After freshening up, Xander returned to the bedroom.

The room was quiet, illuminated only by the soft glow of the bedside lamp.

Ivy was fast asleep, her breathing slow and even after the exhausting day she had endured.

A faint smile tugged at Xander’s lips as he sat beside her. He brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face before reaching for his phone.

His expression gradually turned serious as he opened the email Taylor had sent him.

He didn’t want to doubt Ivy.

He trusted her.

But there were still parts of her past that remained a mystery to him, and he wanted to understand the woman he loved better.

Logan’s words from earlier that day continued to linger in his mind.

That revelation had caught him completely off guard.

Taylor hadn’t uncovered much. Most of Ivy’s past was difficult to trace, likely because she had changed jobs so frequently after leaving the Ford family.

Still, one particular detail stood out.

It was the night they had first met.

Xander’s gaze narrowed as he read through the report.

"She worked at the Imperial Grand Hotel..."

He leaned back against the headboard, his thoughts drifting to that unforgettable night.

His grandfather had drugged him.

The next morning, he had woken up in a hotel suite with only fragments of his memory intact.

At the time, he had never questioned how Ivy had appeared there.

Now...

Everything seemed far less coincidental.

He continued reading.

"Employment Date: Joined on the same day as the incident."

"Resignation Date: The following day."

Xander frowned.

"She started working there that very day..."

"...and resigned the very next morning?"

It made no sense.

No one took up a job only to leave within twenty-four hours.

Unless...

Something had happened.

His fingers tightened slightly around the phone.

"What really happened that night, Ivy?"

Just as he was about to continue reading, a faint voice interrupted his thoughts.

"...No..."

Xander immediately looked toward the bed.

Ivy was still asleep, but her brows were tightly knitted together.

"...Mom..."

Her voice trembled.

"Mom... wake up..."

Tears slowly slipped from the corners of her closed eyes.

"The bad men are gone..."

"Please wake up..."

Xander’s heart clenched.

Without another thought, he placed his phone on the bedside table and moved closer.

"Ivy."

She continued to tremble in her sleep.

"No... don’t leave me..."

He gently gathered her into his arms.

"It’s okay," he whispered, carefully stroking her hair.

"You’re safe."

"I’m here."

"No one can hurt you."

His voice remained calm and reassuring as he held her close.

"Shh..."

"It was only a nightmare."

Slowly, Ivy’s trembling began to ease.

Her breathing steadied.

The tension in her body gradually disappeared as she unconsciously leaned into his embrace.

A few moments later, she had drifted back into a peaceful sleep.

Xander let out a quiet sigh of relief.

This wasn’t the first time he had heard Ivy talking in her sleep.

She had told him about her recurring nightmares before.

But tonight...

For the first time...

He had witnessed just how deeply they haunted her.

He looked down at her sleeping face.

Even now, traces of sadness lingered on her expression.

Carefully, he wiped away the tear that remained on her cheek with his thumb.

"What are you hiding from me, Ivy?" he murmured softly.

It wasn’t suspicion that filled his heart.

It was concern.

Whatever had happened in her past...

Whatever burden she continued to carry...

He wanted to help her shoulder it.

He tightened his embrace ever so slightly, as though silently promising that she would never have to face those nightmares alone again.

Resting his chin lightly against the top of her head, Xander closed his eyes.

The unanswered questions could wait until morning.

For now...

All that mattered was that she felt safe.

Holding her securely in his arms, he finally allowed sleep to claim him as well.

***

The next morning, Ivy slowly stirred awake.

For a brief moment, she simply lay there, enjoying the warmth surrounding her.

Then she realized she couldn’t move.

She frowned and glanced down.

One of Xander’s arms was securely wrapped around her waist, holding her so tightly that she could barely breathe.

She let out a helpless sigh.

"Xander..."

He didn’t respond.

She tried to wiggle free, but his grip only tightened instinctively.

A small wince escaped her lips.

"Xander, you’re going to suffocate me."

The movement immediately stirred him awake.

His eyes snapped open, and he sat up halfway, his expression instantly filled with concern.

"What happened?"

He quickly looked her over.

"Did you have another nightmare?"

Ivy blinked in confusion.

"A nightmare?"

She stared at him, trying to understand why that was the first thing he asked.

Then she noticed the worry etched across his face.

Realization slowly dawned on her.

Did I... dream again last night?

She couldn’t remember.

As far as she knew, she had fallen asleep during the massage and slept peacefully afterward.

