Chapter 52:
Ivy’s POV
Morning came slowly, sunlight crawling across the floorboards in pale gold strips that warmed the edge of the bed. For a brief, blurry second, I lay there for a few seconds, half tangled in the sheets, trying to remember where I was before reality settled over me like a heavy blanket.
Right. The packhouse. Damian’s world. Again.
It still didn’t feel real—this place, this life, the silence that was never quite meant alone. There were no cars horning at 2am, no traffic, no neighbor’s dog barking loudly, no hum of the city. Just birds, trees, and the occasional thud of boots on wooden floors somewhere below.
I sat up, dragging a hand through my hair and trying to gather the pieces of myself that felt scattered since yesterday. I’d survived a confrontation with a ver
