My blood went cold. "Who's Meredith?"
"Meredith. Leo's wife."
The pieces clicked together with sickening clarity. Elena, Ivy's best friend and adopted sister essentially, was connected to the Donati family. Not just connected. Family. Which meant my reconnecting with Ivy looked like the most calculated move imaginable.
"Fuck," I breathed. "Ivy, I swear to you, I had no idea."
"You really didn't know Elena was Leo's sister-in-law?"
"No, I didn't." I stepped back, my hands falling from the wall. The space between us felt like a chasm. "I knew Leo had a wife. I knew there were family connections I needed to be aware of. But I didn't know about Elena, about any of it."
I could see her wanting to believe me, the hope warring with her need to protect herself. It was written all over her face, and it was killing me.
The club door opened, and Sofia Donati stepped into the alley. Her dark eyes took in the scene with the kind of practiced assessment that reminded me exactly who I was dealing with.
"Let her go," Sofia said. Not a request.
I stepped back immediately, hands raised. The last thing I needed was to make this situation worse by appearing threatening to a member of the family I was trying to build an alliance with.
Sofia moved to Ivy's side, her hand gentle on Ivy's shoulder. "You okay?"
Ivy nodded, but I could see she wasn't. Could see the way she was holding herself together by sheer force of will.
Sofia turned her attention to me. "I think you should head back to your hotel."
"I'm concerned this could impact the family alliance," I said, hating how professional I sounded but needing them to understand the broader implications. "That Leo and Grayson may question my intentions now."
"They might," Sofia agreed. "But that's something we'll handle internally. Right now, you need to give Ivy some space."
Every instinct I had screamed against walking away from her. Against leaving things like this between us. My hands flexed at my sides with the effort it took not to reach for her again.
"I'm sorry," I said, looking directly at Ivy. "For all of it. I truly had no idea about your connection to the family."
She couldn't even look at me.
I held her gaze for another moment, memorizing her face, then nodded to Sofia and forced myself to walk toward the street. Each step felt like tearing something vital from my chest.
Behind me, I heard Sofia's gentle voice. "Something tells me we need to talk, don't we?"
"Maybe."
I kept walking, but Ivy's broken voice followed me into the night.
I sat in my hotel room, the city lights of Ironstone spreading below me like scattered diamonds. The meeting with the Donatis had gone well, better than expected. Leo had agreed to the alliance, understood the strategic advantages it would bring both families.
And then I'd seen Ivy.
My chest tightened at the memory of her face when she'd realized what I was. I pulled out my phone, staring at the contact labeled "Father" before pressing call, dreading what I had to report.
"Eric." His voice was crisp despite the late hour. "I assume you're calling with good news."
"The alliance is moving forward," I confirmed, though the words felt hollow. "Leo agreed to our terms. We'll have access to their western networks, their midwest contacts. In exchange, we provide our European connections and political leverage."
"Excellent. The council will be pleased."
I leaned back against the headboard, my stomach knotting. "There's a potential complication."
A pause. "What kind of complication?"