Xander gently loosened his hold on her.

"You were crying," he said quietly.

"You kept calling for your mother."

The word mother made Ivy freeze.

Her expression stiffened for the briefest moment.

Xander noticed the change immediately.

He shifted to face her completely.

"Ivy."

His voice remained gentle.

"What are these nightmares about?"

"I’ve heard you talk in your sleep before."

"I didn’t want to ask because every morning you acted as though nothing had happened."

"But last night..."

His brows knitted together.

"You looked terrified."

"I’ve never seen you like that."

Silence settled between them.

Ivy lowered her gaze.

She didn’t know how to explain something she barely understood herself.

The nightmares weren’t hers.

They belonged to Raven.

The woman she called "Mother" in those dreams wasn’t someone Ivy had ever known.

It was Susan.

How could she possibly explain something that sounded impossible?

After several moments, she finally spoke.

"A woman keeps appearing in my dreams."

Her voice was soft.

"I never see her face clearly."

"I only remember calling her... ’Mom.’"

Xander listened quietly.

"When I wake up..."

She frowned slightly.

"...everything becomes blurry."

"I can never remember what she looked like."

"Or what happened."

"It’s like the dream disappears the moment I open my eyes."

Xander remained silent, giving her time to continue.

"I was very young when the Ford family took me in."

"I don’t remember anything from before that."

"So every time I wake up, I convince myself it was just another strange dream."

She forced a faint smile.

"Eventually, I stop thinking about it."

Xander studied her expression.

"Have you ever tried to look for your parents?"

The question lingered in the air.

Ivy hesitated.

She searched through her memories.

Nothing.

There wasn’t a single clue.

Not even a faded image.

Finally, she shook her head.

"No."

"Florine always told me they were gone."

"She said there was no point looking for people who were no longer alive."

Xander’s eyes softened.

He understood that feeling better than most.

He had lost his parents at a young age as well.

Growing up without them left questions that could never truly be answered.

Without saying another word, he reached forward and gently pulled Ivy into his embrace.

She stiffened for only a second before relaxing against him.

"You’re not alone anymore," he whispered.

"You don’t have to carry everything by yourself."

Ivy quietly wrapped her arms around him.

His embrace was warm.

Comforting.

For a moment, she allowed herself to simply enjoy the feeling.

Yet deep inside, another question surfaced.

Had the real Ivy ever searched for her parents?

If they truly loved their daughter... why did they leave her behind?

The more she thought about it, the less everything made sense.

None of the memories she possessed held any answers.

After a long silence, Xander slowly pulled back.

"There is something I want to ask you."

He hesitated.

His expression grew noticeably conflicted.

"I don’t want you to misunderstand."

"This isn’t because I doubt you."

"I trust you."

He held her gaze.

"But after you left yesterday..."

"Logan told me something."

A flicker of confusion crossed Ivy’s face.

"What did he say?"

Xander drew in a slow breath.

"He told me..."

"...that the two of you knew each other long before you ever met me."

His eyes searched hers, not with suspicion, but with genuine curiosity.

"And that surprised me. Because you’ve never mentioned him before. I just want to understand. How did the two of you meet?"

Xander’s question caught Ivy off guard.

For a split second, she froze.

Then realization slowly dawned on her.

Logan recognized Ivy the moment he saw me... He simply chose not to mention it at the time.

She looked at Xander and immediately understood why he had brought it up.

Logan’s words had clearly planted questions in his mind.

Ivy knew that before everything changed, the real Ivy had been trying to get in touch with Logan through Nathan. What she hadn’t expected was for Logan to mention it to Xander first.

Taking a quiet breath to steady herself, she answered as naturally as she could.

"Maybe I met him while I was working at the bar."

She offered a faint, apologetic smile.

"You know... after I was shot, there are still a few things I don’t remember clearly."

Xander held her gaze for a moment before slowly nodding.

The doctor’s words from that day resurfaced in his mind.

After the bullet had pierced her chest, her condition had been critical. The medical team had fought for hours to save her, and afterward, the doctor had warned him that she might experience lingering aftereffects, including occasional memory gaps.

Maybe she’s right, Xander thought.

Maybe that’s why she never mentioned knowing Logan.

The suspicion that had briefly crossed his mind faded.

If there was one thing he trusted, it was Ivy’s honesty.

And if she genuinely couldn’t remember that part of her past, there was no reason to press her any further.

’I am sorry Xander, but this is the only excuse I could come up with because I myself don’t know anything’