Ivan had been leaning against the door.


    When Elodie suddenly pulled it open, he nearly stumbled inside, brow furrowing as he looked up at her. His handsome face was tinged with the flush of alcohol, and he was still clutching a half-empty bottle in one hand.


    But the moment he saw Elodie, the stormy look in his eyes vanished instantly.


    Propping himself against the doorframe, he gazed at her, and a slow, lopsided smile crept onto his lips. "Missed you all of a sudden. Took me forever to find this ce, you know."


    Ivan was drunk.


    Elodie''s expression remained icy. She knew he''d never been a drinker before. This kind of uninvited visit was something she had no patience for.


    "Please don''t disturb the neighbors. Don''t knock on my door again. Go home."


    She had no intention of indulging him. Her hand moved to close the door in his face.


    He saw that clear rejection, every bit of it, and for a split second, it jolted him from his stupor. Ivan''s hand shot out to block the door. "Aren''t you going to give me an exnation? Why are you living here alone? Where''s Jarrod? Are you two separated?"


    There it was.


    A question that made him feel both ted and miserable.


    Elodie never told him anything. But it didn''t matter.


    At least, she and Jarrod clearly weren''t doing so well.


    That thought gave him a rush of satisfaction. God, he''d been ecstatic when he''d found out Elodie wasn''t living with Jarrod anymore. He hadn''t thought twice before rushing over here.


    "What''s it to you?" Elodie had no interest in talking with a drunk; there was nothing to be gained. She regarded him coldly. "In the future, please don''t bother me again, Mr. Harcourt."


    Maybe it was the formality in her voice, but it yanked him right back to reality.


    Ivan stared at her, a flicker of confusion crossing his face as he took in her merciless expression. "So something''s wrong between you, isn''t it? Tell me—are you divorcing him? Or is it already over?"


    When it came to these things, Ivan was almost disturbingly perceptive.


    His eyes burned into her, full of longing, resentment, and an obsessive


    desperation that threatened to override everything else.


    Elodie''s patience finally snapped. She didn''t bother with another word, just tried to m the door shut.


    But Ivan knew exactly what she was


    thinking. Her indifference cut


    through him like a knife, pain tightening his throat, eyes rimmed red as months of pent-up emotions exploded all at once. Nearly wild, he shoved the door open with his leg and stepped inside, his hand suddenly gripping the back of


    Elodie''s neck. “Elodie, I don''t care about your past with him. Wipe it all


    clean your heart should''ve been mine all along—"


    het


    He loved Elodie. That had never wavered, not after all these years He couldn''t tolerate the thought of another man upying her mind, her heart, her body.  fo


    It drove him half-mad now, this urge to im her as his own.


    Whether she loved him or hated him-it didn''t matter. So long as he was still a part of her life.


    Ivan was strong, and Elodie hadn''t been prepared. He pulled her toward him, almost effortlessly.


    The hunger in his eyes made her panic and rage re. Elodie pushed him away, hard. "Ivan! Don''t be insane! Let go of me!"


    She could sense exactly what he intended.


    Her body was still weak these days; she couldn''t fight him off. Her face, already pale, drained of thest bit of color.


    Ivan saw just how fiercely she resisted, and a sharp, aching pain twisted in his chest, raw and electric.


    He was just about to kick the door shut when a rush of cold air swept in from behind.


    Suddenly, Ivan''s arm was wrenched away. He didn''t have time to react before a hard fist smashed into his face, pain exploding through his cheekbone.


    Ivan staggered backward, crashing into the shoe cab in the entryway. His phone tumbled out of his pocket and skidded to a stop at Elodie''s feet.


    Before she could


    process what had


    happened, someone lightly steadied her shoulder. She looked up, startled, to see the coldest expression she''d ever witnessed on Jarrod''s face. He was staring at Ivan, his jaw set. After making sure Elodie was steady, Jarrod took one long stride forward, and, catching Ivan off guard,nded another brutal punch.


    The sickening smack of flesh and bone was enough to make anyone''s skin crawl.


    Ivan finally snapped out of his daze, his face dark with anger, and grabbed the bottle in his hand, swinging it straight for Jarrod''s head.


    Elodie, terrified, nearly screamed.