Lena didn't remember moving.
One second, she was staring at the image on her phone—her mind spinning, her chest tightening with every passing second.
The next—
She was already out the door.
Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as she walked down the stairs, her grip still tight around her phone.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Not from fear.
But from the weight of what she had just seen.
Aiden looked up the moment she entered the living room.
And instantly—
He knew.
Something had changed.
"What happened?" he asked, his voice calm but sharper than before.
Lena didn't answer immediately.
She walked closer.
Slow.
Measured.
Her eyes locked onto his.
Then she held up her phone.
"Explain this."
Aiden's gaze dropped to the screen.
And for the first time since she had met him—
His expression shifted.
Not dramatically.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
But Lena saw it.
Recognition.
A flicker of something darker.
"It's not what you think," he said.
Lena let out a short, bitter laugh.
"Really?" she replied. "Because it looks exactly like what I think."
She stepped closer, her voice rising.
"You—with a gun—standing next to men who look like criminals. What else am I supposed to think, Aiden?"
His jaw tightened.
"Where did you get that?" he asked.
Lena's eyes narrowed.
"That's your concern right now?"
"Yes."
Her chest tightened.
"That tells me everything I need to know."
A tense silence filled the room.
"Answer me," he said, his voice lower now, more controlled. "Who sent it?"
Lena shook her head.
"Does it matter?"
"It does."
"Well, maybe you should worry less about who sent it and more about why it exists," she snapped.
Aiden took a slow step forward.
"Lena—"
"Don't," she cut in quickly. "Don't say my name like that like everything is fine. It's not."
Silence.
"You told me I'd be safe with you," she continued, her voice unsteady now. "You said that like it meant something."
"It does."
"Then explain that!" she said, shoving the phone closer to him.
Aiden looked at the image again.
His expression hardened.
"That was years ago."
Lena blinked.
"What?"
"It's from my past," he said. "It doesn't have anything to do with now."
"That doesn't make it better!" she shot back. "If anything, it makes it worse. Because it means you've been hiding it this whole time."
Aiden exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
"I didn't hide it," he said. "You just never asked."
Lena stared at him in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"You wanted a deal," he continued. "A simple arrangement. That's what I gave you."
"No," she said firmly. "You gave me half the truth."
Another silence.
Heavy.
"Who are those men?" she asked.
Aiden hesitated.
And that hesitation?
That was enough to send another wave of unease through her.
"They're not people you need to worry about," he said finally.
Lena let out a sharp breath.
"That's exactly what someone says when I should be worried."
Aiden's gaze darkened.
"They're from a part of my life I walked away from."
"What part?" she pressed.
His voice dropped.
"The kind that doesn't let go easily."
A chill ran down her spine.
"Are they the ones doing this?" she asked.
Aiden didn't answer immediately.
"Are they?" she repeated.
"Yes."
The word landed heavily between them.
Lena's heart skipped.
"So everything happening right now…" she said slowly, "the articles, the leaks, the messages…"
"It's not random," Aiden confirmed.
Her chest tightened.
"It's them."
Silence filled the room again.
"And you still think I don't need to know?" she asked quietly.
Aiden stepped closer.
"I think the more you know, the more dangerous it becomes."
Lena shook her head.
"I'm already in danger, Aiden," she said. "You brought that danger into my life the moment you involved me in this."
His jaw clenched.
"I'm trying to protect you."
"By keeping me in the dark?" she challenged. "That's not protection—that's control."
That hit something.
Aiden's expression hardened.
"You think I'm controlling you?"
"I think you decide what I deserve to know and what I don't," she replied. "And that's not the same thing as trust."
Another long silence.
"You want the truth?" he said finally.
Lena held his gaze.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then—
"I wasn't always who I am now," Aiden said.
Her heart pounded.
"The business, the money, the reputation—it didn't come clean," he continued. "There were… deals. Connections. People I had to work with."
Lena swallowed hard.
"Dangerous people."
He didn't deny it.
"I got out," he added. "I built something legitimate. I walked away from all of it."
"But they didn't let you go," she said.
Aiden's silence confirmed it.
"And now they're coming back," Lena whispered.
"Yes."
The room felt smaller.
Heavier.
"And me?" she asked quietly. "What am I in all this?"
Aiden looked at her.
Really looked at her.
"You're the one thing they didn't expect."
Her breath caught.
"And that makes you a target," he added.
Lena's stomach dropped.
"Great," she said softly.
Before either of them could say anything else—
A loud noise echoed from outside.
Both of them froze.
Then—
Another sound.
Glass shattering.
Lena gasped.
Aiden moved instantly.
"Get down!" he snapped, pulling her toward him.
She barely had time to react before something crashed through the window behind them.
A small object—
Landing hard on the floor.
For a split second—
Everything went still.
Then—
Aiden's eyes widened.
"Move!" he shouted.
He grabbed Lena and pulled her down just as—
BOOM.
The explosion wasn't massive.
But it was enough.
Enough to send shockwaves through the room.
Enough to make Lena's ears ring.
Enough to leave her frozen in place.
Smoke filled the air.
Her heart pounded violently in her chest as she clung to Aiden, her fingers gripping his shirt tightly.
"What—what was that?" she choked out.
Aiden's voice was low.
Dangerous.
"A warning."
Lena's breath hitched.
And in that moment—
Everything became real.
Not just the lies.
Not just the secrets.
But the danger.
And there was no escaping it now.