All Chapters of It Ends With Us: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

““Sometimes the only way to win… is to sit at the table with people you swore you’d never touch.”That’s what Lily kept telling herself as she walked through the glass-and-steel corridors of Caldwell Enterprises again.Only this time, she wasn’t begging.She was signing.Leon Caldwell sat behind a massive black desk, sipping his espresso like he wasn’t holding her future hostage.“You’ve read the contract?” he asked, sliding the final page toward her.“I had three lawyers read it,” she replied coolly. “Don’t flatter yourself.”Leon smiled. “Smart. You’re already more useful than half the execs on my team.”Lily picked up the pen. Her fingers hesitated.She looked him in the eye. “If you double-cross me, I’ll bury you. I don’t care how powerful you are.”Leon’s smirk widened. “God, I love that fire. No wonder Atlas still talks about you like a ghost that won’t leave his house.”She signed her name. “Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it to save what’s m

“The worst kind of war is the one you never saw coming.” The café was closed. For the first time in six years, Lily Harper’s dream was behind yellow caution tape. She stood by the window, watching as a news van pulled up across the street. The headlines had already begun twisting the narrative: “Small Business Owner Implicated in Charity Fraud Scandal.” “Atlas Caldwell’s Ex Under Investigation.” “God,” Lily whispered, her voice cracking. Behind her, Atlas stood with crossed arms, jaw tense. “They’re painting a target on your back.” “They already hit the bullseye,” she said, spinning around. “Leon’s not stopping. Every time I try to breathe, he’s three steps ahead.” “You’re stronger than him.” “No,” she snapped, chest heaving, “I’m not. He has money. Influence. And now, the media. All I have is a shattered reputation and a café I can’t even walk into.” Atlas stepped closer, his voice low and steady. “You have me.” She looked up at him, eyes swimming. “Why do you still care?

“Sometimes, the only way to outplay a monster… is to become one for a moment.”The door slammed shut. Miranda was gone.Lily stood frozen, her fists trembling, eyes still locked on the now-blank tablet screen. The image of Atlas and Ryle moving through a building haunted her like a warning bell.Emma stirred behind her with a groggy moan.Lily rushed over. “Emma? Em, it’s me. You’re okay, you’re safe for now.”Her sister blinked slowly, her voice a faint whisper. “Lils…? Where are we?”“I don’t know, but we’re getting out of here.” Lily squeezed her hand, a fierce promise in her tone. “I’m not letting Leon win. Not again.”But time wasn’t on their side.Miranda had said the words with calm certainty: Leon just gave the kill order.That meant Atlas and Ryle were walking into a trap.She needed to act now.Atlas crept through the tunnel, silent as breath. Ryle followed two paces behind, watching the shadows, weapon drawn.“This place was shut down six years ago,” Atlas whispered. “But i

Rain seeped through the crumbling roof of the abandoned train station, tapping a mournful rhythm onto broken tiles and rusted beams. The early morning air hung heavy, thick with tension and the metallic scent of old steel. Lily Harper stood motionless near the edge of the platform, the train tracks below swallowed by darkness. Behind her, Atlas and Ryle stood on opposite ends of the room, the silence between them louder than any argument.The past few hours had blurred into chaos. From narrowly escaping Leon Vale’s facility to being hunted through the city by his operatives, Lily had barely caught her breath. Now, this station, an echo from Boston’s forgotten past, was their temporary sanctuary. But sanctuary didn’t mean safety.“How long do you think we have?” Lily asked quietly, her voice almost lost beneath the patter of rain. “Before they find us again?”Ryle’s reply was grim. “Ten, fifteen minutes if we’re lucky.”“Luck hasn’t exactly been our friend,” Atlas muttered, adjusting t

The SUV sped down the highway like a phantom in the night, weaving between abandoned checkpoints and side roads Lily had never noticed before. The air inside was thick with silence, heavy with suspicion.Lily sat in the backseat beside Vera, who was slumped against her shoulder, unconscious but breathing. Across from her, Atlas sat rigid, one hand on his pistol, the other clenched tightly on his knee. His eyes never left Damien.“You’ve got thirty seconds to explain,” Atlas growled. “Starting with why the hell we should trust a man who’s been trying to kill us for months.”Damien didn’t look away from the road. “You don’t have to trust me. You just have to listen.”“That’s not good enough,” Lily said coldly. “You drugged me. You handed me over to Leon.”“And I’ve regretted it every day since.” His voice was low, almost too calm. “You think Leon’s the monster? You haven’t met the people he answers to.”Atlas scoffed. “Convenient timing for a moral epiphany.”Damien glanced at the rearv