully present. Good. Let them show their cracks.
“She doesn’t even know what she’s saying,” Ivy went on, her voice shaking now. “She’s obviously confused. Maybe she hit her head on the water. She doesn’t remember me, and now you—”
“I remember him,” Emery interrupted, softly. “And I remember how he saved me when no one else did.”
Ivy’s mouth clamped shut.
Ash gave her hand the faintest squeeze. Emery felt it.
Frustrated, Ivy grabbed Chase’s sleeve and dragged him into a quiet hallway, her heels clacking against the tile.
The moment they left the hospital room, Ivy exploded.
“What the hell was that?”
She yanked Chase’s wrist, ignoring the nurses who turned to look. Her eyes were wide, glassy, wild.
Chase rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Lower your voice.”
“No, you don’t get to ‘calm down’ me right now.” Ivy’s voice shook. “She said she’s engaged to Ash. TO Ash.”
She emphasized every word with greeted teeth.
“Do you even hear me? That wasn’t part of the plan!”
“I know what she said.”
“She’s supposed to marry you, Chase!” Ivy hissed, nails digging into his arm. “She’s supposed to get her trust, you get the power, you get the Vale money, and I stay close enough to enjoy it. Everyone wins. That was the deal.”
“Keep your voice down,” Chase muttered, glancing around. “You’re going to blow this if you act like a lunatic.”
“She’s playing us!” Ivy said, gripping her head. “She’s playing you! And she’s doing it in front of everyone. If she marries Ash, that entire fortune goes out of reach.”
Chase’s jaw tightened.
“I had this mapped out,” Ivy whispered, almost choking. “Emery’s parents trust me. They never questioned me. I stood by her for years. And now she’s cutting me out for Ash?”
“She won’t go through with it,” Chase said. “She’s bluffing.”
“You better be right,” Ivy snapped. “Because if she doesn’t marry you, then neither of us gets a damn thing.”
She stepped closer, her voice lowering to a deadly whisper. “Fix this. Or I will.”
Back inside the hospital room, Emery sat upright, adjusting the bandage on her wrist. Ash stood at the window, arms crossed.
“So,” he said finally, “are you going to tell me what that was?”
She looked up at him. “What it looked like.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I’m not confused, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Good,” Ash muttered. “Because I am.”
Emery smiled faintly. “I faked amnesia. I claimed you. That’s all.”
He shook his head. “That’s not all. That’s nuclear. You faked amnesia. You declared an engagement to someone you barely know. You’re about to set fire to your entire life. That’s not nothing, Emery.”
She tilted her head. “You’re right.”
Ash turned. “So why me?”
“Because I trust you more than I trust them.”
Ash blinked.
“That’s a low bar.”
“It’s still something.”
She continued, her voice low. “Everyone else stood on that deck and watched. Ivy cried. Chase froze. But you jumped. You didn’t hesitate. And I remembered that.”
Ash looked down.
“I could’ve played the victim,” she said. “Laid there and let them build the narrative. But that’s not me. And if I’m going to burn what they built, I need someone they don’t expect.”
“And that’s me?” he asked, skeptical.
Emery nodded, gesturing it is already happening as it is.
He studied her for a long moment. “And what do you get out of this?”
Emery smiled faintly. “My life back.”
Ash didn’t blink.
“You don’t play their game,” she clarified. “You’ve always been outside of it. Unbothered. Quiet. And now you’ve got my hand in yours and a front-row seat to chaos. Doesn’t that sound fun?”
Ash’s expression flattened. “Fun isn’t the word I’d use.”
“Then pick another.”
He walked forward slowly. “You’re asking me to lie. To carry this thing with you like it’s real.”
“No,” Emery said, standing. “I’m asking you to stand still while I rearrange the pieces. You just have to hold my hand and nod when needed.”
Ash studied her face, like he was trying to find the crack in her armor.
But Emery wasn’t cracked.
She was sharpened.
He sighed. “This is reckless.”
“It’s justice,” she replied.
He looked at her for a long time.
Then nodded once. “Alright. Let’s make your ex sweat.”
By the time the discharge papers were signed, Ivy was gone, stormed out under the excuse of “getting air.”
Chase stood by the elevator, holding his keys, rehearsing his expression.
When he saw Emery and Ash approaching, he stepped forward.
“Hey.” His voice was soft. Gentle. A tone he’d used once before when he first said I love you.
“I’ll drive you home,” Chase said.
“No,” Emery said immediately.
Chase blinked. “It’s just a ride.”
“No, thank you,” she repeated.
“I don’t mind,” Ash offered, keeping his voice even.
“I insist,” Chase said, forcing a smile. “You’ve been through enough. Let’s not make this more complicated than it already is.”
Emery didn’t slow her pace.
“I don’t want you catching a cold,” Chase added. “I know hospitals freak you out. Let me drive.”
Emery stopped two feet away from him.
Ash stopped beside her.
She tilted her head. “You want to take me home now?”
Chase nodded. “Of course I do.”
“Where was that energy when I was underwater?”
Chase blinked.
Emery met his gaze.
“I asked Ash to take me,” she said coolly.
Chase’s jaw clenched. “You’re serious about this?”
She smiled, sweet but sharp.
“Why would I ride with a stranger… when I already have my fiancé?”
