Chapter Three:

Elara's POV

"Answer me, Lucien."

My voice doesn't shake this time. He stands in front of me, tall, composed, unreadable. But I see it now. The tension in his jaw. The way his fingers curl slightly, like he's holding something back.

"Why did I divorce you the same day I ended up in the hospital?" The air between us feels tight.

"You were overwhelmed," he says carefully. "There was pressure from the board. From my family." That's not an answer. His silence feels louder than words. I step closer. "Did I find out something?" His eyes flicker, just for a second. That's enough. What did I find, Lucien? You were stressed, he repeats, we argued.

"About what?"

He doesn't respond.

The fear inside me sharpens, not soft fear, not confusion. Anger. "I'm not fragile," I say quietly. Stop treating me like I'll break. He finally looks at me directly. You almost did. The words sting more than I expect. "From you?" I ask. His expression shifts. Regret, or guilt. From everything. That's too vague. Too controlled, I shake my head. You're still hiding something. I'm protecting you. There it is again. I let out a breath. "Protection. That word sounds noble. But it feels like control." His eyes darken slightly. "You don't understand what was happening."

"Then explain it." Another silence.

I hate that silence. It makes me feel small. Like I'm the only one desperate for the truth, I can't tell you everything right now, he says finally.

The rejection lands heavily.

"Why?"

"Because if you remember too fast, it could hurt you." My chest tightens. "You don't get to decide that." He steps forward suddenly, close enough that I feel the warmth of him. "You begged me once to erase it," my heart skips. "I what?" "You begged me to let you forget." The words crash through me, that doesn't make sense, "It does," he says quietly. "You were terrified." "Of what?"

He looks at me like he's weighing something dangerous.

"Of yourself."

That hits deeper than anything else tonight. I pull back slightly. "That's manipulative." It's the truth. "Prove it." He studies me, then reaches into his jacket. For a second, fear flashes through me. Why am I afraid of my own husband? Ex-husband.

He pulls out his phone instead. There's something you should see, he says. Every instinct in me screams not to trust him.

But I stay. He opens a video. The screen shows me.

Not the confused version. Not the girl standing in my apartment tonight. This Elara looks sharp. Confident. Cold. She's sitting across from Lucien in what looks like his office. Her posture is straight. Her eyes are hard. "I won't hesitate," the woman on the screen says. "If your family crosses that line, I will burn everything down."

My breath stops. That voice is mine.

Lucien's voice responds in the video. "You're talking about destroying an empire."

I'm talking about survival. The video ends. The room feels smaller, that's not me, I whisper.

"It is," he says. I shake my head. I don't even talk like that, you used to. A strange emotion rises in my chest. Jealousy, not of another woman, of myself. The woman in that video looks powerful. Certain. Dangerous. And I don't recognize her. "What did your family do?" I ask slowly, and Lucien hesitates. That's not the right question.

"Then what is?"

The right question is what you did. My stomach drops. "What are you implying?" You weren't just reacting, Elara. You were planning.

I stare at him. "Planning what?"

He runs a hand through his hair, breaking his perfect composure for the first time. You invested in a rival firm without telling me. "That's business." "You used insider knowledge from Hale Industries." Cold spreads through my veins. "That's illegal," I whisper. "Yes." I step back, you're lying, I wish I was. My heart pounds harder. I search my mind for any flash, any hint, nothing, I would never do that.

"You did."

"Why?"

He looks at me carefully. Because you believed my father was laundering money through a subsidiary. You wanted leverage, I swallow. And was he? Lucien doesn't answer; that silence tells me everything. "So I was right?" I push, you were reckless, "that's not an answer." "He was under investigation," Lucien admits quietly. A shock runs through me.

So, I was trying to expose him. You were trying to protect yourself from what?

His jaw tightens. From becoming collateral.

I don't understand fully, but pieces begin to form. I filed for divorce because I didn't trust you, I say slowly. His expression shifts. That one hurts him. "You didn't trust my family," he corrects, that's not the same thing.

He doesn't argue.

Because he knows it isn't, I feel anger rising again, but beneath it is something else.

Pride.

The woman in that video wasn't weak; she wasn't confused. She stood up to a powerful family, "I don't look scared in that video," I say quietly. "You were." "No." I shake my head. "I look prepared." Lucien watches me carefully. "You're starting to remember the feeling, aren't you?" I don't answer, but he's right, there's a strange flicker inside me. Not memory. Instinct.

A strategic instinct.

"You said I begged to forget," I say. "Why would I, if I was ready to fight?"

His face changes again. This time, real conflict.

Because something changed. "What changed?" You discovered someone inside the company was leaking information, and my heart skips. "Who?"

"You suspected Lino." I freeze, your brother?

"Yes."

"That doesn't make sense. Why would he sabotage his own family?" Lucien's eyes harden. "Because power matters more to him than blood." I think of the way Lino looked at me the day of the gala video scandal. Calm. Curious. Almost amused, He knew about my investment? I ask.

"Yes."

"And?"

And you confronted him, a chill moves through me. How did that go? Lucien looks away briefly. You threatened to expose him to the board. "And then?" And then you told me you didn't feel safe anymore. The pieces align too smoothly. "So I filed for divorce," I say. To protect myself legally.

"Yes." "And the accident?" His silence returns, and I step closer again. "Was it really an accident?" He meets my eyes. "No."

The word drops like a stone. I feel my knees weaken slightly. "What do you mean?" "It wasn't random." My breathing becomes uneven. "Did Lino do it?"

I don't have proof. That's not what I asked. He doesn't answer directly. "That night," he says slowly, "you were supposed to meet someone."

"Who?" A journalist, shock hits me hard. Was I going to expose your family publicly?

"Yes." And you didn't stop me? His eyes flash with something intense. "I tried," I searched his face for lies. I don't see any. That scares me more. What happened before the crash? I ask, you called me, he says. "And?"

"You said if anything happened to you, I should not protect anyone."

My throat tightens. That sounds like I knew something was coming. He nods slightly, and fear spreads through me in a new way now. Not confusion, not weakness, this is targeted. Someone wanted me silent. "Why didn't you tell the police?" I demand. "Because there wasn't enough evidence. And because." He hesitates. "Because what?" "Because you lost your memory, that doesn't erase attempted murder. "It changes everything," he says sharply. "You couldn't testify. You couldn't confirm what you discovered."

I feel anger rising again, "So you just let it go?"

"I kept watching." "Watching who?"

"Everyone."

The intensity in his voice is different now. Less polished. More personal. "And you think I'm safe now?" I ask. He doesn't answer immediately; that hesitation tells me everything. "I was never safe," I whisper. "No," he agrees quietly. A knock suddenly hits my door, and both of us freeze.

It's late.

Neither of us was expecting anyone. Another knock. Firmer. I look at Lucien. He already looks tense. "Are you expecting someone?" he asks. "No." A third knock. Then a voice. "Open the door, Elara. We need to talk."

My blood turns cold. I know that voice, Lino.