Dylan moved closer, each step a calculated echo in the room heavy with secrets. Heaven backed away slightly, her gaze drifting from his intense eyes to the wall plastered with information she could barely begin to understand.
"Sit," he said softly, motioning to the chair near the edge of the room.
She didn't move.
"I'm not here to hurt you, Heaven," Dylan added, his voice uncharacteristically calm. "If I wanted to… I would've. Long ago."
Heaven narrowed her eyes, but she finally sat, clutching the shawl around her shoulders.
Dylan walked to the wall, pulling down a photo. It was of a young woman—fierce, beautiful, with piercing green eyes and a scar down one cheek.
"This is Elena," he said. "My ex… and the woman who just helped Richard escape."
He tossed the photo onto the table.
"She was one of us. I trusted her. I even considered marrying her… until the day she vanished during a raid. I thought she was dead. But she wasn't."
"What happened to her?" Heaven asked, trying to steady her voice.
"She believed I betrayed her. That I let her family die." He exhaled. "But the truth is, it was my grandfather's call. He made me choose between saving her family or protecting my position in the underworld."
Heaven's heart tightened. "And you chose power?"
"I chose survival," he replied. "And then came Samantha."
He paused.
"She was the one who changed me… softened me. Made me believe in love again. When she died, everything hardened. I became the man you hate today."
Heaven blinked, processing everything.
"So why are you telling me this now?"
"Because I'm at war," Dylan said quietly. "Not just with Richard… but with myself. And somewhere along the way, you started mattering to me more than I planned. I don't want to lie to you anymore."
Heaven stood slowly, her eyes scanning his face. "You're not asking for forgiveness."
"No," Dylan admitted. "But I'm hoping you'll understand."
Just then, Jayden burst into the room.
"Boss, the south base was attacked—Richard's men. They hit our weapons storehouse."
Dylan clenched his jaw. "Casualties?"
"Five dead. They left a message… Elena's handwriting. She said 'An eye for an eye.'"
Dylan looked to Heaven, then back at Jayden.
"It's started."
---
Meanwhile – Richard's Hidden Lair
Richard stood before a dimly lit table surrounded by his men. Elena stood at his side, arms crossed, eyes blazing.
"We hit them where it hurts," Richard said. "And now, we wait."
"What about Dylan's girl?" one of the men asked.
Elena smirked. "Let her watch him fall… piece by piece."