Ash barely had time to set three plates on the coffee table before the knock came again.
Harder this time.
Not careful.
Not polite.
The kind of knock that carried urgency—control barely holding back panic.
Ash froze mid-step, brows knitting together. "Who the hell—"
Nicole's stomach dropped before the door even opened.
Because she already knew.
Xan's gaze lifted instantly, body going still in a way that told Nicole he'd recognized it too. His jaw tightened, but he didn't move. Not yet.
Ash walked to the door and pulled it open—
And Gu Sean stood there.
He looked immaculate as always—dark coat tailored perfectly, hair neat, expression cool—except his eyes were not calm. They were sharp, restless, burning with something Nicole had only seen once before.
Fear.
And the moment his gaze landed inside the apartment—
On Nicole.
Then on Xan.
The air changed.
It didn't just tense.
It snapped.
Ash's voice came out cautious. "Gu Sean…?"
He didn't answer her at first.
His eyes stayed locked on Xan.
Then Gu Sean stepped forward without asking permission, crossing the threshold like the space belonged to him simply because Nicole was inside it.
"Nicole," he said, voice low.
Nicole stood slowly, heart hammering. "Gu Sean—"
His gaze flickered over her face, her hoodie, the faint darkness beneath her eyes. His jaw clenched, like he was holding back words too sharp to survive in this room.
"You didn't come home," he said quietly. "Do you have any idea what you did to me?"
Nicole swallowed. "I told you I needed space."
"You disappeared," he corrected, voice tightening. "No calls. No message. You don't get to do that."
Xan stood too, slow and controlled, positioning himself just slightly between Gu Sean and Nicole—subtle enough not to seem like a challenge.
But it was.
"She's not a prisoner," Xan said evenly. "She asked for space."
Gu Sean's eyes darkened. "And you were right here waiting to give it to her."
Xan didn't flinch. "I made sure she was safe."
Nicole's pulse spiked. "Stop—"
Gu Sean ignored her.
"You're always there," Gu Sean said to Xan, voice edged with something almost bitter. "In her space. In her ear. In her life."
Xan's expression stayed calm, but his eyes sharpened. "Maybe you should ask yourself why she keeps ending up needing someone else."
That did it.
Gu Sean took a step forward.
Ash moved instinctively, putting herself in the middle. "Okay—no. Not in my apartment. You two are not about to—"
"Move," Gu Sean said without looking at her.
Ash's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
Nicole's voice snapped louder. "Gu Sean."
That stopped him.
His attention shifted fully to her, and suddenly the anger in his face softened into something else—something more dangerous because it looked almost like pain.
"You're my wife," he said, quieter now. "Do you understand that?"
Nicole's breath caught.
The word still sounded unreal coming out of his mouth.
Wife.
Not contract.
Not arrangement.
Something binding.
Something claimed.
"And you're standing here," he continued, eyes flicking briefly to Xan again, "with another man… while he looks at you like he's waiting for you to fall into his arms."
Xan's jaw tightened. "I'm not waiting for her to fall. I'm waiting for her to breathe."
Nicole's cheeks flushed—anger, humiliation, confusion all crashing together.
"You don't get to talk about me like I'm not here!" she snapped.
Silence fell instantly.
Nicole's hands trembled as she took a step forward. Her voice shook, but it was steady enough to cut.
"I told you I needed space because you dropped a truth on me that changed everything," she said to Gu Sean, eyes burning. "You told me you rescued me like it was some dramatic confession and expected me to just—just accept it."
Gu Sean's face hardened. "I told you because you deserved to know."
"And you waited until I was already married to you," Nicole shot back. "That's not protection. That's control."
Gu Sean flinched.
Nicole turned toward Xan, her voice sharp. "And you—"
Xan's gaze softened. "Nicole, I didn't—"
"You knew too," she accused, voice cracking. "You knew about the accident. You were there. You were always there. And you never said anything either."
Xan's lips parted like he wanted to defend himself, but no words came.
Because she was right.
Nicole pressed a hand to her chest like she could hold herself together physically.
"I am tired," she whispered. "Tired of men deciding what I can handle. Tired of secrets and timelines and control and feeling like I'm always one step behind my own life."
Gu Sean's voice softened, just slightly. "Nicole…"
She shook her head. "No. Listen."
Her eyes darted between them.
"You both keep talking about saving me," she said bitterly. "But do you know what I actually want?"
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them blinked.
