Chapter 195: A Choice Unspoken

Nat leaned against the desk in her office, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on Ginger. She could tell from the way he hesitated at the door that whatever he was about to say, it wasn’t good. Ginger wasn’t the type to falter—if anything, he had been her steady ground through all of this. But right now, something was weighing on him, and the unease in his eyes made her stomach tighten.

"Just say it, Ginger," she murmured, already bracing herself.

He let out a slow breath before stepping inside and shutting the door behind him. "It’s Roman. He’s been taking down Elias’s empire."

Nat blinked, her grip tightening on her arms. "What?"

Ginger slid a file onto her desk, watching her carefully. "Someone has been systematically dismantling Carter’s network—his money, his men, his operations. It’s too precise, too strategic. It has to be Roman."

Nat inhaled sharply, her thoughts spiraling. She reached for the file, flipping through the reports. Each piece of information only confirmed what she already knew in her gut. This had Roman written all over it.

The bastard.

He had walked away, left her to pick up the pieces, to move on. And yet, here he was, still pulling strings, still controlling the war she had tried so hard to leave behind.

She set the file down, pressing her fingers to her temples. "Why now? Why the hell would he do this alone?"

Ginger took a step closer, his voice softer now. "You know why, Nat. He’s doing it for you. For Grace. He thinks he’s protecting you."

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "That’s not his choice to make."

Ginger sighed. "I know. And I also know this puts you in a tough position. You’ve been trying to move forward, to leave all this behind. I didn’t want to tell you at first because I didn’t know if it would set you back. But we promised honesty, and I couldn’t keep this from you."

Nat lifted her gaze to meet his. Honesty. Trust. The very foundation of what she and Ginger had been building. And yet, Roman was still there, lingering in the background, an unshakable ghost in her life.

Her heart clenched as she wrestled with the emotions rising inside her.

She had spent months trying to let go of Roman, to focus on Ginger, on the life they had been creating together. Ginger had been patient, kind, everything she needed when the world felt like it was crumbling around her. But now Roman was making moves, forcing her to confront feelings she had tried so hard to bury.

She wasn’t naive enough to believe that what she felt for Ginger and what she felt for Roman were the same. They were two different men, two different loves.

And she was still caught between them.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "What do you think I should do?"

Ginger didn’t answer right away. Instead, he studied her, his expression unreadable. Then, finally, he said, "I think you already know."

And that terrified her more than anything.

Later that evening, Nat and Ginger packed up Grace and Alejandro, securing their things with quiet efficiency. Ginger’s mother greeted them at the door, concern flickering in her eyes as she took the baby from Nat’s arms. "You two be careful," she said, rocking Alejandro gently. "Whatever this is, don’t let it destroy what you’ve built."

Nat nodded, pressing a kiss to Grace’s forehead before pulling back. "We won’t be gone long."

Ginger’s mother gave her a look that said she wasn’t convinced, but she didn’t argue.

As they walked back to the car, Nat tightened her jacket around herself, the weight of what they were about to do sinking in. "Where do we start?"

Ginger slid into the driver’s seat, his jaw tense. "Roman always leaves a trail if you know where to look. And I know exactly where he’s been operating."

Nat exhaled, gripping the edge of her seat as Ginger started the car. "Then let’s find him."

Because if Roman Wolfe thought he could fight this war alone, he was about to learn just how wrong he was.