Watching Emma cozy up to Micah, Ivy couldn’t help but marvel at her performance—so convincing, it was as if Emma herself believed in it.

Mr. Ludwig wasn’t about to let the moment pass without a jab. “So you’re learning from the enemy now. Should I be complimenting you on your wit and generosity?”

Ivy kept a straight face. “If you insist, I’ll take the compliment.”

Jamison rolled his eyes, exasperated, but steered the conversation back to the matter at hand. “And what if, three years from now, my mother isn’t won over by you at all, but actually dislikes you even more?”

Ivy answered with practiced ease, meeting her husband’s challenge head-on. “Well, that depends on how much you love me, doesn’t it? If you’re truly devoted, if you can’t bear to let me go, you’ll choose me over them and come with me. But if your feelings have faded, it’s fine to find someone new. I’ll just pick myself up and walk away.”

Jamison clenched his fists, holding himself in check. His voice, though controlled, carried an unmistakable edge. “So basically, I’m optional. If I want you, you’ll stay, but if I don’t, you’ll leave without a second thought? Ivy, is that all our relationship means to you?”

“This isn’t a joke, Jamison. Quite the opposite—it’s about being honest and responsible.” The teasing glint faded from Ivy’s eyes. She reached out and took his tightly clenched hand, her tone solemn. “Life is long. I don’t need promises of forever. I just want us to cherish every day we’re still in love, to be happy and live in the moment.”

Jamison stared at her, frustration simmering beneath the surface. She really didn’t believe in his loyalty or his commitment.

Ivy saw the protest forming on his lips and cut him off. “The three-year agreement might sound ridiculous, but it’s actually good for both us and your parents. Sometimes, slowing down helps everyone calm down and see things more clearly. We’ll take it one step at a time.”

Jamison couldn’t argue with her logic, even if he didn’t like it. Suddenly, he understood why his mother had been so cold to him all day—ignoring his calls and barely looking at him when he got home. She was probably just as frustrated and powerless as he was, stuck dealing with a daughter-in-law she couldn’t outmaneuver. And when you lose a battle with your daughter-in-law, who else is there to take it out on but your own son?

He took a deep breath, forced himself to swallow his annoyance, and let it drop.

Ivy, sensing he’d calmed down, softened and smiled. “Let me go heat up your dinner.”

She stood and carried the plate she’d saved for him into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned with the food, ready to fetch him a glass of water—only to be caught off guard when he suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his lap.

Startled, Ivy glared at him. “What are you doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

Jamison gritted his teeth, exhaled, and finally managed to compose himself. When he looked up at her, his tone was possessive and unyielding. “That three-year deal was just for my mother’s sake. I don’t want you thinking like that. In my world, there’s no such thing as divorce—only death do us part. Understand?”

The message was clear: he’d never agree to let her go.

Ivy blinked in surprise at his fierce declaration, then her expression softened. She wrapped her arms around his neck and murmured, “Alright. If you won’t let me leave, I won’t even think about it. If I have to play the villain in the Ludwig family, so be it.”

But even as she said it, Ivy knew she was just telling Jamison what he wanted to hear.

After everything she’d endured during those three missing years, she saw life for what it was. Every day since surviving that ordeal felt like a bonus—she lived for the present, without getting tangled up in the what-ifs.

Right now, she loved the man holding her in his arms. As for the future—well, no one could predict that.

Jamison, however, couldn’t accept her live-and-let-go attitude. He needed to believe he could steer the future, that his love was absolute and unchanging. Ivy saw no reason to argue the point. Let him believe what he needed to. She’d simply enjoy the moment, just as she always had.