It’s lighter out the second time I wake up, this time in an empty bed.

Silas’s bed, where I spent the night.

For a moment, there’s that initial hit of panic at having stayed here. The “now what” and “what does this mean” questions coming roaring up from inside.

But only for a second this time. This time, I breathe, I exhale, and then I smile as I sink back into his bed, and I’m not scared anymore.

This is freeing.

This is home.

I sink my face into his pillow, inhaling his scent and wrapping myself in it as I burrow under the sheets. This is exactly where I belong.

Of course, it would be better if Silas himself were back here in this bed with me. I reach over and check my phone, grumping at the lack of messages or calls from him. I have no idea what time he left after getting the phone-call from Declan’s wife, but the sun is certainly a little brighter out now.

And I miss him.

The phone buzzes in my hand, startling me, and for a second my heart jumps thinking it’s him before I look at it.

It’s Lori.

Wonderful.

I squeeze my eyes shut for a second, centering myself and getting myself ready for this conversation before I finally answer.

“Hi, Lor-”

“You left the event?!”

Lori’s voice is tight and shrill.

I shake my head, frowning. “Lori, I left because of Blaine.”

“Ivy, for Christ’s sake, I thought we understood each other!”

“He’s fucking Ainsley, Lori. He’s been cheating on me with my damn assistant!”

Lori sighs exasperatedly into the phone. “Ivy, I don’t honestly care who Blaine sleeps with. Or you, for that matter, so long as you do what you’re supposed to do when it matters.”

“Lori-”

“No, Ivy, you listen. Image is important, and I thought you grasped that. This event was important, and you left a lot of important people in the lurch last night with your little disappearing act.”

I scowl into the phone, the anger rising up. “Do you even care that Blaine wasn’t honoring his side of the contract?”

“He was there, Ivy! As I said, I do not care whom either of you sleeps with! I don’t care if you hate each other, so long as you smile for the fucking cameras, engage the audiences, and play the damn roles you’re supposed to play! That’s it!”

I swear under my breath. “This is insane.”

“No,” Lori says sharply. She sighs. “Actually, Ivy, this is breach of contract.”

I freeze.

“Excuse me?”

“Ivy, I thought I was clear about your terms with us, and what was expected of you last night.”

“But Blaine-”

“I do not care, Ivy. I apologize if that sounds cold, but that’s the way this works. You are a product, and we sell you. That’s what this relationship is, and I thought it was fairly mutually generous until you pulled this stunt.”

I grit my teeth. “Fine, we’ll do some damage control. Look, are the vendors and brand reps still in town?”

I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.

“I’ll come into the city right now. We can set up some brunch meetings, play it off like I was feeling ill last night and still-”

“No, Ivy,” Lori says quietly and firmly. “I told you to go to that gala last night. I told you it was important.”

“Lori, will you just listen to-”

“This is going to have big consequences, Ivy,” she says icily.

I narrow my eyes, sitting up in the bed.

“And just what does that mean?”

She sighs. “It means, Ivy, that you might want to get a lawyer.”

I freeze, my stomach sinking in my gut.

“What?”

Lori sighs again. “I’m sorry it’s come to this, but a breach of contract is a breach of contract.”

“This is ridiculous, Lori. You can’t actually be serious about this.”

“I’m going to hang up now, Ivy,” she says sharply. “We’ll be in touch.”

The line goes dead.

What the hell just happened.

Did I just get fired?

Maybe you should get a lawyer.

My head reels as I slide out of the bed and slip back into the dress from last night. A hundred thoughts stagger through my head - who I should call, what I should do, where I even begin to find a lawyer for this.

I whirl, pacing the small room as it rocks gently on the waves. The panic starts to clutch at me, my breath coming fast ands my pulse pounding in my ear as the sick feeling from the conversation starts to wash over me.

And all I want is for Silas to be here.

I need my lighthouse.

As if on cue, I hear the sound of footsteps coming down the docks towards me. My heart jumps a little, the pure need to feel his arms around me right now leaving me breathless as I duck out of his room and run for the door to the main deck.

“Silas, I-”

His face is grim, white, and drawn.

And he’s not alone.

“Well hello there, sweetness.”

Declan stands a foot behind him flanked by three men in mostly black, a cigarette in his mouth and a smug grin on his face. He winks at me.

“Damn, do I love being right about these things.” He chuckles, and I can see Silas’s face tighten.

Declan gestures at the two of us with his cigarette. “Knew I was right about you two kids.” He grins. “Dirty old habits, huh, Ms. Hammond?”

Silas whirls on him. “You don’t talk to her, understand?”

Declan grins and throws his hands up. “Whatever you say, kid.”

Silas turns back to me, his eyes darting across my face.

“Ivy-”

“What is this?” I whisper, stepping towards him. “What’s he doing here?”

Silas starts to say something, but Declan cuts him off.

“Tick-tock, kid. Time waits for no man and all that. Let’s go.”

“Silas-”

“I have to go do something, Ivy,” he says quietly, his voice tight and his eyes searching mine.

No.

Oh God, no.

And suddenly, I know exactly why Declan’s here. I know exactly what this is.

I know what’s about to happen, because it’s like a horrible, horrible deja-vu from eight years ago.

I’m right back to being in his arms, shaking my head with tears in my eyes as I look up at him, begging him not to go. I’m eighteen again, a ring on my finger and a choking grip on my heart as I plead with him to stay with me.

“No,” I whisper, my eyes going wide as the realization of what this is washes over me horribly.

I start to shake my head, my voice feeling like it’s drowning inside.

“Silas, no, please-”

“Ivy,” his voice almost breaks and he swallows thickly. “Ivy, I have to, you don’t understand.”

I’m still shaking my head, may hand moving to grab his shirt.

“No, you don’t. Just come home with me. Come back to the house with me, and we can tell them everything.”

His eyes go wide for a second, as I realize I’ve just said out loud what I wasn’t even aware I was thinking.

“I want to tell them about us. I want them to know, and to hear it from the both of us. Just please-”

“Let’s go, kid.”

Silas’s jaw tightens at the sound of Declan’s voice behind him. His eyes search mine as his hands come up to hold mine.

“I- I have to, Ivy,” he says, his voice like sandpaper. “It’s going to be okay though, after this, it’s all going to be-”

“It’s not,” I say pleadingly, feeling my heart start to crack. “You know it’s not.”

“Ivy, I have to-”

“I asked you once before not to do this, and you did,” I pull him closer to me, my hand moving up to touch his cheek.

“And I lost you.” The tears start to trickle down my face as I bite my lip, gripping at him.

“I don’t know if I’ll get you back this time.”

“You will,” he says fiercely. “I swear to you-”

“Now, kid.”

Silas looks at me, his eyes burning right into mine.

“I’m coming back, because I love you, Ivy.”

I shake my head, crying now.

“Please don’t say that.”

“It’s true.”

I press my face into his chest, my breath hitching.

“If it’s true, then just stay.”

I look up into his face, and for half a second, I think he might. For one flash of a moment, I think he’s going to stay, and come back to my parents’ house with me and tell them everything, and love me like I know he can.

But then the moment passes.

“I have to go.”

He pulls away, and my heart shatters.

“I’ll come back, Ivy-”

But I don’t hear him. Instead, I’m pulling the necklace out of my dress and slipping it over my head.

His face breaks.

“No-”

“I’m done, Silas,” I say quickly, shoving it into his hands.

“I’ve carried it too long, and I’m done.”

I push past him, push past Declan and his goons, and go running down the docks, the salt air cooling the tears streaming down my cheeks.