"I want to be able to save myself," Nicole said quietly. "I want to breathe without someone hovering over me like I'm fragile."
The room stayed painfully still.
Ash stood off to the side, wide-eyed, hands clenched, looking like she was one wrong word away from exploding.
Gu Sean swallowed hard, then spoke carefully. "I wasn't trying to manipulate you."
Nicole let out a humorless laugh. "But you did."
Gu Sean's fists flexed at his sides. "I panicked. I thought I was losing you."
Nicole's gaze sharpened. "You can't lose something you never truly earned."
That landed like a slap.
Xan's eyes flickered to Gu Sean—not smug. Not victorious.
Almost… sympathetic.
Gu Sean noticed.
And his jealousy surged again.
"You're enjoying this," Gu Sean said coldly.
Xan's expression turned lethal. "No. I'm watching you break her."
Nicole's breath hitched.
Gu Sean stepped closer again, voice low, dangerous. "Stay out of my marriage."
Xan didn't back down. "Then stop using marriage like a leash."
Ash finally snapped. "OKAY! Enough!"
All three of them froze.
Ash stood tall, eyes blazing. "Nicole is not a rope in your little tug-of-war. You two want to fight? Go outside. But don't you dare make her feel unsafe in my home."
Gu Sean's gaze shifted to Ash, then back to Nicole.
His voice dropped. "Come home with me."
Nicole stared at him. Her heart pounded so hard she could feel it in her throat.
"I can't," she whispered.
Gu Sean's jaw clenched, but his voice softened. "Nicole… please."
Xan's hand lifted slightly, not touching her, just there—like a silent offer of protection.
Nicole saw it.
And for reasons she didn't understand, it made her chest tighten even more.
"I need time," she said firmly. "I need air. I need my mind to be quiet for once."
Gu Sean's eyes darkened. "And you think staying here with him will make it quiet?"
Nicole flinched.
Xan's expression hardened. "I'm not the enemy."
Gu Sean's gaze sharpened. "You're not the husband either."
Silence.
A thick, suffocating silence.
Nicole stepped between them, shoulders squared, voice shaking but unwavering.
"Enough," she said. "I am not choosing today."
Both men went still.
Nicole looked at Gu Sean first.
"I will come home," she said carefully. "But not because you demand it. Because I decide it."
Gu Sean's expression softened a fraction, hope flickering in his eyes.
Then Nicole looked at Xan.
"And you…" her voice softened slightly, more confused than angry now. "Thank you. For making sure I was safe."
Xan's jaw flexed. "Always."
Nicole swallowed hard, heart twisting painfully. "But don't make choices for me either."
Xan nodded once, controlled. "Understood."
She turned back to Gu Sean.
"But you need to understand something," Nicole said, voice low. "If you want me to trust you… you have to stop treating me like something you're afraid to lose."
Gu Sean stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time.
Then, slowly, he nodded.
"I'll try," he said quietly.
Nicole exhaled shakily, exhaustion crashing over her.
And that's when her phone buzzed.
A message.
From her calendar.
Client Meeting — 6:00 PM.
Nicole's eyes widened.
Ash leaned forward. "Wait… you have a meeting tonight? With who?"
Nicole blinked, suddenly uneasy. "I— It's a new client. It got moved into my schedule after the promotion."
Gu Sean's eyes narrowed. "What client?"
Nicole hesitated. "Lennel."
The name hit the room like a gunshot.
Xan's face went cold.
Gu Sean's expression turned instantly lethal.
Ash's voice rose. "Nicole, isn't that the guy from—"
"I didn't know," Nicole said quickly, panic crawling up her throat. "I swear I didn't know."
Gu Sean stepped forward. "You're not going."
Nicole shook her head automatically. "Gu Sean, I have to. It's business, and—"
"No," Xan cut in sharply. "That man is dangerous."
Nicole swallowed. "I'll be careful."
Gu Sean's voice dropped into something terrifyingly calm.
"You don't understand," he said. "Careful doesn't work with men like him."
Nicole's heart pounded.
But her pride rose faster.
"I'm not weak," she snapped, grabbing her purse.
Gu Sean reached for her wrist—stopping himself at the last second, fingers curling into a fist instead.
"Nicole," he said, voice breaking just slightly. "Please."
Nicole hesitated.
Just one second.
Then she turned and walked out.
And behind her—
Two men moved at the same time.
One driven by love.
One driven by obsession.
And neither of them planned to lose her again.