Chapter 55: Bonus - : The Things We Never Say

Chapter 55: Bonus Chapter: The Things We Never Say

The alarms died.

One second they were screaming.

The next—

Nothing.

Silence swallowed the ship whole.

Not peaceful silence.

The kind that made your skin crawl.

The kind that made you realize how much noise had been protecting you from your own thoughts.

Rain hammered the deck overhead.

Metal groaned beneath the strain of the storm.

Somewhere far below, the ocean slammed against steel.

And Allison Croft stood in darkness trying very hard not to panic.

Again.

The blast doors had separated everyone.

Lucian was somewhere on the other side.

Theo was missing.

The federal team had vanished into different sections of the ship.

And Clara—

God.

That little girl was still trapped somewhere.

Allison closed her eyes briefly.

This wasn’t how her life was supposed to look.

Two months ago she had been making presentations and arguing with Anthony over quarterly reports.

Now?

Now she was standing on a cargo ship in the middle of a federal operation involving kidnappers, billionaires, missing children, and a man who looked like he belonged in a government conspiracy documentary.

Her therapist would have made a fortune off this.

If she had one.

A metallic bang echoed somewhere nearby.

Allison jumped.

Then immediately rolled her eyes at herself.

"Get it together, Croft."

Her voice sounded small in the darkness.

Not scared.

Just... tired.

She was so unbelievably tired.

Tired of being hunted.

Tired of being underestimated.

Tired of watching terrible people hurt innocent people because they couldn’t handle rejection.

A faint laugh escaped her.

Honestly?

The universe owed her a vacation.

Preferably somewhere with margaritas.

And no kidnappers.

A hand suddenly hit the opposite side of the blast door.

Allison spun.

"Lucian?"

For one terrible second, there was no answer.

Then—

"Yeah."

Relief hit so hard her knees nearly gave out.

Stupid.

Ridiculous.

But real.

The steel door separated them completely, but somehow hearing his voice made the darkness less oppressive.

"You okay?" Lucian asked.

Allison rested her forehead against the cold metal.

"I’m fantastic."

A pause.

"That sounded sarcastic."

"It was."

"Good."

The answer surprised her.

A smile tugged at her lips.

"Why is that good?"

"Because if you’re being sarcastic, you’re not panicking."

The smile disappeared.

Because that was exactly the kind of thing Lucian noticed.

Not the obvious things.

The little things.

The details nobody else paid attention to.

For a moment neither spoke.

Rain continued pounding overhead.

Then Lucian’s voice came through again.

Quieter this time.

"Did he hurt you?"

Allison blinked.

"What?"

"Dorian."

The question hung between them.

Not asked casually.

Asked carefully.

Like he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer.

Allison understood immediately.

Lucian wasn’t asking about tonight.

He was asking about everything.

The kidnapping.

The bruises.

The fear.

The moments she pretended didn’t bother her.

The moments she buried.

Because if she acknowledged them, she’d have to admit they were real.

For a second she considered lying.

Then sighed.

"A little."

Silence.

Heavy silence.

Dangerous silence.

The kind that only came from someone trying very hard not to lose control.

When Lucian finally spoke again, his voice had gone frighteningly calm.

"I should’ve gotten there faster."

Allison’s eyes closed.

There it was.

The guilt.

The thing he’d been carrying around since Clara disappeared.

Since Allison got kidnapped.

Since everything started falling apart.

"No."

"Allison—"

"No."

She pushed away from the door.

"Stop doing that."

"What?"

"Acting like every bad thing is somehow your responsibility."

A humorless laugh echoed through the metal.

"That’s rich coming from you."

She frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"You spent three years letting Anthony treat you like garbage because you thought fixing him was your responsibility."

Well.

That was rude.

Accurate.

But rude.

Allison groaned dramatically.

"I hate when you’re right."

"You hate it often."

"You sound very pleased with yourself."

A pause.

Then—

"I am."

That startled a laugh out of her.

An actual laugh.

The first one all night.

And somehow that made her chest hurt.

Because she couldn’t remember the last time someone made her laugh while she was scared.

The realization settled quietly inside her.

Dangerously.

Because feelings were starting to appear.

Real feelings.

Not attraction.

Not chemistry.

Something worse.

Something deeper.

Something that made her want to see him safe.

Something that made her worry.

Something that made her think about him first.

And that terrified her.

Because the last man she’d trusted broke her heart so completely she still found pieces of it in unexpected places.

Lucian’s voice softened.

"Allison?"

"Yeah?"

A pause.

Long enough to matter.

Then—

"When this is over..."

Her stomach tightened unexpectedly.

"When this is over what?"

More silence.

More hesitation.

Like Lucian Calloway, billionaire genius and corporate shark, was suddenly nervous.

Which honestly sounded impossible.

Then again.

So did most of this year.

"When this is over..."

His voice lowered.

"...I’d like us to figure out what this is."

Allison froze.

Completely.

Because somehow that felt more terrifying than armed kidnappers.

The ship creaked loudly.

Rain battered steel.

The ocean raged below.

But all Allison could hear was her own heartbeat.

And the man on the other side of the door waiting for an answer.

Then suddenly—

A small voice echoed through the ship speakers.

Confused.

Frightened.

Tiny.

"Hello?"

Clara.

Both Allison and Lucian straightened instantly.

The moment shattered.

Reality crashed back in.

And then another voice answered her.

Male.

Calm.

Dangerously familiar.

A voice that made even Dorian Kreel afraid.

"Well."

The voice chuckled softly.

A sound far more unsettling than shouting.

"This is becoming interesting."

This Chapter serves as a heartfelt gift from the me to the readers, designed to highlight the emotional intensity and deepen the bond between Lucian and Allison. It carefully slows the pacing to let their feelings breathe, emphasizing the growing chemistry between them in the context of their contract marriage. By allowing Allison’s internal voice to become stronger, the Chapter showcases her emotional journey and her evolving connection with Lucian. The tender moments and unspoken promises illustrate how they will protect and support each other, laying the foundation for trust and intimacy in their unique relationship.