Ariana's POV

The card sat on my desk for three days.

Lysander Moretti. Private number embossed in silver on the black cardstock. I'd picked it up a dozen times, my thumb hovering over the digits, before setting it back down.

He was a stranger. A wealthy client who somehow knew too much about my situation. Every instinct screamed that I should throw the card away and forget he existed.

But I kept it.

Because he was right. I was dealing with bullies, and I was running out of options.

"Mommy, there's a man outside," Elena said from the living room window.

My blood turned to ice. I walked over and looked down at the street below. A dark SUV was parked across from our building, engine running. I couldn't see inside through the tinted windows.

"Come away from the window, baby."

"But he's been there for a long time. Since we got home from school."

Three hours. Someone had been watching us for three hours.

I pulled out my phone and called the building security.

"Ms. Kingsley," the guard answered. "How can I help you?"

"There's a vehicle parked across the street. Black SUV. It's been there for hours."

"I see it. We've been monitoring the situation. The driver hasn't left the vehicle or approached the building."

"Can you ask them to leave?"

"It's a public street, ma'am. Unless they're trespassing on private property, there's not much we can do."

I hung up, frustration burning through me. This was it. This was Asher making his move.

Eldric appeared in the doorway, his expression serious. "We need to leave."

"What?"

"They're watching us. That means they're planning something." He looked at Elena. "Go pack your backpack. Your favorite toys and clothes. Quick."

"Eldric, stop scaring your sister—"

"I'm not scared," Elena said quietly. "I'll go pack."

She disappeared into her room, and I turned on my son. "You can't just—"

"You feel it too," Eldric interrupted. "I know you do. Something bad is coming."

He was right. I did feel it. I had been feeling it since that disastrous dinner party four days ago.

My phone rang. Asher.

I rejected the call.

It rang again immediately.

"You have to talk to him eventually," Eldric said.

"I don't have to do anything." But I answered.

"What?"

"We need to meet. To discuss arrangements for the children."

"There are no arrangements. Stay away from us."

"Ariana, be reasonable. I'm their father—"

"You're a sperm donor. You don't get to suddenly claim fatherhood after six years of absence."

"I didn't know they existed!"

"And whose fault is that?" I was shouting now. Eldric watched me with those too-old eyes. "You made your choice, Asher. You chose Isabella. You chose the bond. You don't get to come back now and pretend you care."

"I do care. I want to know my children."

"No. Absolutely not."

"Then I'll go through the courts. I'll petition for custody, for visitation rights, and for recognition as their father."

"You'll lose. I'll make sure of it."

"Will you?" His voice turned cold. "Because my lawyers seem to think I have a very strong case. Especially given that you deliberately hid their existence from me."

My hands shook. "You're threatening me."

"I'm telling you the reality of the situation. Those children are Westwood blood. They have rights within the pack, rights to the family legacy. You can't keep them hidden forever."

"Watch me."

I hung up and immediately called my lawyer.

She answered on the third ring. "Ariana, I was just about to call you."

"He's threatening to sue for custody."

"I know. His legal team contacted me this afternoon. They're filing a petition for paternity testing and visitation rights."

The room spun. "Can they do that?"

"If he can prove he's the biological father, yes. The courts tend to favor parental rights, even when the father was absent during the child's early years."

"He wasn't absent; he threw me out. He chose someone else."

"Do you have proof of that? Documentation, witnesses, anything that shows he knew about the pregnancy and deliberately abandoned you?"

I thought back to that night. The gallery, the humiliation, Asher's cold dismissal. But there had been witnesses. People who had seen everything.

"Maybe. I need to make some calls."

"Do it quickly. Once he files, we'll need to respond within thirty days."

After she hung up, I stood in the middle of my living room, trying to breathe.

This was really happening. Asher was coming for my children.

I looked at Lysander's card again.

Then I dialed the number.

He answered immediately. "Ms. Kingsley."

"You said you could help."

"I can. What do you need?"

"Everything. Legal protection, security, whatever it takes to keep my children safe from Asher Westwood."

"Consider it done. I'll have a team at your building within the hour."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." His voice was steady, reassuring. "Pack a bag. You and the children are moving to a secure location tonight."

"I can't just leave—"

"You can and you will. Westwood's people are already watching your building. It's only a matter of time before they make a move."

The SUV. He was right.

"Where would we go?"

"I have a property on the outskirts of the city. Private, secure, under my protection. You'll be safe there."

"I don't even know you."

"No, but you know Asher. And you know what he's capable of. Are you willing to risk your children's safety on the hope that he'll play fair?"

I closed my eyes. He was right. Asher wouldn't play fair. Neither would Isabella.

"One hour," I said. "We'll be ready."

"I'll send a car. Don't bring anything you can't carry. We'll get whatever else you need later."

After I hung up, I stood there for a moment, processing what I'd just agreed to.

I was putting my children's safety in the hands of a stranger. A man I had met once, who had offered help for reasons I didn't fully understand.

But the alternative was staying here, waiting for Asher to take them from me.

"Eldric," I called. "Tell your sister to pack faster. We're leaving."

He appeared instantly. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe. I hope."

Forty-five minutes later, we stood in the lobby with two bags each. A black town car pulled up outside—different from the SUV, which had mysteriously disappeared.

The driver got out and opened the back door. "Ms. Kingsley? Mr. Moretti sent me."

I took a deep breath and led my children outside.

As we pulled away from the building, I looked back one last time at the home we were leaving behind.

Everything I'd built over six years—my business, my independence, my carefully constructed life—was coming out.

And I had no idea if I was making the right choice.

Eldric reached over and took my hand. "It's going to be okay, Mom."

I wanted to believe him.

But as we drove into the night toward an uncertain future, all I could think about was the look in Asher's eyes when he had learned about the twins.

Possessive, determined, unmovable.

He wasn't going to let this go.

And neither was Isabella.

The car turned onto the highway, leaving the city lights behind. Elena fell asleep against my shoulder. Eldric stared out the window, alert despite the late hour.

My phone buzzed. It was Asher: “Running won't solve anything.

I turned it off.