The door swung open with such force it rattled the frame.
Knox stood there—disheveled, furious, and breathless. But beneath the storm in his eyes, there was something else.
Hope. Regret. Hunger.
And maybe something closer to fear.
She was real. Standing right in front of him.
Aria Monroe.
Alive. Unbent. Unforgiving.
She didn’t flinch when he stepped into the cold night air. Didn’t soften when his eyes dragged over her like she was the last thing he’d ever see.
“You came,” he said hoarsely, as if he still didn’t believe it.
“No,” she replied flatly, holding out the black envelope. “I came to return what you lost the second you trusted the wrong woman.”
He didn’t take it.
He didn’t look away either.
“Ivy lied,” he said instead. “About everything.”
“No s**t,” she said. “And it on
