Kyra’s POV

"Who are you calling?" Matt asked sharply, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Emily walked over to him and gently held his arm. "Why are you up? You need to rest—"

"You’re calling your mate?" His voice was thick with bitterness and anger.

My lips parted in surprise. Did he know about Emily and Kieran?

Emily sighed. "Just to clarify, he’s not my mate. He’s my husband in name only."

Matt’s face grew even paler, not just from blood loss but from the emotional turmoil washing over him.

"Why contact him at all? Does what we have mean nothing?" He gripped the doorframe tightly, looking like he might collapse at any moment.

"Matt, I’m not calling him for personal reasons. This is for all of us. I want this chaos to end so we can finally live peaceful lives," Emily explained, her voice softening.

Matt’s gaze immediately softened as he looked at Emily. "Does that peaceful life include me?"

"Do you want to be part of my life?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Hell yes! I didn’t catch a bullet for you to die without building a family with you. I would only die when I’m old and gray, Emily, with you and our future children and grandchildren."

I stood up abruptly, a small smile playing on my lips. Matt’s eyes were filled with hope, dreams, and love. Looking at him, I couldn’t help but smile.

Finally... Emily was getting her happy ending. I had always prayed for her happiness, and it seemed like this was it.

I grabbed Nathan’s hand and pulled him toward the guest bedroom where Snow and I used to sleep.

I locked the door, and when I turned to face Nathan again, there was a playful glint in his eyes.

I laughed softly and pinched his waist. "Don’t look at me like that. We’re not here to have sex."

He sat down on the bed and gestured for me to come closer. I walked toward him, and he immediately pulled me onto his lap. His arms wrapped around my waist, his lips leaving gentle kisses along my shoulder and the side of my neck.

"Nathan..." I murmured.

"Hmm?" he mumbled against my skin.

"What did you and Kieran talk about when I was at the hospital?"

"Just..."

He paused, and I looked at him to find him staring at my face. He tucked my hair behind my ear, his gaze tender.

"Just... what?" I asked impatiently.

"Man talk," he replied simply.

"About me?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Is that why you’re willing to let him help me?"

Nathan hugged me tightly and said, "I hate to admit it, but Kieran loves you almost as much as I do."

"Nathan..."

He interrupted me. "Kyra, I’m not saying I’ve lost to him. We might be rivals in love, but I’m the one who won your heart. I have no reason to be jealous. I’m just saying that because of his love for you, I trust him."

I raised an eyebrow.

"When you truly love someone, you want to give everything for her," he continued. "He loves you like I do, so he wouldn’t want to see you suffering or helpless either. I know it sounds like I’m using him."

"Is that really why you trust him?"

"Kind of? Of course, I’ll never forgive him for the bad things he did to you."

I kissed Nathan lightly. "At least you know where to draw the line."

Nathan rested his forehead against mine. "At first I really didn’t want to, but now we’re like reluctant allies in ’Operation Kyra’s Happiness.’"

I chuckled. "Fine. I won’t ask about it anymore, but—"

"She’s just manipulating you, Matt!"

Hearing that familiar voice, my forehead creased into a frown. I immediately left the guest room. Nathan followed me, and we found Matt, Mason, and Emily arguing in the living room.

Mason stood in the center of the living room, his face contorted with anger and disappointment. His clothes were disheveled, as if he had rushed over. Emily’s bodyguards watched the unwelcome visitor tensely, their hands hovering over their weapons.

"Just leave, Mason. You don’t know anything, so—"

"Matt, I know everything now! I know, and you chose that woman over your own family!"

Mason’s voice trembled as he spoke, looking both furious and desperate. "Dad sent me to bring you home. He said if you come back now, we can pretend none of this happened."

"Emily is my family, Mason. She’s become my family, and I’m fighting for us!"

Matt tried to stand straighter, but he was clearly still weak. Emily immediately supported his arm. "You’re the one who’s lost it, Mason! If you know the truth, why are you still on Dad’s side?"

Mason’s gaze grew sharper, his jaw clenched tight. "Because he’s protecting our family—"

"Protecting from what? From the truth? Huh? Tell me, Mason. What did he tell you? Did he say I was shot because of Kyra and Emily? Did he mention he kept me locked up for days in a cell?"

Mason’s brow furrowed. "What cell? What the hell are you talking about? Dad said you were planning to run away with that woman, and he was just trying to stop you."

Matt’s bitter laugh echoed throughout the living room. "Give me a break, Mason! I don’t need to run away with her because I can definitely protect her and fight for her."

"Come with me, Matt. She’s no good for you—"

"Go back and ask Dad about the license plate of the car that killed Kyra’s mother. If you say you want to expose his true face, he’ll definitely lose it."

My lips parted slightly, my heart aching. My mom... was hit by a car?