Love was never the plan

Chapter Five

Ivy’s POV

I stared at the letter, then I noticed something about it,

The symbol, this was like the third time I saw this symbol. At that point, it wasn’t a coincidence there must be something about it.

I locked my room door and went to my safe. I removed all my childhood photographs, old newspapers of my parents' death.

I examined both the newspapers and the letters and messages I had received but they didn’t match. I thought to myself something didn’t seem right.

I sat across my bed, the old newspaper spread across my laps. The paper was yellow with age, edges torn from years of being folded and unfolded.

Sixteen years ago, the year my parents disappeared. My fingers traced the faded headline.

FAMILY KILLED IN DEVASTATING ATTACK.

I read those words so many times that they stopped hurting, or at least I thought they had.

I turned the page, scanned through it, as I was about to turn to the next page, I noticed something.

There it was.

A small photograph taken outside our house the night of the attack. Behind the police officers, there was a black car and in its door, it was the same silver crest.

No.

I looked closely, the image was blurry, but the symbol was the same. The Vale crest.

For sixteen years, I had believed that Dante Vale was the monster who destroyed my family. Now I am beginning to wonder if I’d been wrong about one thing.

Not whether he was guilty. But how much of the truth had I actually been told?

I closed the newspaper, I needed answers and the only place I could find them was the Vale’s mansion.

I used work as an excuse to go to the Vale’s house. Arriving there, I saw Dante. He was standing beside Lyra near the staircase. I immediately stopped walking and watched from a distance.

Lyra was struggling with putting her necklace on.

“Dante, I can't get it,” she complained.

He sighed. “Come here.”

She turned around and Dante carefully took the necklace from her fingers, his large hands covered the tiny chains.

“Hold still”

“I am holding still”

“You’re moving”

“I’m not”

“You are”

Lyra giggled.

That was the first time I had ever seen him like that, he didn’t look threatening. It was just soft.

He carefully fixed it before removing his hands.

“There”

Lyra touched her necklace and smiled.

“Thank you”

Dante looked down at her and smiled.

“Have you eaten”

Lyra nodded

He knew she was eating was too good to be true. He asked her one more time.

“Okay, fine. I only had cake.

He smiled at her

I was confused. He smiled, Dante smiled? I had spent years convincing myself that Dante Vale was incapable of anything concerning kindness. Yet there he was fixing her necklace, worrying about whether she’d eaten, smiling at her. I felt an uncomfortable twist in my stomach. I stepped back before anyone could notice me.

But suddenly Lyra looked in my direction.

Ivy!

Dante turned, his gaze fixed on me.

Lyra smiled.

“Come here”

I forced myself to walk towards them.

“Hi”

“I didn’t know you were here.”

“I just arrived”

“He was trying to fix my necklace.”

“I saw.”

She smiled, “He’s good at it.”

Dante sighed

“Don’t encourage her.”

I laughed softly, Lyan walked in on us, he looked at me confused, then I told him I was coming over because I had some questions about work. He laughed and mocked me, You’re about work.

A staff member interrupted, “The food is ready,” she said.

I could already smell the food before reaching the dining room, I realized how hungry I was. Before I could even react, Lyra’s hand landed on me.

“You’re eating with us tonight.”

“Me”

“Yes you”

She pulled me towards the dining table.

“I already told you.”

“Who am I to decline such an offer with the amount of hunger I feel?”

Everybody laughed.

She dragged me towards a chair and pushed it out for me.

“Sit.”

I saw Dante at the other side of the table. He was in his seat, looking at Lyra with an amused expression.

For some reason, I found myself watching him too. He looked different tonight, less intimidating.

“Why do you keep looking at him?” Lyan asked.

“I'm trying to understand him.”

“Why”

I smiled. “Maybe I'm curious.”

The look on his face made it obvious that he didn’t believe me. Lyan’s parents left us, and he took me for a tour of their library.

Lyan got close to me while reaching for a book, our hands mistakenly touched, he stared at me and I stared back at him hopelessly confused. I almost forgot where I was. I tried to pull away, then he grabbed me by my waist and pulled me closer.

“It seems I intimidate you a lot.”

I didn’t say anything, I looked at him speechless, then he let me go. The moment he left me, I felt my heart skipping, I thought to myself. “Could I be falling for Lyan?” No, I can’t let that happen. He took me upstairs. I saw an old room with the same crest in the photos. I stopped immediately and asked Lyan about it. He told me that no one is allowed in there, and it hasn’t been open for years. Why? I asked, but he didn’t reply to me, he kept moving around explaining things to me.

I waited till the house felt silent before sneaking downstairs. My heart started beating as I found the key to the room and unlocked it. I reached for the door handle, but before I could enter, the light behind me turned on. I already knew it was over for me.

I slowly turned around, Lyan was standing there, his expression unreadable.

He looks at the open door, then at me

Before I could say anything, another person shouted,

“What is happening here?”